Explorer
I'm also in the market for a late model XJ. I've owned three in the past, 96,98 & 01 Anniversary edition. I wish I never got rid of them for a SWB TJ. Now I am searching for a low mileage XJ. Found a few around, but dam they are stiff on their prices on the low mileage ones. Higher mileage one's 100K plus can be found around here all day in the 2-3k range.
Good luck in your search, I'm out there looking too!
Explorer
I second this. That's a nice Trooper, and the price can't be beat!! But if you want to sell for a profit and buy an XJ, you might as well drive what you want.Originally Posted by AFSOC
1999 XJ w/ 2" Old Man Emu springs + skid plates + 31" BFG AT
I'm up in the air about the trooper???I "may" belooking for something that has FAR better support.
Expedition Leader
I consider BOTH of mine at nearly 180,000 miles only 50% of their usable life before a simple junkyard swap OR a stroker.I'm also in the market for a late model XJ. I've owned three in the past, 96,98 & 01 Anniversary edition. I wish I never got rid of them for a SWB TJ. Now I am searching for a low mileage XJ. Found a few around, but dam they are stiff on their prices on the low mileage ones. Higher mileage one's 100K plus can be found around here all day in the 2-3k range.
Good luck in your search, I'm out there looking too!
Save your cash and get higher mileage as long as it's been taken care of.
SE Expedition Society
I agree, one of mine just turned 190K this weekend on an 1100 mile round trip to Orlando and back without so much as a hiccup. We have had this one since new, and I have maintained it meticulously. My wife drives it every day for work. It looks and works almost as good as the day it was purchased.
The other one has 139K and is my 'wheeling' rig. I beat on it, but maintain it very well also. I wouldn't hesitate to drive it cross country.
I am of the thinking, there is not one item on my jeep that cannot be replaced or repaired by me, so mileage means nothing to me. If you start off with a good solid platform, and maintain it, it could last a lifetime.
If you arent mechanically inclined (and I dont know), or dont have the time/patience, a jeep (any of them) is probably not the best decision. Just my opinion.
~James
Explorer
As old as they are getting then condition over year is most important. No rust is what you want. I do like the later years also because it was made in a different factory with all new robots. The floor pan is different making it stiffer and safer in a wreck. Airbags and door side bars and other things were added. The body looks the same but the few changes were all good. The stiffer body drives better and is less noisy on the road and trails. Buy a clean older one if you find a real clean one cheap. Stay away from the 80's and early 90's and get one with the HO 4.0 engine. Thats the 6 banger in all the newer ones.
Adventurer
So true, that was a very strong factor in my decision to buy an XJ. You can easily repair anything on them with basic tools and skills. As important is that you can do it on the cheap. Any parts house is fully stocked with spares and any wrecking yard has multi-hulks to be stripped all for very cheap. I have taken a rather slow path of evolution in my build up and have sourced a large percentage of mods from Craigslist. I wanted a winch but was realistic about when I "had to have it", six months later I sourced a new in the box M8000 for $400. I bartered the winch plate (which I didn't need) for four BFG M/Ts with 8,800 miles on them mounted to Jeep rims. Four hunnert bones for new winch and near new tires already mounted and balanced...I'll take that any day.
Expedition Leader
The inline 6 cylinder engine is better than the V6 engine from what I've heard. Both mine have the I6 and the engine has 0 problems...just a few drips here and there, but I'm being lazy about fixing that
Expedition Leader
The only caveat I will add about the older ones is that the first 4.0 engined XJs used the RENIX (Renault / Bendix) EFI system (1987 - 1990). It is a robust system and as good as the subsequent ChryCo EFI IMO. Some people even prefer the RENIX for building a stroker because of the knock sensor built into the system. That and supposedly the RENIX blocks have a higher nickel content in the block so they wear less. I don't know if that is true, I read it on the Internet.
Stay away from the 84-86 XJs with the GM 60 degree V6. The drivetrain is weak and in order to do a swap you need to make a bunch of changes to get the 4.0. The firewall stamping changed as did the front grille header assembly. PITA. If you found a truly rust free one with the intention to swap in a V8 I might consider it...but even then would recommend staying away.
A couple of people have mentioned that "half life" for an XJ is at around 200k miles. I agree but the body needs some help. I highly recommend doing some work to stiffen the body before starting to do any wheeling with an XJ.
When I first got into XJs I did the research and decided to get the later (97+) version to get the stiffer body thinking that it would be a good thing to have. Our first little excursion I parked beside a lake and we unloaded the back to have a picnic. When it was time to leave I couldn't get the hatch closed. I thought the newsed XJ I had bought had a bum latch already. After monkey around with it I realized that the latch wasn't lining up with the body at all. I had parked on uneven ground and the hatch was not lined up due to torsional flex in the unibody. That day made me decide to stiffen the unibody before starting to really go off-road with it.
I don't know how floppy the older trucks are but if the new trucks have "new and improved" torsional rigidity then the old trucks must be really flexible.
Expedition Leader
yea, my '96 had the same issue when I fell into a ditch at an angle...it tweaked a good 4 inches off, but it came right back once we got pulled out
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