Hi all, new here today.

Looking to purchase a Cherokee so have a couple of questions please?

Firstly which is the most "reliable" model Cherokee? The XJ series or the next model ZJ Grand Cherokee? By reliable which is the simplest basically?

I'm looking for the easiest to work on/most reliable model. From about 1994 onwards, the 4.0 litre 6 cylinder I guess, is one model "stronger" than any other in transmission? (All automatic here).

Secondly here in New Zealand, some seem to have rusty drivers floor panels, is this a Jeep problem, or New Zealand weather problem? Any areas I should look for in buying a Jeep, i.e knocks/noises/rust spots etc? And can the rusty floor panel be seen from underneath?

Prefer the look of the ZJ series to be honest, here in NZ they are fairly cheap, but if the older XJ models were better, I'm happy with one of those.

Will be used for highway/towing work only, no bush work etc.

Thanks guys for your input and advice, much appreciated from a newbie.

 

For your definition of reliable, the XJ is simpler.
Rusty floor pans is a very common Jeep problem. New floor pans can be bought for about $50 each.
Sometimes the rusty floors can be seen from underneath. Best bet is to poke the floor with a screwdriver from top and bottom.
How much weight you gonna tow? The V8 GC will out tow a I6.
Btw, I'm biased to XJs lol.

 

99 is the best in my opinion- Better than the old because of new interior/styling, Highest h.p. and torque ratings out of all the production years (195 h.p/225 torque), Still came with a high pinion d30, - better than the new (00-01) because no weak head and weak axles. Then again I am also biased as I own a 99. I also own a 92 and a 94 and have owned an 89. The 97-99 is the best year

Edited- That is regarding XJs, which are clearly the better choice (once again Im biased)

 

get an XJ and dont look back. any year between 91 and 99 is good. i have a 98 and love it. you want the 4.0 inline 6, they are tanks. im around 210k miles and still running strong lol pre 91's have the less desirable renix motors. some post 99 have issues with head cracking.

alot of cherokees from areas close to the coast line and snowy areas with salty roads have rust issues. and i live in that kind of area and my cherokee is suffering from rusty floor pans and a rusty under carriage (frame rails, drive shaft, axles, etc.) and it kind of sucks but im slowly taking care of it. make sure that the frame rails are in good condition first, poke around and make sure its all solid metal. rusty/rotting floor pans arent so bad to deal with (compared to a rusty/rotting rail), you can buy new floor pans online or get some sheet metal and patch it up yourself with sealant and a rivet tool if you cant weld like me hahah rusty rockers and rear quater pannels are pretty of common too, those arent too bad to deal with either. theres alot of helpful advice on here on how to fix all that!

 

The only redeeming factor for the old ones (87-89) for me is that some of them came with D44s.

 

Thanks guys, reading round the internet, the XJs seem to be well loved.

I'm in New Zealand, so ANY rust will make it fail its "warrant of fitness", a 6 monthly vehicle inspection we have to take our vehicles for. No warrant of fitness, no insurance, and a big fine from the Police. However I'm okay with welding so not so much of a concern. Any rust at all here, the car will instantly fail and be off the road.

Can buy a tidy 94 XJ here for about $2000-3000.

Out of interest, here is a link from our major auction site in NZ for a Cherokee

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used...-666796918.htm

cheers.

 

I resent and really can't understand why people always trip on the renix... I had an '88 mj and to this day was the best truck I ever had... put 190k flawless miles on it, well other then a cracked exhaust manifold, and hyd clutch line (rubbed against hot manifold) o2 sensor, cat, brakes, rotors etc...It still ran like the day I bought it when I sold it to my brother..

strong as a horse would drive it anywhere, any day and it never left me stranded.. not once....

now that I feel I've backed up the renix I can't really recommend a year per se but rather recommend you check out the vehicle best you can, fluids, maintenance etc and make a sound decision based on your findings... I too was looking for a zj as they are plentiful and can be had reasonably because the market is flooded with them...

I'm partial for the '97 up interior but nostalgic for the older interiors..... either is fine with me...

 

They are no more prone to rust than any other vehicle subjected to the same conditions so if you find one that's been at least minimally cared for you shouldn't have any problems. I beg to differ with those suggesting the early years were sub-standard. My '89 has been as reliable or more than many of the later models. There is absolutely nothing wrong with '89 and '90 (Renix) XJs. Some of the pre-89 models had some issues and the V-6 engine sourced from GM was no where near the 4.0L I6 which has a reputation for lasting infinitely while the V-6... well, it doesn't. While the '91 on has a couple more horsepower and I think ONE more torque, there is zero performance advantage and by '97, the added weight of a steel hatch and airbags cancelled out any advantage those small horsepower and torque gains might have had.

 

I guess it is personal preference. I hate the vacuum system/terrible wiring +connectors/ lack of OBD for diagnosing problems/brakes/ leak prone fuel injectors/ etc. from the renix era. And yea the interior is terrible on them compared to the new ones (also my opinion). If they were better, why would Jeep have gotten rid of them?

Est weights- 4 door- 4x4- auto
1987- 173hp, 220ftlb- 3130LBS
1999- 190hp, 225ftlb- 3360LBS
So doing the math, the newer ones have a hard PW ratio of .0565476 where as the old ones have a hard PW ratio of- .055271. Meaning the extra HP gained is >the extra weight. Not to mention the more advanced intake/fuel delivery system/ etc.

All XJs are good in my book. And I know some people really like the renix. I am not one of them. Having had both, I wont go back. To each their own. No disrespect to the renix owners out there haha. Just take a look at a newer-ish one before you buy the old one