My Cheap '92 Jeep Cherokee

by Ben
(Wisconsin)

After many weeks of looking on craigslist.org and others, I finally found a Cherokee XJ I wanted. I called up the owner and had planned to pick it up the next day. I got the money together and was going over to the town where it was located. I called the guy when I arrived in the town and he had sold it 45 minutes before I got there. I was greatly upset.

I went back to searching on some sites and went with my wife to look at a 1992 XJ about 30 minutes from where I live. It had some rust and was needing some TLC. The used car guy told us it was owned by some elderly person who never smoked. We checked the ash trays and there were ashes.

I test drove it and then left and looked for other XJ's, Comanches, etc. I located one Comanche about an hour and a half form home and contacted the owner. It was a 4 cylinder and needed some work, but was in good shape. It was a 2 wheel drive.

I talked it over with my wife and she steered me over to getting a 4 wheel drive.

I went back over to the 1992 and looked it over as good as I could. I paid for it and drove it home. I then noted some "things" wrong with it and had used the reverse method buying first and then having the mechanic looking at it later.

I had to replace the front u-joints and then the rear brakes and cylinders and shoes. Then I replaced the hoses to the radiator due to a leak from around the cap, which turned out to be bad hoses and thermostat with a bump on the inner seal where the cap goes. The heater control valve broke and I replaced the hoses and valve myself.

I still have to replace the plugs and wires since they are stuck in place on the plugs. The lug nuts were a combination of original metal jacketed ones and rusted chrome ones. I spent a lot on new ones, plus a new four-way lug wrench.

I love this old Cherokee even though I have had to upgrade some neglect on it for whoever owned it before.

I've had a lot of cars over the years and just changed from a high performance Mustang to this older Jeep.

I got it for under $2000 with tax and have put in about 1k to get it running well.

Other than making these upgrades to needed and neglected parts, it has proved to be a very fun Jeep to drive and own. So far, the only adventures I have had with my Jeep is going to some state parks with my wife.

I do plan on seeing how it does this winter in the ice and snow of Wisconsin. My XJ is 4x4 HO inline 6 with a tow package.

Love it!

Larry's Comment: For less than $3000 Ben you have a running, upgraded, functional 4x4 Jeep that should last many more years. Aren't "Cheap Jeeps" cool?