I am looking to buy a jeep grand Cherokee as a second car and for the winter time. The year I am looking at is from 95-00, my questions are. Are there any problems with these cars with high miles,any problems I should look for when I go look at and test drive one. Do certain things start to break after a certain mileage point?

 

Make sure you have heat. The blend doors hasve issues as well as the heater core getting clogged.

RIZ

 

Mileage isn't usually a big problem on the I6 anyway. I have 218k and runs like a champ. Just check for usual maintenance issues with older vehicles, such as rust, suspension parts, etc. Just look it over before you start buying. There are plenty out there to choose from.

 

Check the rear frame/suspension points for rust. Front also. My 97 ZJ had 205K on it (4.0) and ran perfectly, but the frame turned to swiss cheese. That's in upstate NY where we use salt on the roads.

The transmission is the weak link. My 42RE was rebuilt at 185K and I had no problems with the 242 transfer.

 

Yeah my frame is a little rusty, I live in the poconos in PA where we also use salt lol. Luckily mines just surface rust.

 

if you find one with full time 4wd make sure the viscous coupler is good, drive it in a big parking lot and do some figure 8s. if the tires chirp alot and you hear loud binding noises, then the vc is probably bad

 

I always liked the 242 Selecdrive because of the 2WD option. Much less to go wrong with it.

You can also get the binding and hopping with bad axle u-joints.

Now that you mention it, my ZJ had blend door problems too. The blower would sound like a tornado and I'd only get a whisper of air out of the defrosters. It was enough to clear the windshield but would toast my toes.

 

My advice is to stray away from all V8 full time 4WD grand cherokees. Set your sights on on I6 with the 242 T-Case and you'll be set.

 

My WJ came from PA and it looks pristine compared to my ZJ. I bought the ZJ from a soldier leaving Ft. Drum in Watertown, NY. Now THAT"S SNOW COUNTRY! The wind comes across the whole length of Lake Ontario and dumps snow there when everyone else has clear skies! Most towns around here start the winter with mounds of salt 50 ft. high!

I second the idea of looking for a 4.0 I6 and 242 case. The ZJs were made up until 98, then it became the WJ with a different body in 99. It looks bigger, but it really isn't. It just looks pregnant. (Scary word!)

There's a sticky thread in the beginning of this section called "Post your lifted ZJ/WJ". It may give you some ideas

 

Thanks for the advice guys. A friend of mine at work told me that, the transmissions blow out with the high mileage Cherokee's. So I wanted some advice from the experts. I live in CT and I have a 350z,but i can't drive that in the winter time. So I would only drive the Cherokee like 4 months out the year and when it snows that's why I want 4wd.

 

I honestly have to admit your friend was right about the trans being a weak link. Another well known problem is the Dana 35 rear axle. In both cases, if they were taken care of and treated right, they're okay. The axle seems to be more of a problem with the Selectrac 242 transfer case because it's used a lot more than the front axle.

I personaly love my jeep. There is just something about plowing snow with the front bumper while other people are stuck!