Jyossarian

Hi all,

This seems like a great community of owners that I hope to become an active part of.

I'm looking to purchase an older GC as a daily driver, probably just a local grocery getter not a true rock crawler.

Locally there is a 1995 GC Laredo with the 6cyl and up country suspension with 183000mi. I was hoping that someone could tell me what to look out for and what the common problems are with this vehicle.

Thanks in advance,

J.

dave1123

Most 6's have the 242 transfer case (Selectrac) which is good, as opposed to the 249 Quadratrac AWD system, which has it's problems. The weakest link is the transmission (42re) but with proper maintenance and no abuse, is okay, but not strong.

Another point is the D35 rear axle. They tend to start whining around your mileage. This is due to worn pinion bearings. Also, watch for frame rust around the axle control arm mounts. Most other problems are normal maintenance items such as wheel bearings, brakes, u-joints, and engine sensors.

Welcome to CF! There's a good bunch of guys here that will help you out if they can. Just be aware that this is an opinion site and responses are not to be taken as gospel. As with my statements, I just told you things from my own personal experiences, things that caused me problems with MY first jeep. I wasn't careful and bought a horse with bad teeth, if you know what I mean. I just saw the 6 with the 242 and it was mine, never looking at other things. The transmission started slipping in 2 months, then the rear axle blew up. I learned my lesson the hard way. After fixing these things, the lower control arms on the rear axle broke out of the frame. I sold it for parts and when looking for another one, very much wiser.

CaliCherokee95

I have a 95 as well...sort of new to this forum, but there's a wealth of knowledge here!
I've had my Jeep for about 2 years, 6cyl, 2WD Laredo and it sits at 145k mi. For an almost 20yr old SUV I'm impressed that I've had no real issues, although recently the tranny had to be rebuilt, but that's par for the course with older cars. I don't have all those (Limited) extra electrical doo-dads though ,info center..alarm..etc.,which I hear could start to get problematic if not cured early on, so im good with what I have. I love it, my wife loves it and it handles real solid. I think you'll really enjoy it...
Good luck

dave1123

Yeah, you've got to remember that the Grand Cherokee was the top-of-the-line model as far as jeeps go. Sort of like Cadillac is to GM. You can get simpler or more complex models as far as creature comforts are concerned.

My '00 WJ is a base-line model. It doesn't have power seats, automatic climate control, lighted vanity mirrors, fog lights, or memory side mirrors, BUT THAT'S WHY I BOUGHT IT! The only things it DOESN'T have that I wanted are the tow package and front tow hooks. It seems the only options the original owner got were the optional size tires (245/70R16) and a radio the plays CDs and cassettes.