Welcome to the forum. :wave:
Because your questions are so model specific, I moved this thread to the XJ Cherokee forum section where the folks who've been down this road hang out.
Good luck on your jeep quest!

 

the main issue will be anything you can not do will cost you a lot of money. Rust avoid it. The cost is way more than jeep will ever be worth. so find one with as little as possible. For a fist vehicle, cost of running it will be really high. If money is not so much an issue than no big deal. anything older than you will need a lot of TLC+money+time.

 

For the years you are looking at, grand Cherokee seats are supposed to swap right in (iirc zj and wj seats)

 

Welcome

Knowing "...nothing about cars except how to drive..." an XJ will be an education.

One thing to consider, are you willing and capable of learning how to preform most of your own vehicle maintenance, or will you be paying someone else to do everything?

If you can do as much as possible, an XJ might be the best rig you ever own. If you have to pony up for "professional help" every time something pops up on your 20 year-old rig something else might be a better choice.

I vote you find the best example you can afford, save a little back for tools & parts and go for it!

If you decide to join us, keep in mind this and the other forums will save your butt from time to time, so you've already made one of the best moves you can by reaching out here. There is a LOT of good, free information and assistance to be had, don't be shy.

 

Rust is the biggest issue in any given XJ. It's nearly impossible to truly fix and claims a lot of them long before any catastrophic drivetrain failure occurs unless one is caused by serious abuse. That is your #1 concern, anything else can be fixed.

The ideal is 98-99.5, which comes with the strongest available axles, the best performing engine, can avoid the 50 states emissions and dodges the weak 0331 head that is prone to cracking in 00-01. 95-97 and 00-01 are the second choices. Most would say 95-97 I think, but I prefer the 00-01 because I like the 97+ body style, it comes with the stronger 8.25, it has a better intake and a few other engine improvements, 96 was a changeover year for OBDII and most carry some strange wiring that doesn't match diagrams, I've never had a problem with the 0331 (many do) and it's pretty easy to swap to the HP front axle if that's a big deal for you. If you shop for an 00-01, check the coolant for mud and check the oil under the valve cover for a chocolate milkshake sort of look AFTER the test drive and keep an eye out for low oil pressure during the drive. Those are all signs of a cracked head allowing coolant and oil to mix. In some cases you can just replace the head with an 03+ head out of a TJ or wJ and go on with life, but if it's been cracked awhile it can rust the block and cause a host of other issues.

Older than 95 there are various disadvantages depending on the year, notably a weaker front axle, a slightly weaker rear 8.25, weaker manual trannys in some years if that's your preference, and generally the older you go the more problem and rust prone it will be and the less the engine will put out.

The option you really want to look for is the 8.25 rear axle over the much weaker D35. The 8.25 is just a hair weaker than a 44, and is up to most things a normal person will throw at it. Hell there's guys on the forums running built 8.25's with as big as 37's and beating on them pretty hard. In all fairness as super 35 is stronger than people give credit for, but the kit costs more than an 8.8 swap which is even stronger out of the box so I never really saw the point unless you're really weight-sensitive. Google for a picture if you need it, but the giveaways are that the bottom of the diff on the 8.25 is flat but the cover is round, so you'll see little corners of the diff poking out on the bottom from behind the cover. The 8.25 cover also has a rolled lip, while the D35's is flat. 8.25's also have a rubber plug in the cover where most 35's have a steel one.

As to costs, I generally tell shoppers to expect to spend something like 500-700 USD to fix up a new-to-them XJ before they even start budgeting for lift, tires or whatever other upgrades they want. The lion's share of that is in a steering refresh, cooling system refresh and new U-joints. Almost every used XJ seems to want all three and the cooling is especially critical on the 00-01. The rest is various fluids and bushings and whatever one or two things that particular jeep will need (starter or alternator for example). It may be a little more expensive in Canada, I hear the import costs catch up with you from most parts vendors.



Now as to your specific questions:
headliners can be redone pretty cheaply with a trip to the fabric store. I actually herculined mine and really like it, I'll never have a sag again. Seat covers can be removed and washed if needed, and generally look a lot better after. New molded carpets can be bought. I think I paid about $400 for the premium stuff with mass backing and whatnot, but the basic kits are ~$210 for the whole thing from firewall to tailgate. interior plastic is harder to find, you usually have to comb junkyards and eBay for used parts in better shape than yours

Radio is easy to replace with $20-40 needed for wiring adapters and a mount, plus whatever you spend on the radio Some vendors like Crutchfield will throw in the install gear for free, but the radio itself is usually more expensive at those. A basic radio with an aux port and bluetooth will cost $75-$150 depending on the exact features you want. A nicer one with high voltage pre-outs, a good EQ, and other things to serve as a good center for a built up system is probably more like $150-250, but there are a few specific models that will serve for more like $100.

Seat warmers are actually not bad to get in an XJ. A few had them from the factory, but you probably won't find those. HOWEVER, it's pretty easy to find heated leather seats in WJ's (00-04 grand cherokees) and those will bolt straight onto the XJ seat bases. Then all you have to do is get 12v power to them, you can even run it from the factory heated seat fuse in the kick panel if you like. Note that you can't use the older ZJ (94-99) grand cherokee seats, the thermostat for the warmers in those was part of the PCM and the XJ can't support it.

For wiring: Just address it when something acts strangely. The most common failure points are the headlight switch (too small wiring and it carries the full draw of the lights), the driver's door and the lift gate. The headlight switch you can head off issues with by buying an h4 relay harness for $20 on ebay. That drops the draw through the switch to less than an amp and will actually deliver better power to your lights and make them brighter on it's own.

For your uses the mods I'd do first are: Headlight upgrade and some extra lights, good tires, and a rear auto-locker. Visibility is obviously important. Good tires and a rear locker improve XJ performance off road far more than a little bit of lift, especially in mud, sand, and snow.


As mentioned above, an XJ is a great learning car for would-be mechanics. They're forgiving, parts are fairly easy to find and you'll have a TON of online support for troubleshooting and fixes. All of the costs I mentioned above are for DIY work, most jobs will at least double in cost at a mechanic and some can even be an order of magnitude more expensive. Most of the basic maintenance jobs can be done with the factory jack and a basic "Mechanic's tool kit" from wally world or whatever. Used sets of higher quality can be found cheaply at pawn shops or on craigslist pretty often and are a better long-term investment if a little more shopping intensive. Big jobs (or certain little ones) will take more and more specialized tools, but you can pick them up as you need them and not incur any really major costs all at once.

 

Thank You!!

Thanks everyone for you answers so far! Greatly appreciated! :smile2:

 

I have a question. But first here's where I'm at in my Jeep engine swap. It's an 01 Grand Cherokee limited with the 4.7 v8. It threw a position rod threw the block. So I got a used one to replace it. The issue is the replacement has 16 spark plugs and mine only had 8. Can I still make it work? Is there a way to reprogram the computer in it to to accept it? Or is there something else I can do? This is my first time doing anything like this and it has taken me so long to rebuild it I am hoping I didn't build one I can't use. Please any help out there?

 

Try the WJ forum and start a new thread.

 

My advice: Get as new as you can and try to find a vehicle from the southwest where rust is not nearly an issue. Fly and drive it home if you have to. For the cost of the flight and tanks of gas home you can save yourself money (and headache and heartbreak) not dealing with rust.

My experience: Immediately change all fluids/filters and flush the cooling system. With a proper functioning cooling system (water pump, radiator, thermostat, etc) the 0331 head has not been an issue for me. Next start replacing wear items in the suspension. Bushings, tire rod ends, etc. These wear out and can lead to death wobble and less seriously to sloppy steering and creaks, groans and pops.

Make sure the lights all work. Get them in order if not. The led replacements are a nice upgrade for the interior lights.

 

These guys covered everything above (except the Grand Cherokee guy). One other thing to consider, are you expecting to keep your XJ like-new and stock or are you going to build a trail rig?

If you plan to offroad the truck minor cosmetic rust becomes less of a consideration. Throw away the carpet, yank the headliner, hack off the rust, bedline everything. It's liberating when you quit caring about aesthetics.

PS your console lid latch is broken. Even if you have not bought a Cherokee yet it's broken.

 

PS your console lid latch is broken. Even if you have not bought a Cherokee yet it's broken.

I just broke mine last week on my 99'. Do you really have a 6.5" lift on 31s? Pics?

 

Oh yeah, deal killers:

Serious electrical issues. I had a small fire and have no gauges but my lights windows and wipers work, That and the out of gas chime ls all I need

Transmission issues. Expensive to fix but there are plenty of cheap donors in the JY waiting to crush you as you pull them

Heatercore leaks. Not insurmountable but it's a huge huge hassle. Sniff for a maple syrup smell when you turn the heater on. If the Jeep is rust free, buy it anyway. If it's not and it smells like Wafflehouse, pass.

Do you need AC? If yes, Buy a different car.

Death wobble, plan on rebuilding the front end. It's probably the track bar.

Get used to changing U joints. It's pretty easy, There are 7 and they all hate you.

 

Do you need AC? If yes, Buy a different car.

It's really not that big a deal. Mine keeps up in dallas heat and humidity just fine. Worst case I run half a tic over 210 instead of half a tic under when I get stuck in traffic.

PS your console lid latch is broken. Even if you have not bought a Cherokee yet it's broken.

The lids I see are usually fine. It's that plastic mount that holds the rear of the console down to the floor that's ALWAYS broken.

 

It's really not that big a deal. Mine keeps up in dallas heat and humidity just fine. Worst case I run half a tic over 210 instead of half a tic under when I get stuck in traffic.

The lids I see are usually fine. It's that plastic mount that holds the rear of the console down to the floor that's ALWAYS broken.

Dirt Bound Offroad makes a steel 'upgrade'.