Best Year of Jeep Cherokee XJ

sjx40250 said:
OK, I give up. What is the difference between the 98 and 99? or 97 for that matter.
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97 and 98 have flares that are not color-matched to the body. Other than that they aren't much different than a 99. 00-01 went to coil on plug ignition and the LP D30. There are a few subtle differences between the 97 and 98's also.
 
FlexdXJ: I resemble that remark!

I also have a 90 Laredo and 92 Limited. One that doesn't count on this forum is the 2000 WJ - 4.7. My daughter has a 98 ZJ.
 
'97-'98. HP D30 in the front, which was changed to a LP D30 in '99 i believe. '99 engine has all the emmission crap on it as well, which is a benefit to the '97-'98 since you can take a '99-'01 intake and put it on a '97-'98 and gain some cheap HP and Torque. The body styling change is subjective, but i prefer it over the '95 and older. The one downfall is the T-case when lifting. It does suffer from more driveline vibes, but you should always figure and SYE into the lift budget if your going over 3" anways. Almost forgot the 29-spline 8.25" rear.
 
The newest, lowest miles xj you can find. If you are going over 3" of lift the little things from year to year don't really matter that much.
 
99. I have one

Color matched flares, cupholders, AW4 with the 8.25 rear. Flogged this truck in stock form and with a BB and never given me a problem (knock on wood)

I bought it at 100K and at 153K now. So far I have replaced pads, numerous tires, TPS, RF wheel bearing and axle ujoints. Nothing else had been touched.

Only thing it needs now is a manifold and new seats
 
Get the one in the best condition--you can always mod it to suit your taste. I prefer the older body style, especially the 94-96 models. On the newer shape, I would get the 99.
 
Tranic said:
'97-'98. HP D30 in the front, which was changed to a LP D30 in '99 i believe. '99 engine has all the emmission crap on it as well, which is a benefit to the '97-'98 since you can take a '99-'01 intake and put it on a '97-'98 and gain some cheap HP and Torque. The body styling change is subjective, but i prefer it over the '95 and older. The one downfall is the T-case when lifting. It does suffer from more driveline vibes, but you should always figure and SYE into the lift budget if your going over 3" anways. Almost forgot the 29-spline 8.25" rear.
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lp d30 change was in 2000.

I've also always been under the impression the emissions crap really changed on 00 + 01.
 
I know everyone hates the D35's (myself included), but I would rather have the pre-90 D35 than the later model 35's. Non C-clip, can replace a broken shaft in about 10-15 minutes. And with everyone getting rid of their 35's, you can get a lot of spare shafts for free, or next to nothing. Also, you can limp off of the trail to get to a better spot for replacing the axle with the non C-clip version.
 
My first XJ was a 98 purchased in 2006 with 129K. Nice in all respects, til I t-boned somebody at about 35 mph. Until then, I had not been a fan of airbags, but my experience with the airbags was incredible. Both me and my front seat passenger went from 35mph to zero in half a second with no injuries except I scraped my knee a tiny bit hitting the bottom of the dash. Airbag was so soft, we had no scrapes, bruises, anything on chests or faces. So, when the insurance check came in, I was 100% committed to replacing it with another XJ, and airbags were mandatory.

Second XJ was a 97. Same mileage, but had a horrible squeek in the unibody above the driver door. I pulled the headliner, sprayed all sorts of lubrication in there with no success. I got used to it eventually. However, I decided that our family had outgrown XJ's and sold it 8 months ago.

Current XJ is another 98, but came with 180K. I bought it as a salvage vehicle from an interior fire in the right rear corner. I replaced the headliner, rear carpet, most of the upper trim pieces, and some rear plastic and seatbelts. This one is the tightest, best driver of the three, and is the only one that came with the 8.25.

What's your point, you may be asking? I dunno, just bored I guess. But I like the later models with airbags.
 
Tranic said:
'97-'98. HP D30 in the front, which was changed to a LP D30 in '99 i believe. '99 engine has all the emmission crap on it as well, which is a benefit to the '97-'98 since you can take a '99-'01 intake and put it on a '97-'98 and gain some cheap HP and Torque. The body styling change is subjective, but i prefer it over the '95 and older. The one downfall is the T-case when lifting. It does suffer from more driveline vibes, but you should always figure and SYE into the lift budget if your going over 3" anways. Almost forgot the 29-spline 8.25" rear.
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Few things - LP D30 changeover was '00 as someone else said. Body styling is 96 and older not 95 and older. T-case output is like you said, except the new design was introduced in either 96 or late 95, I believe it was 96. How do I know? I have a 96 and I got the new design :doh:
 
yow, that's way too much. also, I hate sellers who put "search words" in their posts to make their postings come up in search - if it doesn't describe the vehicle you're selling, people don't want to find that vehicle for those terms! he's clever saying it's "not" those to keep it from being flagged as fast though.
 
In reference to the guys talking about how easy some are bags are to remove, I don't know about you guys but whether I'm wheeling or driving on the street I will keep my airbag. It's not going to just go off suddenly, it takes a significant impact to pop it. If that happens on the trail or street I'll be glad I took an airbag to the face and not a steering wheel, dash, windshield.

FWIW 98 all the way.
 
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