Maintenance costs of Cherokee vs Grand Cherokee

My wife currently ows a 91XJ, which she uses mainly for short distances (approx 100 miles per week). I am planning to replace it with a newer, like '99 or newer, Grand Cherokee which will then be used as our family car (with avg of 200 miles/week).

The main reasons why I want to get rid of the XJ are its age and maintenance costs. Over the last year, I spent hundreds of $ on the front and back brakes, airco and smaller things. And now there are some clunks that may be an indication that something is wrong with the driveline.

How do you think that the maintenance costs of a newer Grand Cherokee compare to this 91 XJ bleeder??

Any advice is welcome!

Headache said:

My wife currently ows a 91XJ, which she uses mainly for short distances (approx 100 miles per week). I am planning to replace it with a newer, like '99 or newer, Grand Cherokee which will then be used as our family car (with avg of 200 miles/week).

The main reasons why I want to get rid of the XJ are its age and maintenance costs. Over the last year, I spent hundreds of $ on the front and back brakes, airco and smaller things. And now there are some clunks that may be an indication that something is wrong with the driveline.

How do you think that the maintenance costs of a newer Grand Cherokee compare to this 91 XJ bleeder??

Any advice is welcome!

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I have 2 Jeeps. A 93 Cheromanche and an 02 Wrangler. The newer vehicle so far(knock on wood) hasn't needed much as compared to the 93, but in time it will also, because its a JEEP(Just Empty Every Pocket)

I think the best thing you can do is learn to perform the simple tasks yourself.

Doing a brake job, oil change, u-joint change are all simple tasks that require minimal tools.

In many ways it's all about the mileage as opposed to the year. The newer vehicles have more electronics which can be very expensive to diagnose and repair but if it has less km's you most likely won't have to worry about bearings and such as much.

Generally I find most vehicles do through an expensive period around 90k miles (alternator, clutches, bearings, starter, ball joints, tie rod ends etc) and again around 150k miles (Steering box, power windows, power seats, tranny work sometimes etc)

partsbill said:

I have 2 Jeeps. A 93 Cheromanche and an 02 Wrangler. The newer vehicle so far(knock on wood) hasn't needed much as compared to the 93, but in time it will also, because its a JEEP(Just Empty Every Pocket)

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Nah thats with just about any vehicle you buy, some will last longer than others some will clunk out on you after a short time so far the most reliable vehicle I've had is my cherokee, 198,000 miles and only had one problem the tranny was rebuilt at 177,000 miles and since i did most of the work myself it only cost about a total of $750-$800 (new Clutch set + tranny rebuild), and since then no problems with the drivability. My brother bought a 03 Dodge Stratus with 25K on it and the tranny had major problems at 40K needed repairs luckily it had a warranty but would've costed about $4000.
My friend bought a 03 Ford Focus with 12K and the fuel pump crapped out at 16k on his way to Montana and nope he didn't get the warranty and had to pay $600 out of his pocket. And i've seen a subaru with 294,000 miles and still get 27-29 mpg (3spd) that still needed very little maintenance since then.

Sounds to me like those are regular maintenance items. The things you have done so far should last a couple of years. Maintenance cost here in the US is around 26 cents a mile.

Frankly, that's to be expected on some level...

My daily driver's are all RENIX XJ's (1987, 1988, and two 1989) that are finally getting to that point in their lives where parts are starting to go. The upside? Everything I've replaced is original - and the parts for the old ones are rather less expensive than the parts for newer comparable vehicles.

Since I'm replacing original parts with 16-18 years on them, and usually over 200kmiles, I'm really not complaining too loud. Also, since I do all the labour myself (there are three mechanics in the country I trust - and I'm the only one in California...) that saves me a damn fortune!

I concur that one of the best things you can do to cut maintenance costs is learn to do as much of the work as possible yourself - the big killer in vehicle repairs is the costs for labour. I've never paid for any vehicle repairs, beyond the cost of parts and supplies.

Regardless of the vehicle you own, the best way to come out ahead on the costs of repair and maintenance is to do as much of the work as possible yourself. Including the costs of repair, I'd be surprised if I found out that I was paying more per year to keep an individual XJ running than you would be - with taking yours in to be maintained and repaired.

5-90

Keep it and do all the work yourself.
It's a great way to spend the weekend and you know it's done right.

I would never trade a used cherokee in on a newer used one. A new one yes but not a nother used one.

Aside from the costs associated with maintaining a 1991 XJ I suspect that one or both of you just want to get rid of a 14 year old Jeep that looks like it has seen better days. That is worth something in itself. I just bought a used Grand as a family car because the XJ does not have rear headrests which becomes a comfort and safety issue. My XJ has 145k on it. While it is "old reliable" getting to and from work, I no longer trust it on long trips because of its age and so many original parts that could go any time. Its more of a comfort level thing. Until recently I would rent a car for the weekend to drive long distances to family and so forth.

On the other hand, I've always maintained that repair bills are still cheaper than monthly payments. That's my 2 cents.

We have both models. We always take the Grand on any kind of out of town trip because of the comfort & quiet. The XJ is a "lumber wagon" in comparison to the ride. Her '97 has been problem-free w/80,000 miles on it. Very reliable. Just take a test drive in one... you'll be convinced.
regards,
jlex.

Headache said:

My wife currently ows a 91XJ, which she uses mainly for short distances (approx 100 miles per week). I am planning to replace it with a newer, like '99 or newer, Grand Cherokee which will then be used as our family car (with avg of 200 miles/week).

The main reasons why I want to get rid of the XJ are its age and maintenance costs. Over the last year, I spent hundreds of $ on the front and back brakes, airco and smaller things. And now there are some clunks that may be an indication that something is wrong with the driveline.

How do you think that the maintenance costs of a newer Grand Cherokee compare to this 91 XJ bleeder??

Any advice is welcome!

Click to expand...

'91 or '97? Huge difference in year model!

langer1 said:

Sounds to me like those are regular maintenance items. The things you have done so far should last a couple of years. Maintenance cost here in the US is around 26 cents a mile.

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Edmunds.com estimates total cost to drive a 2001 Cherokee at $0.38 per mile. This includes fuel, maint. depreciation, insurance--Total cost.

The tranny alone on a Grand to rebuild will be around or over $3K and they use different ones every few years. The AW4 in the XJ is very very reliable and the AX15 91'+ isn't bad as well and cheap to replace. You can easily find a AW4 when/if yours goes and was used from 87-01' so it is easy to find as a donor.

Troy

the maintenance items you named sounded pretty reasonable considering its a 91 xj. for 100 miles a week i dont think it warrants a newer vehicle. if it was more and comfort was at stake then maybe.

i drive 500 miles a week most weeks, its not the most comfy but then again maintenance is easy to do. if i can maintain the xj anyone can.

the clunks and noises i have grown to appreciate and accept. i dont think an older xj like ours will remain silent very long even after lubrication.

for 100 miles a week of driving i dont think it makes sense to replace a vehicle unless its going in the ground fast. if it starts each morning and does not leave me stranded im keepin it.

also a note, the WJ Grand Cherokees are notorious for bad front brakes. the OEM rotors warp ~ every 10-15k miles and need to be lathed. my dad bought a 2001 GC with the 4.7 v8 and the brakes were so bad that when you stepped on the pedal the steering wheel COULD jerk you off the road if you weren't holding on tight. we replaced em with Brembo rotors and aftermarket pads and works great now. also, be weary of the the straight six 4.0's with the 0331 head... they crack and will give a mysterious coolant leak (not always but frequent)

I have two XJs an "89 and a "01. The wife has an '02 WJ.
In the last year weve replaced on the WJ, Front brakes, air temp control valve(Climate control), AC expansion valve. Well over $1,500.00 worth.

The two XJs, just basic maint. No problems

But the WJs ride is sweet and smooth. All in all, depends on what level of comfort you want and are you willing to pay for the comfort. For the wife, I'll pay to keep her happy and shes loves her WJ. And she dosent mess with my XJs