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new member in houston area

wildcat-xj

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Kingwood, Texas
i dont have an XJ yet but im looking hard for one. found one on craigslist but the guy wont get back to me. it is a 98 with 5" lift, ARB front bumper and alot of other improvements. $4K

is there any advice yall would give a noob buying his first XJ? I know it has to have an I6 and automatic.

thanks!
 
Post the CL ad and we can give you some advice....and you're not a member yet.
 
...and you're not a member yet.

True, you have to have an XJ and your name has to be red to be a member. Until then you are a forum user, but details, details...

My $0.02 would be not to buy a "built" XJ but buy one stock or close to it and build it up yourself. That way you have a better understanding of how things work and what can go wrong.

Depends on what range of years you are looking for but they can be found here in the Houston area for as little at $1500 in great shape. Then, if you are going to spend $4K, you will have plenty left over for your upgrades. And your rig doesn't HAVE to be auto or have the I6 4.0.

I live just north of Houston in Spring, if you live near by and want some help "XJ shopping", I will be glad to lend a hand.
 
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Ok if that is a 5" lift with 31" tires... the lift must be sagging about 2 to 3 inches. Or is it just me?

I mean it looks like a clean rig. If you do get ahold of him, I would start at $3,500... maybe less. But I am cheap so...
 
i had though about doing that but figured it would be cheaper to buy one already built up. if i spend 1500, what can i do for 2500? i do see the value in doing work yourself to see how it all works. that would prolly do me good since i have never owned a 4x4 and know zip about them.
 
i really would prefer a 95 or earlier xj as its my understanding they had the obd1 system and will still pass inspection if the check engine light is on. but at the end of the day i just want one...
 
You can do ALOT with $2,500. But since you are new to the 4x4 scene... I wouldn't go overboard just yet. You can get a 3 to 4 inch lift, nice 31" tires, a "lunchbox" locker, rock sliders and still have some left over... just got to shop around or become a RED named member and enjoy the NAXJA discounts our sponsers provide.
 
I live about a mile from Old Town.

Red names are NAXJA Members, black names are Forum Users. NAXJA is a nonprofit org. that supports 4X4 and Wheeling communities and has due to become a member. Some perks are discounts on aftermarket XJ parts, access to other areas and info on this site, things like that. But to most of us the best part is that the dues go to supporting NAXJA, Blue Ribbon Coalition, United Four Wheel Drive Association and other places like that. We need to support and protect our sport.
 
I would agree with the people that are saying buy one for $1500-$2000 and put in $2000-$2500. You'll know what's new and you can build it how you want it. In fact, I doubt he has really done anything to "build" that XJ. The lift looks like a 3" at best and I wouldn't be surprised at all if he's running an open rear diff.

I have about $2800 in mine and $1200 of that is in parts alone.

postxj.jpg
 
Either that isn't 5" of lift, or those aren't 31" tires. LOL I wouldn't necessarily agree with not buying a built cherokee. It is all in what you want. Most of the time you can buy a built cherokee for a lot less than what you can build one for. It is good to build it up yourself, and learn about your vehicle, and driving skills as you progress, but we all know that when you mod a vehicle you usually lose a ton of cash when you sell it due to not getting the full value of your mods. This means you can buy a used cherokee with thousands of dollars worth of mods for sometimes $.25-$.50 on the dollar as far as the mods are concerned.

Hell I'd be damned lucky to get $5k out of mine, and I know it has a lot more than that into it (even with me doing 99% of the work).
 
Well knowing a little more about that rig... I would say take it. MAINLY because it will be helping out a NAXJA member get back on his feet. That rig belongs to rjstiles on here. The radiator was replaced by magimerlin and rms692 (I think I got the number right.) He had a bad accident, totaled his van, has a LARGE family to tote around and need the money to get another van.
 
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