Jeep Cherokee XJ - Restore or Get Rid?
Discussion
I've got a '95 Jeep Cherokee Limited (4.0 Petrol) that has sat taking up garage space for over a year now.
It's done just over a 100k so is probably quite fresh / cosmetically a bit battered, but not suffering from rust.
Before the pandemic lockdown I was just going to get shot, but now I'm considering recommissioning it and even...restoring it...
Question is, could I be looking at a money pit? Like I said, I'm sure it's mechanically very sound, it's more cosmetic - light clusters, trim etc that need attention... I have zero experience with Jeeps so any help gratefully received!
...Reluctant to get rid too as the previous owner was the One & Only Chesney Hawkes...
Thanks in advance for any advice, places to look for parts etc etc.
It's done just over a 100k so is probably quite fresh / cosmetically a bit battered, but not suffering from rust.
Before the pandemic lockdown I was just going to get shot, but now I'm considering recommissioning it and even...restoring it...
Question is, could I be looking at a money pit? Like I said, I'm sure it's mechanically very sound, it's more cosmetic - light clusters, trim etc that need attention... I have zero experience with Jeeps so any help gratefully received!
...Reluctant to get rid too as the previous owner was the One & Only Chesney Hawkes...
Thanks in advance for any advice, places to look for parts etc etc.
Definitely keep. (Biased owner of '97 XJ Limited 
) The two garages I've used in the couple of years I've had my Jeep (and I bought it on a whim, really, as the garage that was doing some work on my TR7 had parked my car in front of the Jeep) haven't had any problems getting hold of parts for it - once they figured out what the parts were. Seem to be plenty of bits on E-bay without even going to the states. Mine had 75k on the clock a couple of years ago and since the indications seem to be that the engines are good for about 300k, I figured that was low mileage.
If you're looking for motivation check out Matt's Off Road Recovery channel on YouTube. Chap in Utah runs a fleet of XJs as off-road recovery vehicles. Great fun and addictive to watch him pulling newer and bigger vehicles out of mud, sand and snow, and the comments are full of people wishing they'd kept or wanting to get an XJ. Matt's main vehicle is of course lifted with big tyres and beefed up suspension and axles, but otherwise is a stock 4.0 engine and gearbox. This is my favourite episode where he goes into some serious canyons to recover a rock crawler and pulls it on a trailer up some very steep inclines and out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEiyLQaz94o
If you want to see what a stock XJ can do, then a recent episode shows Matt recovering another rock crawler but getting lost and having to make his own way out over rocks etc before finding the trail - his wife is following him in a stock XJ and does a sterling job.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEiyLQaz94o
) The two garages I've used in the couple of years I've had my Jeep (and I bought it on a whim, really, as the garage that was doing some work on my TR7 had parked my car in front of the Jeep) haven't had any problems getting hold of parts for it - once they figured out what the parts were. Seem to be plenty of bits on E-bay without even going to the states. Mine had 75k on the clock a couple of years ago and since the indications seem to be that the engines are good for about 300k, I figured that was low mileage. If you're looking for motivation check out Matt's Off Road Recovery channel on YouTube. Chap in Utah runs a fleet of XJs as off-road recovery vehicles. Great fun and addictive to watch him pulling newer and bigger vehicles out of mud, sand and snow, and the comments are full of people wishing they'd kept or wanting to get an XJ. Matt's main vehicle is of course lifted with big tyres and beefed up suspension and axles, but otherwise is a stock 4.0 engine and gearbox. This is my favourite episode where he goes into some serious canyons to recover a rock crawler and pulls it on a trailer up some very steep inclines and out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEiyLQaz94o
If you want to see what a stock XJ can do, then a recent episode shows Matt recovering another rock crawler but getting lost and having to make his own way out over rocks etc before finding the trail - his wife is following him in a stock XJ and does a sterling job.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEiyLQaz94o
Another vote for keep and restore/refurbish. As mentioned these Cherokees are on the cusp of classic status now. Unmolested examples are starting to fetch good money here in the US. Do a search on Bring A Trailer for auction results.
I had a 1999 Cherokee "Classic" edition (mid range spec) from 2004 to 2019 and drove it from 50k to 260k miles with great reliability. Mine was only a RWD model (US spec) though. Loads of parts available for reasonable money from specialists here in the US too.
Check out the Harry's Garage review of one, https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&a...
I had a 1999 Cherokee "Classic" edition (mid range spec) from 2004 to 2019 and drove it from 50k to 260k miles with great reliability. Mine was only a RWD model (US spec) though. Loads of parts available for reasonable money from specialists here in the US too.
Check out the Harry's Garage review of one, https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&a...
Thanks all for your responses.
The Jeep is now definitely staying put and I'm working through getting it reanimated!
Alternator replaced and now wrangling with a belt replacement.
I'll no doubt become a regular on ebay in coming weeks and hopefully I can get the Cherokee back to it's best before Xmas!
(Possibly wishful thinking....!)
The Jeep is now definitely staying put and I'm working through getting it reanimated!
Alternator replaced and now wrangling with a belt replacement.
I'll no doubt become a regular on ebay in coming weeks and hopefully I can get the Cherokee back to it's best before Xmas!
(Possibly wishful thinking....!)
Wolfsbait said:
Thanks all for your responses.
The Jeep is now definitely staying put and I'm working through getting it reanimated!
Alternator replaced and now wrangling with a belt replacement.
I'll no doubt become a regular on ebay in coming weeks and hopefully I can get the Cherokee back to it's best before Xmas!
(Possibly wishful thinking....!)
Well if you can, it'll probably be the one and only...The Jeep is now definitely staying put and I'm working through getting it reanimated!
Alternator replaced and now wrangling with a belt replacement.
I'll no doubt become a regular on ebay in coming weeks and hopefully I can get the Cherokee back to it's best before Xmas!
(Possibly wishful thinking....!)
Previous owner of the exact same model as you here, (2000MY 4.0 WJ Overland).
By the time we got rid of ours at 10 years old it had zero rust, didn’t use any oil or coolant, was incredibly reliable, quiet, comfortable, nippy enough, not too bad on fuel and was as smooth as silk. Stick some AT tyres on it come winter time and it will be all the 4x4 you’ll ever need.
They seem to have hit rock bottom price-wise, so the only way is up IMO. I can’t imagine parts being too hard to get hold of. They have quite the following, especially in America.
I say restore and use it as a nice, wafty daily.
By the time we got rid of ours at 10 years old it had zero rust, didn’t use any oil or coolant, was incredibly reliable, quiet, comfortable, nippy enough, not too bad on fuel and was as smooth as silk. Stick some AT tyres on it come winter time and it will be all the 4x4 you’ll ever need.
They seem to have hit rock bottom price-wise, so the only way is up IMO. I can’t imagine parts being too hard to get hold of. They have quite the following, especially in America.
I say restore and use it as a nice, wafty daily.
105.4 said:
Previous owner of the exact same model as you here, (2000MY 4.0 WJ Overland).
By the time we got rid of ours at 10 years old it had zero rust, didn’t use any oil or coolant, was incredibly reliable, quiet, comfortable, nippy enough, not too bad on fuel and was as smooth as silk. Stick some AT tyres on it come winter time and it will be all the 4x4 you’ll ever need.
They seem to have hit rock bottom price-wise, so the only way is up IMO. I can’t imagine parts being too hard to get hold of. They have quite the following, especially in America.
I say restore and use it as a nice, wafty daily.
Mine is the Limited SE so has a few more electric bits and leather I think... not sure if that makes it a rarer proposition, but don't see many others!By the time we got rid of ours at 10 years old it had zero rust, didn’t use any oil or coolant, was incredibly reliable, quiet, comfortable, nippy enough, not too bad on fuel and was as smooth as silk. Stick some AT tyres on it come winter time and it will be all the 4x4 you’ll ever need.
They seem to have hit rock bottom price-wise, so the only way is up IMO. I can’t imagine parts being too hard to get hold of. They have quite the following, especially in America.
I say restore and use it as a nice, wafty daily.
Wolfsbait said:
Mine is the Limited SE so has a few more electric bits and leather I think... not sure if that makes it a rarer proposition, but don't see many others!
I forgot to mention, ours had just ticked over 180’000 miles when my Wife fancied changing it, (it was her main car). If it was up to me, we’d have kept it.I had a 94 Cherokee 4.0 on LPG for a year or so, it was basically bulletproof and the only weak part was the gas system.
I ran it pretty much empty of coolant from Birmingham back to Chepstow (it was running hot, but not boiling) and I put something like 5 litres of fluid in it when I got home!
I’d love another, it was a great comfortable car for a guy in his early 20’s who had a bad back from poor power tool usage!
I ran it pretty much empty of coolant from Birmingham back to Chepstow (it was running hot, but not boiling) and I put something like 5 litres of fluid in it when I got home!
I’d love another, it was a great comfortable car for a guy in his early 20’s who had a bad back from poor power tool usage!
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