erea77

Hi Everyone,

I've been lurking on these forums for a while now, and finally decided to join and get in on the action.

I'm looking to buy my first Cherokee. It will mostly be a daily driver along with taking me mountain biking and snowboarding on the weekends.

I'm looking right now at the following:

1996 Cherokee Country with 4x4, A/C, power windows and locks, cruise control, and 180k miles on it.

The owner hasn't driven it for a couple of years and says it probably needs a tune up because it will stall when idling from time to time. Otherwise, he says it is in good condition. The interior is in fair condition but the front seats are torn up and need repair. The exterior looks great, although there does seem to be some rust underneath.

I'm going to take it down to get it inspected tomorrow. From what I've read on the forum, this is a good year but I wanted to get your insight on this particular model and specs if you have any.

Is this a good year/model for daily driving and weekend trips?

Any issues in particular I should look for when I get it inspected tomorrow?


Kelly Blue Book has the "fair" value at $2,164 and Edmunds has the "average" value at $1,059.

What price range do you think something like this should be in?

mehoff_400

look more into the rust it could be a problem

erea77

Ok will do.

If it is rusted out underneath what would the fix be? I imagine it would be pretty expensive $$$$?

tssguy123

If you want to DD it I'd recommend getting a 97+ if the interior matters to you... Also, 96 was a switchover year. It has OBDII but some parts are only found on other 96s... such as the steering column.

If I were buying a Cherokee today, knowing what I know now.. I'd buy a 97+ 4 door 4 wheel drive.

erea77

That pretty much what I've gathered from all of the threads I've read through.

Is it a big difference bewteen the 96 and 97?

Are these 96' still as easy to maintain as long as you can find the part?

jake92

The 96 has the body of the 95 with some electronics of the 97 with some special 96 stuff.

erea77

Ok, so it's a frankenstein of its past a future models.

So you'd suggest I keep looking based on the info I've provided?

tssguy123

Big difference between 96 and 97. They redesigned the interior completely... and the exterior looks much better in my opinion. I drove one yesterday and I dunno if mine just drives like ****... but this one had 20k more miles and drove MUCH differently than mine. It's probably nothing... but yeah.

As long as you can find the parts (I haven't run into a problem yet... except once: I was at the JY and picked up a dash surround and then carried it all the way back to the office before I realized it wouldn't work with my steering column.) it's just as easy to maintain.

Just curious, how much $$ are they wanting? Again... I'd really urge you to get a 97 if you care about the interior at all.

erea77

So you have a '96? Good to hear that it's just as easy to maintain as long as the parts are available. He wants $2,500 for it, but I would like to talk him down to $1,500 because of the issues that I would have to repair. What are you thoughts about that? What do you think the one I described is worth?

jake92

There have been plenty of stock DD Jeeps on this forum purchased between $1000 and $2000 and that's what IMHO is about right. Mine is a 92 DD that I got lucky and picked up for $750 and have had for a year now with no really major issues. So $1500 is really good, but expect maybe $1750 - $2000.

jake92

I noticed that when I was working on a '01 at the shop today. It rode different ,a lot smoother, and quieter.

erea77

Nice, ok I'm excited to get it checked out. Anything to have the mechanic check in particular?

jake92

The big one:

The Rust

These are usually covered in a multpoint or complete vehicle inspection:

Brakes
Air Filter
Fluids (May need to be replaced)
Suspension (tie rods, wheel bearings, etc.)
Lighting and Electrical

andrewmp6

I would tell the mechanic your looking to buy it and have him give everything a once over and a compression test.The compression test will show if anything major is wrong with the engine on the inside.

erea77

I spoke with the owner this morning and told him that the "fair" Kelly Blue Book price for his Cherokee was $2,034. He said the lowest he'd go right now is $2,500.

I asked him about the rust and he said he didn't think it had any, so I might be wrong on that.

Do you think $2,500 is too high? I'm one that usually believes what KBB says, so it's hard for me to think about paying more than that.