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what to buy?

C

cheepheep

NAXJA Forum User
Location
saint john new brunswick
hey everyone, im new to the site. Just sold my GC earlier today and thought i was done with the jeeps for awhile....2 hours later im looking at a couple xj's...:). I have been told not to buy an xj below a 1997 because they junk (not my opinion) i am looking at 2 right now, a 98 xj sport 4L auto with 120000 kms that a buddy of mine owns, he works at a parts store and is verry meticulous about it. The other is a 93 2 door with a 4L ho 5 speed with 212000 kms, havent even looked at it yet.
Is there any pros or cons about either of these jeeps?
I plan on wheeling whatever one i buy.

Any input would be appreciated.
 
Personally, I like my 89...but I'd like a bit more modern interior. I prefer a AX15, np231 combo which I have. Not much of an automatic kind of guy...but it'd be easier to wheel for sure.

Fuel pump access on the 97+ requires dropping the tank. the others before that are accessible from the side.


Personally, I'd stick with lower miles if the price was similar. They last, but why not start with something newer and lower miles.
 
Some say the 97 is a little funky due to wiring issues with the body style change, some say that isn't so.

The 99 is considered by some to be the perfect XJ, with the later 00-01s having head problems and the distributor-less ignition and LP D30s.

Personally, I love my 90 Renix, and they can't even have it after they pry my cold dead fingers from around the steering wheel--my Son gets it.
 
I prefer the 91s and up with the 97's up being my favorite. I like the interior better in the 97up, better sound deadening,seats etc. and they are layed out better under the hood.
A distributor-less ignition would not stop me from buying one with it. Its a pretty reliable system.
 
Got a 90, 92, and 98. I like all of them. The 90 for the ease of diagnostics, the 92 for the Limited options, and the98 for the interior and ride (its an Up Country). The 98 is obviously a exercise in cost cutting but ends up pretty nice overall.

If I had to get rid of 2 of them, it would be the 90 and 92. If I had to throw in the 2000WJ in the decision, it would go too.
 
99 FTW, i may be a little biased though :)
 
cheepheep said:
hey everyone, im new to the site. Just sold my GC earlier today and thought i was done with the jeeps for awhile....2 hours later im looking at a couple xj's...:). I have been told not to buy an xj below a 1997 because they junk (not my opinion) i am looking at 2 right now, a 98 xj sport 4L auto with 120000 kms that a buddy of mine owns, he works at a parts store and is verry meticulous about it. The other is a 93 2 door with a 4L ho 5 speed with 212000 kms, havent even looked at it yet.
Is there any pros or cons about either of these jeeps?
I plan on wheeling whatever one i buy.

Any input would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
95 or 99 are the best depending on what body style you like. 96 is a red headed stepchild electrically - I could not figure out a lot of the stuff on mine until I got my FSM.

joe_peters said:
Some say the 97 is a little funky due to wiring issues with the body style change, some say that isn't so.

The 99 is considered by some to be the perfect XJ, with the later 00-01s having head problems and the distributor-less ignition and LP D30s.

Personally, I love my 90 Renix, and they can't even have it after they pry my cold dead fingers from around the steering wheel--my Son gets it.
Click to expand...
Agreed, though the 96 is funkier. It's all stuff you can handle though.

Make sure it isn't too rusty to recover. I have less rust on my 91 than on my 96, and in more repairable locations - the bottoms of the frame rails, the rockers, and some on a few bolt on body panels instead of all the floorboards and the bottoms of the D pillars where they connect to the floors as well as the area where the hatch meets the floor.
 
Being that I own a 93' and have worked on it the last 6 years i have to say i love it, and it is in better shape than my buddy's 2000 due to the upkeep. I would kill to have it as a 5 speed though, so that is a definite plus for the 93' your looking at.

In terms of comfort though, your 97+ have nicer interiors and do sound quieter on the highway.

Good luck either way!
 
I love my 92 w/ 218k miles on it, everything works and the interior is rather nice, although not as appealing as the newer body style xj's. My cousin has a 01 and the bottom of the doors is already rusting out, and they're not on my 92 even though the quarters and rockers are almost gone. If i were you i would look or lower miles and rust, thats what i look for now days, as i've worked on the older body styles i find them much easier to do so in general. The interiors also don't feel as fake to me in the older ones, less plastic crap
 
its taken me a few years and 3 xjs to choose my preference but here it is:
99' 4.0, AW4 (auto tranny), 231, 2 door, doesnt matter if D35 cause i'll just do a swap. thats what im in search of now. i like the newer interiors but some aspects of the exterior of the older models appeal to me. the 96 down have different bumper endcaps so cut fenders look better IMO. also the rear tail lights can be swapped with the chinese 2500s which look awesome to me. but for my plans im still sticking with the newer body style

My cousin has a 01 and the bottom of the doors is already rusting out
Click to expand...

yes that happened on my 01 for some reason also even though the rockers and such were fine
 
I can always tell you east coast guys with your discussions of rust!. All my rigs are totally rust free in comparison. Unpainted parts end up having a little surface rust, but no issue with the body, inlcuding my 90. Body Damage is another thing!
 
thanks for the input everyone. I guess it will all come down to the cash flow. both are in great shape but the 93 is 1/3 the price. if it needs a couple things the extra couple g's will put a lift and some new tires along with a couple other goodies.This will mostly be a trail rig with the occasional road trip and eventually whatever one i buy will be torn apart anyways. All i am looking for is a good place to start.
 
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