BKCowGod
Automotive ADHD is fun!
Cross posted from Craigslist, so sorry for the intro to jeeps part... I decided for a while not to sell, but I really barely drive it anymore.......
The short version:
*1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
*5.2l V8, automatic with overdrive and all wheel drive
*137,000 miles
*meticulously cared for and runs perfectly
*great charcoal grey body and grey leather interior
*nearly new upgraded Bridgestone Dueler A/T tires
*$4500
Options include cruise control, power everything, factory Infiniti AM/FM/CD/Casette radio with Nakamichi speaker upgrade, alloy wheels, trip computer... you name it and this truck has it. I wish I was sane enough to keep it.
The long version:
About a year ago, I started searching for a very specific truck. It had to be capable of traveling anywhere on or off road, had to sleep two in the back, had to cruise comfortably at 80mph, had to look right with me in a suit or cowboy boots and jeans, and had to be capable of going over 300 miles on one tank of gas, with better than 16mpg. Beyond that, year and make were not an issue. I gave myself a $15,000 budget and made a list. The usual suspects (Explorers and Blazers) were almost immediately removed simply because I felt they weren't up to the task off road. The exotics (Land Rovers and Gelandewagens) were removed due to space constraints. From a list of over twenty vehicles, I narrowed it down to the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Dodge Durango. The Durango is nearly identical mechanically, but I preferred the interior layout of the Grand, so I finally began my search in earnest.
I was immediately amazed by how abused most of the Jeeps out there were. The base models had obviously been purchased by people who couldn't reeeeeally afford a luxury SUV (new, this Grand was almost $40k) and maintenence had suffered in this financial pinch. Many of the Limited models had subsequently been purchased by the same type of person.
After months of searching, I finally found this 1998 model for sale by the original owner with an inch thick file of every time her mechanic had ever touched it. After a brief test drive, I knew I had found my truck. It has some of the most comfortable seats ever, is faster off the line than my BMW Z3, looks like a football player in a tuxedo, and still manages to get respectable mileage if you don't punch it all the time.
After purchase, I set about upgrading it for my needs - upsized Bridgestone Duelers were installed on the factory alloy rims, and drilled brake rotors replaced the easily warped solid factory units. Nakamichi speakers replaced the blown Infinitis, and all fluids were replaced with top quality synthetics. The truck has absolutely zero mechanical problems, the legendary all wheel drive system works perfectly, and the low range is just a flick of the wrist. I make sure to exercise all electrical and mechanical options at least once a month. I rely on my vehicles to get me anywhere at the drop of a hat, and spare no expense for their health.
So why am I selling? Because I have gone insane. I realized I prefer a pickup truck for camping, I realized I already have a 30mpg vehicle for commuting, and I realized that it is nearly impossible to park four cars on the street in San Jose and not have one or two of them get damaged. So I am going to invest the proceeds from the sale of this beautiful Grand Cherokee into the restoration of my ugly and totally rednecked-out 1972 Jeep. Because that is really logical, right?
What the Grand needs to be perfect:
* Heated seats don't work - never had a need for them, so no incentive to see why.
* Power seats move in most directions, but not all. See above...
* Power driver mirror is possessed by demons. Common ZJ Jeep problem.
* A more logical owner.
* If you're really anal - rear bumper could be sanded and resprayed, front bumper has some peel, chips in original windshield, one very minor dent on driver's front fender, tailgate shows some weird warpage at certain angles, tailgate shocks are a bit weak at this point, and there is a scratch down the side that could be buffed out quite easily. The bigger tires mess up calculations of speed and MPG, but you can get a chip to fix that. They also scrape a bit if you really get on the throttle in reverse, but the truck comes with an uninstalled 2" lift kit to remedy that.
The short version:
*1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
*5.2l V8, automatic with overdrive and all wheel drive
*137,000 miles
*meticulously cared for and runs perfectly
*great charcoal grey body and grey leather interior
*nearly new upgraded Bridgestone Dueler A/T tires
*$4500
Options include cruise control, power everything, factory Infiniti AM/FM/CD/Casette radio with Nakamichi speaker upgrade, alloy wheels, trip computer... you name it and this truck has it. I wish I was sane enough to keep it.
The long version:
About a year ago, I started searching for a very specific truck. It had to be capable of traveling anywhere on or off road, had to sleep two in the back, had to cruise comfortably at 80mph, had to look right with me in a suit or cowboy boots and jeans, and had to be capable of going over 300 miles on one tank of gas, with better than 16mpg. Beyond that, year and make were not an issue. I gave myself a $15,000 budget and made a list. The usual suspects (Explorers and Blazers) were almost immediately removed simply because I felt they weren't up to the task off road. The exotics (Land Rovers and Gelandewagens) were removed due to space constraints. From a list of over twenty vehicles, I narrowed it down to the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Dodge Durango. The Durango is nearly identical mechanically, but I preferred the interior layout of the Grand, so I finally began my search in earnest.
I was immediately amazed by how abused most of the Jeeps out there were. The base models had obviously been purchased by people who couldn't reeeeeally afford a luxury SUV (new, this Grand was almost $40k) and maintenence had suffered in this financial pinch. Many of the Limited models had subsequently been purchased by the same type of person.
After months of searching, I finally found this 1998 model for sale by the original owner with an inch thick file of every time her mechanic had ever touched it. After a brief test drive, I knew I had found my truck. It has some of the most comfortable seats ever, is faster off the line than my BMW Z3, looks like a football player in a tuxedo, and still manages to get respectable mileage if you don't punch it all the time.
After purchase, I set about upgrading it for my needs - upsized Bridgestone Duelers were installed on the factory alloy rims, and drilled brake rotors replaced the easily warped solid factory units. Nakamichi speakers replaced the blown Infinitis, and all fluids were replaced with top quality synthetics. The truck has absolutely zero mechanical problems, the legendary all wheel drive system works perfectly, and the low range is just a flick of the wrist. I make sure to exercise all electrical and mechanical options at least once a month. I rely on my vehicles to get me anywhere at the drop of a hat, and spare no expense for their health.
So why am I selling? Because I have gone insane. I realized I prefer a pickup truck for camping, I realized I already have a 30mpg vehicle for commuting, and I realized that it is nearly impossible to park four cars on the street in San Jose and not have one or two of them get damaged. So I am going to invest the proceeds from the sale of this beautiful Grand Cherokee into the restoration of my ugly and totally rednecked-out 1972 Jeep. Because that is really logical, right?
What the Grand needs to be perfect:
* Heated seats don't work - never had a need for them, so no incentive to see why.
* Power seats move in most directions, but not all. See above...
* Power driver mirror is possessed by demons. Common ZJ Jeep problem.
* A more logical owner.
* If you're really anal - rear bumper could be sanded and resprayed, front bumper has some peel, chips in original windshield, one very minor dent on driver's front fender, tailgate shows some weird warpage at certain angles, tailgate shocks are a bit weak at this point, and there is a scratch down the side that could be buffed out quite easily. The bigger tires mess up calculations of speed and MPG, but you can get a chip to fix that. They also scrape a bit if you really get on the throttle in reverse, but the truck comes with an uninstalled 2" lift kit to remedy that.