looking to buy a cherokee

[andy d]

i'm looking at a 2001 cherokee sport. 4.0, auto, 4 door, 4wd, 40k miles. completely stock.

are there any problems that are common with xj's, what kind of mileage can i expect, is it possible to put a third row seat in them, any other input????

i like the xj, and will be modifying it if i get it. so that is not an issue.
thanks

 

[mbryson]

i'm looking at a 2001 cherokee sport. 4.0, auto, 4 door, 4wd, 40k miles. completely stock.

are there any problems that are common with xj's, what kind of mileage can i expect, is it possible to put a third row seat in them, any other input????

i like the xj, and will be modifying it if i get it. so that is not an issue.
thanks

Cool rig. I got 19-20 mpg out of mostly freeway driving with my stock '91 XJ. I've got a whole XJ you could buy that would have all the upgrade parts you'd ever want.

The only problems I'd expect is a possible CPS failure and possibly some t-case issues if you lift it due to a redesign in '96.

 

[Jay5.9L]

Your looking at the last year of production of the XJ. I drove a '90 for 6 years and it was great. I would expect 17 mpg with mixed driving. Being the last year of production (after 15 years or production) I would assume most of the major bugs have been worked out. I really doubt you would want to even attempt a 3rd row seat in a XJ. I've seen some rear facing ones that barely fit two kids but if you need to seat 7 go for a full size SUV.

As for modification go. Suspension is not too hard but the smaller wheel openings make fitting larger tires difficult. A 3" lift and 31x10.5 tires look great and should fit with out much trouble.

Any other questions feel free the ask.

 

[Caleb]

after owning a 2001 XJ I will sy I wont ever own a 2001 again. Mine was in at the dealer for ignition problems repeatedly (never were able to fix problem)...mine also had the t-case blow up (literally) at 75 mph, thought it was a fluke problem but after talking to the tow truck driver that was towing us back to town (I was between Mesquite and Vegas when it happened) he said he had towed in a half dozen other newer Cherokees for the exact same thing. Of course I didn;t believe him till we pulled into the dealer in St. george and there was sitting all the other cherokees with puddles of fluid right below the t-case

I never was satisfied with my XJ from the day after I bought it :-\ 17mpg was a good average to expect, sometimes more on the highway sometimes less in the city.

 

[Houndoc]

I have averaged 19-20 mpg on my 01 XJ. It now has 102,000 miles and the only problems I have had was a tie-rod end I replaced at about 60k and it has a very slow (no puddles) collant leak I have to track down. Otherwise it has ran great.

FYI, I am wanting to sale mine. It is high miles but there are all highway (commute from Grantsville to Salt Lake.). I will take about $10,500. Let me know if you are interested.

 

[trpl xj]

I have two of them and I love them both. one is an 89 that is my current trail rig that gets terrible gas mileage. My other is my dd and it's a 98 and I get a consistant 20 mpg. The best I've got was 23 and the worst was 16, but that was pulling a trailer with a bike and four wheeler to the dunes doing 70 the whole way, and the ac blasting.

Trackbars seem to wear out after a while, my 98 needs a new one and it has just under 80k on it. The third row seat just really isn't an option, there's not enough room for one.

 

[ewander]

I really like my cherokee so far. The 00 and the 01 are basically the same and I have been very happy with mine. The only draw back vs. earlier models that I can see is that the 00 and 01 have the low pinion Dana 30...still a decent axle with 297 u-joints but not as strong as the 97-99, with the high pinion. I list the 97-99 because they received some serious unibody strengthening and minor body styling changes. If I had it to do over again, I would have bought the 99 instead of the 00.

They are easy to lift and lock and look pretty cool due to their boxy (designed in the 80's) styling.

 

[iceaxe]

Can't speak from experience but if I were to get a newer one it would be a 99' ,I've heard good things about that year.

My 93' is over 160k miles now, changed the coil at 130K and the CPS sensor shortly after and a new radiator upgrade just recently went in, those and a dead battery are the only problems that ever kept me from driving, should give me many more miles to come.

Just recently I heard of an XJ with a 3rd row seat mod. I'll try to remember who it was ....

 

[Jay5.9L]

I really like my cherokee so far. The 00 and the 01 are basically the same and I have been very happy with mine. The only draw back vs. earlier models that I can see is that the 00 and 01 have the low pinion Dana 30...still a decent axle with 297 u-joints but not as strong as the 97-99, with the high pinion. I list the 97-99 because they received some serious unibody strengthening and minor body styling changes. If I had it to do over again, I would have bought the 99 instead of the 00.

They are easy to lift and lock and look pretty cool due to their boxy (designed in the 80's) styling.

I thought the '97 make over was just the body style and interior. Did they really make the unibody stronger?

 

[ewander]

Yeah they did improve the unibody quite a bit. I believe that was the entire reason for the upgrade in the first place.