Lets talk about Jeep XJs for a second. The Cherokee is one tough little SOB…they showed what American Motors could do with the right influences from Renault, Richard Teague’s eye for design, and the perfect target to hit, which was the upcoming Chevrolet S-10 Blazer. It was light, it had durable goods bolted onto the unibody, and it hit the nail on the head for a four-door utility long before the bodystyle proved to be the right combination in most buyer’s eyes. Think about this: variations of the XJ, which debuted in 1984 and had been in the works since 1978, were being produced as late as 2014 in China with minimal differences throughout the years. The XJ has traveled the world over, has been everything from a race vehicle to a municipal vehicle, has conquered the Rubicon trail, dirt roads in Mongolia and millions of miles as a family wagon. An XJ is a solid choice for a vehicle, period.

And they make killer tuff truck racers. This footage from Midnight Madness 4×4 recently came to our attention and we’re showing it not because the Cherokee went for a mild roll after getting crossed up on the jump, but because after a solid race, a crash, and laying on it’s side for a few minutes, the 4.0L six kicked right over and the Jeep drove out like nothing had happened. That should tell you everything you need to know about the best used-SUV purchase you could make.