Soo I wanted to know what you guys thinks better an the older style jeep grand cherokee or the newer 99-02 jeep grand cherokees ? Im looking for a semi 4x4ing rig for camping and what not got the 87 cherokee to go through the thick stuff so not really worried about it getting beat up tooo bad

 

Why wouldn't you want another Cherokee?

I'd pick the ZJ over the WJ. The WJ looks like a boat.

 

Wj, Have had both and really prefered the 2002 overland. The "boat" is pretty capable off road. Lots more room than a XJ. Love that 4.7 H.O power.

 

ZJ's are hideous. Get a wj with the 4.0, 4.7 has too many issues and I'm pretty sure you can't take them out if 4wd

 

In my opinion the Grand Cherokee in general is hideous.

 

Anyone who thinks a wj is better looking than a zj is a retard. The wj looks like a freaking minivan!

 

THIS retard loves his 02 grand cherokee overland. Looks *****in.

 

So you have had problems with your 4.7? Do you or have you ever owned one? Mine is at 112,900 miles with zero problems. I have just done regular maintence. My 4.0 in the xj is at 198,000 and I see no reason I won't get that or more out of the H.O 4.7

 

well I like the look of both really i just curious about the parts wise stuff i know the 318 is older like the 4.0 soo it probably has alot more options for customization but thats why i want a v8 soo i can just throw a snorkel on it and get good gasmileage and when i say good 18-20 i would be happy but i tow alot of trailers with my 4.0 and i could just use alittle more ***** up the highs living in the mountains

 

You make a good point, with regular maintenance it can be a good motor. I prefer the 4.0, but to each his own. And no I have never owned one, just worked on a bunch. Mostly in Dakotas though

 

BN, I have XJ and Tj with the 4.0 so yea I like them alot also. I got my 4.7 H.O.used but with low miles and I knew the history of the vehicle. Mine is awesome but I think the problem people run into is previous owners not maintaining them. Just curious since you work on them what are some of the common problems? Have you noticed any problems at a certain milage? Anything you reommend beyond regular maintence? I am changing the tranny fluid, t case and vari lok axles every 2 years and snythetic oil every 3 thousand miles. I want to keep it running great. Thanks

 

i have a mechanic friend that works at a dodge dealership. he says the most common MAJOR thing he sees with the 4.7 is head gaskets. my old man had an 03 dakota, it popped a head gasket. My wifes best friend drives a durango...it popped the head gasket last year. coincidence? dunno. but they suck to do cause part of the head is underneath the fire wall cause of the small engine bay. i haven't heard anything about wj's too much. my mother in law had a '99 that went close to 300k kilometers before she sold it. i like wj's my self. they look bad *** with big tires and about a 4" lift.

 

funny how when it's XJ vs______ the XJ is bullet proof.

then back to the other 99.9999999999999% of threads where someone is having yet another problem and everyone takes pride in "if you ain't broke it aint a jeep"

 

chrysler is very good at very bad head gaskets. Neon was probably the worst of all

 

Nope, Subaru 2.5L got them beat. About 75% of 1994-2004 motors have had the head gasket fail. The rest probably just failed/replaced and owners didn't know it (bought used).

Besides, it was only the first gen. neon (up to 1999). 2000 models through the last year never had the issue (above the average for any vehicle).


As far as which to go with...design itself is PURELY SUBJECTIVE. Calling someone else a name because they like one thing over another is being retarded. And this is coming from someone who is all about justifying a design (former architect).

So which to go with to me should come down to a few factors like cost, reliability, mechanical components, etc. My personal opinion is the newer the better. I like the idea that anything after 1997 has an OBD-II. Not just for engine diagnosis for issues, but also to log various criteria while you drive (look into Davis CarChips). I also like the idea that the off-road engineering with newer models is better "out of the box". I would also make sure I went with something that was full disc brakes, ABS if possible, and more (if not modding much).