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best years for a build?

MahnkenVille

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Liverpool, NY
What model years would you consider best for a mild build/DD? I remember reading something about pre-91 not being good because theres not alot of aftermarket for them and the stock parts weren't very good, but I have no clue where I read that...

I'm looking at a real clean '89 right now but I don't want to buy something that isn't gonna be great on the trail or I can't find parts for. Is the 89 any different from, say, a 93 or 95?

thanks in advance.
 
here is some good reading....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_Cherokee_(XJ)

one good thing about "older" cherokees is possibility for a dana 44 axle.....

and quite a few people report their "renix" engines going up to 300k....

but as for the rest of years or what year is the best i do not have a direct answer.....

many times i have seen many people take the best parts from different years and make their own "jeep" of sorts...

for example the dana 44 is often times swapped into "newer" Cherokees and i have seen alot of 1999 intake swaps.... transfer case swaps.. etc....


to me it more or less between two things....


A. if you like the Cherokee styling of that year or years
B. Mechanical shape of the vehicle and maintenance..

one thing that i have noticed is 97+ cherokee generally have "upgrades" suchs as a 8.25 over a dana 35 rear axle... etc...


One thing that i would consider is the GENERALLY older the vechile the more problems you will have... seals... leaks... rust... RUST... brakes... gummed up engines... etc....

GOOD luck with your search and hope some of this ^^^ helped ya out...
 
thanks!

I asked the seller a few questions...it has 255,000 miles so i'm not sure how long it will hold up. Hopefully it'll have some life left in it? maybe 100k if i treat it right? It also has a little rust on the rear doors, but comes with 2 spare doors, so i can just replace them. The huge plus is it has a 4" lift and tires and comes with a ton of spare parts. He wants 1500 for it. What do ya think?
 
yeah i know, its pretty high... there was a guy that was gonna sell me his 96 country with 177k, rust free, for like 6 or 700, but he seems to have disappeared. I found quite a few in PA that were pretty cheap, though so i do have a few other options. I recently discovered that looking in PA instead of NY gives me more options, less rust, and usually cheaper, too. I think I might pass this one by unless he lowers it alot.
 
yes but his has a 4' lift....

still a little bit high, unless its a quality lift... w/ goodies...

renix's are good if you like replacing stuff, 20 years old is 20 years old...
230plus k is a lot... of course if your a power junky, that 20 year old motor will hold out long enough for you to build a custom renix/ho/late model stroker...

DO NOT use the d44 as an excuse to buy a renix... if it has one great... but it most likely wont.
i own/maintaine 4 renix's... i dont think i'd buy another....
 
thanks!

I asked the seller a few questions...it has 255,000 miles so i'm not sure how long it will hold up. Hopefully it'll have some life left in it? maybe 100k if i treat it right? It also has a little rust on the rear doors, but comes with 2 spare doors, so i can just replace them. The huge plus is it has a 4" lift and tires and comes with a ton of spare parts. He wants 1500 for it. What do ya think?

OUCH...I paid $500 for my 91' with ABOUT 170K. I say about b/c on the way home from picking it up the speedo stopped:dunno:
 
what! I only paid $700 for my '90 with 180k on it and my '89 with 166k was only $500 - drove them both home and there were only some minor things to fix

so, for your price, you got something 'that drove home'....

some people like nice things, and budget for those nice things...

that being said, i paid 800 for my 90 xj at 167k, and it WAS clean...

price ISNT everything =\
 
http://scranton.craigslist.org/cto/1086253076.html
^^^that one is pretty nice for the price, but its like $500 out of reach at the moment.

my plan was originally to do a progressive build with a cheap, stock, clean one; adding the lift first and then other things as i could afford them. Then as I looked, i realized that I could probably get a better deal if i bought something already lifted. It would kinda take the fun outta the actual build, though, if i just bought one already "finished" for me.

http://cnj.craigslist.org/ctd/1120539159.html
^^^maybe that would be a nice starting point, although i'm wary of small "dealerships" after seeing whats in the back of one by my house. 2 smashed up ZJs being pieced back together and left in the rain, and the owner of the place stole my boss' center caps on her wheels once...
 
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$500 beaters are for poor people. I paid $7200 for my 98 and it's bone stock. I'd rather pay too much for something clean and well maintained than some jalopy.
 
$500 beaters are for poor people. I paid $7200 for my 98 and it's bone stock. I'd rather pay too much for something clean and well maintained than some jalopy.



...$500 beaters are for poor people? i'm sorry but that was a really high school/ignorant type of statement - and even a 98 country with only 50k on it is only worth $5000 max according to NADA - and unless you know the owner you really have no idea on how its been maintained - i'm in no means a rich person nor poor and I have 2 of these -beaters- also have a nice GTI that I pay dearly for every month - I like the fact that I can park my XJ's anywhere I want and dont have to worry about someone denting them with their car or a shopping cart and I can trhow tools and dirty car parts in the back of them and take my trail rig and bounce it off rocks and trees - I know there are alot of you who do this with newer XJ's and alot of guys out there doing it with brand new JK's but to me I like using old stuff for this - and I feel as though my rigs are just reliable as your brand new 11 year old 98 overpriced pile - plus I hate the newer interiors - reminds me of any other chrysler corp. vehicle of that vintage. sorry, rant over.
 
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$500 beaters are for poor people. I paid $7200 for my 98 and it's bone stock. I'd rather pay too much for something clean and well maintained than some jalopy.

Yeah, not a brilliant comment. I paid $3000 for my 2000. The poor people are the ones who spend to much for a vehicle. A $500 vehicle can be clean and well maintained. Do you think its cool to spend more than a vehicle is worth?
 
Yeah, not a brilliant comment. I paid $3000 for my 2000. The poor people are the ones who spend to much for a vehicle. A $500 vehicle can be clean and well maintained. Do you think its cool to spend more than a vehicle is worth?
yes, my point exactly - its like $150 sneakers that are made in 3rd world countries - some people are just suckers for overpricing
 
I paid 1600 for my 87 waggy with 242, d44, fresh paint, super clean interior, and a gopher reman motor with only 42k on the clock. Body has 188k on it, and i did ALOT of searching (like 2 months worth) before i bought it, passed up a lot of newer XJs for less money, just werent as clean as mine. And as for the $500 comment.........I have driven my $150 escort (yes, one hundred fifty) to get my wifes $22k 2008 Kia from the shop 2 times now, and I put that escort together myself with not ONE new part on it lol......
 
IMO a 97-99 with an 8.25, clean interior/exterior, and no rust would be a perfect platform for a DD build that sees some trails on the weekends. I regularly watch Craigslist in the PA/NY/NJ/DE area and see these show up all the time. They generally run anywhere from $3-5k.

If its going to be your DD, its always a good idea to save for a while longer and get something in good shape. And be PATIENT .... XJs are EVERYWHERE .... wait for the one that fits your needs. It WILL show up sooner than later.
 
$500 beaters are for poor people. I paid $7200 for my 98 and it's bone stock. I'd rather pay too much for something clean and well maintained than some jalopy.


you probably would rather pay someone to work on your ride too rather than get your hands dirty.
because only poor people work on their own vehicles

:huh:
i guess we will see when you break something and come on here asking us "poor people" for advise/solutions.
Btw moneybags, wheres your red name?
end rant.
 
IMO a 97-99 with an 8.25, clean interior/exterior, and no rust would be a perfect platform for a DD build that sees some trails on the weekends. I regularly watch Craigslist in the PA/NY/NJ/DE area and see these show up all the time. They generally run anywhere from $3-5k.

If its going to be your DD, its always a good idea to save for a while longer and get something in good shape. And be PATIENT .... XJs are EVERYWHERE .... wait for the one that fits your needs. It WILL show up sooner than later.


Agreed 100% They keep popping up around here in the $2000-$3000 range and in decent shape.
 
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