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Older or newer?

SLAYER

NAXJA Forum User
I am again on the lookout for a new XJ, this time for the lady. I have been trying to perswade her into an older XJ around 1991 to 1993 but she is not digging the older style interior and the fact that they are like 10+ years older, wear and tear. From 1997 how long did they go until they ceased production? She wants it in silver but im thinking they didnt make them in that color until 2000.
But besides cosmetics im looking at the more important points of these machines and differences in years.
If yee could throw some pointers that would be awesome to end this debate and start narrowing things down.
No matter what, she WILL want one with the AW4, NP231, and 8.25 rear. No ABS 35.
What should i look out for when buying a newer style. Mines been fine (1997) but who knows what Jeep has done to lower costs on the newer ones.
Keep in mind she will also prob be wanting me to lift the damn thing like i did on mine. No lower or higher than 5.5 inches with 33's and 4.56's. Yah the usuall.
AHHHHHHH!!!! women:laugh3:
 
Here's a link to my favourite site on XJ history.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=46011

It tells you what they changed when, what year different colour options came out, etc...

My personal favourite is the 1991-1994 era; no OBD II, no airbags, H.O. motors, and the older body style. If she likes the 'newer' looking body, it's not a huge deal to swap the front clips between a newer and older XJ.

The 8.25 was available between 1992 and 2001 (when they stopped making the XJ.) Newer XJ's (97 and up) came with bigger shafts in the 8.25, and 95-and-up XJ's had 297 u-joints in the front shafts.

Hope this helps!

:)
 
I believe it was 96.5 when they switched to the 29 spline 8.25, which had more splines than the 27 spline.
 
So wait....the ms. WANTS you to get her a Jeep and WANTS you to lift it, and you're COMPLAINING? Most of us can't get the ms or girlfriend to freakin understand!

Anyways...If you're going 2000+, double check that the head is not cracked. Do a search for 0331 and you'll see what i'm talking about. However, don't let this search scare you away from one. The more i'm reading, i'm beginning to agree with casm on here that it might just be a bad batch of them, and not all of them are crappy.

Personally, i'd get one 99+. 99 is when the intake was changed to a better flowing one. Pop the hood on your 97, and compare it to a 99and you'll see what i'm talking about. Plus, 99 was the last year that the 0630 Heads were used, which would eliminate the cracking issue (unless you overheat it yourself). However, with 99, you still have the distributor type ignition.

Maybe i'm biased towards the 99....lol. But, i've had mine for two years, and put a little over 30K on it. This has included when I worked at a pizza place during high school and had to use it to run delieveries (lots of stop and go city driving). I've taken it to the beach and back twice (200 mile trip one way), and while at the last beach trip, my buddy's Honda took a dump, so we had only my Jeep to get us around. Including the 400 mile round trip, we managed to put on another 600 miles during that week while we were down there...making for 1000 miles in one week. And, I now drive the jeep roughly 300 miles every weekend as I commute back and forth from school in Charlotte to my home, which is about 100 miles away). Not once has she left me on the side of the road. Yeah i've had a couple of sensors go out, but thats to be expected.

I've done all regular maint. on it....changed all the fluids over the course of the last two years. So don't be afraid of the ones newer than yours. If you treat them right, keep up on the oil changes and other maint., they'll give you many many trouble free miles.

Not to mention, mine has been in two accidents, and it's still on the road to today. Neither one have damaged the frame. She's a tough ole girl!
 
97+ for sure, I like OBDII, pick up a scanner and let it check diagonstics, now they have a scanner you mount in the dash that stays plugged in all the time, gives you specs on demand like the factory overhead only more.
On older ones, look for cracking tailgates, they were fiberglass, 97+ is all steel.
Check the A/C, 97+ have cheap assed evaporators that devleop leaks. You also want R134 a/c not R12.
As far as an auto tranny, nope, real jeeps have sticks :D :D :D :D
 
'99, last year for the Hp 30, distributed ignition. First year for the better intake, and final interior upgrade. Find her a Silver '99 Classic or Limited with the agate interior, she'll love it..

1670740414.217573642.IM1.MAIN.565x421_A.565x386.jpg


(I know, it's a 60th, but if it didn't have the badge, you'd never know.)
 
Thanks everyone! Great info!
As far as Reg distributor and distributorless, differences, but i will most likely be hunting for a 99 now that i found out that the newers come with LP's;o(
HP for sure,they changed them to LP in the last years? Good god whats that all about? Why couldnt they just leave the damn HP in?
I shall be on the lookout for a 99.
I showed her that pic u posted 91 and she drooled!!! LOL!

Btw, agate interior?
And she wants to sign up here in NAXJA, Awesome that she wants to indulge in the XJ obsession!!! It all began with my other XJ that i let her Wheel when we all go up to the Rubi. When we get this next Xj that'l number 3. YAYAH!!!
 
I have the agate interior on mine and love it. MUCH easier to keep clean than a tan or a light gray would be. Have the light gray on mom's KJ and it's a pain....shows stains real easy.
 
Yah, i got Tan two tone with Black in my 97 and i just cant keep the damn tan clean!! Its almost as bad as having white. Everything shows and after a weekend up in the mountains, well, Its not fun cleaning it.
Agate all the way, dark grey.
With black dash and panels.
Im considering ripping all the interior out and replacing it with the grey and Black. Ive got a friend in the wrecking buisness;o)
The hardest part would be the ceiling interior.
But its much cheaper than buying a new XJ for myself.
As for hers-
I was driving around and saw a 99 with the Agate at a dealership but they wanted some rediculous price, i think it was around $10,000 with
quat-ludes of milage. And it wasnt the right color she wants. Good god these Silver XJ's with Agate are harder to find than i thought.
I must have patients.
 
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