Jeep grand Cherokee - old one

[bqf]

Thinking of buying a snotter as a tow slag/daily. A 15 year old jeep Cherokee popped up. 4.0 one

Any views? Apart from catastrophic mpg, will it fail and die, leaving me stranded every time I leave the house?

[Scuffers]

jeep Cherokee or grand Cherokee?

[egor110]

I bought a y reg one for a grand last year.

The engines bit noisy possible worn piston however i've been from somerset-carlisle, somerset-brands hatch/oulton park and it's been fine.

I had all fluids and filters changed last month, mot's july so will need track rods done then but i don't feel like any journey is a gamble , it's like a tank and i plan to just change the oil every 6 months so it's always got fresh oil.

It's well equipped with climate,cruise etc and just a really comfy place to waft around in.

I get 15 mpg around town and 24ish on long run.

[bqf]

egor110 said:

I bought a y reg one for a grand last year.

The engines bit noisy possible worn piston however i've been from somerset-carlisle, somerset-brands hatch/oulton park and it's been fine.

I had all fluids and filters changed last month, mot's july so will need track rods done then but i don't feel like any journey is a gamble , it's like a tank and i plan to just change the oil every 6 months so it's always got fresh oil.

It's well equipped with climate,cruise etc and just a really comfy place to waft around in.

I get 15 mpg around town and 24ish on long run.

Ok thanks for that...must admit I'm weirdly tempted by the idea

[Viper]

make sure the heating blows hot air, they are prone to failure and can be an expensive dealer fix, or a £100 DIY hack job

[egor110]

bqf said:

egor110 said:

I bought a y reg one for a grand last year.

The engines bit noisy possible worn piston however i've been from somerset-carlisle, somerset-brands hatch/oulton park and it's been fine.

I had all fluids and filters changed last month, mot's july so will need track rods done then but i don't feel like any journey is a gamble , it's like a tank and i plan to just change the oil every 6 months so it's always got fresh oil.

It's well equipped with climate,cruise etc and just a really comfy place to waft around in.

I get 15 mpg around town and 24ish on long run.

Ok thanks for that...must admit I'm weirdly tempted by the idea

I don't want to scare you off , i shouldn't of bought it as the engine was noisy on the test drive yet it's done long journeys no problem, somerset floods no problem, haven't tried it in snow yet though.

Few things to check other than the engine, does the air vent work in all different settings, the blender flap sometimes breaks so stuck on one setting, plus drivers heated seat often breaks as the wire snaps where people keep getting in/out the seat.

Neither of those would stop me buying though if all the oily bits were good and there was a nice folder of service history.

[papa3]

If it's a Cherokee ensure it is 97MY onwards, pre 97 rust to the point the doors will fall off. 4.0 lump is sound, heater matrix as mentioned but otherwise fantastic old jeeps.

[white_goodman]

papa3 said:

If it's a Cherokee ensure it is 97MY onwards, pre 97 rust to the point the doors will fall off. 4.0 lump is sound, heater matrix as mentioned but otherwise fantastic old jeeps.

Just got rid of ours (2001 Grand). I really liked ours (had it just over a year). The engines are tough and shouldn't give you too much problem, although as you already know, mpg not a strong point. Not fast but very smooth and very comfortable. Parts are fairly expensive. We got rid because in the space of a month, we had an overheating problem followed by a transmission problem. Neither issue too expensive to fix on their own but got me thinking it was probably time to change. Overheating was due to cooling fan motor having burnt out (probably my fault, as I parked it in a snow bank in January) but only overheated when stationary and the other problem was a faulty pressure switch in the gearbox meaning that it jammed in first gear. Annoyingly, it only did it twice though and then decided to work perfectly for the rest of my tenure! Not a cheap car to run then but a very nice place to be, never let us down on the road and part of me wished that I had kept it!

[NashGT]

I'm on my third one, have owned a 1998 4.0L on LPG, a 2001 4.7 V8 and currently running a 2007 3.0 V6 diesel
All great cars, only been replaced due to ridiculous high mileage accumulated.

Can be painfully expensive when the go wrong, watch out for noisy diffs and transfer boxes

Edited by NashGT on Friday 16th May 00:07

[rfoster]

On my second - currently a 99 'T' Grand 4.0 Ltd - starts and runs every time, used as a dump run / triathlon run car only (1,500 miles per year). A nice comfy place to be. Not cheap on fuel but not catastrophic, have replaced trailing arms and rear brakes recently which has been the only notable expense in 3 years. Plenty around that are cheap to buy, do it!

Was thinking of selling mine a few weeks ago but it's worth considerably more to us than the pitiful amount it would fetch online, so have given it to my mother who uses it when she's over here from the States. A home from home!

[skyrover]

bqf said:

Thinking of buying a snotter as a tow slag/daily. A 15 year old jeep Cherokee popped up. 4.0 one

Any views? Apart from catastrophic mpg, will it fail and die, leaving me stranded every time I leave the house?

As the current owner of a 1998 model, they are pretty damn solid cars.

The 4.0 straight 6 is bombproof and the body is galvanised on later models, so rust is less of an issue.

Watch for tyres chirping/transmission wind up around tight corners as this can suggest the vicious transfer box is on the way out (can be replaced with manual 2wd/4wd version if it does break)

Listen for whines from the differentials and make sure you can select high and low range easily.

Clunks can signify worn control arm bushes, especially when moving from park into drive.

Heater blend doors can fail as well, but a relatively cheap and easy DIY fix.

Otherwise, fill up with petrol and forget about it.

[egor110]

Just a differing opinion the straight 6 isn't bombproof, that's what i have and the pistons worn so they can go wrong, however although it's noisy mine still works fine.

[skyrover]

egor110 said:

Just a differing opinion the straight 6 isn't bombproof, that's what i have and the pistons worn so they can go wrong, however although it's noisy mine still works fine.

It's a fantastic engine and the only reason it is not still powering jeeps is due to modern emission regulations and the fact you can squeeze a V6 into a smaller space.

It's actually an AMC engine harking back to an 1964, but inherited and regularly upgraded by Chrysler upon purchasing AMC in 1987

https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20...

[bqf]

All good knowledge folks - I actually meant Cherokee not grand sorry

So should be ok as a daily? Alternative is an XC70

[supersingle]

Watch out for sagging leaf springs on the Cherokee. Ruins the ride but easily replaced.

I had a leaking diff seal on my Cherokee. Never bothered fixing it, just topped it up every so often.

[skyrover]

bqf said:

All good knowledge folks - I actually meant Cherokee not grand sorry

So should be ok as a daily? Alternative is an XC70

Cherokee is more bomb proof than the grand.

No viscous transfer case to worry about and less wiring/electrics to go wrong.

Rust is the killer, so go for a late model one with a galvanized body. (98 onward I believe)

[Blakewater]

I came across this one yesterday on the beach in Lytham that looks as if it's used by cockle pickers to tow boats out. The windows are boarded up and there's a padlock on the fuel tank. It must stand up to the salt water.

Edited by Blakewater on Saturday 17th May 20:38

[johnnyBv8]

Blakewater said:

I came across this one yesterday on the beach in Lytham that looks as if it's used by cockle pickers to tow boats out. The windows are boarded up and there's a padlock on the fuel tank. It must stand up to the salt water.

Jesus christ that thing is having a hard life!

[Blakewater]

It's just sat there on the shoreline with the rustbucket tractors and old boats the cockle pickers use. How long it'll survive the sea, I don't know.

[NashGT]

Cherokee's are indeed more reliable had a 1998 orvis a few years back, great all rounder
only sold it as wanted a bigger car, so moved onto Grand Cherokees

As mentioned before get a post 97