newbie looking to buy - any advice?

Hi all,
I am a Jeep newbie looking to pick up a used XJ. I have owned pickup trucks my whole life and have always used them on trails but my current truck is much nicer (and expensive) and it's our "family vehicle". I dont want to beat on it. So.. im going to get myself a toy.

I don't have any experience with Jeeps (besides driving). Are there any problem areas to look that are specific to the XJs?

Looks like these 4.0Ls are pretty dependable. How about the manual trans?

Should I look for a jeep with a stock suspension and then modify myself or would it be cheaper to buy a used jeep with modified suspension and expect to replace a couple parts here and there? (Not planning on any serious rock climbing, just average off-road trails)

Thanks in advance, hope to be on the trails soon!

Stu

try to steer clear of the manual tranny from 87-90. The auto is much more dependable. Also, ideally you don't want the D35 rear end. It is more prone to failure than the 8.25 or the D44. The D35 also has ABS which has had many problems.

thanks for the advice jess

the dana 44s came stock on some of the 80's models? is that correct? i have heard that if you use a jeep d44 it is a pretty simple conversion from d35 to d44?

(sorry... im sure these are dumb questions to most of you but i gotta start somewhere!)

8.8 ford axle is an easy conversion as well. Also try to get a 4.0 thats fuel injected instead of the 4.2