Hoy hoy all, Tom here from Columbus, Ohio. I'm thinking about taking on a project. A friend of mine, a long time Jeep Grand Cherokee owner is thinking of parting with his second JGC, a '97. He has had a '01 JGC for some time, and just bought a '16 Challenger. So he wants to let go of the '97, which has a few minor problems.
He'll give me a great deal on it. But I'm a GM guy and don't know much about Jeeps, other than the division being under several different parent and co-parent manufactures. Out of all the cars and trucks I've owned, only one has been not been a GM product. It was a '68 Charger R/T.
I'm not afraid to turn a wrench. I was a certified mech when I was younger. So I joined on to see what kind of problems can be with these vehicles. Maybe for the second time in my life I'll own a Chrysler product.

 

Welcome!
Be prepared cuz Jeep will slowly grow on you.

 

Thanks! I've always admired the Jeep brand, and have wanted to own a earlier CJ. But $500 for a '97 JGC with 2,020,000, I'll consider buying it for a winter beater. It runs and shifts well. Brakes are a little soft, and it steers like a cargo ship with a broken rudder. Brakes are what I was certified in, but I'm hoping for guidance on the front end. It's a different animal than my old K 1500 pick up.

 

I don't have any experience with the GC- don't know if they're similar to an XJ (Cherokee). What I do know is I had wrenched on muscle cars and Harleys in the past but fell right into the groove of working on a Jeep. They're pretty simple and you'll be able to do about everything yourself.
Enjoy- tons of great knowledge here-

 

Welcome to the forum

 

Thanks! Found a thread that answered my primary question, about why this '97 ZJ steers like a cargo ship with a broken rudder. Oh the fun of making a vehicle safe.

 

Welcome to Cherokee Forum Tom

 

x2. I don't know about GC either but Jeeps seem to be easy to work on and there are a ton of really knowledgeable folk here who are really willing to help

 

they steered like a cargo ship with a broken rudder even when they were new