Hello everyone,
New member here and I'm hoping you can answer a question. I'm thinking of buying a used Jeep Cherokee and I'm wondering what you think the cost would be to make it a reliable daily driver. I'm moving to the Portland, OR area and on Craigslist I see a few Jeep Cherokees from the 90s for $1,000-$3,000. Obviously this would be a rough guess but based on your experience with Jeeps how much would I have to pay a mechanic to make it fairly reliable?
Once I move to Portland I'm going to be in the process of buying a house so that's the reason for buying a cheap Jeep. Eventually I plan to buy a car and keep my Cherokee as a camping vehicle. But in the short term the Cherokee would be my daily car. The Jeep Cherokee has always been one of my dream cars and I figure this is a good time to realize one of those dreams. Thanks for all your expert advice!

 

4.0l Inline 6 is where you want to spend your money, don't buy the 4 banger for better gas because 1 it doesn't get major better gas mileage and 2 it's not as well built, the 4.0l is bulletproof (built to last). As for making it reliable, electrical is the main concern, which is good because it's generally easier to fix and cheaper than most mechanical problems, stock starters, alternators, and dumb stuff like that go bad. U joints can go bad but they should be fine if you are not lifting it and stuffing big tires under it. other than those things, it's very reliable if you take care of it.

 

Thanks Mitchall1 I'll keep an eye out for the inline 6

 

If the end goal is max reliability/minimal fuss, then shoot for bare bones. Roll up windows, manual locks, manual transmission. If you go with an automatic, test drive it on the highway, it should feel like a 5spd(4 forward speeds w/ locking torque converter).

Try 4hi & 4low, drive in circles lock to lock and listen for clunks & clicks.

As mentioned before, get the 4.0 inline six. Hands down, one of the most durable, reliable engines ever built.

Expect little electrical gremlins to pop up from time to time. Carry a roll of rubber vacuum line in the back, as the plastic lines throughout the engine bay will frequently break on you.

Give it a good tuneup, and flush & fill the fluids(especially the automatics), drive and enjoy. Rinse and repeat as needed.





$2500-$3K should net you a fairly nice, reliable XJ. You can buy a cheaper one, but you'll typically spend far more in the long run. Always buy the best car you can. If you aren't terribly mechanically inclined, have a mechanic check it out before you buy it. A lot of shops offer pre-purchase inspections fairly cheap. If the owner isn't ok with this, you don't want his jeep.

 

Take it to the mechanic BEFORE you buy- not after

 

Yeah never buy any car with out a mechanic giving it a full look over first.It will cost you a little up front but can save you a ton in the long run.

 

X2 on having it checked out before you buy! As for the best years they 97-99 with 99 the best the 00/01's had issues.


As for specs engine 4.0, trans AW4, transfer case NP231, rear differential the Chy. 8.25 (29 spline std 97>) avoid the D35. High mileage is often seen on these XJ's and not unusual to see 250-350,000 on original drivetrain.


4 yrs. ago I bought my 99 sport well optioned with 210,000 on it for $1800 no rust or dents and ran good only a few small issues, a craigslist buy.

 

Thanks for all the tips so far.... good advice. I'll definitely take it to a mechanic before I buy. Adding to my theoretical question how much do you think I should budget for initial repairs? I'm assuming that buying a 97-99 Cherokee with who knows how many miles it's gonna need some work to make it reliable. Any guesses?

 

Nobody can answer this. It will depend on how it was driven and maintained, you'll need to do your homework when purchasing, to find one in good mechanical condition, to minimize any repair costs. Which is why taking it to a trustworthy mechanic is so important. They can tell you right there what needs attention, and what can wait, and give you estimates of work needing to be done. You can then use this as a bargaining tool when negotiating the final price.

That said, I will add this...at the very least, once you take possession of said vehicle, you should drain and replace all fluids, replace necessary filters, do a tune-up, and check the condition of belts and hoses. Make sure the cooling system is operating normally. Even if you do a complete cooling system overhaul, a tune up, and replace fluids and filters, you're looking at around $400+, if you do it yourself, with quality replacement components. That price will rise significantly if a shop does the work. My $.02

 

That depends entirely on what's wrong with it. You could find one that needs nothing initially. You could find one that looks like it needs nothing, then find that it needs $3000 in repairs.

I'm wondering if maybe this isn't the right decision for you. If I understand correctly, you don't do your own repairs, and you're planning on moving to a new location where it sounds like you don't already have a mechanic whose work you trust and who won't overcharge you. There you intend to buy a Cherokee that you expect will need work. And if I'm understanding you correctly, this will be your only transportation.

XJs are capable and reliable vehicles, but they are all now teenagers. Any vehicle that old is going to need more attention than a newer car. Having it in the shop frequently is going to rack up some serious mechanic's bills over time. You can mitigate that somewhat by finding a decent independent shop and staying away from the wallet rapists at places like Firestone, but even the good shops ain't free.

I'm wondering if you might not be better off spending a little more on something a bit younger to use as your daily until you're a little more settled.

 

Haha extrashaky. You're correct in that I don't do my own repairs. Although I am hoping to correct that with my next car purchase. Spending a little more and buying a newer car is certainly the sensible choice but I ask you; what's the fun in that?
For the past 10 years I've lived in cities where I didn't need a car. Now I'm looking to make some life changes and owning a car is one of them. Ever since I was a kid I liked the Cherokees for some reason. I think it's time to realize one of those dreams.
You do make an excellent point about moving to a new city and not having a reliable mechanic. I think I'll start to look for a Cherokee now, and take it to a mechanic that my friends here in San Francisco can recommend.
Thanks for your reply! Only 24 hours now and I've learned so much from this forum. The wonders of the internet.

 

Good advice. The other part of the equation is buying the house part. Your finances are about to change DRASTICALLY. In your earlier post, you stated you want a "cheap Jeep"...while XJ's are relatively inexpensive compared to other Jeep models, you are buying a roughly 20 year old vehicle. There WILL be maintenance costs. What I'm trying to say, is, there's really no such thing as a "cheap Jeep", LOL...you can find one that is well maintained though, and minimize that, but usually you will pay a premium for that up front.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, with a major move, new mortgage, and obvious costs of home ownership, and not having a good mechanic in your new place of living, you may want to re-think your plans, or at least know exactly what it is you're getting into.
So, are you car repair savvy at all? The one thing you do have going for you, is that by owning a home, you'll have a garage, and be able to do a lot of your own work. However, you'll need the tools to do so, also. This will cost money. It will also save you money as well, in the long run...you can start small, like doing your own fluid and filter services, and work your way up...a lot of us here started just like that.

There's two sides to every coin. When you decide to buy your XJ, do yourself a favor, and buy a factory service manual for it. About $8 in PDF form online. It's what the dealerships use, and has just about everything you'll ever need to know about your Jeep. Start buying tools as well. You don't need to break the bank, a basic set of mechanic's hand tools can be had relatively cheap. But you'll need a jack, jackstands, things like that...but you can buy all of this on an as-needed basis.

Also, you have the forum, with lots of knowledgeable people, and you tube is also a great resource for learning. There's also local community colleges you can take classes at that won't cost a lot, too. Plus some of these schools have tool cribs for tools you don't have, and access to lifts.

IF you plan on getting a Cherokee, I highly suggest learning to work on it yourself, it will save you a ton of money in maintenance costs, plus you have the satisfaction of doing it yourself, but more importantly, you know WHAT was done to it. And, your choice of vehicle to learn to work on is a good one, Cherokees are pretty straight-forward, and not difficult to work on.

Bottom line? Be informed, know what you're getting into...if you have questions, come here and search, ask questions when you need to, this community is pretty cool...take your time, and do it right! Good luck, sir!

Wow...that was long winded...LOL

 

Hi Roninofako,
Longwinded replies are most appreciated! I'm under no illusion that I'm going to be able to spend $3,000 on a Cherokee and have it be a perfect car. My initial questions about cost are just trying to get a feel for what might be ahead of me.

Currently I'm not very car savvy. I know how to check the fluids, but not having owned a car in 10 years I never really had the need to learn. But I am looking forward to learning. One my of requirements in owning a house in the future will be a garage so that I can work on my Jeep.

I'm not an impulsive person, at least not anymore. My upcoming move and house purchase won't begin until 2017 and who knows how long that will take. The past month I've been trying to figure out what I will do about transportation which is what led me to this forum. My theory is I shouldn't finance a new car since I'll be hunting for a mortgage. Since I'm going to buy a used car why not buy something that I want and will actually keep. Once said house is purchased then I'll get something newer and more reliable but I'll have my Jeep that I've always wanted.

I have heard the warnings about finding a mechanic in a new city where I don't know anyone and those were great. My thoughts now are to start looking now, taking my time obviously, and get my Jeep into reliable shape with a mechanic that people in my current city can recommend. Even this thought will take me at least 6 months. I'm a patient man.

 

Well, your head is in the right place. Sounds like you have a plan, that's good. So, since you aren't moving anytime in the immediate future, do you have a place to work on a vehicle at the moment? Sounds like you have plenty of time before your life changes happen, so getting a Cherokee and learning to work on it sounds like a viable plan, if you have the space to do it. Like I said start small. You say you know how to check the fluids, how about replacing them, and doing filters and such? This is easy stuff to do on your own, and won't cost much if you do it yourself.

Start looking at Cherokees, and when you see one you like, see if the seller will let you take it to a mechanic. If they won't walk away. Go from there. The mechanic should give you an estimate of what it needs or will need. If you find one in decent mechanical shape, and buy it, that's when your adventure will truly begin. It's at that point you can decide what bits you want to tackle, and what's out of your realm of expertise. At the very least, you can take the list from the mechanic, and google search what needs to happen to make the repair. Then you'll start having a base knowledge of what needs to happen in automotive repair. Use that knowledge to decide if you can handle the job, or need to farm it out. Just like school, you need to study and research to gain knowledge. I suggest you start reading the different sections of the forum, start with OEM tech, this will familiarize you with common problems (and some not so common,LOL) our XJ's have, and also help you learn terminology and basic troubleshooting skills. Have fun with it!

 

You might be better off getting decent used car first and the Cherokee later.


It's not like you should need 4wd just to get around in Portland, and a Cherokee isn't the cheapest on gas.


One thing about running older vehicles is that it's nice to have more than one, so you have something to drive when one breaks down.


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