grand cherokee???

charlie_the_tuna

charlie_the_tuna

God
i'm looking around and they seem to be reasonably priced. there are tons of them and the 2004 is not bad looking and can be had for under 5K. what do you guys think??
 
My brother has an 04. He loves it. That being said, I've heard nothing but bad things from a lot of people about them. Tranny's seem to be the biggest complaint I've heard. Guy at work had an 03. Couldn't wait to get rid of it. Funny thing is, when he sold it, he bought a brand new one.
 
Destroyer said:
My brother has an 04. He loves it. That being said, I've heard nothing but bad things from a lot of people about them. Tranny's seem to be the biggest complaint I've heard. Guy at work had an 03. Couldn't wait to get rid of it. Funny thing is, when he sold it, he bought a brand new one.
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The tranny behind the 4.0L was a CHRYSLER slushbox, and pretty failure prone. They normally lasted in the 60-100K mile range if you took care of them and not beat on em. If you beat on em and neglect them, and I have seen plenty fail MUCH earlier. The 45RFE/545RFE behind the 4.7L was a MUCH better trans based off of the CHRYSLER 604 without all of the seal and accumulator problems the 604's had. The 4.7L V8 is a GREAT engine, BUT it MUST be maintained to a T. It is a MERCEDES design engine, and being based off of a EUROPEAN engine it is NOT resistant to ANY neglect. The 4.0L was a great engine, but keep in mind the last year of them was sort of a basket case hodge podge of parts from CHRYSLER trying to clean it up for emissions, but knowing they had another in the works for them. By then I wasn't working on them anymore, but a friend who runs a shop said he's had a few 04+ in for engine work, and the engine parts from earlier years didn't readily interchange. I believe 05 was the last year of them for the WRANGLER, and 04 for the WJ. The older 93-98 GRAND wasn't a bad ride, but it wasn't a CHEROKEE by any means. They used there own drivetrains, CHRYSLER trannies, and alot more elctronic controls than the regular CHEROKEE's had.

Myself personally I wouldn't want a ZJ(93-98) or WJ(99-04) GRAND CHEROKEE. The CHRYSLER trannies of 93-98(unless you find a VERY EARLY build 93 with a 4.0L, then it has the TOYOTA trans in it like the CHEROKEE had) were enough of a reason for me to run, and the electronic controls of the 99-04 as well as the worry of wether or not somebody took care of the engine if it had a V8 would be a huge concern. They're not bad vehicles by any means, but they did have more than there fair share of problems. I coudl go on and on about them, but a few highlights that scare most off are the constant evap problems of the 93-98's(99-04 wasn't immune as I did more than a few of them back in the day), CONSTANT fuel pump problems for the 99-04's, rear end problems if it has the aluminum DANA 44, and the DANA35 in the GRAND wasn't much better, CV joints were used for the front axle as well as front driveshaft on many, transfer case issues if it had the full time 4 wheel drive(viscous couplers were always a problem), and who could forget doing 3 or 4 window regualtors a week on em. The regular CHEROKEE didn't have a 1/4 the problems the GRAND had, and was mostly due to the fact that CHRYLSER added alot of luxury features and tried doing alot more refinements that bit them in the hind end.

If the RIGHT priced one came along, I would consider it. Also keep in mind it is still based off of a truck platform, and either the 4.0L or any of the V-8's are still only going to get you milage in the teens.
 
Ferm speaks the truth...he has way more experience than me but the "real" Cherokee (XJs) are pretty dependable little trucks. They make great off roaders as well and are very cheap to work on and find parts for.
 
problem is Cherokees are becoming harder to find and the 4runner is pretty pricey. actually considered the CRV. wont tow worth a sh!t but it's a good little truck and gets good MPG. gonna have to start working some serious overtime.
 
that 96 Cherokee I had took more abuse from me than any car I've ever owned. I worked out of it for two years before I bought my van. I gave it to my sister and about 6 months later the transmission crapped out. It took me 6 months to find a 2wd transmission. I only gave $30 for the transmission. I swapped it out, drove it for a week and sold the car. With my daughter approaching driving age, I wish i still had that car for her. It was simple to work on and reliable. They have gotten very hard to find now, most have been consumed by the off road crowd or bubba-fyed to the extent I wouldn't have it
 
spareparts said:
that 96 Cherokee I had took more abuse from me than any car I've ever owned. I worked out of it for two years before I bought my van. I gave it to my sister and about 6 months later the transmission crapped out. It took me 6 months to find a 2wd transmission. I only gave $30 for the transmission. I swapped it out, drove it for a week and sold the car. With my daughter approaching driving age, I wish i still had that car for her. It was simple to work on and reliable. They have gotten very hard to find now, most have been consumed by the off road crowd or bubba-fyed to the extent I wouldn't have it
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My 98 Cherokee 4.0L has 214K miles on it and still starts right up. It's hauled V20's to and from Fla. (1600 miles one way) twice without a hiccup. Been in 3 accidents, all caused by people running into my rear or making illegal turns into my lane of traffic. (none charged to me) And I've never gotten so much as a scratch from any of them. They are incredibly tough, strong workhorses.
 
Charlie my sister had a crv (recently totaled by a hummingbird on roids) and it was a good vehicle. It wont pull the string out of a cats azz but was dependable. If you just need it for work commuting it should be fine. Just keep pads with you for when you start menstruating.
 
if your looking for a tow vehicle then a SUBURBAN is the way to go hands down! plenty of room for everybody & gear, great towing.fuel mileage is not to bad considering what they are.mine is all wheel drive and i get about 15.7 in town when not towing.older ones can be had relatively cheap!!
 
Wifey had a brand new 03 with the H.O. engine. Engine and tranny were fine but had all sorts of gear case problems....front end, rear end, many suspension issues, (3) broken window motors, (when they fail the window slides down inside the door if you are not fast enough to grab it). Radiator went one week before we traded it, another $400. There's a lot more but these are the ones I remember.
 
macojoe said:
well you knew that going in! I would own nothing Chrysler!! there cheap for a reason!
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Can't totally agree with you MJ. For the most part they have good engines and trannys. My Durango has 161K miles on it with everything original. 5.7L Hemi engine that gets an honest 22.5 miles per gallon on the highway, a towing capacity of 7500lbs, and the ability to blow the doors off a LOT of cars, trucks and SUV's that think they are all that.

Yes, some of their products have been real dogs, but I could say the same thing about Ford and GM. No one hits the 100% mark all the time.
 
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