Jeep Cherokee - Might Buy It...?

[fowldarr]

Any of you that know me, know that I have been on a never ending quest for a suitable vehicle since my yukon puked it's tranny guts out all over the road at 70 mph. I have almost bought everything from troopers to 4 runners to discovery's, but every deal has fallen through for one reason or another.

Enter the Jeep Cherokee. I don't know much about them. never owned a jeep. I can tell you that it is pretty standard optioned, no aftermarket stuff, the cheapest looking wheels a guy could ask for, dark forest green, etc. It has about 130,000 miles on it. According to my research it is slightly overpriced (on a lot), but that is my issue to deal with.

My question to you guys, what can I expect from a Cherokee as a daily driver, weekend warrior camper vehicle. I do no extreme rock crawling, and unfortunatley, I have no long term expeditions planned at the moment (maybe after the kids are grown up....right?)

I know of the other cherokee forums, but I know you guys and respect your opinions.

(To give you a better idea of what I'm used to for a daily driver before I get a bunch of flaming responses of 'how do we know how well you're going to like it', I drove an 84 Land Cruiser as a daily driver before graduating to a 94 Yukon. I've also owned International Scouts, and a 77 Blazer)

 

[Black Dog]

What year, engine, tranny, etc etc?

 

[caseyjones]

I drive a 99 sport and you describe how I use mine. Mine has the NP242 transfer case, 4.0l an automatic transmission. 31" tires, 1.5" budget boost (spacer in front and shackles in back), ARB bumper and Warn M8000 winch. Otherwise bone stock, 122k miles. It's so practical and cheap that i'm really having an internal struggle on whether I should get rid of it for a new Wrangler Unlimited (that I've been dreaming about and saving for since 07...). Mine's had pretty much every typical issue-electrical (window lock switch, speaker wiring, intermittent gauge cluster connection), oil leaks (valve cover gasket, maybe slight rear main), radiator overflow nipple rotted off, oil pressure sender disintegrated, rear hatch latch needs constant adjustment, etc etc. It was wrecked, it was stolen,recovered and repaired, and it's still a pretty good truck. We drove it approx 2000 miles over 10 days to visit family for Christmas...I'm not going to say it was the most comfortable drive (3 adults, 2.5 year old, small dog and the cargo area packed to the roof), but it wan't unbearable either. I think what will ultimately force my hand is lack of rear seat room for my daughter and her booster seat--she's already crunched up with her feet pushed against the passenger seat.

 

[fowldarr]

it is a 2000, straight six

 

[jeepdreamer]

The XJ is an outstanding platform. The 4.0 is a near bullet proof motor good for well into 300k miles when maintained. The AW4 auto (guessing yours isn't the kinda rare manual) is a tough, reliable tranny as well. For day to day use the function very well and even bone stock the perform on moderate trails pretty dang well. Gas mileage will almost always be 19-21 on the highway ate fast speed. As long as you are comfortable inside it and find its layout to your satisfaction you will be happy. Some complain about the seating but I suppose that depends on how big you are? I'm 6' 190 and never had issues. Good luck!

 

[Jim K in PA]

Jeepdreamer put it about as succinctly as possible. I have never personally owned one, but know several that just keep going and never die. If basic proper maintenance has been done, the mileage is irrelevant as you will easily get another 150-250k from that engine, and perhaps even the trans. If you plan to tow, put in a trans cooler. Older XJs (pre-95 or so) I have seen with some rear rust issues in the wheel wells, which then allows water to saturate the rear carpet and cause cargo floor area rust. Other than that, negotiate a good price, put in a couple of cheap lockers, and that thing will take you anywhere you care to go.

 

[briboki]

(To give you a better idea of what I'm used to for a daily driver before I get a bunch of flaming responses of 'how do we know how well you're going to like it', I drove an 84 Land Cruiser as a daily driver before graduating to a 94 Yukon. I've also owned International Scouts, and a 77 Blazer)

You'll find it smaller than most of the vehicles you are used to. I enjoy the small size of my xj. It fits on any trail and is easy to park downtown. Although, I grew up driving a 40 series landcruiser so the xj seems big in comparison. I only have one kid with no plans for more. If I had two kids I probably would have bought something slightly bigger. With the solid front axle it rides a little harsher than an IFS vehicle on the streets, but still comfy with a decent suspension.

I've found towing with the xj to be scary, although that was with no rear sway bar and a 2" OME lift. The load was around 1200 pounds, no trailer brakes. I'm not new to towing, just never done it with a vehicle this small.

If the size works for you, then hold out for the configuration you want. 231 vs 242 Tcase. D35 rear (ABS?) vs 8.25 (no abs). Parts are cheap and plentiful.

I'm 5'10 & 190 lbs and I sit with the seat all the way back.

 

[Mr. D]

My brother in law, his last 3 vehicles have been Cherokees. His grandmother had one for the last 15 yrs of her life and now his dad her, son drives it daily.

 

[Lesspavedrds]

I DD a 98 XJ and love it. 140,000 and I don't hesitate to take it into Baja or Canyonlands. I am 6'6" 220lbs and I was able to easily make a seat relocation bracket and it is comfy for me. Not much room for back seat passenger now, but you can still slide forward a bit.

Mine has 33s with 4.56 gears and lockers and still gets 17 mpg fully loaded with RTT on top.

 

[duckhunter71]

I've got an 01 Cherokee Sport. 4.0L auto with 103k miles. Let me begin by telling you that I am a very, very picky person when it comes to my vehicles. I have had 3 brand new 4x4s in a row prior to this Cherokee (Chev Silverado 4x4 Z71, Nissan Xterra Off Road 4x4, and Ford F-150 FX4). I only bought my Jeep as a hunting and camping rig when my job led me to purchase a car for the amount of driving I do, but I have quickly fallen in love with my XJ. As others have said, they're a little bumpy, bouncy, rattly, etc. But this is the first vehicle that I've ever owned that I just can't picture myself selling. If I didn't have such a long commute, I could totally DD the thing.

My XJ has a Rubicon Express 4.5" lift with 31x10.5 ******** Cepek F-C IIs on it as well as a bumper and winch. I looked at everything.. really liked the 3rd gen 4Runners, but couldn't justify spending $10k on a 10-year old ride with similar miles to my Cherokee and 0 mods. For the money, the Cherokees seem to deliver the most bang for the buck.

If you can live with the Cherokees' shortcomings (comfort, roughish ride, etc), you will absolutely love owning one.

 

[Hill Bill E.]

I've had 4 XJ's over the years, just traded my '99 Unlimited in on a '00 TJ, but really loved that one!

The older ones were pretty problem prone, especially my '86 with the V6- it was a dog!

But the '97-'00 (or '01?) are really well built. Like the others said, with proper maintenance, the 4.0L and AW4 trans are good for 300K miles.

At 130K, it's just getting broken in!!

My '99 had the 242 T-case, it's actually nice, as it has the 'full time' option. So you can have 2 hi, 4 Hi Full Time, 4 Hi Part time and 4 LO part time.

The 231 T-case is a standard case, with 2 HI, 4 HI and 4 LO. Both are good T-cases. The Grand Cherokees (ZJ's) had the 249 full time case, with a viscous coupling that will go out.

As far as the rear axle, the 8.25 is more desirable among the wheeling crowd, as they are a bit beefier, but as mentioned, no ABS.

The D35 is an OK axle for a stock rig/slight modified (31" tires) and 'overlanding' type of driving. The shafts are weak, and prone to snapping with larger tires and aggressive driving. (Usually severe wheel hop while climbing an obstacle precedes the 'snap' noise)

They are great rigs, and with the amount of them produced, finding parts is easy, and you can usually find nice ones at reasonable prices.

 

[BigSwede]

Make sure you can fit in it, I can't even come close in a Cherokee unless I drive Shaq-style with my head through the sunroof...

 

[fowldarr]

I'm pretty average sized. I think it will be ok, but I will be taking a closer look at it this week. Would still love to find a nice trooper swede, but they are proving difficult to find in good condition in this part of the country.

 

[alexfm]

I've got a 95 XJ with the 4.0L Six, and the AX15 (5 Speed) manual. Right now, I'm riding at about 228K miles and still going strong. I can't imagine ever selling my baby, and don't really like driving anything else. Everybody has different opinions, but I actually prefer the ride of my XJ over my mom's 06 Explorer which has 4 corner independent suspension. I'm 6'4", and I fit with the driver seat all the way back. Granted, I have a 2 door model, so the seats can slide back a bit further. Overall, I love my XJ, its super reliable, great engine, and it'll go just about anywhere.

 

[cocco78]

Pretty subjective issues being brought up really. I had a 2000 xj and it road and drove as good as any other 4wds i've owned. The big issue is they tend to be a bit cramped if your tall, but I was always very comfortable in mine even on long trips. I would say the xj is snug bug comfy, in the front seats anyway. But the fact is they are so cheap and so darn reliable any shortcomings or quirks you find just add to the charm. The old 4.0L is a bit loud compared to newer vehicles, but the xj's are pretty zippy and even handle pretty good. They are pretty fun to drive, I actually miss mine, I replaced it with a WJ, and then a WK. The only issues I really know about are the issues with cracked cylinder heads on the 2000 and newer 4.0L's, do some research on that but remember the internet tends to make things sound worse than they are. Another issue is 4.0L's tend to develop leaky rear main seals early on, not a big deal, my 98 TJ has 70k miles on it, hard miles, and leaks just barely enough to maybe form one drop after running a while.

I also have an 88 Comanche with the 4.0L and aw4 auto that has nearly 250k miles on it, still going strong, underpowered but still runs like a champ.