Hey guys, looking for some advice. (long time lurker)
My better half totaled her Liberty and we need a little more room.

We have found a clean 04 Grand Laredo with 97k on the clock. Price is 5K
Its the 4.0 model.

My basic question is, are these of the same legendary reliability as my 4.0 XJ?

Any advice as to the best years of the grands?

Thanks for helping me find a grocery getter!

 

04 is the last year of the body style so it should be the best year.What i have seen out of the grands is if you take care of it will last a long time,Everyone i seen had problems the owner drove it hard and never changed anything on it.

 

WJs are reasonably reliable if maintained but not as good as the XJ. The weakest link reliability wise in the drivetrain is the 42RE transmission. If it is maintained it can hold up ok, but it is common to have to rebuild a 42RE at 150,000 - 175,000 miles, where as the AW4 in the XJ is known to go 300,000+ without a rebuild and commonly goes 200,000K without a rebuild. And of course Grand Cherokees in general are known for more electrical issues than the XJ since they have allot more electronics and electrical items (ATC, Power seat, etc.).

If you don't have a transmission cooler I would highly recommend adding one as this is known to extend the life of the 42RE significantly and make sure to change the fluid every 30,000 mi and only use ATF+4 in the 42RE.

 

This.

 

Other then the transmission it should be just as reliable as an XJ

My wife and I had a 02 Limited with 4.7 and all the bells and whistles the only reason we dont have it anymore is because it overheated one day the HG blew filled the #8 cylinder with coolant and when my wife went to start it the rod bent. We didnt have the money to fix it so we sold it for 5K and bought my Mother inlaws 02 Mustang Gt that had 42,000 miles for 4,500 all it did was sit in her garage.