Jeep Cherokee..... Quality ? Junk ? Opinion ?

[awsomeears]

I'm still in the hunt for something other then my Van, whats your thought on them ?

95 - 99 look nice

2000 and up look alright

Any years to stay away from or did jeep stick with engine and trans for many years...

I just need something to pull a boat if needed, snowmobile trailer and so on....

[GTSLOW]

My buddy had an older ZJ in AZ and he beat the hell out of that thing rock crawling. I think it had the I6 which was good, we put a locker in the back and that thing rocked. Had a ton of miles as well.

[Ricky Bobby]

have a 2000 jeep grand cherokee limited, have had it for 5yrs now put on 50k only repair i had to do to it was the blend doors broke for the heat and ac and LMT took care of that otherwise just maint and it also has the v8 in it fully loaded. I have no complaints also rocks in the snow

[Prince Valiant]

Had two grands and a 2001 regular cherokee....

Cherokee's are really nice little suv's...and by little, I do mean little. Don't get one expecting the room of a 4 door blazer or anything.

4.0/auto is a good performer...around town and on the hwy. Good low-end torque and decently quick in the light little Cherokees.

Very reliable and simple to work on...even the purported mopar bugaboo, the 4 speed, is NOT a mopar unit...instead sourced from aisin, it's the same basic auto that came behind supra's and the like. It uses GM dexron fluid so failure rates are much lower than grand cherokees that use conventional mopar trans.

Not either the smoothest or worst driving ride, it does handle pretty well for an SUV...far less floaty than either an explorer or blazer.

The small size helps in the economy dept. Andy (Cryptic) and I drove down to FL to pick up his current RX-7 (the shell) on a dolly...got about 21-22 driving aggressively and about 16mpg on the way back driving a bit slower. Not a good choice though if towing more than 4000 lbs frequently.

Three different 4WD systems are available...the mid, part-time with a fulltime option was what I had and struck me as the best all round.

Problems: Really, just the dreaded rear-main seal leak...not that it's very problematic or anything, but it's a hassle to repair.

[DerangedPony]

FYI, up to 98 is the ZJ while 99-2004 is the WJ. I loved my Grand Cherokee. Solid front axle up to 2004 which is also the last year for the indestructible 4.0 straight six. Main problem is the blend boor for the HVAC like somebody else said. If you dont mind a smaller SUV, the regular Cherokee is also a great SUV with the same great 4.0.

[Wagonbacker9]

the 4.0s are great, but don't expect anything more than 14mpg out of them, and the trans leaves something to be desired.

[pOrk]

We bought a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee about a year ago and haven' had to replace anything on it, although the driverside seatbelt sensor is getting funny. We've put maybe 15k on it, has 65k on it now and its a great truck no complaints.

[awsomeears]

Thanks for the info, I did hear the 4.0 straight 6 was a very tough motor, as far as being small I'll have to jump into one and check em out....

I don't think I'd ever tow anything over 4k... most I would tow would be a dolly and a car but fuck I have triple AAA....

[Ricky Bobby]

my 2000 4.7 v8 i hauled a 76 olds 2 dr on steel trailer, hauled actually really well warped the piss outta all the rotors, but hauled fine trans still doin fine 4yrs later

[77thor]

I had a Jeep Cherokee years ago... it was the worst vehicle I've ever owned.
It was always in the shop for repairs. The guys in the service dept at the dealership knew me by name because I was in there so often.
We called them "Cheeps" instead of Jeeps, due to their lack of quality/reliability.
I got rid of it after 2 years when the paint began to flake off in big chunks... bought a Toyota 4Runner and never looked back.
Hopefully, Chrysler is doing a better job now, but I would never buy another one because of my past experience.

[VroomPshhTsi]

I'm surprised so many on this board have had good experiences with Jeeps. I have heard countless horror stories online about the build quality of those. Plus the gas mileage leaves much to be desired.

[pOrk]

We get 18 with ours, roughly 15-16 in the winter. Its AWD

[GTSLOW]

I'm surprised so many on this board have had good experiences with Jeeps. I have heard countless horror stories online about the build quality of those. Plus the gas mileage leaves much to be desired.

Build quality of what? Need to be more specific. ZJ, WJ, engine, trans, ?

[JC70SS]

I would not buy one unless you are buying a cheaper car with money set a side to repair it. I had a 2000. Blend door, leaky everything, whining at highway speeds which was probably a front differential problem. This had 80,000 mi on it when sold so it didn't even hit 100k.

[Prince Valiant]

I'm surprised so many on this board have had good experiences with Jeeps. I have heard countless horror stories online about the build quality of those. Plus the gas mileage leaves much to be desired.The two grands I had were both purchased new by my parents, and I took over them both at around 175K miles.

The 94 (the first winter drags champ) never really had a problem...I had the trans rebuilt at 220,000 miles along with the center diff. Approaching 300,000 I replaced the altenator. Sold it to Yoosef at around 310,000 miles, he sold it to memphis...it was around this point that they replaced some suspension/steering components...and memphis lost the rear-end while towing through Illinois and replaced it with one from another jeep, and sold it back to Yoo. As I understand it, it had about 350,000 when he last sold it, and still sees it around on occasion.

That one had the 4.0/I6 w/ mopar 4 speed OD, fulltime 4WD system, and 3.73 gears. Most of my tanks would net me around 20mpg with the driving I do. If I worked hard, I could squeak 22 mpg out of it.

Also had a 2000 Grand cherokee that I purchased off the parents once it hit 175-ish. 4.7 liter v8, full-time 4wd, 3.73. Only thing we ever replaced beside the usual tires/brakes/etc was the throttle position sensor....my dad had thought the trans was going but after replacing the TPS, all driving/shifting issues cleared up. Also replaced the power steering pump and the fan shroud/fan assembly, as the pump provided the power to the fan instead of a belt or electric motor in one of the more unusual set-ups I've seen. The jeep was totaled out in the great flood a few years back....water reached the windows on the freekin' thing.

The 2001 Cherokee was my favorite jeep of all easily. Loved taking it on road trips as it was an easy vehicle to put miles on. Purchased with 120,000 miles, sold it a little over two years later with over 225,000 miles. Never had an issue while I owned it and the only reason I sold it was because while it did pretty decent for mileage, the number of miles I was doing plus gas prices was killing me so sold and purchased the Honda insight....

Even the compass has been dead-nuts reliable....

the least reliable jeep I've owned is the Wrangler...not that it's unreliable, but the ax-5 manual trans failed on it at around 75K, and a variety of sensors/gauges have had to be replaced (IAT, TPS, both coolant temp sensors, etc) and the radiator...plus it seems that I have to replace the PCV every other time I change the oil...it squeaks, rattles, rides like crap, gets crappy mileage mostly (I've had a couple good tanks), is loud as hell with the top up, cold in the winter...but of course, it's the most jeep thing I've ever owned.

The only jeep I had that got bad gas mileage beside the wrangler, was a 94GC limited with a 5.2 v8, fulltime 4wd, 3.73 gears. Never got above 17.5mpg no mater how conservative I was driving it....it was totaled very shortly after purchasing it...hit from behind at 50 mph.

[Moparjim]

I had several cherokees and a comanche same essentially. The comanche went 320,000 miles on the 4.0 without any work whatsoever, original clutch even. Only reason I got rid of it was cash for clunkers lol.

[Ricky Bobby]

yea my 00 gets 19-20 awd on hwy trips love the truck we r actually looking at buying a brand new one but the damn sticker shock lol

[Prince Valiant]

yea my 00 gets 19-20 awd on hwy trips love the truck we r actually looking at buying a brand new one but the damn sticker shock lolmy brother purchased a new one with the 3.6 v6...they love it. It's one of the quietest, smoothest riding vehicles I've ever been in. Out west in the altitude and speed limits of 75+, they tend to get about 19mpg...but around salt lake, where they don't have a bunch of elevation changes and lower speed limits they see as high as 24mpg.

[Ricky Bobby]

the suspension creeks in the cold just think the rubbers have worn out

[BlackLightning]

I really like my 06 Laredo with 4.7l V8. I have had it since 2008 and have had no problems with it. I am looking to upgrade though because I really want one with the steering wheel buttons for the radio and remote start.

[Racer X79]

I have a '96 XJ Cherokee 4dr with the 4.0L/Auto/4wd. It has 216,000+ and has never given me one bit of trouble. It gets around 24mpg hwy, goes great in snow/mud, and drives/handels great. Easily the best bang for the buck vehicle we've ever owned.

[awsomeears]

No shit 24 MPG HWY....

Thats better then my Mini Van @20mpg

Nice !!!

[Prince Valiant]

I could eek out 24 out here in milwaukee....where there is always traffic to draft and 55-65mph speed limits....but out on the open road where you tend to go faster, less traffic to draft, it always dropped back down into the 20-22 range.

[GTSLOW]

I would not look at 24mpg in one an easily achievable thing, but I'm sure it's doable.

[awsomeears]

GTSLOW, I agree but anything more then my van is great, plus it has more power and get up....

[Racer X79]

There are a few guys on the XJ forums that are claiming 28mpg with the 5-speeds, but thats gotta be pretty tough to get. I have a fairly straight 60mph shot to work with no traffic, and I have a few mods to help mpg/power too.

My only complaint is the damn valvecover leaks no matter what type of gasket I try, lol.

[The Shaolin]

First of all...

-Grand Cherokees and Cherokees are completely different chassis. A lot of the drivetrain components are shared, but they are completely different vehicles.
-Stay away from 2000 and 2001 vehicles with the I6. Google "0331 head" and you'll see why.

I picked up a 1996 Cherokee last year from a friend for $500. Put a bunch of work into it and it's about ready for the road. Here are my thoughts:

-Like any vehicle, there are things you need to look for when buying one. The floors on these rot out super badly, due to insufficient factory undercoating, bad sound deadening, and thin metal. Any holes in the floor will suck up and wick water out through the entire carpet area, and then the floor just disentigrates. I noticed while changing the oil in mine immediately after purchase that I could see carpet from the bottom. I pulled the carpet out and there were huge holes in the floor everywhere. $300 for pre formed OEM quality floor pans to replace...I spent about $100 fabbing my own.
-The reason I got the vehicle so cheap in the first place is because it wouldn't move. The TQ converter>flexplate bolts had backed out. Another common problem. If you do end up buying one, pop the inspection cover off and torque these down.
-They are a bit more challenging to work on than the other vehicles I've owned. Nuts/bolts are in hard to reach places. The fasteners are a mix of standard and metric sizes. Instead of threaded inserts welded to the frame, most of the components are installed with a nut on the back, which is often hard to get to.

That being said, I really love my Jeep and can't wait to put more miles on it. It's an incredibly versatile, all around vehicle that does alright at just about everything. Interior is nice, lots of room, lots of cargo space, plenty of creature comforts, good stuff. The 97+ have much more modern interiors that look pretty sharp. I plan on daily driving mine in a few weeks, and the only thing I'm not looking forward to is the fuel economy.

I'll post a picture of mine later. 4.5" lift on 33's :)

[cheap80Z28]

i have a 2004 freedom edition. I6 auto. just turned 95k anf bought it 3 winters ago for $10k. nothing fixed yet, but milage is about 16. what is wrong with mine?

[Moparjim]

The later models and the Grand Cherokee got worse mileage - more emissions junk, more gadgets and crap, heavier vehicles, etc.

Its the earlier regular Cherokees that got way better mileage. My Comanche got high teens to low twenties average and would crack low to mid twenties on the freeway if ou kept it to 55mph.

[Prince Valiant]

i have a 2004 freedom edition. I6 auto. just turned 95k anf bought it 3 winters ago for $10k. nothing fixed yet, but milage is about 16. what is wrong with mine?Probably nothing...mileage is highly reflective of driving type and style. Your mileage may well reflect both.

For me, I have a simple drive to the hwy with no real stops, drive from the northside to the southside, rarely ever in any slow traffic, and usually a simple drive from the hwy to work (only a couple stops there too). I drive pretty conservatively, using cruise control, and am normally the guy in the slow lane doing no faster than 60 in a 55 zone, but frequently have the cruise set at 55mph. I don't "warm up" my car, and rare is it I take it on short drive.....

This as ideal as one can get for commuting and getting great mileage. Mix in that I usually try to "time the lights" (IE, I coast so I rarely need to stop for red lights, and recognize when it might be advantageous to speed up to make green lights, etc), carry speed through corners so as to reduce the need to accelerate after the corner and thus waste fuel, and "draft" where it makes sense leads me to getting much better mileage than the average driver...hence I regularly exceed the rated hwy mileage of my current compass or all my vehicles...heck, even on my insight I knew of ways to really send the mileage through the roof, getting as high as 95mpg when it's rated 70 under the old system, 60 under the new ratings.

My brother had an 04 Grand with an I6 and got similar mileage to you...but he lived in whitefish bay, commuted downtown by city streets, and was typically hard on his car and the accelerator. Even on the hwy, he tended to drive fast and rarely used the cruise control....so his typical mileage was 15 to at best 19mpg. My Dad's (and later my) 01 Grand with the 4.7 routinely got better mileage than my brother's 4.0. When I used my brother's jeep for a week though, low-and-behold, I got similar mileage than I've gotten in other similar jeeps.

[cheap80Z28]

so yea i drive from hampton and 45 down to the post office on st paul, so most are hwy miles. i guess im thinking i still crive the old z28 to work.

[spooln30]

.............sourced from aisin, it's the same basic auto that came behind SUPRAS

Your right that Asin makes the transmissions but your wrong that their the same as the trans in a Supra.
Jeep- Asin AW- 4 as well as Chrysler 42RE, 44RH, 44RE there are more cuz they never got it right.
Supra A340E

The inline 6 was a great engine. The Chrysler trans suck and so does one of the 3 transfer cases they used. I don't recall the code for that. I seen Jeeps in the shop a lot and they do have issues that are common. Said before the I6 do have rear main seal problems. Things that I can say I fixed a lot of the times on Jeeps are, rear bearings, power steering pumps and HP lines, front steering components, IAC, exhaust manifold cracking, transfer cases, transmission work. Also the famous HVAC blend door issue as well as AC Evaps. That's off the top of my head.

[Prince Valiant]

Your right that Asin makes the transmissions but your wrong that their the same as the trans in a Supra.
Jeep- Asin AW- 4 as well as Chrysler 42RE, 44RH, 44RE there are more cuz they never got it right.
Supra A340E
Um, the AW-4 and A340E are built within the same case and use many of the same components....they are in effect, the same basic transmission. It would take a sharp eye to spot the differences, inside or out.

The 42RE/44RE have nothing in common with the AW-4 and A-340. Previously known as the A-500, they are basically a A-904 with an overdrive housing attached.

[VroomPshhTsi]

Tranny fight!!

[Irish]

I dig my 2000 Jeep GCL.

[srt4eh]

My Jeep SRT8 has been getting about 15mpg but it's hard to stay off the throttle....lol

[Sprayaway Fox]

I just picked up a 04 Grand, got popped in the front and fixed it up. Never had a Jeep before but parts are pretty cheap it seems that I have bought, even body panels (70 dollar repop fender) Mine has the 4.0 in it and PT 4x4 and 4x4 wich I really dont get and just put it on 4x4 though.

Going to Appleton I lock in 22 MPG's on the headliner message center. Not saying its right but its what it says.

Only thing I always hear is how wires through the door jambs break and get pinched.

I picked mine up with 72K on it for 3G's with good title. Stuck about 400 bucks into it with the front end and can say I like it so far.

[The Shaolin]

Mine has the 4.0 in it and PT 4x4 and 4x4 wich I really dont get and just put it on 4x4 though.


full time 4x4 mode means just that...you can leave it in 4x4 mode, and it's basically AWD.
Part time 4x4 mode means the front and rear driveshafts are locked together. If you do this on surfaces where the tires can't slip, you're going to break something.

Leave it in 2wd unless you need it, obviously.