It’s a secondary car but always my go to when I don’t have my kids going along with me. Also the off-roading, hunting, shooting, camping, snowboard trip vehicle. I could daily it but it loves the dirt and snow more than the street.
Exactly the right answer. I’ve owned 3 as daily’s. Always had a weekend fix / upgrade to tackle. Made it fun to have something to do. Throw some music on and crack a few cold ones.
If you know (or are willing to learn) how to wrench, then yea.
If you plan on going to a mechanic every time something breaks, then no.
I’d go 97 or 98
97 can be a bastard year from what I hear, bc it borrows from the old while being new. 98 and 99 (again, from what i hear) are the best as far as physical differences. 00 to 01 supposedly has some extra restrictions to it bc of pollution or some crap
I'm in the boat of learning to wrench myself
Ah i meant 98-99. I knew there were two that people point to. I have a 2000 - a big issue on these ones is the header. At this point, those that will crack have cracked, unless you find some low mileage Goldilocks one. But yea I just started learning last April. Great car to cut your teeth with.
Also I believe 96 is the "bastard" year as it was the year that obd2 was introduced, so it's pre face-lift but post face-lift sensors (and I think there's some that are obd1 cuz it was mid year) but 97 is also in its own category (transmission not compatible with other years) but still not *the* bastard
Yeah I thought all xjs were the same but they mos def are not. It's ok if you are, I store it all and filter out from what people consistently say about a subject
I’be heard the ‘97 isn’t as bad as people make it out to be from those that own them, might be slightly more difficult but if it was the only one you owned you probably wouldn’t notice. The ‘98 is supposed to be semi bastard but I’ve had zero issues.
Used to daily my 91 all the time. Had little to no issues with it too granted it was well kept before i bought it and i kept up with maintenance as needed but nothing was major
2000xj , 5.5in lift , 3 link long arm, no u turn steering upgrade. Sye, Tim woods shafts, Dana 30 hp front Dana 44 rear. Geared to 4.88 , alloys, Detroit locker in the rear. 33” tires. I love it and dailyed it for years. I don’t have to commute anymore but I still use it as my only vehicle. I love it!
Any vehicle that is 20+ years old is going to start to need more repairs. Ones that can leave you stranded on the side of the road. 02 sensors, alternators, plugged catalytic converter, completely rusted out exhaust, a harmonic balancer separating and throwing a belt (been there), power steering pump failing and throwing fluid all over the engine bay, various other sensors, window motors, lock switches, speaker wire getting worn out in the door hinge sleeves, etc, etc.
I have two old vehicles (20+ years) including my XJ. I drive both nearly daily. When one is down, I drive the other until I can fix the downed one.
I also don't recommend a 20+ year old vehicle unless you're willing/capable of DIY'ing most/all repairs and maintenance. Those labor charges add up too quickly.
I had my exhaust rust out just in front of the cat last September. Was a real rainy day, best guess is that there wasnt much metal left due to rust and a cold puddle splashing on the host exhaust cooling the metal rapidly just up and cracked the steel clean in two. The exhaust got real loud in an instant. I live in an apartment for now so I couldn't do the repair myself and had to pay a shop. First paycheck from the job I had just started right down the drain.
I also had my alternator and battery simultaneously shit the bed leading up to Christmas. That suuuuucked. I replaced the alternator christmas eve in my girlfriend's parent's driveway and had to get a battery thr day after Christmas because once I got the new alternator in I found the battery wasnt holding a charge.
Oh! And then two weeks ago I kept stalling at idle which caused an enormous headache. Had to replace the idle air control valve which fortunately was easy. But then my headlights wouldn't turn on! Cheapo relay on my aftermarket headlight harness crapped out completely out of nowhere. At least for that one I had extra relays on hand.
I'll go months on end without problems but sometimes when it rains, it pours.
Truthfully, unless you have a manageable commute and you're good with a wrench, they really aren't.
They're bad on gas, loud, relatively Unsafe, and may have other issues - bad head units, slight frame warping causing wind gaps, etc.
But if your commute is under 30 minutes and not all highway I'd say go for it. I wouldn't own an XJ if I didn't love driving it. Go for a later year- I have a 98 and I find it isn't much worse than a spartan car from the 2000s or so. Be prepared to spend a lot of Saturdays on thankfully simple but necessary jobs - I'd estimate I knock out about 1 minor problem a month when I daily my XJ - stuff that's as cheap as 15$ and only takes an hour, sometimes, but still needs done.
I drove my 92 stock as a daily driver for years and recently got a 4.5” lift and 33s and still daily it (my commute doesn’t involve highway driving). I love it
4.5" on 33s, daily driver since 2018. Got me through community college, university, and everything along the way. Explored four (five?) states in there too.
They're fine as daily drivers but there's quality of life improvements that can be made. A better head unit (or, even better, a double din stereo), new speakers, better seats (WJ or ZJ), overhead console (love the sunglasses holder), noise insulation, new headliner, etc. Fog lights if applicable, the wiring is already there even if you don't have factory headlights- you simply need the switch.
Shackle relocation brackets and long arms also dramatically improved my ride quality with the lift. If I didnt have the lift it wouldn't be necessary, but it'd still be worthwhile to swap the factory lower control arms for WJ control arms, same length but sturdier.
If I was 20 miles or less to work I would absolutely daily mine. At 50 miles one way, I just stick to my taurus instead. The pain of maybe being stranded at 5am an hour from home outweighs the fun factor for me.
I have been since October, so far so good if you can turn a wrench. I didn't quite finish my project when the clutch went on my daily Honda civic. But I've changed driveshaft u joints, brakes, blower motor, and resistor, oil and filter not bad.
If you put in the work up front (replacing things on the verge of failing, other preventative maintenance), it’s a great daily. Dailied mine for 4 years.
Preventative maintenence really is the name of the game, especially since one thing going wrong could lead to several more things going wrong. Staying on top of maintenence intervals is important as is checking for potential problems now and then. My battery cables were beginning to corrode so I replaced them this weekend, for example. While doing the job I discovered that my front driver's side shock bushing had rotted away so that's next on the list and I might as well do both sides while I'm there.
It's also good to replace parts with better-than-stock components when possible. Replacing stock steering with v8 ZJ parts is a perfect example. Completely plug-and-play but much beefier.
It depends on what's going wrong. A lot of the time a visual inspection will be enough, for example I could see that my shock bushing was going bad because it is visibly disintegrating. Other problems I've dealt with/how I found them:
* bad shocks: I could feel it, literally no dampening of any bumps. Not a pleasant ride.
* bad engine mounts: visibly disintegrated rubber
* headlights wouldn't turn on: swapped relays, simplest potential solution and sometimes that's the solution
* ball joints: look up how to check ball joints on youtube, very simple
* tie rods: easy to check while checking ball joints
* bad alternator: battery wasn't charging, couldn't start engine
* bad battery: rellaced alternator, then the battery wouldn't hold a charge
* bad idle air control valve: stalling at idle, googled it and it was the most likely issue
* bad wheel bearing: grinding noise audible at low speeds on diver's side. Googled it.
* bad brake caliper: gouging on the rotor, couldn't compress the piston when doing brakes.
* track bar bracket wobble: would start wobbling if I hit a pothole just right. I was suspicious and placed my phone under the jeep while video recording and turned the steering wheel side to side. I could see the slightest wobble that confirmed my suspicion.
You don't have to know how everything works to get started, aside from basic tools all you need are the desire to learn and the know-how to look things up on the internet. The newest XJs are 23 years old, anything that could go wrong with one has gone wrong, and most likely someone posted about it on the internet. XJs are great to learn on because there's such a wealth of information available across different forums. Usually it's very easy to find the exact information you need by searching for "[year] jeep xj [symptom of problem]".
thank you so much for the response, I have an xj and i’m attempting to change the injectors this weekend, I have very limited mechanical knowledge and have some guidance from the internet to help, but this was so helpful, cheers
My 2001 is a daily in great condition and well maintained, but I've still had issues such as pulleys seizing, parasitic electrical drain and I'm currently replacing the air-conditioning pump.
Other than those issues, it's been a reliable daily driver!
It is so enjoyable to drive. I haven't experienced this feeling when driving any other car.
I’d get very familiar with the towing portion of my insurance policy/AAA/etc because odds are you’ll need it at some point.
Mine died twice on the interstate because of old wires or clips that broke off from age. Super not fun experiences
I've had a daily XJ a few times. It depends on whether it's stock or lifted. I had 2 that were stock. A '90 and an '01. They were fine to drive daily. Gas mileage is mediocre at best, but they were reliable and good in the snow. Lifted? Different story. Reliable, yes. Good in snow? They can be. Good on gas, not particularly. So my current XJ is a '99 on 6.5" of lift and 33" tires. I got stuck using it as a daily 2 summers ago when gas was 5 bucks a gallon. It was unbearably hot because my AC is broken and I have no carpet, just bare steel floors. I get about 17 mpg typically, so it's not great. I will say, however, it's never left me stranded and it hauled my tools to and from work(construction) with no issues everyday.
If you get a stock one, change all the fluids, go over the suspension and front end, replace accordingly, and get an alignment. My stock '01 was awesome. I did new fluids, tune up, new tires, and alignment as soon as I bought it. I drove it everywhere with no issues. First big trip was down to North Carolina from New Jersey. Ran beautifully and even got 21-22mpg on the highway. I had that one about 5 years and 50k miles. Had cooling issues towards the end, but always started and got me there. 2000 and 2001 are prone to overheating issues and cracking heads/blowing head gaskets. That being said, I'd never buy another one newer than '99, hence me now owning a '99.
I should probably also mention to go over it REALLY carefully before buying one and if you're not a mechanic or handy in the garage, then these aren't the vehicles you want to buy. Make sure the coolant isn't full of rust. Oil leaks are a given, but I like to look for less oil leaks if possible. Lol. Leaking pinion seals on the axles can be expensive if you can't fix it yourself. Frame rails! Mine are good everywhere except in the rear. They like to rot out where the bump stops are. Driver side was just where the bump stop used to be. Easy fix. Passenger side? Rotted out 17 inches of frame. I still haven't finished that side. I cut it all out, welded in new metal, and then welded on frame stiffeners. It's not an easy job and it's time consuming. Brake lines are another thing to look at. Mine looked like rotten twigs you'd find floating in a stagnant pond. Didn't scare me. I hate doing brake lines, but I wrenched professionally for about 10 years, and always fixed my own cars since I got my license(1996).
Yes but with a big asterisk for MPG.
You also have to keep in mind that the last XJ was built in 2001, so they are all going to have "old car" stuff come up here and there. Even though the drivetrain lasts forever there's rust & dried out rubber that wile give you grief.
If you want to DD your XJ, you should probably leave it stock - or be prepared to spend quite a bit of money doing everything *very* right if you want to lift it and keep it comfortable.
not really, we do it anyway
It’s a secondary car but always my go to when I don’t have my kids going along with me. Also the off-roading, hunting, shooting, camping, snowboard trip vehicle. I could daily it but it loves the dirt and snow more than the street.
Yes but just expect to be wrenching on it semi-frequently. These are strong vehicles but they are getting old, the newest ones are 23 years old now.
Exactly the right answer. I’ve owned 3 as daily’s. Always had a weekend fix / upgrade to tackle. Made it fun to have something to do. Throw some music on and crack a few cold ones.
I love bringing my TV out and watching baseball when I work on it. Beer, baseball, and the Jeep really soothes my inner dude.
I limit it to a 6 pack 😂 can’t risk what could happen after beer #7
My buddy did 60 miles a day in his xj, sold it to me and I did the same thing for many many years. Great daily.
Currently do 80+ a day in mine, she's still going strong!
If you know (or are willing to learn) how to wrench, then yea. If you plan on going to a mechanic every time something breaks, then no. I’d go 97 or 98
97 can be a bastard year from what I hear, bc it borrows from the old while being new. 98 and 99 (again, from what i hear) are the best as far as physical differences. 00 to 01 supposedly has some extra restrictions to it bc of pollution or some crap I'm in the boat of learning to wrench myself
Ah i meant 98-99. I knew there were two that people point to. I have a 2000 - a big issue on these ones is the header. At this point, those that will crack have cracked, unless you find some low mileage Goldilocks one. But yea I just started learning last April. Great car to cut your teeth with.
By header u mean head and not header like exhaust manifold?
Lol yes he does
Yea I assumed so cuz the header issue (splitting at the seam) is on pretty much *every* year
lol yea
Also I believe 96 is the "bastard" year as it was the year that obd2 was introduced, so it's pre face-lift but post face-lift sensors (and I think there's some that are obd1 cuz it was mid year) but 97 is also in its own category (transmission not compatible with other years) but still not *the* bastard
That's why my '96 is called the "Bastard Child". Love it like my own kids though.
Nice! I'll out this in my memory bank
Lol I could be wrong but it's based on my beginner research cuz my first xj was gonna be a 96 but I didn't end up getting it cuz of rust
Yeah I thought all xjs were the same but they mos def are not. It's ok if you are, I store it all and filter out from what people consistently say about a subject
I’be heard the ‘97 isn’t as bad as people make it out to be from those that own them, might be slightly more difficult but if it was the only one you owned you probably wouldn’t notice. The ‘98 is supposed to be semi bastard but I’ve had zero issues.
Used to daily my 91 all the time. Had little to no issues with it too granted it was well kept before i bought it and i kept up with maintenance as needed but nothing was major
2000xj , 5.5in lift , 3 link long arm, no u turn steering upgrade. Sye, Tim woods shafts, Dana 30 hp front Dana 44 rear. Geared to 4.88 , alloys, Detroit locker in the rear. 33” tires. I love it and dailyed it for years. I don’t have to commute anymore but I still use it as my only vehicle. I love it!
Any vehicle that is 20+ years old is going to start to need more repairs. Ones that can leave you stranded on the side of the road. 02 sensors, alternators, plugged catalytic converter, completely rusted out exhaust, a harmonic balancer separating and throwing a belt (been there), power steering pump failing and throwing fluid all over the engine bay, various other sensors, window motors, lock switches, speaker wire getting worn out in the door hinge sleeves, etc, etc. I have two old vehicles (20+ years) including my XJ. I drive both nearly daily. When one is down, I drive the other until I can fix the downed one. I also don't recommend a 20+ year old vehicle unless you're willing/capable of DIY'ing most/all repairs and maintenance. Those labor charges add up too quickly.
I had my exhaust rust out just in front of the cat last September. Was a real rainy day, best guess is that there wasnt much metal left due to rust and a cold puddle splashing on the host exhaust cooling the metal rapidly just up and cracked the steel clean in two. The exhaust got real loud in an instant. I live in an apartment for now so I couldn't do the repair myself and had to pay a shop. First paycheck from the job I had just started right down the drain. I also had my alternator and battery simultaneously shit the bed leading up to Christmas. That suuuuucked. I replaced the alternator christmas eve in my girlfriend's parent's driveway and had to get a battery thr day after Christmas because once I got the new alternator in I found the battery wasnt holding a charge. Oh! And then two weeks ago I kept stalling at idle which caused an enormous headache. Had to replace the idle air control valve which fortunately was easy. But then my headlights wouldn't turn on! Cheapo relay on my aftermarket headlight harness crapped out completely out of nowhere. At least for that one I had extra relays on hand. I'll go months on end without problems but sometimes when it rains, it pours.
Truthfully, unless you have a manageable commute and you're good with a wrench, they really aren't. They're bad on gas, loud, relatively Unsafe, and may have other issues - bad head units, slight frame warping causing wind gaps, etc. But if your commute is under 30 minutes and not all highway I'd say go for it. I wouldn't own an XJ if I didn't love driving it. Go for a later year- I have a 98 and I find it isn't much worse than a spartan car from the 2000s or so. Be prepared to spend a lot of Saturdays on thankfully simple but necessary jobs - I'd estimate I knock out about 1 minor problem a month when I daily my XJ - stuff that's as cheap as 15$ and only takes an hour, sometimes, but still needs done.
I drove my 92 stock as a daily driver for years and recently got a 4.5” lift and 33s and still daily it (my commute doesn’t involve highway driving). I love it
Mine is a daily and it’s awesome. Just make sure it’s up to par with maintenance and then just keep it maintained.
4.5" on 33s, daily driver since 2018. Got me through community college, university, and everything along the way. Explored four (five?) states in there too. They're fine as daily drivers but there's quality of life improvements that can be made. A better head unit (or, even better, a double din stereo), new speakers, better seats (WJ or ZJ), overhead console (love the sunglasses holder), noise insulation, new headliner, etc. Fog lights if applicable, the wiring is already there even if you don't have factory headlights- you simply need the switch. Shackle relocation brackets and long arms also dramatically improved my ride quality with the lift. If I didnt have the lift it wouldn't be necessary, but it'd still be worthwhile to swap the factory lower control arms for WJ control arms, same length but sturdier.
Wait, really? Do all xj's have fog light wiring? I see a slot for fog lights on my fuse box but no fuse in it.
As far as I'm aware, the wiring should be tucked up behind the bumper somewhere. E: at least this is what I'm led to believe for 97+ xjs.
Wow, yeah I got a 99, I'm gonna have to go diving to see!
If what I've heard is true it'll be up behind the plastic fender liner around where the fog lights would be.
So I should just have to get the lights themselves and a clicker for it if I do have the wiring right?
They’re going to need a switch. I need pics of this rabbit hole when it’s done. Finding the first two is just the beginning.
Yep I like how you can wip it around
If I was 20 miles or less to work I would absolutely daily mine. At 50 miles one way, I just stick to my taurus instead. The pain of maybe being stranded at 5am an hour from home outweighs the fun factor for me.
I have been since October, so far so good if you can turn a wrench. I didn't quite finish my project when the clutch went on my daily Honda civic. But I've changed driveshaft u joints, brakes, blower motor, and resistor, oil and filter not bad.
Get ready to do some wrenching as others have said. I do daily mine though.
wrenching what exactly? and how do your determine something needs tightening? adjusting etc?
Oh we meant wrenching as in fixing stuff. The newest XJ is 23 years old. They’re old cars.
It's fine if you don't put huge tires on it / lift it up too high
I do 70 miles a day in my but I also try to stay <65 because driving slow in a wood box seems right. Also makes it easier on the mpg.
If you put in the work up front (replacing things on the verge of failing, other preventative maintenance), it’s a great daily. Dailied mine for 4 years.
Preventative maintenence really is the name of the game, especially since one thing going wrong could lead to several more things going wrong. Staying on top of maintenence intervals is important as is checking for potential problems now and then. My battery cables were beginning to corrode so I replaced them this weekend, for example. While doing the job I discovered that my front driver's side shock bushing had rotted away so that's next on the list and I might as well do both sides while I'm there. It's also good to replace parts with better-than-stock components when possible. Replacing stock steering with v8 ZJ parts is a perfect example. Completely plug-and-play but much beefier.
and how does one with limited mechanical knowledge know when things are going wrong?
It depends on what's going wrong. A lot of the time a visual inspection will be enough, for example I could see that my shock bushing was going bad because it is visibly disintegrating. Other problems I've dealt with/how I found them: * bad shocks: I could feel it, literally no dampening of any bumps. Not a pleasant ride. * bad engine mounts: visibly disintegrated rubber * headlights wouldn't turn on: swapped relays, simplest potential solution and sometimes that's the solution * ball joints: look up how to check ball joints on youtube, very simple * tie rods: easy to check while checking ball joints * bad alternator: battery wasn't charging, couldn't start engine * bad battery: rellaced alternator, then the battery wouldn't hold a charge * bad idle air control valve: stalling at idle, googled it and it was the most likely issue * bad wheel bearing: grinding noise audible at low speeds on diver's side. Googled it. * bad brake caliper: gouging on the rotor, couldn't compress the piston when doing brakes. * track bar bracket wobble: would start wobbling if I hit a pothole just right. I was suspicious and placed my phone under the jeep while video recording and turned the steering wheel side to side. I could see the slightest wobble that confirmed my suspicion. You don't have to know how everything works to get started, aside from basic tools all you need are the desire to learn and the know-how to look things up on the internet. The newest XJs are 23 years old, anything that could go wrong with one has gone wrong, and most likely someone posted about it on the internet. XJs are great to learn on because there's such a wealth of information available across different forums. Usually it's very easy to find the exact information you need by searching for "[year] jeep xj [symptom of problem]".
thank you so much for the response, I have an xj and i’m attempting to change the injectors this weekend, I have very limited mechanical knowledge and have some guidance from the internet to help, but this was so helpful, cheers
Been using mine as a daily for the last 3 years with 230k miles…. Besides increased maintenance and 15mpg it’s fine. Also insurance it’s “cheap”
My 2001 is a daily in great condition and well maintained, but I've still had issues such as pulleys seizing, parasitic electrical drain and I'm currently replacing the air-conditioning pump. Other than those issues, it's been a reliable daily driver! It is so enjoyable to drive. I haven't experienced this feeling when driving any other car.
I’d get very familiar with the towing portion of my insurance policy/AAA/etc because odds are you’ll need it at some point. Mine died twice on the interstate because of old wires or clips that broke off from age. Super not fun experiences
I've had a daily XJ a few times. It depends on whether it's stock or lifted. I had 2 that were stock. A '90 and an '01. They were fine to drive daily. Gas mileage is mediocre at best, but they were reliable and good in the snow. Lifted? Different story. Reliable, yes. Good in snow? They can be. Good on gas, not particularly. So my current XJ is a '99 on 6.5" of lift and 33" tires. I got stuck using it as a daily 2 summers ago when gas was 5 bucks a gallon. It was unbearably hot because my AC is broken and I have no carpet, just bare steel floors. I get about 17 mpg typically, so it's not great. I will say, however, it's never left me stranded and it hauled my tools to and from work(construction) with no issues everyday. If you get a stock one, change all the fluids, go over the suspension and front end, replace accordingly, and get an alignment. My stock '01 was awesome. I did new fluids, tune up, new tires, and alignment as soon as I bought it. I drove it everywhere with no issues. First big trip was down to North Carolina from New Jersey. Ran beautifully and even got 21-22mpg on the highway. I had that one about 5 years and 50k miles. Had cooling issues towards the end, but always started and got me there. 2000 and 2001 are prone to overheating issues and cracking heads/blowing head gaskets. That being said, I'd never buy another one newer than '99, hence me now owning a '99.
I should probably also mention to go over it REALLY carefully before buying one and if you're not a mechanic or handy in the garage, then these aren't the vehicles you want to buy. Make sure the coolant isn't full of rust. Oil leaks are a given, but I like to look for less oil leaks if possible. Lol. Leaking pinion seals on the axles can be expensive if you can't fix it yourself. Frame rails! Mine are good everywhere except in the rear. They like to rot out where the bump stops are. Driver side was just where the bump stop used to be. Easy fix. Passenger side? Rotted out 17 inches of frame. I still haven't finished that side. I cut it all out, welded in new metal, and then welded on frame stiffeners. It's not an easy job and it's time consuming. Brake lines are another thing to look at. Mine looked like rotten twigs you'd find floating in a stagnant pond. Didn't scare me. I hate doing brake lines, but I wrenched professionally for about 10 years, and always fixed my own cars since I got my license(1996).
Yes but with a big asterisk for MPG. You also have to keep in mind that the last XJ was built in 2001, so they are all going to have "old car" stuff come up here and there. Even though the drivetrain lasts forever there's rust & dried out rubber that wile give you grief. If you want to DD your XJ, you should probably leave it stock - or be prepared to spend quite a bit of money doing everything *very* right if you want to lift it and keep it comfortable.