Cherokeegirl89

Hey guys,

I plan on purchasing a Cherokee in the next week or so(waiting on my insurance check ). I've found and fallen in love with a 2000 Cherokee. I've been reading the reviews on it and they say its a crap year. The guy selling it has shown me receipts of all the work he has done to it. In the past year it's gotten new shocks, spark plugs, radiator and water pump. And is coming with a nice sound system. I go test drive it tomorrow and if it checks out I want it. What I would like to know from you guys is how do you like driving Cherokees and what are things to look for on the test drive and what are the 2000 models like maintenance wise. Thank you!

Larry's XJ

Biggest thing with the 00-01 is cracking cyl heads, search 0331 head. Look for oil in radiator, over full oil level, and chockolate milkshake goop under oil fill cap on valve cover. Hopefully you have someone experienced with vehicals to go with you!!

I will link this to another thread for more response.

BrawnyDog

Don't let oil leaks freak you out. Valve cover gasket plus oil adaptor o-rings will fix 99% of them. I would not hesitate to buy a 2000 if the price was right, just anticipate on throwing another $1000 into it over the next year (just like any other used vehicle).

Larry's XJ

Listen for unusual or loud clunks, wandering while trying to drive straight. Ask owner about "Death Wobble" and be sure to inform that you will be taking it up to speed, 50+.
Check that the trans fluid isn't black (or real dark) and doesn't smell like burnt toast.

ASAPJON

Hi I own a 2000,it's been extremely reliable,almost pushing 240K miles on original motor

extrashaky

The 2000 and 2001 model years had a flawed head casting that will crack for no reason on some trucks without being overheated. If you catch it in time, you can swap out the head (cost: around $1500 to have someone do it) without any damage to the block. If you don't catch it in time, you will damage the bearings and have to swap in another engine.

I have a 2000. The head cracked. I've been there. If I were considering another 2000 or 2001, I would just plan to preemptively replace the head, and I would factor the cost of doing so into the deal. I would much rather have a head on it that I could trust than always be wondering if the thing was about to go.

The fact that the radiator and water pump have recently been replaced tells me that there have been cooling issues with this Jeep you're looking at. That doesn't necessarily indicate a head problem. However, given the history of these things, if I were you, I would read up on the 0331 head crack, look for telltale signs of overheating problems and ask the seller pointed questions about symptoms.

Otherwise they're not bad trucks. They just have some weird quirks that were not present in other years.

Are you handy with a wrench?

Bustedback

Don't buy it because of the sound system, and don't pass on it because of the possibility of the head cracking.

Fred/N0AZZ

The 00/01 model years were the least desirable for several different reasons. The main one was the head they were defective and all cracked at some time needing replacing just a fact. Another reason was Jeep ran out of the high pinion D30 front differentials and threw the low pinion one in those 2 yrs. They were weaker units and had less ground clearance than the HPD30 had also. Also they changed to a more complex emission system and a multi coil setup upping the tune-up/sensors costs on them over prior years.


The main thing to look for is "RUST" that is the one thing that can't be fixed always depending on where and how bad it is. A lot of the rust is hard to see just by standing and looking at it. You need to look underneath it at the floor pans for rust and the frame rails along with mounts for everything.


If your not comfortable doing these things take along someone older who has experience with these areas to look at these things. Along with the engine and drivetrain a 4x4 is a bit complex and easy to get one that has been well worn.


Welcome to you and keep us informed if we can help you.

extrashaky

Not all of them have the more complex emissions. If you are lucky enough to get an EPA emissions vehicle (only available in 2000), you don't have the ridiculous extra catalytic converters and oxygen sensors.

Also, the coil rail doesn't really add to the cost of tune-ups. The coil rail is not a tune-up item. Either it works or it doesn't. If it works, you don't replace it. If it doesn't, you do. There is no degradation in performance to be remedied like with plug wires and a distributor cap. Those coils are pretty robust and don't fail that often.

On the contrary, since you don't have a distributor cap or plug wires to replace, I would argue that tuning up the distributorless ignition system is actually cheaper. Just replace the plugs. That's it.

Snajo

I would consider any 4x4 97+ based on condition and that's only because I'm more familiar them than the older ones. Plan on putting some money in it on maintenance, especially in the first year.

I replaced my coil pack... figured it might degrade, but I haven't noticed any change after replacing it. Total cost was around $125 for the coil pack and plugs. Much easier than dealing with a distributor and wires, which aren't touch either.