School me on Jeep Cherokees ....

[Bamfster]

Good info guys ....

Here is the candidate: http://www.usedcars.com/vehicledetai...cleId=24883593

I havent gone and looked at it yet, but hopefully this afternoon ... The guy I spoke with will be listing it as a "sale" car this weekend and will take 1497 for it starting today.

[anotheridiot]

we are painting the 90 Wrangler. main problem we had was having to rebuild the frame at the stabilizer bar. Its got the 4.2 non computer motor with 40 vacuum hoses and carburetor though. Couldnt tune it til we replaced the tranny cooling lines, so all I would suggest is to check the frame at all mounting points.

[PatricksDad]

I'm also interested in these. My 14 year old has his eye on one of these for his first (legal) ride.

Seems like an ideal first patient.

[jcharliem]

My daughter has an '01. 4WD, w/ in-line 6 banger (not sure of cid). Has about 160k miles. Only one real issue so far... had to have some work done on the trans at about 145k miles. No other problems than that. Before we picked it up used... my mechanic buddy told me he's seen these things run until the cows come home.

[milner351]

I had an 84 in college - 2.5L I4 with 5 spd and 4.10 gearing - if you got the lower gearing you could get good mileage.

Always ran, never ran good, low 20's MPG most of the time, with 95HP, one barrel, mixture control solenoid. miles of rubber lines.

Don't lift it or put big tires on it, 258 inlines go forever properly cared for as stated....

[Bob Holmes]

Cherokee Laredo here. 4.0 5 speed. Wish I still had it. I looked around a long time to get the 5 speed. We loved the car and it was the "family truckster" for many a year. We had no mechanical problems, none at all. Finally got rid of it when the interior was just too trashed.

[tardis454]

Bought my XJ 6yrs ago w/50k, it's about to hit 100k.
Not fond of ZJ/WJ's. Too much tranny/electrical drama.

[DanStokes]

My buddy Bob has (I think he still has it) a non-Grand Cherokee. I know next to nothing about Jeeps, as you all have probably figured out. Anyhow, his 238/4.0 whatever was in tough shape and I suspect was overheated before he got it.

Anyhow, we picked up a reman long block down on Michigan Ave (I think it was) in downtown Detroit and we did The Swap. Came out great, ran super, made good power. The Renex EFI takes some getting used to as it takes a while to start. Every time you shut it off it looses its mind - kind of like me taking a nap. It has to relearn where #1 is, when to squirt an injector, when to fire the plug - "Oh yeah let's light this candle" and off you go. Nothing wrong if it starts slowly - just the nature of the beast. If it fires right up it ain't Renex (Renault and Bendix). Not sure what year that changed.

Anyhow, after all that - Bob LOVES his but we haven't talked in a while.

Dan

[Bamfster]

Scum bag used car salesmen!.....

I had went and looked at it Friday night, it's in decent enough shape body n suspension wise. It runs pretty good (especially if it was the original eng/trans) but it was obvious there was 285k on it. We settled on $1450 after his $299 detail job (dealer handling whatever that is?). I gave him $250 to call it sold and I would go to the bank 1st thing this morning and get him paid off today. D-bag's partner calls me last night and said the jeep was already sold and they put a check in the mail for my $250 ..... I want my cash back though .... he said they already dropped it in the mail to me. Guess I have to wait and see if I get the check and if it's any good before I call the cops .....

I can only speculate at the real reason he's calling already sold, but as long as I get my $$$ back, I could care less.

[milner351]

How do jokers like this azzhat stay in business?

[SuperBuickGuy]

How do jokers like this azzhat stay in business?

actually, that's pretty good. I've seen where the dealer calls the person back the next day and says they found a "problem" with the car; and they can't sell it to the person until they fix said "problem." The problem was the car was sold for more money to someone else, but they wanted to make sure they got the money from dummy 2 before they told this other person that the car was sold.

[STINEY]

My Mom has a 1/4 mile driveway that always drifts real bad in winter, so a few years ago we picked up a '95 Grand Cherokee with the 318 and what I swear is an updated torque-flight.

Part of the reason for the Jeep was the full-time AWD nature of it. Mom don't do those little sticks thru the floor or buttons on the dash anymore, so being able to just point it and go was a huge appeal.

We snagged it for $1100 at 195,000 miles. Interior was beyond gross (RugDoctor to the rescue!) its actually pretty nice inside now. Big rocker dent from the PO thinking it was a river runner and hanging on a rock. The front plastic piece that mounts all the lights and grill was toast, but $150 bought a new one with all new lights and grill.

Has an issue with random stalling at the moment, have to fix that before winter. I'm thinking the TPS is bad (probably original) and the engine just randomly thinks it need to idle when it needs to be cruising?

Also has a weird "torque-steer" issue. Upon even slight accelleration, it needs steering correction. Very consistent, can't find any overly worn bushings or joints. It's perfectly livable, just weird till you get used to it.

Overall, its a good cheap vehicle that isn't hateful on gas, for it being a full-time V8 4WD. It would make a nice first car for a rookie driver.

[Woodward_Dreams]

XJ's are awesome.


Couple things....

The floorpans tend to rust out, so be careful there, and the 2000 and 2001 4.0L's have cylinder head problems (on occasion). Other than that, they are easy to work on and great on and off road. Oh and they do donuts in the snow like no other car i've ever owned....

[Bamfster]

Ok, so here's another that I'll be looking at:

http://www.carboardco.com/detail.aspx?id=2261924&PrefID=0&Mode=Inquiry

More than I want to spend really, but hopefully they're willing to come down on price for a cash sale. I've dealt with this lot before and generally the vehicles are decent.

[andy30thz]

Man, that looks pretty clean!
One thing I will offer up, IMO the grand cherokee's are a hell of a lot more comfortable and about the same price.
I will also say our '04 WJ is way nicer than our old '97 ZJ.
We've had this current '04 4.7 V8 full time quadra trac for 6 years, 80,000 miles and its needed nothing but normal maintenance.
Might be more than your looking to spend....but if you don't mind the looks, I'd try out a Grand Cherokee while you're looking.

Oh, I get BETTER mileage with my 4.7 & full time quadra trac than my old I6 & selec trac part time transfer case.
I think the issue is the 318 attached to the full time quadra trac's in the ZJ series.
Not to mention our part time selec trac transfer case SUCKED! I'm used to everything else, you pull the stick and its in. Not so with our selec trac.... After reading the manual....its not as simple as yanking the shift lever. I got caught a few times thinking the damn thing was locked in when it really wasn't.... Unfun.
Full time transfer case works flawlessly with a viscous coupling engaging the front wheels on demand.

2WD to 4 PART TIME or 4 PART TIME to 2WD
Shifting between 2WD and 4 PART TIME can be made with the vehicle stopped or in motion. If the vehicle is in motion, shifts can be made up to 55 mph (88 km/h). With the vehicle in motion, two momentary releases of the accelerator pedal may be required after shifting. This will induce a torque interrupt and allow full engagement of the newly selected position.With the vehicle stationary, it may be necessary to shift from D (Drive) to R (Reverse) and back to D (Drive) after shifting. This will allow full engagement of the newly selected position. Apply a constant force when shifting the transfer case lever