I'm looking at getting a V8 Cherokee and wanted to hear the opinions of owners of the vehicle.

I'll be buying a '96-'98 with probably 60-80K miles.

What should I look for as far as problem areas.

What is the towing capacity of the V8?

Thanks

 

Attempt to at this post..Ugghh

Anyways what I said was, I have never owned one, but know many people that do. Now they may be different in the US, but the most comman problems were bad, bad brakes and AC failures. I was going to buy one and was talked out of it by no less then 4 people.

Take it for what its worth.

Mike

 

I know a few people that have / had one and they all seem to have had some sort of problem. Example: I had just finished picking on one of my friends for having one and he pointed out to me that he had 67k miles on it with no problems. The very next week, the transmission went kaput. And my previous boss just got rid of one - the rotors had to be replaced three times in a few thousand miles.

 

Brakes and the 4 WD system can be an issue. See if there is any record of the front and rear diffs being serviced when required. They don't take abuse well without oil changes. Rear diff seals have been known to be weak and make noises. I had a '98 5.9 Ltd. It had beefier brakes and tougher suspension. Put on a K & N FIPK and a high flow muffler and this was the rocket of all SUV's. Had it for 30,000 km and no problems other than the rear diff seal which was fixed under waranty. Also had a bit of rust starting along the inside seems of the rear hatch. Some have reported rust in the fuel filler area. Any Grand (pre-4.7L) you get will suck fuel like crazy.

 

A friend of mine had one and it went through 3 rear ends before she sold it, well shy of the end of warranty period. She was fed up and won't ever buy another...

 

I bought a 94 had it from 94 till 97 V8, 4wd, and the towing package(3.73 rearend).
I used it to pull the racecar trailer(7800lbs+-). The AC was a problem but it was fixed with a recall. But that was about it. It tows ok but your gas mileage will suffer I got like 8mpg when towing and that put my range at 150 miles or so. So I had to stop alot.
Depending on the size of your trailer the Jeep will wag if you don't put an anti sway controller on it. Depending on the weight you will also need a weight distribution hitch.
I traded mine(with 45k miles on it) for a new F250 powerstroke.
I had no problems other than the air but my wife didn't like it for various reasons.
Would I buy another one? Sure. Will I? Probably not. I don't need one.

Oh one more thing. Would I buy a used one? NO I have heard noting but horror stories from friends that have bought used Jeeps. Buy a new one, get the warranty.

 

my brother has a 99 jgc ltd here is australia.
it has the 4.6l v8, it drinks gas like nothing else about 18l/100km, it goes pretty hard- got a k&n pod filter, installed ralph tough dog shocks, had a set of eibach springs yet the morons at eibach didnt do enough r&d and it rubbed like crazy, sent them back and now is waiting on alternative springs to buy??
problems- ummm, well i now have the car cause i gotta take it to the jeep dealer to get teh rear end looked at, it makes a weird clunking noise, it made this in the beginiing, they said it was the tail shaft, got fixed, but it has come back??? the car has done 41k, no real probs, sticky passenger window, left brake rotor squeaks, tyres have lasted so far, yet needs to be changed soon.
overall a nice suv, but u yanks have a million options avail. to u.

 

We had a 98 with the 4.0 six. 3 year lease and turned it in with 55K mile....Anyway, the only real issue that we had with it was the front rotors. They would warp, get replaced, warp, get replaced. Then they issued a recall or service bulletin addressing this issue and they replace them with a new part and everything went fine.

It was my wifes primary car and our road trip car as well. Maybe we got lucky but we got our based on my dad's and brothers experience which were also good. So maybe all 3 of us got lucky?

BTW-
I pulled my boat all over the place with it. I think the total weight of the boat and trailer was somewhere around 4500 lbs., no problem. Actually that may have contributed to my rotor warping...I took the Mopar hitch and trailer harness off it before I turned it in, and still have it. If the one that you are looking at doesn't have a hitch, let me know, we can work something out.

 

I've been tempted to buy one on several occasions, but all I hear are horror stories every time I perform a little due diligence. I don't think you could buy a less reliable SUV than a Jeep...but I have a friend w/ a V6 2wd model, and it's held up great w/ almost 100K miles.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Chris S
[B]I've been tempted to buy one on several occasions, but all I hear are horror stories every time I perform a little due diligence.