Good deals ARE still out there/need ideas

OK I m new here and well ... I ve been looking for a jeep now for almost 6 years... was looking for an older cj but I couldn t pass up this deal ... What do ya think?...
96 xj sport 4 door 130k one owner miles(know the owner well ... he takes great care of everything)
has new crappy no name brand 235/75/15 mud tires on it
all stock not beat on
a tiny amount of rust along the drip rails ... just surface rust
the biggest problem was the rear window spray nozzle ... heheheh it sprays straight out the back about 10 feet.
So I picked it up for $1000
I am very happy with the xj and am glad I found it before I found a cj ... will be adding a 3" od 3.5" lift in the near future and maybe some 31 / 10.5 or 30 s .. I don t think I ll nead bigger than that and don t wanna spend a ton of cash anyways any thoughts on getting the most out my suspension with just a 3 inch lift?

Good choice, and it seems like you got a good deal. I'm assuming it has the 4.0 In-line 6 cylinder. If so, at 130K miles, your engine is barely broken in and should be good for another 130K easily.

With a 3" lift you should probably be able to run 31's without any problem - although there are variances between the years/body styles. One of the best mods, lifted or not is to remove the rear anti-sway bar and install quick disconnects for the front anti-sway bar. If you plan on any serious wheeling, I would also plan on installing some form of tow hooks front and rear - beings that the Cherokee is a uni-frame construction (no separate frame), you can't just attach tow hooks to the "frame" - you need special brackets and/or the receiver style tow bar (I have front and rear receivers, which gives the strongest towing points, IMHO). Also, you probably will want to install some form or armor (body protection), such as rock rails (at a minimum).

Yep it does have the 4.0 ho I6 and from what I ve read what you are saying is right on .... it is just broken in.

thanks for the input I m a little new to the offroad thing ... been building street cars for years(early 70s and back)and it just got a little boring nothing like a day in the mud.

In order of importance: Armor first and foremost, gas tank, transfer case, front. next is tow points, front and rear, either hooks both ends with two in front and one in rear or 2" class III receiver or rear bumper with receiver built in. The hooks need special frame rail brackets, do not mount the hooks to the uniframe, too thin. Rocksliders to protect the rocker panels. Then go from there. I'd also get the rust taken care of quick and also check under the carpet for any floor rust, they do rust out there, under the rear seat.