Welcome MoparSteve!!!

[bluedragon436]

Hi MoparSteve, welcome to the xjtalk forum!

We would love to know more about you and your Jeep. How you found us, etc...

Be sure and check out our XJ TALK SHOW! (http://podcasts.xjtalk.com) It\'s about Cherokees! It\'s like a radio talk show, but from the Internet.

Check out our sister sites, http://www.WranglerTalk.com/ and http://www.di-dah-dit.com/

[MoparSteve]

Thanks! This seems like a fun and informative group. I stumbled upon this while researching suspension options for the XJ I just bought. I've always wanted a Jeep since I was a kid but never ended up with one. Had a '95 Neon for many years that I had setup to do autocrosses with though basically was my DD. Stupid fast (a little too much so for NYC) and easy to park. Then Hurricane Sandy came and since I live a couple blocks from the beach in Brooklyn my car got flooded over the dashboard. did manage to get some FEMA money for it so looked around for a few weeks to see what I could get for a couple grand.
Looked at Subarus but the head gasket issues scared me off. RAV 4's but they were still a bit pricey. Wanted to stay Mopar (I grew up around Dodges and they always worked) and after a while all signs pointed to the XJ as the perfect replacement. It's light and agile for an SUV and holds a lotta crap. Looks more flood ready as well (snorkel in the cards some day). Quickly zeroed in on a '96 classic with 107K on Craigslist for $1750. Checked it out. New it was the right car for me. Talked him down to $1500 (and borrowing his plates til I got it registered).
Pretty solid all in all. Needs shocks and front lower control arms and a new muffler. Valve cover needs a new seal. Door locks seem to have a mind of their own. Both front floor pans are rusted out. Some rust underneath but nothing too major. Lotsa dings and little dents and clearcoat peel (the same Chrysler Pox my Neon suffered from. They used water based paints during that time to try and be green but the stuff didn't last under the sun).

I've always been a car head so I have the Chilton manual and have located a proper shop manual I am ordering. Don't have much space to work on it in my driveway so will still have to send it out for major work. Right now I am sussing out suspension options. It will be mostly a city car so I prefer something tight handling. Also I tried to see how much it would hold a couple weeks ago and put about a ton (probably more) of very heavy gear in the back. As the tire ended up rubbing the fender on one side (fortunately only had to go a few miles at like 10mph) I'm thinking I'm more interested in increasing the carrying/towing capacity rather than doing a lift for off road use so trying to find out whether adding a leaf or using shackle spacers would accomplish that best. If anyone has any ideas on this I would be happy to hear them.
So that's my "XJ" story! I'm very happy with my new baby and I'm sure I'll be adding stuff like big bumpers (stingers look like they would work well against NY cabs) a safari rack (want to put the spare somewhere) CAI/snorkel and other fun stuff. And there's always tweaking the engine!

[cantab27]

welcome mate...good choice in picking a jeep

[4.3LXJ]

Welcome Steve. When you get ready to work on that suspension, give us a holler.

[XJ Wheeler]

Hey Steve, welcome to the site. Quite a story leading up to the purchase. My XJ has had to ride out a few hurricanes as well, but thankfully didn't suffer the fate as your neon.

For your suspension, may i mention Old Man Emu. I know they offer springs in a few different stiffness options. Plus they are said to be one of the best, but as usually price follows that closely.