Best Year XJ for builder.

[Root Moose]

1999!

- last year of high pinion Dana 30 front axle

- first year of WJ style intake manifold

- last year of regular distributor

- probably going to be in better condition and/or less miles than something 10 years older (exceptions abound).

That said, I like my 2001. I've put ~65k miles on it since I bought it used at ~35k miles and all I've done is replace fluids and a headlight switch. Just bought a 1998 with ~75k miles on it for my wife. We'll see if it is as reliable.

I prefer the dash/interiors of the 1997+ but to be honest I like all of them all. Great vehicles. One of these years I'll track down a decent SWB MJ to replace my Chev PU.

 

[Grshppr89]

I would say 1994 or newer. Just because the brake power boster works when you run larger then stock tires.

 

[redrider]

buy a 94 country edition. you get the good 30 and 8.25. you also get high output 4.0 . and last but not least you dont have to worry about that stupid airbag.

 

[andrew2516]

buy a 94 country edition. you get the good 30 and 8.25. you also get high output 4.0 . and last but not least you dont have to worry about that stupid airbag.

The 8.25 that came in the pre 97 jeeps only has 27 spline axles...and its not much better than the d35.

 

[rocklandxjer]

whoa whoa whoa, i wouldnt say that...
the axle shafts are thicker on the 8.25 and maybe, yes they are not as good as the 29 spline 8.25, they sure as hell are better than a turdy 5

plus, the way i see it if you are stepping it up past 35s, especially with lockers, there is no reason for you to have stock axles, and the 27splines are good for 33s imho (without lockers of coarse)

 

[motorcityxj]

. If I was going to buy another one, I would by a 97+ that was state owned. Because they have no power and usually no carpet. You will find later in wheeling that all the goodies make it more expensive to modify and fix.

I would not seek out a state or any government agency vehicle unless you want for parts or get it for dirt cheap. I dont see any hassle in cutting out old carpet with a razor you can do that in no time and get it line x or dura bak it etc. The agencies beat the piss outta their 4X4's.

For the thread stater i would get a two door to more easily trim the rear wheel wells, i would only look at 4.0 with aw4, and get either tc 231 or 242.

Dont get the d35 rear end if you can get one with a chyco 8.25, and someone else can chime in what year they made the front axle low pinion. Was that '99 ??

 

[Kittrell]

1999!

- last year of high pinion Dana 30 front axle

- first year of WJ style intake manifold

- last year of regular distributor

- probably going to be in better condition and/or less miles than something 10 years older (exceptions abound).

Bingo!

 

[Root Moose]

whoa whoa whoa, i wouldnt say that...
the axle shafts are thicker on the 8.25 and maybe, yes they are not as good as the 29 spline 8.25, they sure as hell are better than a turdy 5

plus, the way i see it if you are stepping it up past 35s, especially with lockers, there is no reason for you to have stock axles, and the 27splines are good for 33s imho (without lockers of coarse)

The housing on the 8.25 is better than the Dana 35 as well.

 

[AlohaBra]

whats wrong with jeeps about 97? just wonding cuz i myself have just bought a 1999 jeep cherokee and want to know your reasioning for leaning away from them -miller

I like the 97+ for better interior and most have less miles on the body hardware. I think maybe he was talking like the young man might not put out the cash for the new ones which cost more. But really, they are going for a lot less now. Also the HO engine was improved in those years.
Just got a 2001 (the newest one made) for the daughter. I have owned the 97 since new and now have 132K on it. Lifted 2 in. trail rig. After market skid plates used for TC and Front D30. Had an 84 2.8L V-6, went for 130K but sure was a slug...no power whatsoever.

 

[rocklandxjer]

actually i retract my axle "shaft" statement as they are about the same (the d35 actually has .01" thicker shafts), but the axle tubes are thicker and stronger, as well as the housing too. also, the ring gear is larger and there is no carrier break

though the 8.25can only go as deep as 4.56, i wouldnt see any application where someone would need to go to 4.88 with a dana35. thats just asking for breakage

 

[gregmondro]

1999!

- last year of high pinion Dana 30 front axle

- first year of WJ style intake manifold

- last year of regular distributor

- probably going to be in better condition and/or less miles than something 10 years older (exceptions abound).

That said, I like my 2001. I've put ~65k miles on it since I bought it used at ~35k miles and all I've done is replace fluids and a headlight switch. Just bought a 1998 with ~75k miles on it for my wife. We'll see if it is as reliable.

I prefer the dash/interiors of the 1997+ but to be honest I like all of them all. Great vehicles. One of these years I'll track down a decent SWB MJ to replace my Chev PU.

I'd have to agree 100%

Mine has 73k on it, 35s, a RE 5.5 and a bunch of other stuff.

Only thing you gotta do is change the oil and put some gas in it and it's good to go anywhere.

 

[muduck18]

I'd have to agree 100%

Mine has 73k on it, 35s, a RE 5.5 and a bunch of other stuff.

Only thing you gotta do is change the oil and put some gas in it and it's good to go anywhere.

and I would have to disagree 666% :wierd:
I have a 96, My dad has a 95, and my friend has a 94,91 and 89 collectively over 700k miles, very little problems..
My brother in law has a 98, 120k, some minor problems but mostly electrical inside.

The over all blanket statement "this year that year" doesn't work...
IMHO if the jeep was taken care of, and you can get it for a good price, buy it! Because it will be worth any work you might have to put into it.
But if you get a '99 or '01 That has been beat like a dingo and hung out to dry with a for sale sign attached you are asking for trouble.

The 4.0l is a good engine, but its subject to the same laws as any other, gotta get a good one and take care of it.

 

[Zice]

Something pre-97, with a 4.0 HO, 2 doors > 4 doors, NO power options,... kinda like this one:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=95620

 

[Cornflake]

I like how you threw that in.......sweet....

 

[Big Red]

1997-99....great years. pre 97 had too much fiberglass and such. 99+ has some stupid issues with them. every 00-01 xj I've seen has had issues of some sort...guess the factory workers just said F*c& it....we're stopping production next year anyhow.

Great, I have a 98' Sport with manual windows/locks, a/c, 4x4, 2 dr 5 speed...that's all I need for my dd. My wheeler is the same, manual windows/locks, a/c, AW4 auto 2 dr.

I was trying to get a 99'+ for the better flowing intake, but they had some emmission thing that sucked the small gain of HP up. You really cannot go wrong with any 4.0L AW4 or AX15, NP231 or NP242. I really like the NP242 for a dd. Get your XJ cheap, there are lots out there. The common person freaks out after 100K+ miles, but you know better that the Jeep should go almost forever if you take care of them with routine maintenance.
The Renix 4.0L do seem to go the longest, there was a thread here and many of the longest running XJs were 87-90' Renix 4.0Ls.

Troy

 

[Kittrell]

and I would have to disagree 666% :wierd:

Erroneous, these are all based on the assumption that you get a decent, well maintained XJ. In which case, a '99 is very hard to beat. Obviously there will always be personal preferences.. But for the good of the collective, it's just all-around the best year XJ to own..............

 

[Oizarod115]

i would go with a pre 97 because you're lookin for ease of building and 97+ needs a SYE (slip yoke eliminator, has to do with driveshaft angles) at 3" and a 96- can go 5" with a t-case drop and not have vibes **this is in most cases... this is not 100% accurate for all heeps**

definately 4.0... if you're buying a 87-88 and some 89's dont get the 5spd cause its a crappy piece of french engineering.

i have no door preference or auto/manual window preference cause i drive a MJ and dont mind rollin down windows (cept when they're messes up and come off the tracks and it rains)

 

[muduck18]

Erroneous

?
Other than my exaggerated percentage there is nothing erroneous about my opinion.
While 97+ has its advantages, and 99 would be the best of the newer years ( I will give you that), I don’t agree that its the best year to look for.
I would look for a 94 – 96, ideally, It was at the end of a 12year production run where the only changes were small improvements each year
These three years have reinforced doors with HD hinges on the doors and very durable interior.
Aside from small squeaks from the back gate I prefer the older style interior because there is less plastic to break and its easier to clean. (opinion)
The rear lift gate as a fiberglass is more flexible and does not dent.
95 and 96 have the gen1 airbag system 94 has the old style steering wheel.
There are a lot more parts for a pre 97 in the junk yard (if you bust out some glass wheeling or dent a door just pull a new one they have been around for 20 years) I lost the mirror glass for my passengers side mirror on the 97 mirror... Still have not replaced it because the dealer is wants a ton of money for it and there are never any in the junk yard not broken or stripped...


(99 is the third year after a major overhaul, and the first year for some major changes, first year is problem year for most cars because they have not worked all the bugs out)
99 has thinner=weaker door hinges
More plastic to break, door panels, dash pieces, In my humble opinion cheep feeling, DC tried really hard to make it into a car/minivan for the marketing people. (motor trend even said that about it when it came out in 97 “ it was judged that this makeover would carry the Cherokee for a few more years until a ground-up redesign could be executed.”)
It was a change that was made to keep it going until they could release the liberty.
The 99 doesn’t have 10 and 15 year old jeeps that can’t be beat.
85 – 96 has 11 – 12 years of jeeps that are still going almost 20 years later.

99 is a good year, but I don’t believe it to be the best...

The best in my mind is one that you can trust.
And I can trust that a 94,95,96 well taken care of jeep will act the same as the current 96 that I have, and the 95, and the 94...

That is my opinion and those are some of my reasons.

if you're buying a 87-88 and some 89's dont get the 5spd cause its a crappy piece of french engineering.

The ax-15 and the poopjoe tranny were run at the same time those years, just gotta look for the right one. but you are right if you get a 5sp make sure it's the ax-15 search here for pictures of the difference.

 

[j99xj]

Something old...because everyone knows first cars don't last long with new drivers.

Haha. Hate to break it to ya buddy but all XJ's are getting old.

I vote for the 1999. I've got over 126,000 miles on mine and it goes like crazy. It's the newest year that has the best combination of stock parts. And I believe its the last year that was technically built before Chrysler became infected with a German mindset (thus the downfall of the XJ in the next 2 years before it was cancelled all together). My placard and engine bay sticker clearly says Chrysler Corporation.

For example, the 1999 has:
0630 high output cylinder head that flows way better than the latter 0331 and won't crack.
The "new" intake manifold that has a big plenum and smooth runners.
A high pinion dana 30, which offers better ground clearence and strength over a low pinion.
Still has a distributor and conventional coil ignition system, making upgrades possible.

On either side of 1999, you lose one or more of the parts mentioned above. If your willing to give up the "new" intake manifold, the 1997, and 1998 model years are pretty much identical to the 1999.

The 91 to 96 XJ's are all right, but you won't have dual air bags (which I think is a great idea for everyone to have, especially you as a new driver ). I wouldn't get an 87 to 90 unless you want overheating problems.

Hope this helps. Just keep in mind that 1999 was a crazy transition year for the XJ and a lot of parts changed, so I'm not 100% sure if the parts I mentioned are on all 99's. My 99 has everything I said, but it was built in early fall/late summer 1998 according to the placard.

 

[Kittrell]

And I can trust that a 94,95,96 well taken care of jeep will act the same as the current 96 that I have, and the 95, and the 94...

Out of sheer curiousity, what year XJ's have you owned?