Hello all. First post here so please bear with me. I'm sure this topic has been covered a hundred times but haven't been able to find an older thread. I live in Vermont and a late model XJ without rot or 5 gallons of bondo are nearly impossible to find.
I have been searching for an XJ for a few months now and can't find exactly what I'm looking for. They are either mint condition but Wayyy too expensive or in decent shape with rust and high mileage and still wayyy too expensive for what they are. Long story short, I found a '98 XJ here in Vermont that is a transplant from Tennessee and has never seen a salty road. There literally isn't a rusty bolt on the vehicle let alone any body rust. The only issue is that it has 226K on it. I know the 4.0 is bulletproof and last forever but where do you draw the line with the mileage? If you do the math, the car has only been driven 13k miles per year. It has had regular service done, newer head gasket, newer rear main seal and the engine is dry with 0 leaks. All cylinders compression test between 145 and 150 psi. I literally can't find a thing wrong with it. But 226K miles makes me cringe. Asking price is $2800. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

 

That's a lot of miles but if it has been well maintained and the body is near perfect the price sounds reasonable TO ME. The 98/99's are arguably the best yrs. Things I'd want info on would be the cooling system(why the head gasket replacement?),the transmission if it's an automatic,steering components,4x4 system,brake components,and the electrical system. Within reason things like universal joints,suspension components,and tires can be dealt with later.

 

Thank you Earl

 

ezearl has got a point.the 4.o is a great engine,in one form or another i've driven it in excess of 300k miles.if the vehicle is as clean as you say and you can handle small issues yourself go for it.i just wouldn't go full asking price on a nineteen year old car.there will be issues.and remember it's a fairly simple car to work.oh and i didn't say anything about the network of experience available to you.

 

Another point the owner brought up is that with the car being from the south the 4WD system was rarely used and there are no signs on the undercarriage that it was used aggressively off road. Also, the main reason I want an XJ is because of how easy they are to work on(And the fact that they are just cool rigs!) I'm pretty mechanically inclined and have done quite a bit of work on Volkswagens and Audis. An XJ should be a walk in the park in comparison. A single strut on an Audi A4 costs as much as a rough county 3" lift for the XJ. Just out of curiosity, why are the 98/99 XJs more desirable than others? Thanks for the replies!

 

 

eh, nice shape, but we paid $2200 for one with 100k less miles. It still had a boatload of mechanical issues, most small, but the front end for one, will cost you either way, plan on that one!!

 

Yeah and that's that rough country is cheap garbage haha.

 

You might be able to haggle over it needing rear springs (just going by the photos) but it looks good to me. I'd get my head underneath it with a good torch before putting cash down. What's the worst case? Recon engine?

98/99 are the latest XJs before the dreaded cracking cylinder head arrived in 2000/01. 97 was the facelift year, and the year I now have. They're great too, just a little older. 96 doesn't get many good reviews because it was a transition year and has some hard to find parts (like fuel pump/sender modules). I had one and loved it, but it was a rust bucket by the end.
Pre 96 are still XJs and therefore awesome - just with a more dated interior that I actually prefer because it is so hilariously out of date it looks cooler (to my mind) than the 97+ which just looks a bit grey plastic Japanese style.

 

I'm pretty much on the same page as morat. The jeep certainly hasn't had a rough life and I would expect to get a few more years out of the engine and trans. even if I did need a rebuild or a reman engine the condition of the body would justify the expense. Thanks for the tip about the rear leafs. You guys have been great.

 

Crown finally stepped up and is making a complete fuel pump assembly for the 96 Cherokee for around $200, so there are no fuel pump issues for the 96 model year anymore. I love my 96.

VT Jeeper, I would grab that XJ up before someone else does.

 

I'd jump at that. Heck, if I had room for another vehicle I'd head up there and buy it myself! Rust-free is a beautiful thing. My '99 has about 230K miles and still runs great, so I'd say if that XJ has been well maintained I wouldn't flinch at the mileage. As the late great Tom McCahill said in his used-car buying guide, ignore the mileage and look at condition - put a piece of tape over the odometer and write a nice low number on it if it makes you feel better.

Even if you needed to do some mechanical work, even dropping in a short block, transfer case, trans, that's preferable to dealing with rust problems. (Mine has some rust but isn't bad for a Northeast vehicle its age.)

 

I like it. Looks solid.

 

My 99 XJ had zero rust also with 223,000 on it when I bought it 6 yrs. ago and still have done no major repairs to the engine and runs strong. That looks to be a good buy in the Rust Belt.

 

My opinion is, it really doesn't matter how many miles the XJ has on it, what really matters is how well it was maintained... if you set up a MyCarFax account and enter its VIN you'll get any service records reported to CarFax. DEFINITELY ask to see ANY and ALL service records that the current owner may have. While you're at it, buy a full CarFax report (MyCarFax won't show accident or ownership history or odometer rollback) so you know what you're dealing with.