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Tell me why this ISN'T a '96 XJ....

YELLAHEEP

YELLAHEEP

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Littleton, Colorado
This guy has this listed on Craigslist and claims it to be a '96. From the pics I see several indicators that this XJ is in fact earlier than the year Jeep used Chrysler steering columns. What I see is:

-GM style steering column
-Lack of an air bag (Wasn't '96 the first year for the 'bag?)
-Seats look wrong for a '96
-Windshield seems to have metal trim, newer models had rubber gaskets.
-Front trim, bezels and grille look to have the metal trim and may have been chrome.

He swears the VIN's 10th digit is a "T" making it a '96, but I don't see how.

What do you all think?

http://denver.craigslist.org/car/194335535.html
 
95 was the first year for the air bag.

I'd go so far as to guess that it's a RENIX, but can't be sure without a look under the hood. All the things that YELLAHEEP has pointed out are identical to my 90.
 
Last edited:
The air bag was first put in XJ steering wheels in 95. As far as I know, they were not in any XJ before that and were in every XJ after that. It's possible that the steering column was replaced though for a non-airbag column.

From the rest of the pictures though, it COULD be a 96.

In 95, XJs also got the third brake light. If it has no factory third brake light at the bottom of the rear window, it is probably 94 or older. (maybe you can ask?)

A good picture of the grill might also help determine it's age but I don't know the specifics of what year the grill slots changed.
 
Pioneer84 said:
That Dash looks just like my 87's and from the pic's of the 96 the gages faces look different. I would say 87 to 90.
Click to expand...
These dash comments have got to stop. That dash was used all the way up until '96. The only time anything drastic happened was 97-01. It very well could be a '96 with just older parts. From what I see, the only things that are different from my Sport are the seats, the trim color, and the column/wheel. Like someone else said, run the VIN and if it matches up, then at least the body is a '96.
 
I don't know about you, but there's no way I would pay 1200$ for something in that condition. Even if it's a '96, a crappy primer job, stained carpets, unknown (a million?) mileage, and the work it needs just doesn't seem worth it.
 
Chero-King said:
Well I just googled 1996 Cherokee, and found this,
http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://jeep.avtograd.ru/Cherokee/history/images/XJ96_sport_interior.jpg&imgrefurl=http://jeep.avtograd.ru/Cherokee/history/1996_photo.htm&h=496&w=750&sz=72&hl=en&start=8&tbnid=iGgsQ-ktAdxP-M:&tbnh=92&tbnw=140&prev=/images%3Fq%3D1996%2Bcherokee%2Binterior%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff

The chrome grill, means it could have been a Country Edition, and the seats look like they're from an SE according to that site.
But honestly your probably right.

Oh and I love how he says "1200 gets you a car that books at 2800"... yeahhh, not when it looks like that.
Click to expand...


That is an SE i can tell by the your a retard gauge cluster. But, my 96 SE dosen't have those ugly ass seats i got the newer ones like in your picture.
 
Pioneer84 said:
That Dash looks just like my 87's and from the pic's of the 96 the gages faces look different. I would say 87 to 90.
Click to expand...

I Have the same cluster mine is a late 96 SE 4.0
Well i did i ripped it out for a Sport (pictured above)


wraithblade said:
I don't know about you, but there's no way I would pay 1200$ for something in that condition. Even if it's a '96, a crappy primer job, stained carpets, unknown (a million?) mileage, and the work it needs just doesn't seem worth it.
Click to expand...

+1 got mine for 2 grand. Its a 96 4.0 4x4 4ws w/ 120k, 2 owner w/ all maint records.
 
Here goes again. Pictured below are my '96 D.D. dash with air bag, big cover over column and NO AIR VENT under column (changed cluster, added swiches, etc.).
http://photospace.com/images/j96.JPG
And here's the '89 my wife would like out of the driveway. NO airbag, extra VENT under steering.
http://photospace.com/images/j89.JPG
Back to the Jeep in question; They want how much $$ ?? For that . . .
 
Last edited:
Definitely not a Chrysler steering column, which means pre-95 unless somebody did a transplant. It's a pretty low line model, and on my base 95 and my son's 96 Classic, the grilles and surrounds are all plastic. The vents under the steering wheel are not present on the 95 either. The seats, what little I can see of them, look like pre-95 as well. It's a 5 speed, and if I were guessing on the fly I'd say a base model 88 or 89 with carpet and console package and little else. I don't think it even has remote mirrors.

If this is a 96 it's been through a bunch of transformations.

side note to FRAM: I think opening vent windows were optional throughout all the years until they dropped the windows in 97. They are less common on later models in part because air conditioning became almost standard equipment. But many earlier base and low line models also did not have them, so fixed windows do not necessarily mean a later model.
 
I think it has a 1996 non-tilt steering column. It looks just like somebody put one of those tacky "racing" steering wheels on there, eliminating the air bag. You know, the ones that are always found on late model Civics which also sport neon lighting, stickers and huge wings.
 
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