A buddy of mine has a '98 and I'm looking to buy one to go 4 wheeling.

I'd like to buy a Cherokee Sport (not the Grand Cherokee).
I'm looking for a 98, 99, 2000, or 2001 which I believe is the last year.
I like the boxy look. I have noticed the newer ones went back to the boxy look too.

I'm looking for a 4 liter, 4 door, with manual transmission. He's got one.
But NONE of the ones on eBay have manual, they are ALL automatic.

Were the manual transmission version not desirable and thus no one bought them, ie. did my buddy buy a white elephant?

And how good a 4 wheeling experience with a dang automatic transmission?

When I ride along he is shifting a lot. I don't get why you'd buy a 4wd with an automatic transmission.

To sum up, looking for a 98-01, manual, 4 liter, 4 door, stock and low (under 120k) miles.

What would I expect to pay? Less than the automatic or more?

The condition needs to be good. Not perfect. But not a poorly maintained rust bucket. Few dings/scratches here and there no biggie.

I'm obliged and the forum here looks good.

 

Its easier to off road with an automatic in my opinion. You don't have to worry about the clutch and shifting all allowing you to focus on placing the vehicle. In sand, there's a lot of it where I live, manuals are a pain because you end up burning clutch to rock yourself out if your stuck. Just my opinions.

Full disclosure mine is a 99 auto with 190k. Drives like new except a dying wheel bearing.

Under 120k is gonna be expensive for a 14 year old jeep at the newest.

 

I'm fine with a 1998 then. I'm seeing $2k and up on ebay for automatics with lower miles. Looking to spend less than twice that, and willing to be patient.

 

I spent 3000 locally for mine and its just been maintenance. Needed a valve cover gasket but most do.

 

Any other(s) up your way? I'm willing to travel.
If you know of something I'd be interested; thank you.

 

Seems like there is always one for sale around here, however I don't know of any. Trolling craigslist is normally my go to even in areas not that close to you.

 

https://i.imgur.com/50Mgxe2.jpg

Picture of mine just for an idea of what it is. That was about a week ago on the Oregon coast

 

In good shape too, paint looks good, no dents/dings, looks like it led an easy life. What kind of mileage did it have? I would like to find an affordable one in that condition, as long as it's a manual.

 

I paid 2200 for a 98 2 Dr speed with 80k on it but it'd not 4wd. I was going to flip it and add the 4wd but decided not too. Maybe spend another 500 in adding factory upgrades. I want to get rid of it but when am I going to find another one as clean, low mileage, and stock for the price I paid.

 

I paid $1400 for my 98 4dr 5spd with 160K miles. Only problem it had were rotted rear quarters and rockers. I don't regret getting a manual and I've been off road several times. You have so much more control in snow driving too.

 

It sounds like the manuals are out there, here in California there are simply no manual transmission versions I can find. I'm just wondering if they just didn't sell well out here. I can't find one at all, I'm still looking.

It sounds like my budgeting is ballpark ($4k or below). Just have to be patient I reckon.

 

I looked hard for a manual, but ended up settling on an auto. My first XJ was a manual and working a third pedal offroad took some getting used to, but was definitely fun.

 

You may want to do some more research. I have a 2000 and love mine, but 2000 and 2001 XJs have some special issues that sometimes make them slightly less desirable.

The 2000 and 2001 had the 0331 heads, which are prone to cracking. Search "0331 head crack" and read up on it to make sure that's something you're comfortable with. Not all of them crack, but the ones that do just do it because they feel like it, not necessarily because you overheat them. I went through it. It wasn't fun. Other people have 200K+ miles on theirs without an issue. Go figure.

The 2000 and 2001 also had a low pinion Dana 30 front axle, which is slightly weaker than the high pinion axles used in '99 and prior. If you're planning on lifting it, the LP front axle can have drive angle issues. If you're planning on crawling with it, the LP front can have clearance issues. I just ordered a HP axle for mine to avoid these issues with my lift.

The exhaust manifold changed in 2000 from a one-piece design with a single outlet pipe to a two-piece design with a twin downpipe. This was to accommodate two additional catalytic converters (for a total of three) on the California emissions vehicles. This change in design limits the headers you can use. The cheap APN headers you see on eBay will not fit. There ARE good header options available, but you may end up paying a bit more than the guys with the older models.

The 2000 and 2001 also have a waste spark ignition system with no distributor and a coil rail that bolts directly onto the spark plugs. It can make diagnosing a misfire something of a challenge, because there are no spark plug wires to pull. The entire coil rail comes off all six plugs at once. Some people hate that thing, but I kinda like it. '99 and earlier had a good old-fashioned distributor with wires.

In '99, Chrysler gave the XJ a new intake manifold, which it improved slightly in 2001. That really makes the '99 the best of the bunch because it has the one advantage of the later models without any of the drawbacks listed above. If I were looking for another one, I would look for a '97-'99 with a special emphasis on the '99 year model. If I found a good '97 or '98, I would simply swap out the intake from a 2001 in a junk yard.

If you find a very good deal on a 2000 or 2001, I wouldn't necessarily turn it down, but you do need to keep in mind the limitations noted above. A lot of people buy an '00 or '01 thinking an XJ is an XJ is an XJ, but there were some major changes throughout the years that make some of them more desirable than others.

 

I was also going to mention this point. If you're willing to be patient I would narrow your search to 98-99.

Manuals are out there but are much less common than autos. I looked for one for a long time but settled on auto as well. I really don't have a preference for auto or manual. They both have their ups and downs in certain situations.

Just search Craigslist a lot. Now there's an option to search by vehicle options, so you could search for jeep cherokee's with only manual transmissions.

Edit: I feel like the newer xj's are harder to find manual than the old ones

 

^This, I believe only around 10% of all XJs (average of the whole production run) had a manual transmission and the percentage was higher on earlier models so on 97+ XJ it was probably closer to 4%-5%. They certainly exist, but aren't nearly as common as autos.