tbryanh

Hi. New to Jeeps. Was thinking about picking up a used Cherokee, probably one made in the late 80s or early 90s, but I am open to suggestions.

I have heard the engines can go about 300,000 miles. Is this true?

I was thinking about getting a 2-wheel drive for the simplicity of it. I probably won't use 4-wheel drive even if I have it. 4-wheel drive can be expensive to fix.

Any info will be much appreciated. Thanks.

Orlo

Look for a 97-99 4x4 that does not have rust problems and is decent mechanically. If you want a 2wd Cherokee you should probably buy something else. It's like buying an airplane without wings. What are you going to do with it?

gpXJ

Here's the deal - if you are willing to learn your Jeep and perform work on it yourself, they can hardly be beat for economical vehicles. Everything is pretty accessible and with the exception of a few parts, things are generally not expensive to buy. As long as you keep up with general maintenance (oil changes, diff and tcase fluid changes, plugs, wires and such and cooling system!!), the 4.0 and trans will last for a long time.

And I agree with the above, look for a 97-99.

While normally the 4-wheel drive systems in vehicles can be costly to fix, I don't think that's the case with the Jeeps. You can get a front axle, transfer case and driveshaft for under $500 at a junkyard any day of the week, and replace the whole thing if necessary. In the car maintenance world, that's cheap. Again, this is assuming you are willing and able to work on your rig yourself.

I've had 2 Cherokees and one Grand Cherokee (ZJ, so the drivetrain was the same). That ZJ lived through me as a teenager, and got passed on to my aunt who drove it past 400k miles and then gave it to a friend in need. To my knowledge, the thing is still going strong, and it never needed anything but routine maintenance and replacement of wear parts (water pump, radiator and things of that nature). My current XJ has 190k miles on it and I drive it back and forth to Austin from Dallas (450 miles round trip) 4 times a month, along with a 300 mile round trip to East Texas twice a month. It's never let me down and always got me home. While I've toyed with the notion of getting something that may be a little more comfortable or get better gas mileage, the reality is even if something happened, I could easily fix it myself in my driveway, which might not be the case with some little foreign job.

Turbo X_J

Rust kills Jeeps.

odgreen

They can last for a little bit. Lol

odgreen

And no. 4wd on an xj isn't expensive to fix.

tbryanh

Some good info here. Much appreciated.

Why is the 97-99 the best choice?

odgreen

They are the last of the most reliable years.

Fred/N0AZZ

They have all the best of the modern without the problems of the 00-01's. The best one of that group would be a 99 several advances in that year before they went to an engine that had head problems, no dist and a weaker less clearance LPD30 front axle in the 00/01's. All 97 up XJ's with the Chy 8.25 rear differential (avoid the D35 "rear very weak") came with a 29 spline axle and are quite strong.

tbryanh

Is the six cylinder engine better than the 8 cylinder engine?

odgreen

Yes

tbryanh

Seems there are more Grand Cherokees (ZJ) in 97-99 than there are Cherokees (XJ).

Other than being about a foot longer than the XJ and possibly having an 8 cylinder instead of a 6 cylinder engine, is the ZJ just as good as the XJ?

odgreen

No

Bustedback

Comparing a ZJ to an XJ is like comparing apples to pares. They're both very good vehicles and share a lot of drivetrain components, but there also quite a few differences. The ZJ is definitely a more comfortable vehicle and is pretty reliable, but it does have a few weak links if you're going to do some serious off roading. The rear axle on the ZJ with the six cylinder is the very weak Dana 35. The transmission is not as reliable as what the XJ has, if maintained it will do he job, but won't take much abuse. The front axle is the low pinion Dana 30, it's an ok axle, just not as strong as the high pinion Dana 30. The V8 in the ZJ is very reliable, not as bullet proof as the six, but still pretty good. If you plan on doing mostly street duty, I think a ZJ will do you fine. I have 230k on my ZJ and it runs like top with no signs of crapping out soon.
The XJ is very rugged and reliable on and off the road, they're cheap to repair and upgrade (definitely a win over the ZJ). The XJ does have some issues that can annoy you. They suffer from a lot of wind noise, they're kind of cramped for people of larger carriage, they tend to rust more than the ZJ, and they're hard to find unmolested or rusted out for decent price. Their strong points are the rear axle choices, a better transmission, a choice of automatic or five speed, high pinion front axle, choice of two or four doors, a very strong aftermarket for upgrades.
You really should consider choosing one with four wheel drive. Once you venture off road you will be hooked and looking for new trails and adventure. You can still have some fun with a two wheel drive, but it does limit your fun.

Hoosier8

262K on mine and would still be on the road if the garage had not crashed it into one of their benches. I fixed the front end but am now tackling what was mentioned before, rust. Water tends to sit in the carpet padding against the floor and they can rust pretty fast when they start. I am replacing my floor pans and will have to replace one of the quarter panels and just for fun, I will be replacing the metal above the windshield because it is rusting too.