I got a 2000 xj as my first car and I have been loving it for the last 5-6 months. My father knew the previous owner and it was in amazing condition. It has been really fun and easy to work on.
I bought mine three and a half months ago, and I love it! Stock did well in the dunes now have a 3-inch lift with new bumpers and 30-in tires not bad for a 26-year-old vehicle 😂 pushing 285,000 MI... Run strong and it's my daily driver
I bought a 2000 from a co-worker original owner with 81000 miles. It's a great car. I did replace a steering linkage boot with a part called The Cure from Sough Stuff Specialities It removes some movement in the steering linkage by reducing the rolling in the linkage. It did make a noticeable improvement in the road feel. There are youtube videos on it.
I've been daily driving XJ's since 1992... My 2000 XJ had 378K miles on it but still ran like new...rust sidelined her finally. Only thing that kills them is rust if you live in a hard winter area. I've quadruple coated underneath and under carpet in my 90 hoping she wont suffer the same fate. Even if you wash regularly...that salt still gets them man. Great video man, keep jeepin!
@@KCars Yep you'll be just fine. I use it my farm trucks since the family doesn't get in them.POR-15 is permanent but fluid film in a spray can is super easy to apply compared to that. OldSchool's right, just reapply it as needed and your Jeep should last a long time! 👍
My grandpa gave me a 99 xj for my 15th birthday and I’m 17 and have been working at McDonald’s for 6 months and got like 6k to fix it up and I’m hella excited to drive this like I’m really in Jdm car but this car just hits different
My dream off road car is a Land Rover discovery 1. I drove my friends xj, and it was in ratty condition. No muffler, scary death wobble, and it was rusty af. Shockingly enough I still liked it. It drives like shit relative to most things I’ve driven (definitely based on condition), but it’s got so much charm and character. It’s also so purposeful, and simple. It also made me feel like I was in the discovery. The death wobble also made for a funny moment on a date. Cool car, would not mind owning one.
@@danielfrederick306 when I got mine I did a full radiator flush, new thermostat plus housing, replace radiator hose, and new water pump. Replace all oils. Have been running it hard now for months doing deep sand driving, dirt roads, long road trips and some towing and she goes well. Mine is an 01 and 220,000 on odometer
Just bought my first XJ. 155kmi, new paint, very clean, but recently wrecked in the front. Replaced the front crossmember and frame horn, straightened the metal, and replaced all broken cooling components. Now it's my daily and I LOVE it! Found another at salvage with the same damage with only 87kmi. Gonna be placing a bid when it comes up.
I am on the 3rd XJ since ‘91. Just bought a nice 2001 a few weeks back. Absolutely love it. Fun to drive, very stable, dependable and great for northern Michigan winters.
@@KCars We had a 900ft country driveway that drifted. I told my wife hang on tight. Turned wipers up on high, pulled the lever and charged through the 100yds of high drifts. Some were above the bumper and when all went white I guided myself by staying off the left snowbank that was 5ft high. Memorable moment.
I had two used XJ's, bought around 10 years ago. The 4wd was excellent in the snow, especially considering this was in the days before crawl control, and other driver aids. Even at 190 hp, I don't recall it being an issue. Never seemed like I had a problem passing or whatever. As you mentioned, you can't complain about the gas mileage of a 20 year-old, 4wd vehicle that's shaped like a brick. My only knock against the ones I had, was the A/C in both of them didn't get as cold as I'd like. I found them fun to drive. Very reliable. Very dependable.
@@KCars join XJ Preservation Society on Facebook. There's a PDF under the Files section called Matt's XJ Suspension Kit. It lists everything with part numbers. Good luck!
Same here, daily drove one that was lifted 4.5" with 33s" 60-80 miles a day. The key to success is all about beefing up the steering if you do a lift with larger tires.
Everyone likes XJs, everyone Ive ever talked to has nice things to say about the XJ, the 4.0 is a legend, ive had 5 of them over the years, lost 2 of them to wrecks :( the one I drive everyday is a '99 Ive had for about 11 years, shes just under 260k miles and runs great. She has never failed me in all that time, I wash her every week and she is not rusty, Ill never sell her
I’m driving 7 hours to a dealership tomorrow to buy a 2000 XJ the same exact color as yours! It’s $4800 but it’s basically rust free top to bottom and no issues! I’m super excited and can’t wait to drive it!
Dailyd my Xj for 4 yrs, 3in lift and 33x12.5 and was the most versitile vehicle. Super comfortable everywhere, although needed to change quite a bit of the front end to keep it smoothe but wont let mine go
I've had my 01 XJ for about 5 years now and it still runs great. Although it hasnt been an easy 5 years😂. I blew a radiator hose once towing a Uhaul on a 700 mile trip...That wasnt fun😂. Had to replace the thermostat and I'm currently fighting a power steering leak. Currently has 220k miles and hoping it'll last for about a 100k more because it has honestly been one of my favorite vehicles to drive😂.
I don't need reasons to make this type of jeep my daily driver, I just want it soooo damn badly. Always wanted my own ever since my mom got one of these when I was a kid. Fucking loved that thing, and I just really hope one day this type of jeep can be my first car! It would be a dream come true.😭❤
I have a 96 XJ with the 4.0 have the none of the issues he's talking about mine runs great drives great and I've never almost wrecked because I've slowed down
i got a 1999 jeep grand cherokee wj 4.7 v8 and aside from the gas mileage it's an amazing car, it's honestly quicker than your average brand new car and it comes with heated/ electric seats, power lumbar support, dual climate control ect, the seats are the most comfortable car seats i've ever sat in. it comes with front and rear limited slip differentials and does better than some of my friends lifted toyotas. would highly recommend the wjs
I have three kids. Each one’s first car was a Jeep XJ. We wanted airbags for the kids so each one was a 1995 or later. I loved them so much I ended up buying my son’s from him when he needed to upgrade. It’s a 1998 in Deep Amethyst Pearl aka Purple. I have upgraded the tires and rims and have been having a blast fixing it up. It has 185000 miles on it and still hauls A$$. Runs strong. Is the perfect size and is in rough enough exterior shape to not worry too much on trails.
Once I had installed my lift and Dana44 axels which we’re about 2” wider than the stock Dana 30 it handles and rides much better than before. I definitely feel very conferrable driving it on the highway.
keep an eye on any unexplained coolant loss/overheating, 2000/01 had the 0331 head defect and can crack between cyclinder 3&4. Mine did :) and I just replaced it with 2004 TJ Tupy head. great car otherwise.
Thx. I have read the that late 1999, 2000 & 2001 XJ’s have the head crack issue when overheating. Mostly round 150.000 miles some XJ’s have head cracks, not all of them. I have a 2000 with only 92.000 km so still long way to go. I’m flushing the coulant every year. And back flushing helped a lot to bring the temps down.
My 99 sport has the darker interior… it is nice… just replaced the driver’s seat and it was the same fabric but lighter vinyl… I was able to switch the top of the seat as well as the plastic on the lower side… so the only light gray is the bottom which you don’t really notice… least not while you’re driving! 😂
@@KCars yeah it was a state car before it was sold at an auction for 600$ then i bought it from a dad and son for 2k with 31s and the 3” and nothing else and then painted it, cut fenders, trimmed bumpers, put a winch, lunchbox rear, Built a really nice sound system in it and did frame stiffeners. Still got a lot left to do and a lot of other stuff i did to it. It’s actually not no rust on it either other than the basic rusty nuts and bolts and trackbar bracket
I kick the crap out of mine every day. I merge on the freeway at the proper speed. No matter how short the entrance ramp is. These things get up and go. Can’t hurt the motors unless you run it out of oil or coolant
I had one for 4yrs and when I got it in 2007, I really didn't want it but was more or less forced to get it because of a time crunch with starting a new job. I literally ignored the car, doing nothing for upkeep, never changed the oil and just topped it up when it seemed to get low, as I said..I really didn't like the car when I bought it. I have to admit, for an older '94 model with a couple hundred thousand on it...the only things I ever had to put into it were a water pump and crank position sensor...it always got me home. That XJ taught me to appreciate a simple reliable vehicle and now the prices on them have jumped and people are starting to hoard them. Lesson learned.
Your xj looks great. It is the best SUV ever made. Most of your complaints are because you probably need new ball joints, tie rods, bushings, steering stabilizer, track bar, tires, and alignment. The engine should have plenty of power on the hwy..
Thanks! I just got a new steering stabilizer, track bar, tires, and alignment done. I’ll have to look into the other things you mentioned. For some reason it’s very sluggish on the highway, I can have it completely floored and it won’t go over 50 going uphill, you’ll see in my next video. Thanks for watching!
The stock XJ 4.0 engine is a brute and you should have tons of power on the the highway and going up hills. Is the engine light on? You or your mechanic may need to hook up a Scanner/Reader to the OBD2 port to read the engine codes being generated by the ECM (Engine Control Module). That more than likely will provide a clue to what is going on. You may have a bad engine sensor like the Mass Air Flow Sensor. If it gets dirty or fails it may need to be replaced. That happened to me and my engine power was sluggish until it was replaced.There are other sensors too that might be faulty. Also check ignition wires and spark plugs. Make sure all the spark plugs are sparking and are clean. If not replace them. Be patient, if you are persistent you will find and fix the problem and then your engine will have lots of power.@@KCars
It does not currently have a check engine light. It had one for an evap leak which was fixed by replacing the fuel vapor tube. I also got a code for a cylinder 3 misfire, the engine was running just fine so I cleared the code and it didn’t come back. I have cleaned and inspected the 3 sensors near the throttle body (IAC, TPS, mass air flow). Also replaced the spark plugs and coil packs a few months ago. The main issue is that when I’m cruising at around 50 or higher and start to go up an incline, it just doesn’t want to downshift for some reason when I need it to. Sometimes if I take my foot off the gas, it will downshift and then I can accelerate but I’m not sure what could be causing the issue of it not wanting to downshift
That seems like it could be either the ECM module isn't telling the transmission to downshift or it may be a transmission issue. Maybe there is a sensor on the transmission that is faulty. That area of my knowledge is fuzzy because I have never had that issue with my XJ, touch wood. Maybe it is your catalytic converter or the O2 sensor in the exhaust. Both of those gave me loss of power problems. I seem to recall, I changed both of those at around 110,000 km or 68,350 miles and the power improved dramatically and I haven't had the problem since. Now I am at 360,000 km and the engine is running perfectly. What size tires are you using at the moment? Are they stock size about 29" in diameter?@@KCars
I love them. I had a 90 Limited, 94 Country and a 2000 Classic. I'd run them to 200k and trade them off. I have 2004 and 2006 Grand Cherokees now. All 4X4s.
Mine is an 89’ Laredo xj and they will have to pry my dead hands off the wheel. Very reliable and fairly cheap to fix. Legendary well designed vehicle. 4.0 is the way to go.
I like your setup on your channel man I’ve got basically the same thing a charger hemi and an 01 xj I’m subscribed. Just to add on driving on the highway is up to your bushings and steering linkage etc, if those are worn at all then it’s not great, I can cruise at 80 all day long in mine comfortably.
@@KCars doing the 1 ton steering kit for the xj or something similar is a good idea with a lift, a stock steering setup with the lift throws off the geometry
@@KCars what lift are you running right now exactly? I just found your channel so I haven’t looked at the other videos. It all depends on that, really any of the 1 ton kits should be a choice.
imo best cheap daily you can take to the woods on the weekends, with minor/easy work. i got a 98 i'm about to do a 3.75" lift an 33s but other then the saggy rear end i like how it drives stock but i wanna wheel it lmao
Do these XJ's have a telescoping steering wheel? (I'm rather tall and need knee clearance). Thanks. I'll bet when you renew & upgrade your suspension that will be a huge help with the stability and tracking of your XJ.
Thanks for the reply@@KCars! Good fun stuff regarding your XJ! Side note; years ago my Dad was a rural mail carrier for the Post Office. About 60 miles of gravel roads and another 60 of paved. For his last route car he had a red 2-door 4x4 XJ. And get this, it was right hand drive to ease mail delivery out the passenger side. I thought it was rather cool. :-)
The way I would describe the acceleration in these Jeep’s is not that it doesn’t accelerate well, it still has plenty of torque torque to give, it’s just that these cars are geared lower than most cars and in the autos the transmission controller is not that great at getting you to the next gear, which I think may be because it’s more for off-roading and when your stuck and mud and stuff like that when you gun it you don’t want the transmission to shift you halfway through and lose all that momentum and power you were using. I’ve driven cars that were underpowered and there acceleration just feels different.
I dont mind having to take it slower on the freeway. I drive "slow" no matter what Im driving. And my 01 XJ is a 5 spd standard and I take my own sweet time shifting because I dont like to abuse my transmissions. If someone behind is POed, thats their problem. Not mine. Plus I tend to follow semi's anyway as they break the wind for me and give me extra mpg over long distances.
Same. I’m usually not in a rush, and if I want to drive fast, I’ll take the challenger. I try to stay as far right as possible if I have drive on the freeway
Chrysler had the good sense to not screw up a good thing when they inherited this design from Renault. Yes, Renault. Sold in Europe as the Pioneer and the upper scale package was the Grenoble. The Renault turbo diesel is a great engine and gave excellent MPG. When Chrysler bought the Jeep name from Renault, this design came with it. The initial 4 cylinder was a very good motor, but not powerful enough for the American market. The 4 liter was the best possible move Chrysler made. The Risin transmission was good enough, and they used the rear diff from the 1964 Valiant program. Probably the best rear end ever made. The stock Mopar front diff was also pretty good, but some had the Dana 27. I had a 96 for 8 years with not a single problem. All I did was put a 1" lift under it and installed Goodrich AT's. No upgrades to the diffs needed. The thing went everywhere I needed to go - which included a lot of narrow non-maintained forest tracks. Been sold now for ten years and my wife is still mad. ....and I still feel stupid. The price on these old rigs has gone nuts.
@@KCars Debatable on whether it's too late. The prices have sky rocketed, and although they are great little rigs, they are all getting old. There is a practical price point of departure. The Ford Ranger is another excellent vehicle that kept getting better and better. The last few years were bombproof and are far newer than the Cherokees. I'd probably get another Ranger.
An XJ alright for a first vehicle? Been wanting a Wrangler but can't afford a new one and hear too many issues with JKs and JLs, I was leaning towards getting a Subaru Crosstrek but I'd rather just get a vehicle I can payoff then and there or just make a couple payments and own it.
Good to hear! You will definitely have reliability in the snow as long as it’s been maintained properly and you continue to maintain it. It won’t be the same kind of fun as your motorcycle but it’ll be a different kind of fun in its own way. Thanks for watching!
@KCars 200k miles but it was a school teacher from 97 till now. I'm sure you're absolutely right about the fun factors. And that's what I'm hoping for, when it's hot and humid and the jeep hates it, I'll want to rip my motorcycle around, when it's wet, cold, and muddy, the jeep will love to go out and play with the right tires on. I'm pumped.
Snagged it up the second day it was on Facebook marketplace, previous owner said he had people offering 5k for it if he delivered it to them, definitely a steal. Thanks for watching!
Yes. The 2000 and 2001 don’t have a distributor, they use a coilpack. They are also known for having a bad head that can crack if the engine overheats.
Heads different for coil pack mounting. Intakes different ( horse shoe intake) to match the new style porting and cam on the 00 and 01. 98 and 99 are the golden years. Had a 98 for 11 years. Just sold it at 265k miles. Still running strong and smooth.
I had that same problem with my Cherokee I beat on it a bit and the head ended up cracking but those xj’s are so awesome and reliable I’ll eventually get another xj or tj one day
Yep, that was a great price IMHO. I bought a rust free 89 XJ Laredo with 120K miles on it last year. Paid $3500. Not crazy about the Remix but it still runs great. My friend is a great mechanic and told me he would take it on. It's almost ready. I drove it home from my purchase over 90 mile on the interstate and it did fine. Just no AC but that is fixed now. Can't wait to put it on the road.
Okay, I've been seeing this on a lot of videos of XJs, people saying they guzzle gas. Mine (Fairly bone stock) gets an approximate average of 20 MPG, which I consider pretty dang good for a '95 Jeep, in a mix of off and on road. Is that weird? is that normal? what's the 'normal' millage for an XJ? Also, regarding mine on the highway, I can't think of a bigger adrenaline rush than pushing 100 in a Jeep that desperately needs the whole steering system overhauled
I’ve never calculated my MPGs because I don’t really care about the fuel economy in a vehicle like this. But I’d agree that 20 seems pretty good. Also I didn’t know these things could even hit 100 but I definitely wouldn’t want to try that lol
This POV got me hard. 98xj4.5",33's track bar, 1ton steering with brace, soon to have antiRoc torsion bar. And red head steering box. Even without any anti roll bar I'm easily speeding on freeway overpass' maybe it's the 12.5" wide tires on live axels. I roll my shit like a terrorist on all surfaces. Trust me, u can räpē this rig as long as you keep on your P's and Q's maintenance wise. At 250k with all new sensors and ignition components, she's just as good as new. Cast iron inline6 block can be gangbanged eternally. 6diks gape'ing this truck that's old enough to drink at a bar.
i've daily driven mine for close to a year now and with my gas prices where i live averaging $1.90, i probably spend $25-$30 a week depending on how long i drive. sometimes two weeks.
