A few years ago, we wouldn’t have even looked twice at an XJ Cherokee. While their reputation for reliability was certainly celebrated, they weren’t considered special. But as the supply of good, clean, low-mileage examples began to dry up, new attention was paid to the quintessential SUV. This Cherokee has just 59K on the clock and is the desirable “Classic” trim. Find it here on eBay at no reserve with bidding over $5K.
The Jeep’s body is in excellent shape, with no evidence of major cosmetic blemishes. The factory tinted glass and body-color bumpers are nice touches, and give the XJ some modern eyeball appeal without distorting its rugged character. The factory roof rack can (and should) soon be equipped with a surfboard or cargo box; after all, this is the type of emerging classic you can still buy and use without fear of affecting its long-term value.
I always found the interiors on the XJ to be fairly drab affairs, but they were at least functional (and basically the same design warmed over for decades). The dash, seats, and carpets all appear to be in good, clean condition; no evidence of muddy boots or water bubbling up into the carpets following an over-zealous river crossing. While you could opt for a manual transmission in this generation, the row-it-yourself option is hard to come by.
The venerable 4.0L inline-four resides under the hood with no apparent issues; with under 60,000 miles, there is a ton of life left in this motor. I can remember a particular video from the abomination that was cash-for-clunkers showing a Cherokee with the 4.0 being nearly impossible to kill after it ingested whatever concoction was used to terminate running engines. Needless to say, it left an impression on me that these classic Cherokees do many things well and can do them for a very long time indeed.
It is an inline 6…..not being a jerk, but do any of the staff writers proof their work?
This is a rare flub on Jeff’s part – he’s the best writer on this site.
Relax, it’s simply a typo. Jeff knows it’s a 6.
I have a 96 in this same color with 196,000 on it and it is running like new.
Ooopps sorry…thought I was on BARN finds…nice jeep
1998 is a desirable year for these. It incorporates Chrysler updates such as better fuel injection and OBD-II diagnostics but doesn’t have troublesome issues that found their way into the last couple of years. (2000-2001 models are known for having weak cylinder heads prone to cracking. Also many 2000 and all 2001 Cherokees have a more complex emission setup with multiple catalytic converters and additional O2 sensors.
The 4.0 is the ultimate expression of the Rambler Six, easily racking up hundreds of thousands of miles. A few things to be aware of – there are core plugs at the rear of the head and back of the engine that are difficult to access when they rot out. (The latter requires removal of the transmission.) Seals on the oil filter adapter tend to leak as they age, which can drip oil on and damage suspension bushings on that side. The automatic transmission is an Aisin-Warner AW4 4-speed that is generally trouble-free.
Going by the transfer case shifter, this Jeep is equipped with the NP231 part-time 4WD transfer case. No center differential so you’ll want to keep it in 2WD on dry pavement.
The AC evaporator is very prone to leaking on these. Replacement of that part, or the heater core, requires complete removal of the dashboard.
Location is listed as Maryland, an area that does get snow. While there doesn’t seem to be any obvious rust you’d want to check carefully underneath. Nice to see one of these that hasn’t been modified to within an inch of its life!
I was thinking that’s a mighty big four at 4.0 cubes
I had no fear trading 200,000 4.0 Jeeps. We saw lots of Cherokees and Grand Cherokees with that kind of mileage, Wranglers, not so much. I guess when they got older, they got off roaded. This one looks nice. Driving on pavement in 4wd is not a problem, just don’t turn the steering wheel too much. Seriously though, the way our winters work, if you are driving on the interstate in 4wd and your snow covered highway changes to drive pavement for a few hundred feet, I think you would want it in 4wd still when you hit snow or snow with ice again. That’s the way drove the Command Trac Jeeps.
Dr. Pol needs it for his fleet… but that would be a waste…maybe he would use it as a “leisure vehicle” after work only.
Me and Cherokee’s don’t get along. After my dismal experiences with my ’78 , I thought, I’d give it one more try with one of these. Looked at many, settled on one, forget the year, from a dealer. It wouldn’t go down the road straight, ( several I drove were like that) but the price was right. On the way home from the dealer, the motor blew, which is unusual for a 4.0. This a nice one, but sorry, no more Cherokee’s.
I have a 98 with over a quarter of a million miles on it 4 wheel drive it still runs great they are great vehicles
Sounds like a great ride but:
https://www.bbb.org/greater-maryland/business-reviews/used-car-dealers/trident-automotive-in-edgewood-md-90260910/reviews-and-complaints
I have a 89 Charokee 4.0 4×4.. over 200.000 miles on it. it had been sitting in a field in Arkansas for 9 years. at my sisters house.she told me if i can get it running I can have it. so i did a tune up and and clean gas and its the best running car i own. I drove back to Memphis 168 miles on a mind blowing 1/4 tank of gas. I need to replace the front turn signal sockets (can’t seem to find them any where) but other then that THIS JEEP IS GREAT. The body is in great shape no rust. and the int. is still clean and in good shape.
At one point, I had a Cherokee, My oldest son had one, my daughter and my youngest son had one as well. Plus, my best buddy, and his son, plus 2 of my daughters girlfriends. I aways said, one more and we would have an Indian reservation… [hope that’s not too un-PC]
Mine is stuck on a rotisserie getting new floor pans.
No vehicle is perfect, but these are easy to live with for the most part. Now showing 170k, it doesn’t leak, smoke, use oil. Sounds new frankly. This is a 2000 and they have distributor-less ignition. Takes 2 seconds of cranking to start. I have done several Jeep events with it and the winch cable has yet to come out for me. Most of the other jeeps I went out with were open. The trail was hot and dusty, while I am riding around with the AC on and actually had plenty of room for gear too. Considering how old the design is, they have held up well.
This one looks like it’s been found 3 times already. Pass
Wow, this looks like a brand new jeep from the pictures anyway!
Have a stock 98 Classic with 156k miles and use as my daily driver. They run forever if maintained. Lot of owners get starting, stumbling problems which is often related to old and failing engine management sensors. My reco is to just replace them all and be done with it. These are getting rare but still stupid cheap.
Perfect. Mind the death-wobble.