Help a noob out
12-14-2016, 07:45 PM
#16
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Model: Cherokee
12-14-2016, 07:54 PM
#18
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Look for a 91-99 4.0 auto the most clean and virgin jeep you can find and afford.Mileage if taken care of don't matter we have a lot of jeeps on here 200k plus and some in the 300k range.Skip the 00-01 years jeep put a cylinder head on those that is known for cracking if it overheats unless they can prove its had the head changed on it.Common rust areas are the rock panels the metal under the doors and the whole floor pan can rust out also.And if your in a nothern state that uses salt check the rear half of the frame rails for rust also.
12-14-2016, 08:27 PM
#19
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When i buy something used i do a full tune up and replace all the fluids and have the battery tested.Its a little bit of more money but i know everything is up to date and working order.So i can drive it with out any worry whats gonna go wrong first.
12-14-2016, 10:00 PM
#20
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee(XJ)
Engine: Golen 4.6L
To piggyback on what Andrew said, when you go to look at an XJ, wear clothes you don't mind getting a little dirty, take a flashlight and a screwdriver or something similar to poke with. Slide on your back up under the thing and take a good look around for rust. People have found terrible cancer underneath a Jeep that didn't look bad at all up top.
In addition to changing all the fluids...
The headlight circuits on all the XJs are prone to buildup of corrosion in the wiring that results in dim headlights and headlight switch failure. In extreme situations, heat in the headlight switch can cause a fire. The expensive fix is to install Truck Lites or JW Speaker LED headlights. The cheap fix is to install a relay harness that powers the headlights directly from the battery and requires only enough power through the headlight switch to trip the relays, reducing or eliminating further heat damage. You can get the harness for ~$20 on Ebay or from the guy selling them in the member classified section on this site.
If you go the relay harness route, a great upgrade is to convert to H4 housings and bulbs. They're plug and play. If you get the European spec (E-code) housings, the pattern is better than the US standard DOT pattern.
Personally, I would make this one of my first mods, just to arrest the damage to the headlight switch.
In addition to changing all the fluids...
The headlight circuits on all the XJs are prone to buildup of corrosion in the wiring that results in dim headlights and headlight switch failure. In extreme situations, heat in the headlight switch can cause a fire. The expensive fix is to install Truck Lites or JW Speaker LED headlights. The cheap fix is to install a relay harness that powers the headlights directly from the battery and requires only enough power through the headlight switch to trip the relays, reducing or eliminating further heat damage. You can get the harness for ~$20 on Ebay or from the guy selling them in the member classified section on this site.
If you go the relay harness route, a great upgrade is to convert to H4 housings and bulbs. They're plug and play. If you get the European spec (E-code) housings, the pattern is better than the US standard DOT pattern.
Personally, I would make this one of my first mods, just to arrest the damage to the headlight switch.
12-14-2016, 10:07 PM
#21
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Hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but I just found two Cherokees I'm interested in. A '93, 122,xxx miles, and a '98, 145,000 miles. I know nothing about Jeeps, except I've wanted one all my long life! The '98 just says fwd in description. That does not mean front wheel drive, does it? I'm not in snow country, so if both are local, should not be rust issues, but I'll check.
12-14-2016, 10:59 PM
#22
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee(XJ)
Engine: Golen 4.6L
Nope. XJs are either rear wheel drive or four wheel drive. The person who wrote that made a mistake.
If there are pics in the listing, 4WD XJs should have a "4X4" badge underneath the rear side windows at the very rear of the vehicle (unless someone has removed it, which would be unusual). If there are interior pics, 4WD XJs will have a transfer case lever just to the left of and below the gear shift.
If there are pics in the listing, 4WD XJs should have a "4X4" badge underneath the rear side windows at the very rear of the vehicle (unless someone has removed it, which would be unusual). If there are interior pics, 4WD XJs will have a transfer case lever just to the left of and below the gear shift.
12-15-2016, 12:50 AM
#23
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Some people don't know a lot about cars and think 4 wheel drive and fwd is the same when its not.The odds are its probably a 4x4 not that many 2 wheel jeeps was made.
12-15-2016, 07:03 AM
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Good question about death wobble, Clem. I've also read a lot about that. I reckon the front end would just need rebuilding. Ball joints, etc. But hey, what do I know? That's why I'm here!
12-15-2016, 07:25 AM
#26
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Death wobble is from wore out steering/suspension parts that need to be replaced.A lot of the time its the track bar but it can be any piece of the whole front suspension like the ball joints unit bearings control arm bushings etc etc.
12-15-2016, 08:48 AM
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One more question.
Do you give up all of the utilitarian benefits (tough, cheap to fix, reliable, etc) of the XJ by going to a ZJ or WJ? I prefer the XJ, but I don't necessarily need its superior trail capabilities.
I understand that for a trail rig, the XJ is the vehicle of choice. But for my purposes, any of the Cherokees seem to fit. The XJ's are far more likely to be rode hard and put away wet. I am wary of anything that has already been lifted and modded.
Do you give up all of the utilitarian benefits (tough, cheap to fix, reliable, etc) of the XJ by going to a ZJ or WJ? I prefer the XJ, but I don't necessarily need its superior trail capabilities.
I understand that for a trail rig, the XJ is the vehicle of choice. But for my purposes, any of the Cherokees seem to fit. The XJ's are far more likely to be rode hard and put away wet. I am wary of anything that has already been lifted and modded.
12-15-2016, 09:48 AM
#28
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Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
One more question.
Do you give up all of the utilitarian benefits (tough, cheap to fix, reliable, etc) of the XJ by going to a ZJ or WJ? I prefer the XJ, but I don't necessarily need its superior trail capabilities.
I understand that for a trail rig, the XJ is the vehicle of choice. But for my purposes, any of the Cherokees seem to fit. The XJ's are far more likely to be rode hard and put away wet. I am wary of anything that has already been lifted and modded.
Do you give up all of the utilitarian benefits (tough, cheap to fix, reliable, etc) of the XJ by going to a ZJ or WJ? I prefer the XJ, but I don't necessarily need its superior trail capabilities.
I understand that for a trail rig, the XJ is the vehicle of choice. But for my purposes, any of the Cherokees seem to fit. The XJ's are far more likely to be rode hard and put away wet. I am wary of anything that has already been lifted and modded.
12-15-2016, 09:47 PM
#29
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I have been scouring the net all day and feel pretty good at the prospect of taking on an XJ. There is an UNREAL amount of information on these things. Youtube and this forum seem to cover 90% of the basic mechanic work.
I'm going to be fairly picky and try to grab a good deal. I hope to have my new ride in the next few months. I don't have any crazy plans, just a good looking DD.
I'm going to be fairly picky and try to grab a good deal. I hope to have my new ride in the next few months. I don't have any crazy plans, just a good looking DD.
12-17-2016, 10:07 PM
#30
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As a daily driver id rather have a zj/wj over a xj,The grands ride better because of the rear coil springs and nicer seats.The grands did have a v8 option so you can tow more then a xj.And around me i can find a nice grand for less money then a xj.Off road the grands and xj are really close on aftermarket parts but the grand parts cost a little more then the xjs.The grands can out flex a xj because of the rear coil springs vs the xjs leaf springs.The 00-01 xjs have the bad head well the 99- mid 02 6 cylinder wj had the same head on it.