I've been looking at Jeep Grand Cherokees and when I came across the 5.9l I fell in love.

Unfortunately, it seems that these models are plagued with Transmission issues. Is this correct? The main issue I would have is reliability. I would need to rely on this car as a daily driver year round. Of course, I would expect to go without for a few days a year, but it couldn't be something that happens every month or two. I could spare maybe 1 or 2 thousand a year, but not much, especially if it was annually.

Thanks for the help,
Liam

Also, would it be feasible to take a standard Limited and make it nearly idententical to the 5.9l, spare the engine?

 

Yes, reliable as long as you don't neglect or abuse it. The 98 ZJ with a 5.9 is kind of rare too.

 

On MSN Autos GC's are rated even less reliable than XJ's, pretty scary if you ask me.

They seem to have electrical problems, and it's a good thing you have an extra $2k to spare, with the 5.9 you'll be using it on gas.

 

If I bought a GC I'd get the 4.0 or the 318, the 318 has plenty of power and sounds great with a Flowmaster on it.

 

The 5.9 came with a stronger 46RE transmission over the 5.2 (Wikipedia). If you look in depth on MSN Autos under the reliability history, you can see the 1997 and 1998 ZJ's had fewer transmission troubles reported. At my local parts yards I've seen dozens of 93-96 ZJ's come and go, but not too many 97-98's.

 

If an XJ is your standard for reliability you're not going to like much of anything else out there. Just because it's not as reliable as an XJ doesn't mean it's unreliable.

The 5.9s are good motors, but yeah, they do come with the problem of ****ty Chrysler electrical systems. Same problems Rams had that had them but there's still plenty of them on the road. If you're looking for a reliable drivetrain you won't be disappointed, if you're looking for 4.0 reliability and lifetime you might.

And like others have said, the 5.9 GCs are rare. You'll spend a lot more for them than you will for a 5.2 which is just as reliable. I wouldn't worry about the transmissions. They're cheap and easy to find and easy to swap.

 

The transmission behind the 5.9 is beefier than the others.