1980's Jeep Wagoneer

[petjam]

Evening all,

I am thinking of complicating my life and importing one of these over from Europe.

Has anyone ever owned one? Things to watch out for? Maintenance work which should have already been done?

Thanks.

[sixor8]

Wheeler Dealers did one, Series 15 Ep 2 apparently. If you can get to watch it, should cover several things.

[geeman237]

I can’t be of much help but I do live in the US. Is it a Wagoneer or Grand Wagoneer? The latter are getting quite collectible here in the US, but not so much the Wagoneer. Is it a V8? I think they are an AMC v8 and from what I’ve heard they are gas guzzlers. They can also rust badly.
I had a 2000 Cherokee 4.0 and it was brilliant.

[petjam]

Hi, it’s a Grand Wagoneer (should have mentioned that!)

I used to have a 4.0 Cherokee too and I loved it.

[geeman237]

petjam said:

Hi, it’s a Grand Wagoneer (should have mentioned that!)

I used to have a 4.0 Cherokee too and I loved it.

What colour? They did a lovely dark metallic blue and the fake woodgrain side panels. Interiors like comfy armchairs.

Hope it’s a good one and you enjoy it.

[petjam]

Blue, with the wood grain and brown “teddy bear” interior.

I’ll put some pictures up tomorrow.

[dbdb]

My grandfather had a right hand drive one in the 'seventies.

[Geekman]

I know a couple of people who have them. You can get them dirt cheap where I live, but generally with non original engines, previous accident damage, etc. They don't seem to have any major mechanical issues beyond what you'd expect for a car of that age, but stuff like the chrome trim, wood panelling, interior parts etc can be very expensive.

[Brynjaminjones]

I've got one of these - a 1991 Grand Wagoneer. I imported it from Europe 5 years ago and have been using it since.

Happy to answer any questions!

My main advice would be to avoid rust at all costs. They also love to leak in the rain, so look out for signs of water ingress. This of course makes the rusting worse.
Mechanically, the engines are prone to oil pressure issues, so keep an eye on pressure at hot idle. They also have complex emissions systems, which means you need to be ready to deal with vacuum lines.

The wood paneling is expensive to replace properly - there are a lot out there with the wrong replacement vinyl and it never looks right.
Some interior parts can be hard to find, so I'd try to find one in good condition.

I could probably think of 100 more things - I'll add anything that comes to mind!

Edited by Brynjaminjones on Wednesday 25th May 17:14