New to the site and hopefully a full fledged Jeep owning member soon.

I'm looking at a 2003 Grand Cherokee Limited with the 4.7L V8 in it and 4x4. Only 117k miles and no visible rust. Took for a test drive and everything seems solid. Taking to my mechanic to give it the used car once over on Wednesday.

Anything I should be looking for that this model/engine/year is known for being a problem? At only 117k some things may not have come up yet. Is timing belt/chain something to be concerned with etc? I come from mostly big Chevy land and I just got rid of an Audi A4 so I have a pretty wide range of wrenching on my own, just never had much Jeep exposure.

Any and all comments welcome, thanks in advance!

Tom

 

And I do know my way around the forum and have no problem searching and poking around, but just really don't know where to start looking and hoping for some simple thoughts from those in the know.

Looking forward to responses and really digging in once I am a full fledged owning member.

 

In my experience, the 4.0 IS more reliable than the 4.7, but the 4.7 can tow more and has more power. Power is almost immediate when you hit the gas.

 

My dad just scrapped his 02. He bought it with 220,000 and drove it for about 6 years. It rotted away including the oil pan. Had the 4.7 in it and it still ran really good but was too rotted to bother with. Only problem he had was one cv joint went bad because of the full time awd.
One thing to check is where sand packs between the front fender and the inner liner. At the top of the wheel opening. First place for them to rot because of this. Another issue that’s common is the wires breaking in the door jamb. I also used to have an 02 and that’s the only issue I ever had. I’ve also looked at a few with the same issue.

 

Thanks for the info! Looking forward to what the shop says after they check it out. Will keep you posted and send picks if she ends up coming home with me!

 

The original one I was looking at didn't come through but finally joined the Grand Cherokee clan on Saturday. Ended up with a 2001 Grand Cherokee Limited, 4.7L, Infinity system with 142k miles. Been a very pampered ride with all work performed by the dealer and was just traded in for a brand new GC. Looks brand new inside and out. Not a wrinkle in the leather besides the drivers edge and some peeling paint on the door handle. Needs replacement shocks for the rear tailgate window and could use shocks/struts as well but otherwise you wouldn't know it is a 19 year old vehicle. Will get pictures up soon. Looking forward to input and assistance with upgrades like headlights as these are pretty scuffed/foggy.

 

Nice!

Now get some Fluid Film on that underside!