Low-mileage Cherokee is a four-wheel-drive time capsule and it could be yours soon.
The XJ Jeep Cherokee isn’t getting any younger. It’s been more than 15 years since Jeep stopped producing the boxy icon. That much time alone can ravage any vehicle. When it comes to the 1984-2001 Cherokee, you also have to factor in the damage that rocks and logs and sand and water can inflict upon its body and running gear…
…unless you’re talking about this particular Cherokee. Truck Yeah! got wind of one of its readers, John Sharkey, buying it as a winter beater for his mom to replace her wrecked Subaru. The widow he bought it from had no use for it or any of her late husband’s other vehicles because she walked everywhere. Although she put high price tags on her departed spouse’s other vehicles, such as his 1968 Chevrolet Camaro and 1972 Plymouth Duster, she let the 2000 Cherokee go for a more approachable – but undisclosed – amount. According to the site, “John and his buddies drove to the seller’s house … and immediately had their minds blown when they lifted the car cover. Not only did the XJ somehow have only 4,400 miles on the odometer, but it still had original instruction stickers for various features (like the folding seats and floor jack), the original tires, an original cargo cover, and an absolutely mint interior. Oh, and there wasn’t a spec of rust. Anywhere.”
If Sharkey didn’t buy this Jeep, the seller could’ve easily sold it to a museum. Just look it. The body is ruler straight (even though it got onto a minor fender bender in its first week on the road), the paint still seems to have plenty of luster, and the interior has never seen a muddy footprint…or even a dirty look.
Of course, the 4.0-liter I6 could use some fresh seals, fluids, and filters, but the price of those will buy decades and hundreds of thousands of miles of future driving and engaging the NP 242 transfer case.
This nearly untouched XJ is so nice that Sharkey’s mom isn’t going to use it to drive through the hazards of winter. That means Sharkey is going to sell it. How much is he going to ask for this well-preserved piece of Jeep history? $15,000.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
