Alternatives to the Cherokee?

on dry pavement I'm pretty sure you'll always feel it binding when turning, I feel moderate binding in snow when turning kinda sharp but that's also normal. And just make sure the oil leak isn't massive, check it before and after you drive it.

Subaru gl/loyale
It's a lot slower, older and it sits a bit lower but it's a good reliable 4wd vehicle

Mitsubishi montero, the 2nd generation fullsize ones in particular. I see higher mile (200k ish) examples sell for under $2000 all day long. Believe me these things can take a beating and keep on ticking. Much heavier built than an XJ, or even a 4Runner for that matter. Closer to an 80 series land cruiser, but not quite as stout (IFS).

hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/cto/5779230513.html

>but I can't find a good one around here because they're all leaking oil or tranny fluid
That's typical for a Cherokee tho

I want a jeep wrangler or similar vehicle

Will I have to replace the entire powertrain for something to not fuck up? What's a reliable engine/transmission that's commonly swapped into them?

Liberty is better.

So what are the Pros/Cons to Monteros?

My father owns a 2003 Montero Sport 4x4 and i drove that through HS.
Never actually offroaded it but id like to build a 4x4 project one day and Monteros are cheap as fuck

Right now the main downside is I can't find a 93-98 diesel to meme my way past Commifornia smog.

My mother had a montero sport that i drove all the time and it came with a big metal skid plate stock. Had great ground clearance never bottomed it out

Transmission was iffy and the 4x4 selector only worked when it wanted to though.

DESU i'd go with a 96-01 4runner as an alternative

Got this 5.2 ZJ for $750

Charged the AC and for some reason when you use the AC it boils a bunch of coolant out and sucks air bubbles in. It doesn't do it unless you use the AC. My current plan is to find some time to start it up, crank up the AC and sit there with the hood up drinking a beer until I see something interesting happening.

Seriously not even memeing but
Almost

The first generation Subaru Forester is a really good suggestion I'd say. (1999-2001 best years)

Reliable as shit as long as it's well maintained. 50/50 torque split full time AWD with ability to send 80/20 to any axle under slip (with the manual transmission which is what you should get)

I get 28mpg average in my 2001 which is better than fucking single digits with an XJ

2.5l flat four offers plenty of power below 3000rpm and obviously better above

Off road it's a fucking monster, seriously on par with a stock XJ, and there's plenty of aftermarket off road support, lift kits, snorkels etc. the AWD system is god-tier

It's pretty much the exact same size as an XJ but the turning circle (and off road maneuverability) is amazing

I'm on mobile but there's tons of Forester off road videos on YT, Russians seem to really like them , which says a lot, and there's a lot of videos of them beating the fuck out of them with impressive results

I've got a couple of off road vids as well and seriously the approach angle and shit this thing will tackle bone stock on all-seasons is nuts, mine has 175k and feels tight and clean af, unlike XJs that fall the fuck apart, they go for 300k without a rebuild

The kicker is, with the low center of gravity with the Boxer, on road it drives like a slightly taller Impreza because it's based on the platform. I.e. Really fucking well for an SUV,

To clarify, not saying XJs are unreliable, well I am I guess

The 4.0 is fucking invincible but the rest of the car falls apart around it

Something to watch out for is the head gaskets on the Subaru 2.5 but as long as you maintain it it won't be a problem for a long time, I've owned mine since new and with timely synthetic oil changes, OEM coolant with conditioner, mine is on the original HGs at 175k

Pulled the motor for a clutch a couple thousand miles ago and they still look perfect, no weeping of oil

The problem is shitty OEM gaskets that blow when oil and coolant aren't looked after , if you're handy (or have a spare 1.5k) you can replace them with Six Star gaskets when the time comes and they will outlast the motor

Here's mine after pulling a lifted ZJ out of mud I made it through no problem, hood open bc I didn't let the clutch engage fully and smoked it a bit yikes

youtube.com/watch?v=u7ICzMn3p-Q

this guy does some dumb shit with his Foz, worth a watch

Thanks for the replies man, I didn't even consider the forester until your posts!
That thing looks too heavy man... not what I'm going for but thank you I agree it's a great car.

>pulling a jeep out of mud with a Forester
wew lad I'm not surprised you were smoking

I never get single digits and my speedo reads 10mph under what it's going so I get worse mpg when using the numbers from my trip than I'm really getting, and I still get 12-14mpg using those numbers (lifted 3in, 31in tires)

>The 4.0 is fucking invincible but the rest of the car falls apart around it
I disagree

140k on mine and my only issue this far has been a leaky rear pinion seal

You bet bud-e

I was just high as fuck and pulling on an incline, gunned it without letting the clutch engage fully

I've towed a 1997 Chrysler LHS on a wheel dolly without issue, it's really not that bad
Yeah I was exaggerating but still that's fucking terrible

140k is barely broken in, you just wait

The inline 5 was a good engine and manual 5 speed. My cousin has a 2003 with those specs and its reliable as all hell

Towing a car on a dolly is very different from pulling an suv out of mud. Was the Jeep not that dug in? He must have gone too slow. I'm not surprised you needed to smoke your clutch to get started you don't have 4lo right? I guess you could have used a length of chain, got a lil run and jerked him started.

Just wait for what?

I know it's just getting broken in.

I didn't know the foresters awd was 50/50. I said gl because of 4wd (gotta love having dual range in a wagon) but other than that it is pretty lack luster. Also I never got less than 12mpg in a 2000 Cherokee, granted you "had" to put premium in it to avoid more pressure cracks

ZJ a shit tho

It's just a nicer XJ. More likely to find one that hasn't been beat on.