A 91 or newer with the H.O. 4 litre is a good choice. Plenty of aftermarket goodies available, good power, fuel injected, and you can find a lot of 5 speed models around. I think a 94 XJ like my old one goes for around 5-6K around here in excellent condition all stock with like a Sport package which has all the gauges,tach, etc. Watch out for broken door hinge welds, the factory catalytic converters are crap. Lifts are fairly cheap, I bought my Warn 3.5 back in the day for $350. You can find em' as cheap as $200- $300 dollars for smaller lifts. I'm forgetting alot but overall the XJ is an awesome vehicle that has proven itself time after time.

 

Well after getting the first bit of advice from Piaa I started searching the net for what there is out there. The first thing I notice is there are a lot more of XJ's out there than there are CJ's or M715's. That didn't really surprise me. What did surprise me though is that I'm finding it difficult to find a manual for sale. Out of hundreds of ads most are automatics. Which brings me to my next question.

Are the auto's in these things good or bad? I'm talking '91 to present. If I did lift one and put say 33's on it would the auto hold up to that? This would be a 90% road vehicle, so keep that in mind.

Next question is, a lot of these vehicles are high milage. Meaning over 100,000. How much do these engines have left in them? I'd want this vehicle for as long as possible if I were to get one. Two years would be nice. I realize it all varies greatly, but on average where do these things give up?

Next question (I know there's a lot, but that just means more people get to post) is what is average gas milage on these things? Right now I get 11MPG, so I'd hope it'd be better than that. Remember, I will be taking this thing on trips of 250+ miles, and most of that is through rural IL. I'll shut up now and let people respond. I'll keep an eye out here to see what people have got to say and answer any questions that might come up. Thanks again for reading all of this.

 

I've got a 95 with 140K and it's still humming along. I'ts also a stick. They are out there, but you may not be able to find one localy. An aquantiance of mine flew from Chicago to PA to buy a 96 with a 5 speed. Keep beating the bushes long enough and you'll find one. Also the AW4 auto is a fine auto tranny. So long as they are propperly maintained they'll last a long time.

 

Mileage doesn't matter that much if it was maintained well. I bought my 95 w/ 135k and put 25k on the clock and she works great. No oil burning, no leaks (yet). Change all the fluids as soon as you get it though.
The Auto is very sturdy at stock and even most larger tires up to 33" with proper maintenance.
The only option Autos have the 5 speed doesn't is Select-trac.

 

Come on guys, I was hoping a lot more of you would throw in your advice. What are the qwirks of these vehicles? What goes wrong first and what should I look out for? Please give me the whole low down on these rigs. I want to go into a possible purchase with as much information as possible.

 

Hi Nick, The autos in XJ's are notoriously reliable. My neighbor has had several over the years (still owns two) and the low mileage one he has got has 225,000 miles. the "Beater" has 350,000 miles on it. Both have autos and neither one has been apart (engine or trans!).

On a slightly selfish note...I have a '91 XJ Limited that I am looking to sell. It has served me well as daily transportation for three years now, but my CJ is done and I drive that all the time now. The XJ is just extra maintenence/insurance/parking hassle. It's all stock except for a K&N airbox filter), 120,000 miles, some rust but floors are good. 4 dr., 4.0 H.O., auto, select-track (full time/part time/and 2wd modes) t-case, leather, power windows/locks/mirrors, all the toys!
I have it for sale for $3,200, but come on up and make me an offer, it needs to move soon! I'm in Waukesha, WI (18 miles west of Millwaukee).

Drop me an e-mail at smokngun@wi.rr.com or P.M. me for my phone number if you are interested.