87xjDave

Looking at purchasing a WJ with the 4.0l engine. What do u like or dislike about your WJ?

blueseasons

That is a lot harder question to answer than one would think. It really depends on what you plan to do with it. We own a 2000 with the v8. We don't take it off road and we don't plan any radical modifications to make it more off road worthy. We use it like we would any other vehicle, the "daily driver" For that it is great. It handles well in all traffic. The size is perfect. Plenty of room inside , but its not a big vehicle. Many of the newer SUV type vehicles have been redesigned and become over bloated. Look at the new 4 Runners, Pathfinders, Pilots and even the new Cherokees. They are huge. Great acceleration. Cruses on the freeway at high speeds effortlessly. Parks and turns well. We can fit anything we need to in the back. We have recently moved and needed to but "stuff". We fit a full sized electric dryer in the back with room for groceries at the same time. The back window opens , with the hatch down and thats a plus.
I like the body style of the 1999-2004 better than the pre and post design. The interior is nice to look at and functional. Its a very "rich" and expensive looking without being gaudy. I like that little device that tells you everything like, MPG's outside temperature, and it has a compass. Great stock stereo. Heater and A/C do the job. There isn't much I don't like about it as a general use car. Transmission shifts imperceptibly. It rides like a Jeep. Not a Cadillac. Its not a smooth ride. When you hit a bump or ride over train tracks, you can hear it and feel it. I like to be able to feel the road so this isn't an issue for me. It's easy to get in and out of.

Mileage around town is poor. We get as low as 13mpg. That increases greatly on the freeway, but we have the Over Drive transmission, something I would look for if I were shopping. Engine is a bit loud, but we have the V8.

I think one of the big issues for me is its reputation for reliability. The issues with heater core and blower door failures are well documented. Replacing a heater core will be very expensive. I read this forum almost daily. I am amazed at the range and number of mechanical issues that are encountered. If you look at the Edmunds site, you can read customer experiences that contradict each other. There seems to be no middle ground. It often sounds like people are talking about two different cars. Either they love em or hate em. Its either the best vehicle they have ever owned, or the worse.

Ours was a very affordable buy. We paid $4500 for it with 139,000 miles on it. I'd say it was a great buy for 15 year old vehicle that looks and runs like new. At this point , it doesn't burn a drop of oil, which is a first for me and any vehicle I have owned with this kind of mileage. The place we bought it from replaced the heater core for us at no cost. It had new brakes, front and back (rotors and pads) new Michelin tires and a new battery. The CV boots on both side were bad. I had the axles replaced. Ours has the full timer 4x4. I would prefer not to have that and I prefer a manual transmission. I would not have wanted to buy this vehicle new, as my observation is all Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge products lose value faster than other brands.

Have not taken it off road yet. We don't have snow or ice, so we don't know
how that part of the equation is. There isn't much I don't like about it. We have owned it a year . My wife likes it and I think it is a great vehicle for the money. Hope all this rambling helps.

Fred/N0AZZ

The 99-04 WJ's are the best either to mod for off road or a DD like mine and a tow vehicle for my XJ. It is an 04 Overland edition with the 4.7HO motor and has every option offered by Jeep for that year.


I bought it 5 yrs. ago on craigslist after watching it for 2 1/2 mo of it listed, the reason was the mileage 201,000 and no one had even looked at it. When I saw it I thought that it could have been brand new spotless inside and out Black Pearl Metalflake with Black/Gray Leather interior. Bought it on the spot when I looked through every service record that had been done to it at Jeep Dealership even the oil from the day it rolled off the lot.


Now 5 yrs. later have not put a single dime into it other than gas and oil all equipment works excellent. It has worked better than any 4x4 we have ever owned in 50 yrs in the snow/ice up to 4' drifts for miles here in the country to get to town, it will break a trail for sure.

dave1123

Mine is a '00 with the 4.0 liter 6 cylinder and had 125K miles on it when I bought it. It was clean, rust free, and had maintainance records. It also has the Selectrac transfer case which gives you the 2WD option.

It now has 179K on it and I've repaired a few things, but nothing major besides a cracked head, which is a problem with the '99 to '01 models. I use it in the snow for newspaper delivery and it's unstoppable. So far, it's the best USED car I've ever owned. Some people say the 4.0 is low on power, but I load it up with 1500 lbs of newspapers and you can hardly tell the difference, except for longer stopping distances.

The automatic transmission is a 4 speed and 4th gear is overdrive. The transfer case can be shifted "on-the-fly" just by letting off on the throttle and pulling the shifter, except for low range.

I will say that dealer parts are expensive, but after-market parts are affordable. Don't buy cheap sensors because they don't last.

Go to wjjeeps.com for more info. BTW, I just read your user info and I see you own an XJ so you know about jeeps. The WJ is more of a luxury family cruiser but is still very capable off road. It's a little heavier than the XJ, weighing in at 3980 lbs with the 4.0. The only thing I question is if it has Quadradrive, I wouldn't buy it without checking it out first.

Cherokee_Mike

I have a 2000 model WJ with the 4.0 I6 & Quadra-Trac II transmission - had it for a little over 3 1/2 years now and am very pleased with it.
Paid just under £1500 for it with 57k miles, now has just under 70k miles.
I've replaced all 4 brake calipers & discs and also a fuel pump and the heater blower motor control unit a couple of times but parts prices are quite reasonable if you don't go to a main dealer. I run 245/70x16 tyres which are about £65 each. Fuel economy averages about 14-15mpg on local trips but I've got upto 23mpg on a decent run but my annual mileage is 3-3.5k miles so I can live with it.
Prefer the WJ to my previous XJ which I found the interior space too small in the load area and for rear legroom.

wjlizard

I have a 2002 Grand Cherokee special edition with the 4 liter motor and the select Trac transfer case I have owned it since brand new in 2002 it has a hundred and fifty eight thousand miles on it. I love the vehicle it has served us well having 3 kids with that said we have had our fair share of stupid little problems the only real major problem happened under warranty the cam and lifters in the motor went bad aside from that I have replaced all of the typical WJ parts sensors radiator governor pressure solenoid in transmission just to name a few they are not bad vehicles and go like tanks in the snow and off road they are good cars just not perfect. I personally prefer the 4 liter with the Select track transfer case due to its simplicity the v8 with Quadra Drive can be very pricey to fix.

GUARDIAN

I have the 04, 4.0 selectrac, automatic. Bought it with about 11k on the clock. Now has 156k, have no major problems, a sensor or two, the common rear main seal replacement. Just started adding mods last year and found you really have to look for mods for the wj if thats what your going to do. I recently went with a 2.5 inch lift "fat bob's garage" and all new control arms by "iron rock off-road", "jks" adj track bar, ball joints, new tre, and new wheels. I have had to replace the a/c compressor, but i live in vegas.

dave1123

I just came home from Pick&Pull yesterday with a rear door latch and there were 15 WJ's in the yard, most of them were 4.7 V8's or collision wrecks. Only 2 were early ones with 4.0's with cracked heads. That ought to tell you something.