DDM

Hello guys. My name is Danny. I live in the north west suburbs of chicago. I do not have a cherokee but i read alot about them. The story is that i was looking for a cherokee 3 years back. Just liked everything about them. I was looking for a 96-98 but then came across a deal on a 96 nissan pathfinder se that i couldn't pass up. The pathfinder is an awesome truck, no complaints about it. It ran and drove great for being a daily driver and never let me down but now its starting to develop some problems and rust and i have a baby on the way so im looking for something a little newer and more reliable. Especially when my wife takes my truck everytime there is a slight hint of snow (she drives an 06 tiburon). So after some searching i decided to look into cherokee's again because thats what i was looking for in the first place. This time im aiming for a 00-03 4.0. I heard bad things about 99's, but not sure if its true. Would love to get a newer one but we really don't want another car payment with a kid on the way.

My number one question is about the 4x4 on that gen cherokee. Im sorry if this was mentioned somewhere else but i cannot find it on google. Does the I6 switch from back wheel drive to four wheel drive? My pathfinder has shift on the fly and i love it. Shift on the fly is not a requirment but i would like it to switch from 4 to 2. My buddy owned a 93 laredo and it was full time awd, Just switched from 4lo to 4hi. I was reading about selec-trak but im unsure of what they mean.
http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/cto/2885532561.html
This guy is saying that it switches from front wheel drive to rear so where is 4? Im in chicago so i really need it for snow. Sorry for the long intro thread. Hope i didn't bore you guys to death.

Gee oh Dee

Yes, you can get a XJ Cherokee in any year with 2wd and 4wd.

DDM

Ok, thank you. Is this optional or all of them come like that?

Renots

Glad to hear of your interest in the cherokee.

So for the Cherokee Classic you won't find one over 2001. And neither the 00' nor the 01' youll find shift on the fly (that I know of). Meaning you'll have to come to a complete stop, throw it in neutral, shift to 4H, and keep going. Tho it's worth it, these 4x4s are great, will get you through those harsh Chicago winters. Before buying check for rust thoroughly, I wish I had.

I'm not sure about the technology on the Grand Cherokees. Though through my buddy owning an 04' GC ( 2x4 ::snicker:: ) they are a little more roomy and family man oriented in my opinion, but stuff seems to go wrong with them more often. The 04 already has needed a new tranny, radiator, and shocks since it was purchased and only has 80k on it. Plus I've had to fix the wiring on his drivers door twice. Lol

Hope this helps!

DDM

Yes thank you. It does. I was actually looking at the grand cherokee.

Gee oh Dee

All XJs can be shifted on the fly, up to somewhere around 45mph.

Renots

Really??? I did not know, that's legit

1ATony

Welcome to the site

Tony

Renots

Attempted the shift on the fly yesterday while on the trail, love it!! I was only going 8mph but better than stopping!

ol"blue

Welcome to CF. We have an '04 Grand Cherokee that we bought new, that now has over 105,000+ miles on it and we've never had any trouble with it. It has the V8 so it's AWD though. My brother has an '04 Grand w/the 4.0L that has the 2WD/4WD transfer-case, and he hasn't had any problems either.
Some people aren't very diligent with their maintenance schedules though. JMO