noobie here...or soon to be noobie

[FitchVA]

hey all. i've recently gotten the offroading bug. now i'm in search of a rig that i can beat and bang on and not worry about ruining a $30,000 truck. so i've been looking at used xj's. i had a few questions...

most of the ones i've seen around here for sale have around 150,000+ miles on them. is this too high or should i look for lower mileage?

what options should i look for? (how strong is the auto tranny, are there different axles that are better than others, stuff like that)

what problem areas should i look out for when looking at a xj.

Thanks in advance.

Steve

[RINGKONG]

if it comes with a 4.0L and a auto(aw4) and had anything coming close to basic prevenitive maintenance... then 150k is nothing to worry about. I have one at ~240K, no problems really. just stuff that wears out.

Look for rust. and oil leaks... but a oil leak should not scare you away..

My father told me a long time ago, with my first vehicle..

"son, buy the body... everything else can be replaced." :D

never steared me wrong yet. :D

[ChiXJeff]

Originally posted by RINGKONG
My father told me a long time ago, with my first vehicle..

"son, buy the body... everything else can be replaced." :D


Uh, yeah. What he said.

150,000 miles isn't an issue with 4.0l engines, either the HO or non-ho versions. As long as some basic preventative maintenance has been done, that's just nicely broken in. 3 years ago, a friend of mine had his 94 XJ totalled out from underneath him (t-boned at 40 mph.) He had over 300,000 miles and no major repairs.

Check the floor pan out carefully, they like to rust out above the catalytic converter and muffler.

[Fore Wheeler]

pre 95 are w/o air bags, which is good or bad however you want to look at it, I wouldn't want one cuz my rig is trail only.

91 is when the HO 4.0's came into play.

Rust can also happen around the rear spring pearches, look there too.

you can pick up the early 90's pretty cheap, I just bought one for the wife with 4.5" of lift and 31's for $3500, basically rust free.

four doors are easier to find and are stronger than the 2 doors, because of the additional pillar.

I have an auto tranny in my trail rig, never had problems with it (knock on wood).

also the early 90's+ will have the Corp 8.25 rear axle which is stronger than the earlier Dana 35.

[FitchVA]

Thanks for the info guys. Now all I need to do is find me one and start wrenchin' on it. Then....trail time. hehehe

[98classic]

vt steve...i'm not too far from ya! i'm in radford.. anyways, i bought my xj from kanode motors in c'burg about 2 months ago. really nice guy there, and i got a great deal on it. i know he has another 98 on the lot, but im not sure how much he wants for it. might want to look up his number and give him a call. after you do get an xj, we'll have to hit some trails together.

rick

[FitchVA]

that's sounds like a place i might look at. thanks for the info 98classic. but i think a '98 will be a bit more expensive that what i want to spend. i'm only lookin at puttin about 3K into one. i don't want to spend too much, or else i'll be worried about putting dents and scratches on it.

i'm trying to get a couple of folks together in a few weeks to go up in Jefferson Nat Forest to go riding on some of those fire roads up around and north of new castle. nothing too extreme though. i'll be taking out my '02 Dakota and don't want to mess it up.

[98classic]

sweet. as long as i have tow points by then, i may join ya! let me know about a week ahead of time. email me at rgabriels@radford.edu when youre gonna go. also, you may want to check out www.swva4w.org its a 4 wheelin group out of roanoke.

rick

[sidriptide]

look on EBAY.... tons of XJ's there.. gotta sift thru them. mostly dealers selling late models.. i got my 87 limited dirt cheap. has a few issues but still a good deal.. pay attention to the rear axle too.. the Dana 44 was available for only a year or two (or 3) with 87 being your best bet... check the floors really well... lift up the rear seat and check for holes.. the spot above the muffler likes to disappear... heres one more idea.. place a "parts wanted" ad in a local auto trader book and on some online forums.. you may get some interesting calls.. good luck and enjoy your XJ!!!!!

[98classic]

hey steve,
i know you said you were lookin to put about 3k into a xj...but i just stopped at that place i was tellin ya about. its a 98 sport with 95k miles on it ... i told him you were a friend of mine and he said he'd sell it to ya for 5000 bucks. may want to check it out. 540 381-0447. his name is gary kanode. good luck finding one.

rick