Anyone have any experience with Jeep Cherokee's? I know theres some Jeep guys around here. Any things to look for/avoid?

We own my MCS and a beetle as well as mountain bikes, road bikes, kayaks, a weimaraner and a medium sized dog. So needless to say we def. need something bigger and the min/beetle arent cutting it.

 

I had a '96 Grand Cherokee for eight years and 150k miles. Was a great vehicle with no problems. Been a while since I had it though, so can't really help with what to look for. It was good for hauling around the Weimaraner we had at the time. Since then I've ended up with MINI and dog that is a mix of black lab and great dane.

 

Oil leaks! The rear main seals and the differentials almost always leak!
If you are looking at getting an XJ (i.e. not a Grand) I would try to stay in between the model years of 1997 and 2000. Older than 97 usually have too many miles and 2000 after, I have heard they are harder to work on (could be wrong though) Other than that, the 4.0 liter straight 6 is a great engine and can last forever if taken care of properly. I have a 98 (109k miles) with small leaks and it runs like a champ.
It is a great vehicle for the snow and to to take the dog, so my MINI and the wife's GTI dont get all hairy!

 

1989 jeep cherokee was my first car. mom had it since it was new...developed an over heating problem that seemed almost unfixable...but i did love that jeep. are you interested in any other types of suvs?

 

SRT-8 all the way

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziUyKVbbo7U&NR=1

 

Ha!!! My wife would crap herself. Pretty much been limiting it the the XJ Cherokee and not a grand cherokee. It will probably get kind of beat up so a used one between 2-4k is right up my alley. They're modern classics and I'm not really interested in anything else. I'm on the fence about a 4-runner but thats the only other late 90's SUV I've been interested in.

The seals I can deal with, I do almost all my maintenance on the mini and ironically I've been sticking with 97-99's.

 

I drove a '97 XJ I bought new until I my commute got 4 times longer and I bought my Mini. Nine years in my Cherokee with no serious problems (well, one but that was caused by a modification). I'd say look for a clean, well cared for one and have it checked by a good mechanic. Then take care of it and it will last forever.

I loved that Jeep. It had a mild lift, slightly bigger tires, locking diffs, big steel rear bumper with tire carrier, 4.10 gears, and skid plates with lots of dents in them. Fun!
Sold it for more than blue book too.

 

Any pics? That sounds like exactly what I'd like to do with it.

 

As someone stated above, the XJ was known for the 4.0 L inline 6 and they tend to run forever. My dad still has a mid-90s Cherokee that he's driven for around 200k miles. My sister also had one (til she totalled it ). I always found them cramped for me (i'm 6'3) and there seems to be no leg room in the front....but that's just my opinion.

You sure do see alot of them still around and you can usually find them for pretty cheap.

 

Only reason I never liked to get an XJ was cause of the mileage. I had a buddy trade his in for an ex cab F150 with the 5.4 and he got considerably better mileage in that. Shocked us both. Though the stats sounds like a great setup still IMO: big 6cyl, 5-speed stick, 4x4, to nice!

 

I still have my 96 Grand Cherokee V8 4x4. Something has to be able to pull the boat! Positives - allwheel drive, will go anywhere I dare go and get me home. Negatives - gas mileage is nothing to brag about. Fuel tank sending unit is in the gas tank.

 

Had a '90 Cherokee Ltd. Felt like a piece of total crap. Oh where do I even begin?! The thing was a gas guzzler. I was lucky to get even 14 mpg. The V-6 however was always eager to please and it never felt like a slouch. If I hit the gas, it responded quickly. The brakes were just HIDEOUS. they were so spongy and sloppy that the irony is I didn't need the ABS option. I'd have to stomp on the pedal with both feet to lock up the wheels and I only did that once. The power steering is the WORST of any car I've driven. It's bizarre. Once you've turned past 180 degrees, you feel it pulse and it starts to fight back slightly even though it CAN be turned farther. The door locks always had sticking problems and the dealer never could fix them properly. I gave up. The rear panel on the tailgate always popped off every month and I had to go to the dealer to buy four plastic hooks to remount it. I think they did that to get some extra money out of the owners. They could have used steel screws and drilled two holes in the paneling. At least I had a 7-year warranty and believe me when I say I milked it for what it was worth. After about 60,000 miles, the cooling system blew up. It didn't pop. The hose didn't make a hiss. It blew up. Had to get the Jeep towed and it cost me a fortune to get it fixed. As my luck would have it, the warranty expired just two weeks before. After that, no more mechanical trouble for the next 20,000 miles but then the paint around the steering wheel column began flaking off all over the floor! Next, the ceiling liner fell out and the rearview mirror on the window fell off! The poor Jeep finally bit the dust and I had to dump it for a Dodge Intrepid. I regretted it. The Intrepid was barely any improvement.

I gave up on Chrysler. I don't care one bit if they go belly up. I gave them a second chance and they still can't produce a good car. The ONLY reason I didn't buy a GM car was that Saturn is a shadow of its former self. The dealer was all about uber high pressure sales tactics. I went to another and got the same treatment. MINI of Dallas was professional and friendly and the test drive was a breeze. It was a scorching hot day so they even called the local ice cream guy in to keep the kids occupied. I left with two days later with the order form for my Clubman.

Also, I think America's car industry lacks innovation. They've been spending their last days worrying about how many creaky gas guzzling SUVS they can sell, not about making cars I WANT.

If I had my way, I'd be driving a Lara Croft edition Land Rover Defender 90 but no, you can't get it in the States. I took a trip to London and saw a few. They were very nice SUVs. I was infuriated to learn that it wasn't for sale in the US. (I didn't buy a used one because they all had VERY high mileage so I was worried that I'd be replacing stuff like the transmission or brakes within a year or two; golly, how does one put 90,000 miles on a Defender in way under three years?! Did the owner drive to Alaska and back every summer? At that rate, my Jeep would have racked up a little under 400,000 miles in 11 years!!). My other choice was a Saab 9000 which I think is now called the 9-5 (I don't know what model year) but GM made the biggest mistake ever: they bought Saab and jacked up the price big time because they wanted it to be a luxury brand. The price different was $8,000!!!! Now they want to dump Saab. I still believe America's auto industry is doomed.

 

Had a 2001 Cherokee with no major problems but several small ones along the way.

 

I don't know much about Jeeps. but tend to avoid car advice from people who don't even know what kind of engine is in there car. I didn't think the cherokee ever came with a V6. I was wrong according to Wikipedia the Cherokee was came with a V6 from 85-86.

I was looking for an excuse to buy a Cherokee or Comanchee as a winter beater/F***-um-up truck. But then my dad bought a Ranger I can borow and I bought a set of snow tires. the Cherokee is just such a true SUV. I mean on TV and Movies the park ranger always drives a wrangler or cherokee because what else would a ranger drive?