Teach me the ways of the Cherokee

[Steve85]

Daughter (well, technically stepdaughter, which is kind of a factor here, for the money source) is 19 and needs a vehicle, and I don't need another project. I've been pushing the civic / accord / corolla type stuff...the deal is if it's one of those I will do my best to fix / repair, anything else and repairs are on you. It's not my money so I can only guide. She likes VW but her sister that had a Cabrio talked her out of it.

The check from her dad came today and in the last 5 minutes I've gotten links to 5 Cherokees all from around 2000. Hmmm..I kinda like the idea...

Budget is around $5K. This leaves some leftover for some maintenance and insurance...

If we got something with a little over 100K from about Y2K, what am I looking at for major wear items? Not worried about brakes / fluids etc, more like do they need all new bushings and stuff?

Where am I looking for rust?

Here's an example of what I'm getting: (we're at 6 now)

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I don't want someone else's project so something more like this is probably the way to go:

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There are quite a few out there, how do I pick a good one?

Are they really reliable? Or am I fixing this thing every two weeks, power windows, door locks, heater cores???

Two weeks ago it was links to E36/46s, I'm beginning to think she stalks MM....

[NTIman]

They're overall pretty solid from what I've seen. I'm sure others can tell you specific areas to look at, but the only thing I have seen go on multiple Cherokees is the water pump (but that may have been from using aftermarket junk as a replacement, who knows).

[JustinG]

Damn....if it were 3-4 months from now id sell you mine

These things are dead reliable. Bought mine for $3500, its an 01 and had 130k or so.
Stick to the 97+, gives you the updated interior.

Things I have had to replace...

A/C Evaporator.
PS Pump.

The A/C Evaporators are known to go out in these, and wranglers. Its a relatively cheap and easy fix, I can walk you through it. It does involve removing the dash, but can be done in a longer day or definitely in a weekend. May as well replace the heater core while your in there.

My PS pump went out, but was the original pump at 143K.

Things to look for....aside from the normal, buying a used car stuff.

Floor pan rust, get under it and poke around in the floor boards, rear trunk area. Also check the rocker panels.
Valvecover leaks, no biggie.
Rear main seal leak, easier fix, doesn't involve removing the transmission or anything, from what i've read.
The above can be disguised as a bad VC leak.
Water pump leak, I haven't had to do this, but I know Thayer has, I think its a 2-3hr job if you have never done it before.


As I said before, these things are stupid reliable, cheap to maintain, and easy to find parts for, new or from the junkyard. Next time your out, look for Cherokees, I see 10 or so a day. There is a reason so many of these are still on the road, and they haven't been made for 12 years.

[Goodspeed]

+1 to everything Justin said. Mine is a '00 with 88k on it now and its been more reliable than a hammer. The A/C compressor went out on mine (common apparently) and....thats about it. I'm noticing a bit of surface rust below the interior door panels that I'll have to sand and paint, but other than that is been an excellent daily.

[HAULN-SS]

Had a 97 with 198k on the clock. Far as I know it was all original. Ran strong, but one door lock was stubborn as shit, and the clearcoat was starting to be terrible. It also seemed to want to drain the battery if I didnt drive it pretty often

[Kaan]

that one you linked in chantilly is 2wd. IMHO there is no point. dont buy the 2wd jeep

one jeep issue is the radiator. its easy to do, but they pop them because the bays get hot.

Slide under any jeep and check for rust and scrape marks. some guys convert their offroader back to stock and sell. another dead give away is the "hack and tap" slip yoke eliminator. just google the image and make sure yours doesnt have that UNLESS she really wants to wheel it. scrapes near the control arm pick ups means the jeeps been seriously wheeled.

check all the jams and plastic bumper/fender edges as well as the rocker for rust. the alternator is on the bottom, so take a peak down there and see if its ever been replaced. look for oil near the trans/engine, the 4.0 has a 2-3 piece rear main seal and they go bad because its a stupid design. essentially rubber and RTV to plug a hole.

always check for diff weeping. it will need a service if it is. if you do this service, pull the fill plug first, you dont want to drain it without being able to refill it.

my mom has a 97 that she runs into the ground. she traded it on a wrangler for about 24 hours before she went back to get hers back. the only issue she has ever had was the aftermarket alarm interface with the factory door locks and i put a radiator in it when she hit 200k just for the hell of it. i think she got lucky with her radiator.

[Steve85]

Awesome guys, thanks. Making a list to take with me. Great info Kaan, as I mentioned I really don't her to end up with someone's throw away project so knowing what to look for is great.

I agree, no point on the 2wd. In my head , they are all 4WD :oops: , I'll remember to make that a search filter.

Justin - sell it to me now!!

[Kaan]

the cherokee is a pretty stout offroader. you should KNOW if someone is trying to sell a project. it will just look like one. a lof of the mall crawler kids drive very pretty (makes good speedsmiata look like a daily) XJs. i've seen them on 35s with all the best parts that have never seen grass.

just make sure if you are looking at one that is modded that the control arm points are not damage and that if its over 31 inch tires you find some sort of unibody reinforcement. at least you know then, they were building it "right." also look for a trans cooler if its lifted... if it doesnt have one, walk away. they mount them in the grill... the super clean XJ on 35s with minty fresh paint over headed its trans at tech skills day (15 minutes of offroading)

[V1GiLaNtE]

Ditto on all that Kaan said..

Mine has taken quite a beating and it still comes back strong all day long. I've got 203k on the clock and ~75k on the replacement motor.. Pretty much as long as you keep oil in it the sucker will drive just about anywhere.

If you grab one I would do a complete tune up so that you have a good baseline on everything:

Plugs
Wires
Cap/Rotor
All fluids(trans,tcase,f/r diffs, radiator flush/fill, oil, etc)
Air Filter
Clean the TB(that sucker will get dirty!)

Even if you don't lift it I would HIGHLY recommend putting a trans-cooler in it to help extend the life of the trans.

They're dead reliable and parts are super cheap and readily available. So far all I've had to replace on mine was the blower motor switch for the ac and an alternator because of wheelin/water crossings. Knock on wood no radiator problems yet. Mine makes plenty of noises but what do you expect...It's a jeep.

OH and don't expect mpg to be any better than 15/19.. that's a factor to consider with the rising gas prices.

[Evan]

I had a 93. Radiator fan went out. I didnt give enough of a shit to fix it (young and stupid etc etc) and thusly I overheated it all the time in traffic.
Sold it to a guy who towed a boat across country back to CA just fine.

[Steve85]

this looks nice!

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[ViPER1313]

Its been in a wreck look at the rf fenders paint color..

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[BLAIR]

I have an 01 w 114k miles and it's just as reliable as everyone else's. My 92 was also as reliable until i drove it into the ocean. Good choice of vehicle!