Future XJ owner

New on the forum, and new to Jeeps when I buy one. I thoroughly research vehicles before I buy, and like to know what to expect, good or bad about them. I have limited my search from '94 to last model year (01 or 02?) Cherokees. What should I be wary of in particular? I know how to purchase a used vehicle, but this will be my first 4wd. I am hoping they have the reliability of the current Chrysler products (excellent). What mileage could I expect for a well maintained Cherokee?

This would be our 2nd car and mainly for use in towing a light utility trailer, light off road (on our property) and some snow plowing.

This would actually not be the first Jeep I have driven. I grew up with and learned to drive on Dad's 1950 Willys Overland Station Wagon. 4wd and a real workhorse!

Appreciate any comments
Wally

The ultimate answer depends on how handy you are. Regardless, the #1 enemy is rust. Pay a premium for a good body, everything else can be replaced. I see you are in MI so you are no stranger to the OCD-levels of road salt they dump up here. People will try to cover up rust, so crawl underneath and look around, don't believe anybody. Floor pans and rockers go out the most. Check behind the rockers, some assbags will slap new ones over top of rust just to make the sale. (I was bitten by this, fresh paint should've warned me)

Nothing much wrong with '91-'93, I'd consider them as well if you like the older interior. '97+ of course has cupholders and the period Chrysler interior look. I'd avoid 1996 on the basis that many components are '96-specific and can't be had new. 2000 and 2001 have a weak 0331 head casting that tends to crack. Most likely a lot of these on the market have this problem and someone's trying to cover it up.

XJs run a lot longer than other vehicles with minimal maintenance and, as cheap 4x4s, are a pretty common winter beater. Be realistic and don't expect anything perfect.

holysirsalad said:

I'd avoid 1996 on the basis that many components are '96-specific and can't be had new. 2000 and 2001 have a weak 0331 head casting that tends to crack. Most likely a lot of these on the market have this problem and someone's trying to cover it up.
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Not necessarily. You just have to know what 96 you have. An early or late production model. A lot of people regard 96 as one of the best years. Same with the 0331 head. There are 2000 models without the 0331 head. Depends on when it was built.

kdailey4315 said:

Not necessarily. You just have to know what 96 you have. An early or late production model.

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Maybe first and last months, however most of the fuel system and the PCM is specific to that year and a lot of it you can only get from the JY. 90% is close enough to me to say "all of them"

kdailey4315 said:

A lot of people regard 96 as one of the best years.

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I've never heard that before. I wonder why people like oddball parts, half-assed OBD-II, and that god awful steering wheel.

kdailey4315 said:

Same with the 0331 head. There are 2000 models without the 0331 head. Depends on when it was built.

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You've got this backwards. There are 1999s with 0331 that were done in the very last of the production. Yes, they have distributorless ignition too, and the VIN says 1999.

Thanks for all the info. I have no problem working on cars, trucks whatever, got everything I could possibly need in the pole barn except what my back needs the most, a lift! Maybe someday.

You gave me a lot to start with. There are literally hundreds of 2000 Cherokees out there. Some of the prices did sound suspicious, like one with about 83000 mi and only $5400. Most of them are about $9000. I will look into the older ones also. I can handle about any mechanical issue, have been learning OBD II for several years, but I absolutely hate body work!

Thanks again
Wally

Greets; One thing, or highly possible mistake that many make to purchase a used vehicle is to negotiate, or 'deal' without proper lighting, i.e., during night time darkness outside. Most who are not mechanically inclined should hire a real mechanic in order to inspect, or go through various testings in order for one to obtain a 'sweet' deal. Not many do.., lol.., it goes varooom so they buy, lol. A hundred bucks should pay for the time, and checks. Talk to a Jeep dealer mechanic, and see if they would like to make some extra dollars. On the other hand.., one can just obtain any XJ, and begin to fix it proper, and/or begin to modify to taste. That's cool too. I think most of us do it that way.

Some really like the older XJ's, and I am still wondering why I like mine with all of it's RENIX quirks.., but it does everything I ask of it.

If I go looking for another.., it would be a '99. When you read comments from all the various Jeep/Cherokee boards you might find, as I did, that that year seems to be a very good year for the XJ. Still, there are various times of that production that have pluses, and minuses, so one could make note of that. Goes for any production model, i.e., as you are beginning to see as per the head issue. I have a friend who has a '99, but it is an auto, and I dislike automatic tranny's, lol, especially on glare, or black ice road conditions. It's a matter of preference.

The idea of your researching for an ideal version of the XJ is commendable. However, when I installed my ARB/Warn bumper/winch, I did not like the thought of adding, or using a plow to the front end of the XJ under any circumstances since I could just bang-a-way with a heavy hammer up front so the uni-body components would move around to better facilitate the matching up of the bumper. XJ metal is too soft imho. I suppose if you are very gentle in a light duty snow moving operation for your own driveway I guess that'd be ok. Or, one could just get a little atv quad, and purchase a blade kit option. Otherwise goes the argument.., get an old beat up Ford, Chev, Dodge with a 'real-chassis-frame', and go to plowing up the ice, and hidden objects, and snow with an automatic transmission. Another Willy's would do well.:roll:

It's been a long time since I have visited this forum. I can tell you it is the best for XJ information.
I have owned a number of XJ's, a ZJ and also a WJ. My favorite is the XJ of which I have had 3, 90, 92 and 98. Of those, I still have the 90 and 98 which are still going strong. The 90 was the only one purchased new and currently has 217K miles. I prefer the 98 as it has the Up Country package and handles really well. All of them have the Select Trac transfer case except the WJ.
If I were to look for another one, it would be a 99, the last year with the low pinion in the front. I would check that it did not have the 0331 head. My preference would be a Limited or Classic as they typically have the Select Trac transfer case. I rarely go off road but when I do, it performs very well. Modification would be for a 3 1/2" lift and no more. With that you would likely need to modify the rear drive shaft to avoid vibrations. This is done with the installation of a CV joint at the output shaft. My other preference would be for a Trac Loc rear end if I wasn't going to upgrade to a locker.

Good luck!

holysirsalad said:

I've never heard that before. I wonder why people like oddball parts, half-assed OBD-II, and that god awful steering wheel.

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Question about this, what about the OBD-II is different between 1996 and 1997-on?

I had a 99 that was company issued while I was living in Cleveland, Ohio years ago and we put a Meyers 2M plow on it after changing out the front springs to the heavy duty models. Meyers has a mount for the Cherokee and there are some places like Storks out of PA that have mounts for sale on ebay. We ran the heck out of the plow during the winter because it could get into tight areas that the 350 dumps had difficulty to maneuver in due to limited rear visibility and the Cherokee was good for cleaning up at intersections and along long runs of curbs. The only issue was a small crack at the mold board and that was a quick 15 minute weld at 2:30 AM. I would not use it for large parking areas as clearing it with a 2 meter would be like cleaning a toilet with tooth brush. For a home driveway or neighbor's, it is perfect.

I have a 97, 98, two 99s, a 00, and a 01. All are with CA emissions. I did the head replacement on the 2001 several years ago for the crack mentioned above. All are solid but the later years tend to have more consistency in wiring connections through out the model year but you would only care if you got deep, deep. deep into it. 2000 and 2001 have no distributor or rotor to deal with which is nice.

Good luck on the search!

kippen said:

Question about this, what about the OBD-II is different between 1996 and 1997-on?

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If I recall correctly it doesn't report the same amount of data as later XJs... I could be talking out of my ass though.