AgentCooper

Hello all! Brand new to the forum and was hoping for some sound advice from some of you Jeep heads out there!
My 17 year old son has been saving his money towards a used 4x4 and we have been looking around at older low
mileage Jeeps as well as Nissan Xterras. I recently came across a good looking 1998 Grand Cherokee that has
only 87k miles on it and looks amazingly clean. It's the 6 cylinder model. I'm not sure about the reliability on these
and was hoping some you might chime in. They are asking a bit more than we want to pay but might take a reasonable
offer.....just worried that it might be a money pit with various issues that might come up. Anything I/we should be
looking out for etc? Thanks in advance!

RocketMouse

The inline 6 4.0l engine is darn near bullet proof if it's been maintained correctly.

Others will chime in on their thoughts... here's a short 2 cents of what I think/know of the GC's.
They're not bad vehicles, but when compared to a regular Cherokee (XJ), the Grand Cherokees tend to cost a bit more to maintain and fix when things go wrong/break then on a regular Cherokee. Just because parts cost more for them in general.
They are also well known for having their fair share of electrical gremlins. Just do a Google search on 98 Grand Cherokee and electrical issues. You'll see.
Doesn't mean to stay away from them, but just as long as you know what you're getting into before you hand over the hard earned cash for one.

For any Jeep, another thing you want to look for is check the body out really well for rust hiding underneath...as that is the death of them. Comes down to Unibody vs. traditional body with frame construction.
Outside of that, just the normal things you would check on any vehicle, fluids levels, condition of said fluids, leaks, etc. also any history of maint. records. How it drives, does it shift how it's supposed to, drive, handle, etc. Remember it will drive differently than other 4x4s as the Jeeps have a solid front axle. It's also common for front end components to wear. (As with any vehicle). but they are pretty easy to work on, so replacing some of those things are both easy and fairly cheap. Could be a good bargaining point when it comes to price if all else looks good to you. When it comes to the front suspension...beware of the death wobble. Google that one too. It's mainly from worn front end tie rods in conjunction with worn track bar... again, easy fixes.... I just did all 4 ends and the track bar on my XJ and took me all of about 2 hours in my own driveway. And only about $200 bucks in parts.

AgentCooper

Thanks for the input...I've been reading up as much as I can and it sounds like the rust thing is an issue. We are going to check the one we like out this coming Tuesday so I'll go through it
as best as I can. It only has 87k miles on it...which is crazy low. Not sure if that means it was babied or it had issues LOL

RocketMouse

No worries.. that's why we're all here.

I only had 96k on my '99 XJ that I picked up a month and a half ago. I knew it needed a little TLC maintenance, which especially if you know how to wrench, is the easy part. But it had no rust at all on the body...so had to buy her.
Finding one that the body is rust free of that age, that's a different story. I'm not saying to just neglect the fact of the overall mechanical condition, but those are generally fixable things, on a Unibody constructed vehicle, rust is the mortal enemy of these types of vehicles... So personally, knowing how to work on my own vehicles, I'd rather have to fix a few components than to find one in great running condition and have the body going south in a hurry.
Any other questions... we're here so just ask.

StealthyMcStealth

I would jump all over one with only 87,000 miles. I just bought a '93 Grand Cherokee with 147,000 miles and it drives like a dream. And it was the lowest mileage one I found in the ZJ body style. With normal maintenance he could drive that for years.

RocketMouse

There is something to be said about the miles... assuming the body is good. And even 147k, for a '93 is pretty low for the year. I just turned over 97k on my '99 XJ.

And people seem to drive so much more these days... when I was looking for my XJ, I also tossed an eye at newer vehicles as well. I can't tell you how many 2010-2013 vehicles I saw that already had 100k plus on them and not even 10 years old.

AgentCooper

Haven't seen it in person...we are going down Tuesday to check it out. Been texting a bit with the guy that is selling it. Says no rust but I'll be sure
to look it over hard. Asking 4500...but I think a reasonable offer would be 3800 - 4k

RocketMouse

Another thought too is if you have the VIN for a few bucks you could CARFAX it. If it shows maint. records on it, that's a bonus. But big thing is accidents and/or repairs, etc.
And being of that age, if you're not dealing with the original owner, they may not know if it was damaged and repaired before they bought it. Some shops do repair work correctly, others just get sneaky and hide the damage because they want to pocket more of the money and not fix it right. So give that thing an exam that a proctologist would be proud of. lol.

andrewmp6

The 4.0 in it is pretty tough,But the trans would be the weak link but if taken care of it should be fine.Like said get a carfax and make sure it has a clean title not a salvaged title.

andrewmp6

As some one that use to do body work,Most shops that take in insurance work do the cheapest and fastest repairs to make a good profit,And fast so the insurance company keeps using them.I have seen big name shops here have over spray on things that should have been covered.

RocketMouse

Exactly... I'm not surprised at all. In a cut-throat industry, sometimes even a shop that normally would have higher standards for their work..... in order to keep the doors open may decide to let the quality side on some things. Unfortunate...but it does happen.

andrewmp6

I will add not all salvaged titles are really bad,My beater pickup was stolen before i bought,They got it stuck in the mud and busted out all the windows in for fun.I had to replace all the glass and steering column.It was just so old was cheaper for them to junk it.

RocketMouse

^^ true... depending on what your purpose for it is...and exactly why it was issued a salvage title....and/or a reconstructed title... There are many reasons why a vehicle could be issued one. I guess for me personally... if it were for a reason like you mentioned, that may not keep me from buying it. But if it were for say frame damage, etc...then yeah.