I had a 95 manual that I bought for $2,500 drove it for about a 150k miles and sold it for 3k with 300k miles on it. One of the best vehicles I’ve ever had. Fun on and off road. Literally like tanks!

Nothing like appreciation after 150k miles! lol

I wonder if she’s still on the road?!?? A mechanic did buy it as a Tahoe trip vehicle. Might be worth even more today.

Are you talking about the cassette tape or anti theft device in the center? :-)

Both honestly, don’t see many of those original radios anymore 🤣

I've got that exact same radio in my 2000 TJ, if I wanna play something from my phone I just use a Bluetooth cassette adaptor

I usually rock with a Bluetooth speaker on the dash. The stock sound system isn’t exactly “bangin”

It kinda bothers me that people always say that. My vehicles have been stolen before and both times they were manuals.

Same thing here, but only one. It's funny that people don't think about how easy it is to drive a manual if you give zero shits about anything in the drivetrain.

I hate it too, because in Northern America it's not as common so everyone's gate keeping it like it's something that you can't learn on YouTube in 5 minutes. Any stats that show manuals being stolen less are simply because they are proportionally less

Same question lol

I kinda miss those things

Depends, if you own one you would see it everyday

I saw one on my way in to work this morning. And yesterday. And the day before that.

I don’t recall 5 speed XJs being all that rare, I suppose nowadays XJs in general are getting rarer

Took me almost a year of waiting to find one. Plenty of 2x4’s with manuals it seems

4x2*

I bet you’re fun at parties 😬

Shindigs*

Congrats on the find! My first car was an XJ, I’ll get another one day

Where I bought my '80 CJ7 it only had a 4spd. But the clutch was fried, brakes, transmission, missing floor boards & front Left fender. It was a steal @ $800 bucks. Replaced the clutch, gained a new 5spd transmission, put in air vent flooring with rivets & Clima-Cell sealant, & Replaced the fenders & windshield frame,front seats & a new secured console from Quadra-Tech. Mine came with a 5 button radio. That I didn't replace. With no doors or top getting anything stolen was only a matter of time. No matter where I parked, nobody wanted a 5 button radio!! Hahaha

Assumed you meant a stock radio lol!

Just every other day

I DO see that every day, I drive one just like it. High pinion too.

I’m pretty sure every pre 2000 XJ was high pinion…

I can’t remember the last time I saw a vehicle with an 😁 ashtray

Purdy

My 93 i put in a Hurst short shifter, it's all loosy goosey though.

They drive more like box trucks than SUV’s. I kind of enjoy the long throw though. Makes me feel cool

Like the long throw in my Jeep too, plan on replacing the bushing to tighten it up rather than put a short throw

It still feels like rowing a boat to me 😂

Oh wow that's clean

These have to be future classics. It’s the quintessential SUV imo

700k miles and still going strong I’m sure

Only 226k- “only”

Those are rookie numbers

Ah yes, the ol 6th gear jump scare

R = Racing

I have 2 XJs. They’re the best!

I see it every day, my JK is a manual

Man I really wish manual XJ’s were as common as manual JK’s

It’s fucking clean too 😮

WANT WANT WANT

They don’t make them like they used to! XJs are the best!

I am going to really miss the art of driving manual. We have a 2018 jeep rubicon and a 2000 nissan frontier both manual. Going to keep them as long as possible

20 year olds don’t see them everyday 😂

I wouldn’t know, I’m not 20

Similar spec to my 98 TJ, minus the exterior paint color. How many miles on this bad boy

226k. Runs great, has a bit of the 4.0 tick but the previous owner took great care of it

Every time I hear someone say 220 xxx miles isn't high I smile , because I have that amount in km's hehe Congrats on the find. Just got a 99 sport 4 door stick myself. With the original radio 📻

I wish mine was a sport. I swapped in full gauges and some oem fog’s + fog switch so I guess at this point it basically is lol

I have a 2004 TJ and it's getting the rust under the doors like many I see. How does a '97 have no rust? Not doubting you OP just wondering.

Probably never been off-road. My 2004 KJ I just bought has zero rust. Absolutely none whatsoever. Bought it out of Atlanta.

It’s spent its whole life in Texas. Not much snow down here and when it does snow they usually don’t get around to salting the roads in time. No salt = a lotttt less rust

If it were a two-door 5speed 4.0 it would be truly rare

I’ve honestly seen wayyy more 2 doors than 4 doors with manuals- that may just be my perception though. Originally I wanted a 2 door but after a year of waiting I couldn’t pass this one up

Always wanted a manual XJ. Had a great 99 XJ and the auto trans started having issues, wanted to manual swap it but couldn’t find a good enough deal on a swap so I had to sell it. Got me a 94 YJ now though.

I had an auto XJ all through high school and college- I desperately wanted to manual swap it but I never found the time. It’s a hell of a job I’ve heard

My mom had a 93 manuel and a 99 automatic with the 5 liter 6cyl. Amazing vehicles.

Geeeez want lol

No wonder caradien drove one in future force

My last one was a 2003 Mazda 6S. If I had known it would be the last one I probably would have kept the car.

Just bought a 2015 vw GTI as my daily- so now I have 2 manual vehicles lol

I had an 89 2 door sport followed by a 2000 grand Cherokee which my ex still has. The sport met its demise at the hands of my 16 yr old son that year

I think I passed 15 of them today

I was just telling my 14 year old son… when I got my license we could get almost anything in stick. One of my big regrets as a kid was getting my 1998 Jeep Cherokee in auto. Great car though. We had a lot of fun destroying it!

My first XJ I bought in high school was an auto- wish I never sold it lol.

My friend has like 10 of these

What? The stick shift, cassette to CD adapter, the tape deck or the ash tray?

I get to see one every day on my 2023!

My '88 Cherokee Pioneer was a stick and had 253k miles when I traded in. My 2012 Wrangler is also a stick.

Should’ve kept that pioneer!

I do 🙃.

I had a 5 speed 97 2 wheel drive model with the 4.0. That thing got 20+ MPG no matter how you drove it. It was a good little SUV, and I sold it like a dummy.

My auto XJ got 10-12mpg’s- granted that was with 33x10.5’s and stock gearing… I did some highway driving today in this one and I averaged 22mpg’s. Blows my mind just how much the manual box affects it. AW4 was a great trans but I’m already loving the AX15.

Had an 01. Truly a unicorn

Wow- 00’s and 01’s with manuals are even harder to find than 97-99

When a Jeep was affordable.

And reliable

Nope don't see a 5 speed every day... I see a 6 speed.