Apparently Unicorns do exist, and it can be found in Phoenix Arizona

One thing that any Jeep Cherokee (XJ) enthusiast will tell you is how much they love their 4.0-liter inline six engine. There is no denying that the 4.0 is a good and reliable engine. Right now the fad is swapping in big V8's like the LS1 or small block 350's. Of course if you want to do any serious off roading or even rock crawling you need that low end torque that comes with diesel engines. That is why the Cummins 4BT is a fairly common engine swap found on the XJ. But what if you could get an XJ, with a diesel, that had been factory installed? What if you could go and purchase that vehicle right now? What if said XJ was still looking like new and cost less than $9000? Yeah, I know. I would buy it too... if it wasn't on the other side of the country in Phoenix, Arizona

Unfortunately the auction ended, but it looks like the vehicle did not sell, at least not on Ebay. What you are looking at is a very rare 1986 Jeep Cherokee (XJ) with the Renault-made 2.1-liter SOHC turbodiesel 4 cylinder engine. Originally from the factory this engine put out 85 HO and 132 lb. ft of torque. It puts power to the wheels with an Aisin-Warner 5 speed manual transmission. That power gets distributed to the four corners via the NP207 Command-Trac transfer case that had manual lock in as opposed to the vacuum actuated MP228/229 versions from later years. This particular example also has a Trac-Lock limited slip rear differential. All of this is great, but the most amazing thing here is the 34 MPG the owner claims to have gotten on his most recent 1,800 mile trip he took it on.

The interior is no slouch either. When I said that this thing was in like new condition I wasn't blowing smoke. The gold interior is exceptionally clean and is completely stock except for the radio head unit and aftermarket coin and cup holder. To look at this XJ you would never know that it has over 133k miles on the clock (although about half of those were racked up from being towed behind an RV). One owner has had this XJ and has lovingly taken care of it since it was sold in 1986, and it shows.

My first Jeep I ever owned was a 1998 Cherokee XJ. She was rough around the edges and beat up but she was reliable and never left me feeling like I wasn't going to get to my destination. There is no doubt that the XJ is one of, if not the best, Sport Utility Vehicles ever made. I miss mine and would love to have one like this in my garage. What do you think?