1996 XJ, 4.0L engine, AW4 auto trans, 208k miles, manual windows and doors, 4x4 Dana 30/Dana 35 with ABS/drum brakes. I got it for less than $1k locally. Runs and drives pretty well. I got an inspection done and everything is in good working order. Engine compression was 160 -/+10 on all cylinders. It was a state vehicle to start with, and then had one other owner for the last 15y. My previous daily driver was 1999 Mazda Protege ES. My friends think I've lost it for selling that car and buying this even older XJ with 200k+ miles. Am I nuts for getting an XJ for daily duty? My commute is ~10-12 miles a day if that matters.
Here's new and old.
I had been driving that Protege since 2012. Bought it at 74k miles for $3800 and I put 80k+ miles in 8 years and sold it for $2400. I maintained it religiously. Pretty reliable car, decent mileage even for city driving. The reason I sold it was because I could not stand taking long drives in it anymore .. it just simply wasn't comfortable enough. It's not like I had bad shocks or balding tires. It's just a cheap car and the suspension is what it is and the cabin noise is what it is.
Car suspensions have come a long way .. I travel 2-3 times a year for work and always get some cheapo rental and have driven a smattering of your standard rentals. I work in the semiconductor industry and my a good number of my friends have newer/nicer cars and I've either driven or taken a ride in them, from Camrys to BMW/Audis to Porsches and all sorts of Crossovers/SUVs, so have a general idea of what modern cars are like today. My brother has an '07 Accord (4cyl) and I have driven quite a bit over. That car is surprisingly ages better than that Mazda.
I had been thinking about buying something like that to replace my car for a while now and finally I listed my Mazda on Craiglist and sold it recently. My plan was to daily the TJ for a while before I got another cheap car for daily use. And before you ask, yes, I like the convenience of two vehicles.
The XJ I bought popped up locally couple weeks ago and I started thinking about it. Ever since I got the TJ, I've come to realize how much nicer and comfortable it is to drive a vehicle that sits up taller with an upright seating position. I don't like modern crossovers in general (though I understand the popularity today) but even those don't have the seating position like trucks or Jeeps.
Ride quality and comfort is a complex sum of several different things - seating position, seat comfort (which is complicated in itself), suspension setup, cabin noise level, steering/cornering ease to mention a few. Each of us perceive and value these things a bit differently. In most entry level cars, while some of these can be changed to your liking, some of them you are just stuck with whatever the manufacturer gave you. So any entry level car (esp used) that you find you'll have to compromise on one thing or the other. The Hondas and Toyotas and Mazdas in the last 10-15y or so are pretty decent in most aspects - note I'm not talking about engine/features/maintenance etc - just the ride and comfort.
I thought about all this a lot and had decided to get something similar to my brothers Accord since I really had no complaint about that car. I had not really started looking but when that XJ popped up locally I wanted to check it out just out of curiosity since I was in no rush to buy.
I was pretty surprised by that XJ when I drove it. Never driven one before till now. The interior is very dated given it's before the 97 refresh (and most of my friends think the exterior is unstylish but I disagree), the tech is non-existent, but it had a lot of things I liked about it. The seating position is pretty comfortable, the entry/exit is very easy given the height, it has LOTS of visibility given the old school design and it surprisingly keeps up very well with hwy traffic, both getting to speed and maintaining that speed. This particular XJ has been reasonably well maintained so the ride is pretty decent too.. it's no Honda Accord but it drives like an older truck, firm but not harsh.
I ended up liking it and for less than $1k, I decided to buy it. It was an impulse purchase in that sense and maybe not a very logical one given I was looking for a good comfortable car for long drives.
It needs a bit of maintainence work (fluids and such) and a thorough cleaning inside (and new seat cushions and headliner and a simple stereo) but I think it's actually better than my old car for daily commute. The noise levels are about the same, the seating position is better, the shocks seem better, it accelerates faster and it's small enough to not be a hindrance parking it anywhere. Well maybe I'll hate the gas mileage.
Did I make a stupid decision buying this XJ? Thoughts welcome.
Here's new and old.
I had been driving that Protege since 2012. Bought it at 74k miles for $3800 and I put 80k+ miles in 8 years and sold it for $2400. I maintained it religiously. Pretty reliable car, decent mileage even for city driving. The reason I sold it was because I could not stand taking long drives in it anymore .. it just simply wasn't comfortable enough. It's not like I had bad shocks or balding tires. It's just a cheap car and the suspension is what it is and the cabin noise is what it is.
Car suspensions have come a long way .. I travel 2-3 times a year for work and always get some cheapo rental and have driven a smattering of your standard rentals. I work in the semiconductor industry and my a good number of my friends have newer/nicer cars and I've either driven or taken a ride in them, from Camrys to BMW/Audis to Porsches and all sorts of Crossovers/SUVs, so have a general idea of what modern cars are like today. My brother has an '07 Accord (4cyl) and I have driven quite a bit over. That car is surprisingly ages better than that Mazda.
I had been thinking about buying something like that to replace my car for a while now and finally I listed my Mazda on Craiglist and sold it recently. My plan was to daily the TJ for a while before I got another cheap car for daily use. And before you ask, yes, I like the convenience of two vehicles.
The XJ I bought popped up locally couple weeks ago and I started thinking about it. Ever since I got the TJ, I've come to realize how much nicer and comfortable it is to drive a vehicle that sits up taller with an upright seating position. I don't like modern crossovers in general (though I understand the popularity today) but even those don't have the seating position like trucks or Jeeps.
Ride quality and comfort is a complex sum of several different things - seating position, seat comfort (which is complicated in itself), suspension setup, cabin noise level, steering/cornering ease to mention a few. Each of us perceive and value these things a bit differently. In most entry level cars, while some of these can be changed to your liking, some of them you are just stuck with whatever the manufacturer gave you. So any entry level car (esp used) that you find you'll have to compromise on one thing or the other. The Hondas and Toyotas and Mazdas in the last 10-15y or so are pretty decent in most aspects - note I'm not talking about engine/features/maintenance etc - just the ride and comfort.
I thought about all this a lot and had decided to get something similar to my brothers Accord since I really had no complaint about that car. I had not really started looking but when that XJ popped up locally I wanted to check it out just out of curiosity since I was in no rush to buy.
I was pretty surprised by that XJ when I drove it. Never driven one before till now. The interior is very dated given it's before the 97 refresh (and most of my friends think the exterior is unstylish but I disagree), the tech is non-existent, but it had a lot of things I liked about it. The seating position is pretty comfortable, the entry/exit is very easy given the height, it has LOTS of visibility given the old school design and it surprisingly keeps up very well with hwy traffic, both getting to speed and maintaining that speed. This particular XJ has been reasonably well maintained so the ride is pretty decent too.. it's no Honda Accord but it drives like an older truck, firm but not harsh.
I ended up liking it and for less than $1k, I decided to buy it. It was an impulse purchase in that sense and maybe not a very logical one given I was looking for a good comfortable car for long drives.
It needs a bit of maintainence work (fluids and such) and a thorough cleaning inside (and new seat cushions and headliner and a simple stereo) but I think it's actually better than my old car for daily commute. The noise levels are about the same, the seating position is better, the shocks seem better, it accelerates faster and it's small enough to not be a hindrance parking it anywhere. Well maybe I'll hate the gas mileage.
Did I make a stupid decision buying this XJ? Thoughts welcome.
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No plans to do any mods on this at all.
