Need vehicle opinions - Jeep Grand Cherokee

[Bugeater]

So I'm thinking about breaking my streak of buying minivans at 5, and am considering a small SUV. I like the style of the 99-02 years, and they're in my price range.

Anyone have experiences with these? There seems to be a lot of them out there. I'm leaning towards one with the IL 6 cyl since it probably does better on gas and the V8 is really crammed in there and likely a bitch to work on.

Thoughts?

[tboss27]

I've got a 2000 Grand Cherokee that I'm looking to get rid of soon. 166K (ish) miles, silver. I'm in Wichita, PM me if you're interested. Haven't had any issues with it except electrical as others have stated, needs two window motors replaced but other than that hasn't had any issues.

[Exoter175]

Originally Posted by kaplin42

New Jeeps are awesome, just because soccer mom's like them, doesn't mean that you can't actually use them for off-roading like I do all the time. Typical BS though "if it's newer than X year, it's not a Jeep. If it's got 4 doors, it's not a Jeep."

You can lift, and mod, and deck out the new Jeeps just as you could the old ones.

New jeeps are dominated by Chrysler, that is not awesome. There is literally nothing left from AMC in the new jeeps, and that is sad. That is what Jeeps are, or were.

Yeah, the new jeeps still function like the jeeps of old, but the break so much more now than they did a decade ago, and most of that is due to it being a Chrysler product, and partly due to the extra bells and whistles.

When you buy a 92 Jeep Cherokee, you get a 4.0 liter inline six, some baby danas, and 4wd. That's it. You can drive it through anything.

You don't need Navigation, you don't need all the extra bells and whistles.

Quite literally the new Jeeps have traded out their toughness and ruggedness for bells and whistles, and now charge a premium for models and trim levels to attain that ruggedness again.

So while you talk about jeeps being jeeps and being able to mod the new ones like the old ones, remember now that a Jeep Liberty can't do 1/50th of what a Jeep Cherokee could do 15 years ago.

in the early/mid 90's, Jeep Cherokees were the standard for excellence in sport SUV's.

Now look what happened with Chrysler's hand in the middle of all of that, douchebags and soccer moms in their mall crawlers looking the part, but incapable of acting the part.

[CoMoChief]

I wouldn't buy anything Jeep/Chrysler anymore

I've had 2 Jeeps and my parents have always had Grand Cherokees....the electrical systems start to crap out after 85K miles. Horrible AC/coolant systems, have had troubles w/ everyone me or my family has had.

BUT...the 4.0 inline 6 is one of the best engines around.

Now I don't even like the look of them. Always wanted a Wrangler but they're too expensive if you want one that's worth a shit. For some reason those things keep their re-sale value up higher than you'd think.

[kaplin42]

Originally Posted by Exoter175

In my opinion you don't get anything better than the TJ really. Which is what? 97-06ish I believe.

You get a 4.0 straight six, at least a Dana 35 if not Dana 44 with 3.73's, and some awesome brakes.

My '04 was just a little too new for my liking.

You see, when I think Jeep, I think lifted, 35's, 33's minimum, top off, doors off. I need a heater, I don't need AC, and a radio is questionable.

That's how I like my jeeps.

My "made for vaginas" 2012 sport came with Dana 33's and a 3.73 ratio. The Rubi's come with Dana 44's and a 4.10 ratio with front and real lockers.

It's cool though, I have power locks on my Jeep so it must not hold up to the old ones.

[Exoter175]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

I wouldn't buy anything Jeep/Chrysler anymore

I've had 2 Jeeps and my parents have always had them....they start to crap out after 75K miles.

Now I don't even like the look of them. Always wanted a Wrangler but they're too expensive if you want one that's worth a shit. For some reason those things keep their re-sale value up higher than you'd think.

Its the drivetrain that they put int he late 90's early 2000's.

People see a 2004 TJ worth 12k with 90k miles on it and think their 2008 with 95k miles is worth 17k because its a jeep thing right?

Not so much, that 2004 is bullet proof compared to the 2008, and in another 5 years, that 2008 is going to plummet compared to the 2004.

[Exoter175]

Originally Posted by kaplin42

My "made for vaginas" 2012 sport came with Dana 33's and a 3.73 ratio. The Rubi's come with Dana 44's and a 4.10 ratio with front and real lockers.

It's cool though, I have power locks on my Jeep so it must not hold up to the old ones.

Baby Danas.

My TJ came with 44's and 3.73's in 6 speed, 6 inches of lift, and 35's. I'd park it on the hood of your 2012 "sport".

Edit: And who needs door locks when you take the doors off like a true jeep was meant to be?

[COchief]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

Omaha area, $5000-ish budget. Did some digging on Xterras last week but haven't really checked out what's around for Pathfinders. And nothing black in color.

http://omaha.craigslist.org/ctd/3640516125.html Value if you're man enough to drive a stick as most NE people aren't

http://omaha.craigslist.org/ctd/3653902926.html

http://omaha.craigslist.org/ctd/3626601286.html

Allright dude, they are everywhere right in your range with decent miles. I would skip the supercharger if I were in the mileage range you're in as they command a premium, go out frequently, and are basically a hamster strapped on to the engine. The X will be sort of a dog power wise, but I wouldn't imagine that you want to stomp around in an X. If it bugs you, find a Pathfinder with the 3.5 as those are glorious engines. Also this might sound dumb, but Xs hide their 2X4 variants fairly well, so look for it in ads before going to waste your time.

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by Frosty

No, Sport is just a trim level for either 2 or 4 door XJ (mine was a Limited). The whole "Cherokee" thing confuses people. When I was looking for a car for my son, I was considering the small Cherokee (XJ) but it seemed like every add that said something like "2000 Cherokee" was actually a Grand Cherokee. Two diferent vehicles completely. To make matters worse, "Cherokee" used to be a trim level on the big jeeps in the '70's.

It is confusing. I usually do my searches for "Grand Cherokee" and I know I'm probably missing some that aren't titled properly, but otherwise I have to sift through all the XJs to find what I'm interested in.

Originally Posted by tboss27

I've got a 2000 Grand Cherokee that I'm looking to get rid of soon. 166K (ish) miles, silver. I'm in Wichita, PM me if you're interested. Haven't had any issues with it except electrical as others have stated, needs two window motors replaced but other than that hasn't had any issues.

PM on its way.

[Exoter175]

Originally Posted by COchief

http://omaha.craigslist.org/ctd/3640516125.html Value if you're man enough to drive a stick as most NE people aren't

http://omaha.craigslist.org/ctd/3653902926.html

http://omaha.craigslist.org/ctd/3626601286.html

Allright dude, they are everywhere right in your range with decent miles. I would skip the supercharger if I were in the mileage range you're in as they command a premium, go out frequently, and are basically a hamster strapped on to the engine. The X will be sort of a dog power wise, but I wouldn't imagine that you want to stomp around in an X. If it bugs you, find a Pathfinder with the 3.5 as those are glorious engines. Also this might sound dumb, but Xs hide their 2X4 variants fairly well, so look for it in ads before going to waste your time.

Although that 3.5 is glorious, it is a pita to work on :/

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by COchief

http://omaha.craigslist.org/ctd/3640516125.html Value if you're man enough to drive a stick as most NE people aren't

That one seems fishy as the price seems much lower than it should, unless the manual knocks it down that much.

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by COchief

http://omaha.craigslist.org/ctd/3640516125.html Value if you're man enough to drive a stick as most NE people aren't

http://omaha.craigslist.org/ctd/3653902926.html

http://omaha.craigslist.org/ctd/3626601286.html

Allright dude, they are everywhere right in your range with decent miles. I would skip the supercharger if I were in the mileage range you're in as they command a premium, go out frequently, and are basically a hamster strapped on to the engine. The X will be sort of a dog power wise, but I wouldn't imagine that you want to stomp around in an X. If it bugs you, find a Pathfinder with the 3.5 as those are glorious engines. Also this might sound dumb, but Xs hide their 2X4 variants fairly well, so look for it in ads before going to waste your time.

Heh, I did see that first one last week when I was looking at another vehicle on that same lot, and the place is kinda sketchy. Other than the piece that's missing under the front bumper it doesn't seem too bad though. And I don't mind a manual transmission at all. I'd actually prefer that.

The other two are getting out of my price range. I really like the one in Fremont though.

I did just find this though, might have to go check it out:

http://omaha.craigslist.org/ctd/3640516125.html

Not crazy about the color though but the price is right.

[COchief]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

http://omaha.craigslist.org/ctd/3640516125.html

Not crazy about the color though but the price is right.

Mine was that silver, looked clean all the time and was cool in the summers. Plus it looked awesome when I detailed it and shined up all the plastic and tires, tint really adds something too.

Also general rule of thumb for me, you should be able to kick at least 500-1000 off any vehicle price whether private or dealer. And if you let a stellar vehicle go over $500, you'll probably regret it.

My X right before I sold it in Dec:

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

Heh, I did see that first one last week when I was looking at another vehicle on that same lot, and the place is kinda sketchy. Other than the piece that's missing under the front bumper it doesn't seem too bad though. And I don't mind a manual transmission at all. I'd actually prefer that.

The other two are getting out of my price range. I really like the one in Fremont though.

I did just find this though, might have to go check it out:

http://omaha.craigslist.org/ctd/3640516125.html

Not crazy about the color though but the price is right.

2002 Nissan Xterra SE , 4WD, 5 Speed Manual V6 3.3, 108K Only !!! - $5750 (6154 L St in Omaha)

Quality Motors LLC located at 6154 L Street in Omaha, has up for sale 2002 Nissan Xterra SE 4X4, Auto, V6 3.0L, 5 Speed Manual Trany. Has only 108K, Good Price

. Not sketchy at all.

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by COchief

Mine was that silver, looked clean all the time and was cool in the summers. Plus it looked awesome when I detailed it and shined up all the plastic and tires.

Also general rule of thumb for me, you should be able to kick at least 500-1000 off any vehicle price whether private or dealer. And if you let a stellar vehicle go over $500, you'll probably regret it.

Whoops, mis-pasted. This is what I meant to post.

http://omaha.craigslist.org/cto/3649400467.html

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

Whoops, mis-pasted. This is what I meant to post.

http://omaha.craigslist.org/cto/3649400467.html

That one isn't as nice. It doesn't have the 3.3 3.0L V6 or the automatic 5-speed manual transmission.