vroomvroom

Hey Guys,

I know you see a lot of threads named like this, but I'm at a crossroads now.

My Jeep specs:
'96 XJ automatic with the 4.0 I6
4 Doors
217k miles
Factory Magenta color that I've never seen on another XJ EVER. Apparently it was only a color option in 1996.

The crossroads I'm at is deciding whether it's worth sinking more money into the XJ or not. I like working on my XJ and I do most of the work to it. I've replaced or upgraded A LOT of stuff on it(Exhaust manifold, exhaust system, motor mounts, tranny mount, fuel pump, sensors, bushings, tie rods, ball joints, hub assemblies, radio, headlights, grille, aftermarket bumper, 4.5 lift, 33s, light bar, and the list goes on...

But I still need things replaced on it... The front axle is bent somewhere as I'm off by about 1-1.5 degrees camber outside of the normal range. It's starting to show itself on my front tires a bit. I think this is what's causing my steering wheel to be sloppy. This and the steering box is leaking. The other issue is rust. I believe the driver and passenger floor pans will need to be replaced, possible the cargo pan as well.

If it were you, would you keep on replacing things or get rid of it? If I kept it, I would want control arm drop brackets or long arms, rear shackle relocation, sye, rock sliders, and an aftermarket rear bumper. Things add up quick though. $$$$

dave1123

You asked for opinions, so here goes. You have a lot invested in it and the way I see it, keep it until the rust gets out of control. If you can do the welding needed, so much the better, but once the rot gets to structural areas, it's time to quit. You can correct the camber problem with offset balljoints.

Last year I bought a 2000 XJ for backup while I rebuilt my WJ's engine and transmission. The WJ has 253K miles on it, but the body is pristine. The XJ has 145K on it now but the body isn't worth saving, however the powertain is perfect. It cost me $700 and new tires, brakes, wheels, and frame welding in 2 places. That's all it's getting. I may or may not replace it with a better body and use this engine and tranny if needed. My major need is for deep snow, not too much off road playing. If the WJ gets a lift, it will only be 2".

Spencer_P

My opinion? Fix the rust while you still can... Whether you keep it or sell is up to you. I have no desire to ever sell mine, if for whatever reason I couldn't continue to work on it, it'd sit until I could.

Noah911

(How much money do you estimate it would cost to fix its issues?) + (How much money do you think you could get for it in a sale) + (How much money do you have extra willing to put towards a newer vehicle) = $,$$$

If you want to be driving a XJ, ZJ, or WJ... Do you think you could maybe find a different one for $,$$$ that would be a better option than what you currently have?

Any other vehicles costing $,$$$ that may be better for you than what you currently have?

There is a risk either way.

tech

If you do look for another jeep of some sort you mite want to go get it from a dry state like Arizona or Nevada or some other states that don't have rust problems .I live in California we don't have a big rust problem here . Maybe you can find a good one with a bad engine or trans for cheap and use yours for a parts car to build one good one .

awg

questions..do you need another vehicle similar to an XJ to replace it ?..or can you get by with a smaller non 4wd ( and more economical) vehicle...do you already have a backup vehicle

do you have space for "spare"..in all my time of owning older vehicles, a spare running vehicle is invaluable to keep them on the road

what is the supply of old XJ like in your area?...a front end and steering box from the wreckers shouldnt break the bank

vroomvroom

Thanks for all the feedback so far. My XJ isn't my primary vehicle. I don't drive it every day, but it would be nice to have the issues fixed and drive it several times a week.

I need a utility vehicle with 4wd whether that would be an suv or a truck. What's nice about the XJ is the simplicity and the square body style. You don't see either of those anymore. Would it be considered dumb to put more money in the XJ to fix it up? Do you all have lots of money invested in your XJ?

There aren't many XJs around me for sale.

dt750

I run them till you can sweep them up in to a bucket. if you get another vehicle you might end up with somebody else's junk, at least you know what you have with your current xj.

Red1992XJ

Based off of the amount of work you have already put into it, I would say keep it. You can usually find a front axle for a decent price.

You know what you have, and you know what it needs. Usually if you buy somebody else's project, it's more work than you know.

If I were you, I would start looking for a 2wd Jeep that has little to no rust, they can be had cheaper than a 4x4. When your Jeep passes the point of no return, simply swap over the good parts from your existing Jeep to the 2wd Jeep.

Jeepwalker

You don't *HAVE* to add all those things to it you listed. You can stop where you are and enjoy it ..or add a few more things. Off-road mods on these light vehicles often make them drive like crap and show their weaknesses (i.e. big tires on old vehicle exacerbate steering wearmake steering sloppy, etc). If/when that happens it's more work than fun. I can't tell, but is that what you are feeling?

As for the floor pans. It's not really structural. Easy to weld new in, even if it needs rockers. But whatever floats your boat. Maybe it's time to go buy a Toyota.

(just kidding)

Noah911

I do not think you will easily find another like these Jeeps in the price range. One thing to consider is if you will be looking for another different 4×4 like this, is that the WJs are spectacular. The ZJs and XJs too. But, the WJs I think were more of a luxury type of these more so than any of the others.. This means many of the original owners paid a lot for them at the time, and they had some money to take good care of them. The majority of the original demographic owning the WJs are probably generally not going to be the type to have beat up on their Jeeps very hard at the time. A lot of these Jeeps spent most of their lives in garages being driven to children's soccer games and grocery stores. The WJ is a very capable 4×4 just as is the XJ too. You should see what I have put mine through! And it was only a RWD model. There was a time or two when I got stuck and needed a pull. There was a time or two when I took the choice to find another way around on a different route. Even still, a RWD WJ will outperform some of the other manufacturers stock configuration 4×4s.. depending on the man (or woman) behind the wheel doing the driving. Staying off the black-diamonds of course.

The WJs are the newest in this class too. So, many of them are in much better shape today than what is currently left over to choose from of the ZJs and XJs. And the 4×4 WJ can be had for next to nothing compared to what they have to offer... Sub-$4,000 range all day! Trying to find a very nicely kept XJ is much tougher to do than looking for the same in a WJ.

The XJ was damn solid! The ZJs have more quirks and they lean towards the luxury side of things.. The WJ nailed it on both of those aspects.

Spencer_P

I assure you there are many of us who have tons of money put into our Cherokees and will continue to do so, including myself.

00cherok

Only you can answer that question. Do you want to keep sinking money into it or not. There will always be something. That goes with any "toy". I have an XJ and a YJ. Apparently I like empty pockets.....

Jeepwalker

I agree with Noah, the WJs are nice vehicles. They aren't as basic as XJs, and can be a lot harder (and more expensive) to pinpoint and resolve problems when they arise. But in general they are much better engineered vehicles. Way more comfortable. You need more electrical skills to work on them and maybe a 2-way scanner too to really be self-sufficient (or pull yer hair out), but mine have been overall really dependable. There's a strong forum-following online for WJs. If crash-worthiness matters to you or your family, XJs are like driving a tin coffin, WJ's are a lot safer designed. Like Noah pointed out, more of them available in better condition. The ZJs are a different animal, somewhere in between but more similar to an XJ than a WJ IMO.

But the beauty of the XJs in a way is their pure simplicity. If you're building a serious trail rig, get an XJ. If you're building a slightly modified rig and want some comfort and amenities, the ZJ and WJs offer some advantages (and limitations too). Or, consider what other vehicles are out there. I bought a Hummer H3, for example, and they're really fun rigs. But the problem is they didn't make that many, there's almost no aftermarket support. And GM parts are expensive (and may not be around for long, who knows). You need a deep wallet and good mechanical/fab skills to run an H3. So that's probably not a good rig for a lot of guys. Toyota FJs have a lot of aftermarket support and Toyota is, in general, is almost in a class by themselves when it comes to supplying parts for older rigs. But they've become fairly expensive. If they appeal to you, it might be a candidate. Or an older PU (Ranger/Yota/Colorado). Or bite the bullet and buy a new Colorado Bison or off-road-ready Wrangler and enjoy all the mods tomorrow w/o having to spend the 100's of hours doing them!!! Have you looked at what you can get with a new Nissan Frontier? Not that expensive and brand new. Lot of options out there.

Maybe the best thing is to sit down and chart out your next 5 years (or 10), and how are you going to get from where you are now to where you want to be?? That's kind of what you're doing now in a certain way. Write stuff down and make a plan. What are your true wants and needs? What can you afford in terms of time and money. As a guy gets older, has a family, priorities change (as they should). But so do budgets. Sometimes a guy makes a lot more money and can afford to build up a rig in a way he couldn't when younger. Maybe buying new makes more sense for you now so you can put those 100's of hrs you would have spent working on an old jeep into your career (or change jobs, etc), which will allow you to make more money to afford a better rig in a few years. Lots to consider. Different for everyone.

After considering your position and doing some planning ...asking the questions (you're smart to be asking these questions BTW) ...perhaps after all that it'll become clearer what sort of vehicle, Jeep or directions makes the most sense.

Best of luck

PatHenry

I have to agree with the general consensus - it's entirely up to you, but many of us would likely keep it and fix it. Floor pans (even if it's the cargo area as well) are a common replacement on these vehicles and there are lots of replacement pan options. If you can weld, you can completely redo the floors with new, factory style metal for somewhere in the mid hundreds of $. It's rust, so if you do go that route, the sooner you take care of it, the better off you'll be.

If you want to be driving an automatic, you have a world of options between the XJ and various Grand Cherokee models, all with pros and cons.

For me, I insist on driving a manual Jeep, so when I was looking for an old Jeep, my options were much more limited. I consider myself lucky to have found my 95 XJ. It was only 2 hours away and met my basic requirements of AX15, 4.0, 4wd and the engine/tranny/transfer case were all fully functional. It also met my "nice to haves" of NOT lifted and 4 doors. It was $700 and needed a lot of things (fortunately NOT tires).

I had intended it as a backup vehicle for snowy winter driving and other "part-time" uses. I had intended it as a bridge to get me a couple years until I could afford a new Wrangler. Now a bit over 2 years later it is truly my "Daily Driver" and the "nice"/"practical" family car (a 2010 corolla in excellent condition with low mileage) is the "backup" vehicle - it sees under 200 miles a month whereas the Jeep sees roughly 1600 miles a month.
I put around 3k into the XJ to get it where it is today with -
New exhaust from the manifold back
New clutch set
New leaf springs
Cargo area floor repair
Complete front end replacement
"Take-off" JK Rubicon shocks with under 500 miles at time of installation
Mostly new A/C system
New steering knuckles
New brakes front and rear
New motor mounts, ignition sensors, battery cable upgrade (thanks XJWonders!!), headlight harness upgrade, HCV elimination, Valve cover gasket, adapter o-rings, random vacuum lines, Front driveshaft rebuild, D30 inner axle seals, etc.

In the coming months it will be getting a[nother] new transmission mount, new tires and wheels (I have the wheels already - xmas present). It's given me the 2 years I demanded and I have little doubt it will give me at least another 3 years of dependable use. Will it be "trouble-free" - Nope. Will I spend more time working on it than my wife would be OK with - Absolutely. Will I give up on it - Not easily. As a great man once said "From my cold dead hands!"