The XJ-chassis Jeep Cherokee is an enthusiast darling, and in recent years, top-shelf examples have evolved from simply being charming beaters to vehicles with a decent price tag to the right buyer. Lately, the Cherokee seems to be hanging out there with no major shift in values despite good ones getting harder to find every day. This particular truck, a 1998 Cherokee Sport listed here on craigslist for $3,900, seems like a steal given the clean condition. In addition, it sports the rarely seen 5-speed manual, which can make for a rig that’s fairly entertaining to drive in addition to being enormously capable off-road.
Despite having 194,000 miles on the clock, this Cherokee appears to be in very good condition. Most black vehicles at this point in their history have evidence of poor cosmetic upkeep with loads of swirl marks evident; while these photos can’t be trusted to show every flaw, the Jeep does look quite nice for having almost 200,000 miles. The wheels show some paint failure but the plastic trim is in surprisingly nice shape with little evidence of sun fading. Even better, it remains in stock condition, with zero signs of a lift kit being installed or oversized all-terrain tires.
Inside, the gray cloth interior is in fine shape. These Jeep interiors were simple, utilitarian affairs, but they were not unattractive. They were clean and functional, and if you wanted leather trim, the Limited model would take care of that. The manual gearbox when combined with the 4.0L I6 is a surprisingly lively combo, and road test editors have been surprised by how quick the Cherokee is when equipped with three pedals. The carpets show some signs of stains and soiling but it’s nothing major. The seller reports both the A/C and heat work flawlessly, and fortunately for the next owner, all other controls are fairly rudimentary.
The 4.0L gets a lot of love for being reliable, but it gets far less attention as a “sporting” engine. But let’s look at the numbers: 190 horsepower and 225 lb.-ft. of torque. These were very healthy numbers for any vehicle in the middle 90s but especially for a traditional SUV. When you have the ability to control shift points via a manual gearbox, you uncork the true potential of this engine, which could help the Cherokee scoot to 60 in a speedy 8.2 seconds. This Cherokee seems to be very fairly priced for a super clean, 1-owner that has been looked after, and we don’t expect it to hang around long. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Barney for the tip.
Be gone this afternoon 👋
Posted 16 days ago, no buyers, I know David Tracy would be all over it, if it were closer to LA!
No, it’s been listed for 17 days now Stan.
Holy smokes. Seems a steal. Thank you Pat… maybe there is a devil in the details somewhere
Wow. That’s a crazy low price for a winning XJ. Wonder what’s wrong?
Very nice to see one with a 5 speed. With that 4.0 these really move like Jeff pointed out.
It says that it’s located in Aurora,Colorado,but this might
be a possible scam,stolen ad from the real seller.
This is why you should always go and look at the vehicle in
person,or have someone you trust do it.
Wow such a deal. If this was closer I would go look at it and snap it up. This would be a great back up Jeep at home with our other Jeeps. But being far and I am surprised it not gone by now. 🤔 Anyone who wants it better go in person to check it out . You never know!🙄
Unless this car is actually on the moon, 20 days and no takers at that price with that drive train? Something smells fishy here.
If it seems too good to be true, well……………………..
Whatever the real story is on this one, this is really a nice example of that era of Cherokees.
spend a couple of hundred with a detailer and it would get $5,000 on auction at “that other site”…
I don’t see how you could detail it any better than it already has been detailed. Except for the high mileage, this Cherokee appears “barely used” – so something’s not right about it. And yes, this Cherokee would be quickly sold at auction at $5K.
Listed 24 days ago and no takers yet for a very clean looking 5spd, low priced Cherokee. I agree with some others here that it seems to good to be true. I have a 99′ almost exactly like this one but the wonderful weather here in A**achusetts has done a number on it over the decades. Wouldn’t mind replacing it with something like this but my SCAM radar is up big time on this.
Yep – something very wrong here. This Cherokee in this shape – even with the high mileage would be snapped up immediately at the asking price from someone in Colorado and all the states that surround it. — Beware!