What's a good JEEP product/year for under $4-5K

[valaker]

That is a sweet truck, just my style. Wish I had a train ticket to sacramento and $4400 bucks in hand.

But i'm in need of a more wagon-like vehicle versus a bad-to-the-bone ranch pick-up, at least at the moment. Plus then I'd have to start a whole new thread about the reliabilty of early nineties Ford 7.3 diesels

 

[seotaji]

i have a 96 cherokee purchased cheap, LOW miles, pretty much perfect. only had a fuel pump go bad. it works great if you don't mind interior bits falling off every now and then.

avg mpg 16 2wd auto 4L 6cyl.

scary in the snow. front end heavy.

 

[Tosh]

Quote:

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Plus then I'd have to start a whole new thread about the reliabilty of early nineties Ford 7.3 diesels

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My original thought was for you to look at Cummins diesel-powered Dodges, but it didn't look like these were in your price range.

 

[Sparkman]

My XJ is awesome in the snow; 4wd, rear disc brakes, and four studded snow tires. Probably the worst thing about the XJ IMHO is that the factory rear brakes are WORTHLESS, so when braking on slippery surfaces in 2wd with an auto trans the rear wheels will push the front end around. A Teraflex rear disc conversion eliminated that problem in my case, after sliding through an intersection with my family on-board I wouldn't tolerate the stock brakes any more. ZJ brakes can also be easily adapted, but for $400 with all new hardware I thought that the Teraflex kit was a good value.

I think the sweet spot for newer XJ's is '97-'99. The '00-'01 (which I have) introduced some new issues. Get a 242 t-case if you can find one (very rare), the full-time mode is awesome in non-dry conditions.

 

[TheLoneRanger]

I've owned two XJs, an 89 and my present 96. The 90 and earlier had Renix electronics, which requires a longer cranking time to start. This dosen't bother many, but it does me, so I'd look for a 91 up model. As Sparkman says, the 97-99 are great finds in the upper price range.

I love my 96. This year was the first for OBD II diagonistics and a stiffer unibody structure than the earlier years. They're all good, but I'd look for the latest model, everything else being equal.....