whats the best year XJ to buy?

hey fellow xjers

so i was think about buying a new xj and woundering whats the best year to buy i was originaly thinking 97 98 but heard that 97+ when you lift it over 2inches you get vibes pretty bad. so i was woundering what would be the best year xj to buy?? 5spd or auto. i have a 93 xj auto with a 3inch lift. kind of gotten bored of it. start to want a 5spd again. but anyways whats your guyes input on this???

thanks!

what are you gonna do with it? anything you dont like about your 93 other than the slushbox? i've had a 99 and a 94, its really a draw as to which i like better.

hittinghard said:

i was originaly thinking 97 98 but heard that 97+ when you lift it over 2inches you get vibes pretty bad. so i was woundering what would be the best year xj to buy?? 5spd or auto.

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You might want to search instead of relying on what you've "heard." It's 96+ that are most prone to vibes after lifting anyway. This gets debated prety frequently 'round these parts and you'll find that in most cases the "best" year is whatever the owner has...

If you're considering a 5-speed AX-15 transmission, be aware that Jeep engineers moved the internal slave cylinder, which requires dropping the tranny to change, to an external model in 1995. 95 year also had reinforced side beams, driver's side airbag, and other improvements over the earlier HO's.

I have a 86,87,91 and a 93 outside of the 86 with that &*#$ 2.8 the only way to tell them apart is by color.
I think that as long as it's an XJ the year isn't important it's what you like.
Look for the best ride for your $buck$ and get it muddy once a week.

73's KG4BET

I'm a Noob to XJ's, so take this with a Huge Grain of Salt, BUT the XJ has changed very little body/chassis wise during its existance, so selecting a particular year would yield very little difference. 84-96 were the same body with very very little changes, 97 on was a new body, but it was pretty much the same with only a slight change to lines/grill, its almost impossible to tell the them apart (someone correct me if I'm wrong on that).

Drivetrains have changed drastically with lots of options over the years, I'd decide more on the drivetrain (Engine, trans, xfer, axles) you want and then look for an XJ equipped with the drivetrain you want.

Obvously, the later the model, the less wear its likely to have on it. Look over the underside well, including tapping all over. My XJ looked fine underneath, that darn undercoating stayed together over top of the rust holes, so the rust holes in the floor pan were not visible, until I bought it and got it home and started poking around the underside.

I don't think XJ's have any more of a problem than any other car with floor pan rust, the prevous owner of my XJ thought washing a car meant hosing off the outside and thats it. You should have seen the engine compartment, red/brown dust/dirt all over everything. The guy told me the brake light had been on the last 50k miles, (Ummm, did you ever think about fixing it?) with one of the brake stages obvously full of air and non-operational and the brake reservour bone dry. Sorta tells you about the prevous owner, its a wonder this XJ is in as good of shape as it is.

As far as which one to get is completely up to you based upon what you read here in these forums. There are a varying degree of opinions about which years are better and which ones aren't. Personal opinions about which is better are just that, and take from this what you feel you would do best with.

The RENIX contolled engines are often thought of as easier to work on and more forgiving to internal engine modifications. They have a closed cooling system, which is is just as efficient, but takes a little more attention to maintain. The 1987 XJ was available with a D44 rear end stock, and full skid package.

The 4.0 HO engines have more aftermarket performance support. They also have the open cooling system.

Lifting any XJ it is possible to get vibes without correcting driveline angles. The 96+ are just prone to vibration at lower lift heights as a similarly equiped older model. Just about every lift component will interchange from one year to the next. The only major difference is U-bolt size for different Rear axle tube diameter.

There are basically no major differences in the bodies of the pre 97 XJs. The interior is pretty much the same way as well. The bodies of 97+ Xjs are a little more updated and changed very little from the original. The interior received more change. Mostly asthetics I feel.

Id advise against a '91 since its a changeover year and theres alot of grey areas and stuff, but besides that its cool HO and still broken

Ive allways liked 94 and 96 and 01 as the best years. Some swear by 87. Ill stick with my 96

Personally I love my 1999 XJ Sport. It has always taken care of me and has taken some abuse and smiled back. We will see if the 1987 is up to that same challenge when I get her road worthy.

esrasmu2001 said:

....The RENIX contolled engines are often thought of as easier to work on and more forgiving to internal engine modifications.

....They have a closed cooling system, which is is just as efficient, but takes a little more attention to maintain.... ....The 4.0 HO engines have more aftermarket performance support. They also have the open cooling system.

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I did a search and didn't find any answer, BUT what is "RENIX" that I keep hearing people talk about? Is it a brand of computer and/or engine control system or fuel injection? Is it some outside brand not typical for Chrysler?

Isn't the closed cooling system, the typical sealed system used in most cars? And the open system the funky system using a pressure bottle? OR Do I have that backwards? It seems to me, the closed system would require less attention to maintain than the open system?

How does the open system (or closed if I have it backwards, the atypical one) work? No pressure cap, it allows the coolant to evaporate to cool off the system, or something totally different?

The Renault/ Bendix system is the computer control of the earlier XJs. It is most often referred to the RENIX. It has no provisions of storing engine codes and faults, whereas the OBD systems do.

The closed cooling system is the one without a cap on the radiator and has a pressure bottle.

The open system is the one with a pressure cap on the radiator, which allows direct addition of fluid to the radiator if needed.

When the coolant heats up and expands it will 'overflow' to the expansion bottle and when it cools will suck it back into the cooling system. If the bottle is low of coolant then it will simply suck air into the system.

This site needs an XJ FAQ, like on the Neon Board I'm a part of. Thats a FAQ on the vehicle, not an FAQ about posting on the site. Read a couple pages of the Vehicle FAQ and it answers all those questions, like what is RENIX.

esrasmu2001 said:

The Renault/ Bendix system is the computer control of the earlier XJs. It is most often referred to the RENIX. It has no provisions of storing engine codes and faults, whereas the OBD systems do.

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OK, got it. My '95 w/ 2.5L I4 will give me a code 55 from the CEL with the key on/off/on/off/on method. So its safe to assume that I have the Corporate Chrysler Pre-OBDII system and not the RENIX?

esrasmu2001 said:

The closed cooling system is the one without a cap on the radiator and has a pressure bottle.

The open system is the one with a pressure cap on the radiator, which allows direct addition of fluid to the radiator if needed.

When the coolant heats up and expands it will 'overflow' to the expansion bottle and when it cools will suck it back into the cooling system. If the bottle is low of coolant then it will simply suck air into the system.

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OK, got it. Now the closed system has to have some sort of pressure relief valve, is it just on the pressure bottle?

Seems to me, they both work the same, they just seal off the pressure at different points, which the open system just requires a cheap little special valve to allow fluid to back flow into the radiator if needed.

So if the pressure bottle gives you too much trouble, you could convert it too the open system by swapping the parts? Heck you wouldn't even need a new radiator, if you can't braze a new neck for the pressure cap on the existing radiator, you can probably splice the neck into the upper radiator hose, I've seen such a part in the aftermarket catalogs for race vehicles. Then just run a line to any generic bottle that draws from the bottom. Does this sound right? OR is the system more complicated than that.

I converted my '69 Charger over to an Overflow Bottle, it comes from back in the day, when you had 2 inches of air in the top of the radiator for expansion. Just bought a cheap plastic bottle that draws from bottom, ran a tube to the pressure cap neck, drill a hole in the neck and brazed a nipple to it, connected the nipple to the bottle with rubber tube and bought a new pressure cap, of the right pressure and size, with the little back flow valve in it. Works perfect, the radiator stays full right up to the pressure cap, hot or cold.

i miss my 99 with the open cooling system and the fact i never had any issues out of it....however i love my 89 2 dr because it is just that...a 2 dr. yea it needs a little work...i've already replaced a fuel pressure regulator, i've had a heater hose blow up, and today i might try to replace my starter if i feel like braving single digit weather out in the non heated shop.....but its a good lil jeep...engine still runs great, tranny is still good, no slipping. yea, it needs lil things done here and there....at some point in time i'll get around to buying newer seats (or just yankin em from one at a pick and pull). but we'll see. just takes time and money and effort to get whichever one you pick the way you want it.

01... give me one as new as possible, newer underbody, less miles, Which will still be around in 10 years, my 93 or an 01?

Rick,
Youre right about most of those points.
The closed cooling system has the advantage of not letting coolant evaporate from an overflow bottle.
They make metal pressure bottles for racing applications, I've also read that some of the for taurus cars used a metal bottle with a standard radiator cap.
I have already seen an article about splicing in a filler neck to the upper hose.
http://madxj.com/MADXJ/technical/technicalfiles/JTopenSystemSwitch/OpenSystemSwitch.htm
Or you can put in a later model radiator and overflow bottle. The most you would have to do is trim a bit of the radiator support to clearance the new filler neck.
Personally I think I'm going to get myself one of those metal ford bottles and keep the closed system, even when I get a new radiator.
I was wrong about the open cooling system part. I rememberd that you also have to get a new heater control valve I believe. I've not researched it to much, as I simply plan on fixing the closed systems faults and keeping that.

so far, i want the xj with out the ABS so that i get the 8.25 rear end. i do like the fact that the jeeps up to 96 is all interchangeable parts, all the time i been to the bone yard i have only seen like 2 newer jeeps 98's i believe. and i want a 4 door (cheeper when it comes to insureance, well over here anyways) so i'm thinkin' 95, 96 is the year i want, in a 5 spd how good is the 5spd anyways i have the Auto in a 93 and the auto is well...an auto. since its more of a DD then offroad. but i am gonna lift it with a rubicon express 3.5inch , with 31's. i have a roughcountry lift in my 93 just a 3inch with 235 inch mudders, never had a problem with the kit other then its pretty stiff and no sye or tacse drop and no vibs whats so ever. (probably lucked out).

so what ya guys think on that?

Rick Anderson said:

OK, got it. My '95 w/ 2.5L I4 will give me a code 55 from the CEL with the key on/off/on/off/on method. So its safe to assume that I have the Corporate Chrysler Pre-OBDII system and not the RENIX?

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Renix system was installed only on years 87-90. 95 I believe was the last year for OBD-I. 96+ is OBD-II