Buyers help

PacificEd

PacificEd

NAXJA Member
NAXJA Member
Location
Middle Tennessee
I was thinking about getting another vehicles and it is down to either a 1987 to 1995 Cherokee or a 1993 to 1998 Grand Cherokee.

I like the thought of sticking with a Cherokee simply because of the durable 4.0L/AW4 combo and I sort of know them better (and have a great forum to figure stuff out and ask questions). I have found a 2-door I like really well and it's reasonably priced. Downside is room. Cherokee's seem tight when I pack in the family and a 2-door makes loading and unloading a bit more challenging.

I also found a ZJ Grand Cherokee that needs just a bit of repair mechanically. It's a 1996. I like the 4.0L engine but the Chrysler trans has me not so enthusiastic. The prospect of a more upscale, roomier Jeep is the appeal here.

So I want to go look over the Grand. Is there anything to really look over and double check? Pitfalls of buying one?
 
Ed, I have a 1996 2wd ZJ. I've owned it 15 years and I am 7000 miles shy of putting 200,000 miles on it personally. The Jeep has just shy of 240,000 total on it. I've had no issue at all with the transmission on it. I've done fluid and filter changes regularly. Mine did come with a factory tranny cooler on it. I still get about 17 mpg on it. I change the oil every 3000 miles and take care of routine maintenance and it has served me well...and with continued routine maintenance I expect it to last me quite a bit longer.

All three of my Jeeps (96 ZJ, 01 XJ, 04 WJ) have the 4.0 and it is really easy to move from one to the other for maintenance. The backseats are considerably easier to get into than the XJ and the headroom is better also.

A quick rundown of major things that I dealt with:
-02 sensors at 99700 and 139300 and 202600
-Catalytic convertor at 103000 and 202600
-Manifold gasket at 120600
-Rotor, distributor, cap at 127000
-Rear main seal at 130000
-AC evaporator at 135700
-Water pump at 141400
-New radiator at 172000
-Power steering pump at 175600
-Rear pinion seal at 182400
-Harmonic Balancer at 213100
-AC Compressor at 219500
-Ignition pick up at 234900

Maybe this list can help you identify some places where you might want to see if there was any recent work done. Also, my ZJ has been a southern car it's whole life and there is no visible rust on it anywhere, so it'd be my opinion that if this one has some rust issues that it may not have been taken care of (re: Washing and waxing).

I really can't see me personally using a Cherokee as a DD, but I'd drive the hell out of a ZJ and think that it would do you well also.
 
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Been daily driving ZJ grands for several years. I have and prefer the 93 Grands, the 4.0 4WD Grands have the AW4 tranny just like the XJ. Dependable, capable, decent room, good ride, cheap to buy. Offroad I prefer the XJ.
 
My grandma owns a ZJ. I've never had one but my observation is that the interior doesn't seem to fair as well as an XJ over time. Other than that, they seem fine.

I'm wanting to find a nice WJ. Maybe Dirk will sell me his.
 
Lowrange2 said:
My grandma owns a ZJ. I've never had one but my observation is that the interior doesn't seem to fair as well as an XJ over time. Other than that, they seem fine.

I do agree with this. The seats loose their bottom support quicker than the XJ, but the seat backs are more sturdy. I snapped my XJ seat back a couple years ago. After 238000 miles the ZJ seat is sturdy as ever. The door panels inserts are glued in and they start to separate after time. I am on the second set of front door cards. Also, the area where the left elbow sits cracks after a lot of use. The center console lid also tends to snap on the clip and the padding disintegrates. The headliner glue did last quite a bit longer than the one on my XJ though. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the quality of the interior of my ZJ. If you looked at it you'd never expect that it has been used as much as it has.

I'm wanting to find a nice WJ. Maybe Dirk will sell me his. As soon as we get Suzie a new vehicle it will be for sale.
Click to expand...

If you look at my ZJ you'd never know it was, while sitting still, hit in the drivers rear by a Tahoe cruising 35 mph, then put back together, and still on the road 14 years later. The only evidence was a decidedly "non-factory" clear coat that caused some paint fade.
 
I DD my XJ for a bit when it was stock and it was nimble and a lot of fun to drive. Now that it's lifted...not so much.

I'm going to keep looking at stuff. My car keeps having issues pop up that make it unreliable for an 82 mile daily commute and the gas mileage isn't great either. I figure if my mileage is going to suffer, I might as well drive something I like, want to work on, and like to drive, right?
 
On the highway, in my ZJ, I'm still pulling 17.5 +/- .5 mpg on average. In town, closer to 16-16.5.
 
I still DD my green XJ regularly. (ABout 50% of the time while I drive my Silverado the rest of the time.) I love it but I kinda want something with a bit more power to accomplish the same thing. It pulls my camper OK through the mountains but more power is more better. I suppose I could regear but I'm lazy.
 
Dirk,

What is your impression regarding the amount of room of the Grand vs. the XJ? Since you have both, you'd know better than anyone if the Grand has any more room than an XJ.

Mark is telling me stick to an XJ as we know them but I can't see the GC being that much different/harder to work on.

I have found a Renix that needs a transfercase for less than $800. I have a NP242 in the shop with 21 splines......fulltime FWD for winter sounds pretty good.
 
Yes, just stock would be fine or 3"/31" combo down the road.

Unpleasant to drive? Which vehicle are you talking about? My '88 Cherokee?
 
My '88 has about 6" of lift (4.5" RC w/front 1.75" spacers) and 33" BFG KM2's.

It's too "Off Roady" for what I want to do now. It was a DD back when stock and I really liked driving it and it got good fuel mileage too.
 
I may have overlooked this detail, but does this DD have to fit the family or just for work commuting?
You could look into a first gen cummins? An extended cab would fit the kids, and open the door to a tow rig. Minor or no mods you would get decent mileage. I got 14.5 towing to harlan, 20 around town, and almost 23 highway... I dont know if an auto will be that good, or if an auto is preferred...
otherwise I would look into the grand for a cushy ride... nothing you can't handle or research to fix.
 
My budget for this isn't much so money it the primary reason. Plus I really need something we can all ride in just incase another vehicle goes down (like our van did last week). She had to drive my hoopty with no A/C and idle issues with two kids.
 
PacificEd said:
My '88 has about 6" of lift (4.5" RC w/front 1.75" spacers) and 33" BFG KM2's.

It's too "Off Roady" for what I want to do now. It was a DD back when stock and I really liked driving it and it got good fuel mileage too.
Click to expand...

lol, I obviously don't have a clear memory of your Jeep.

But yeah, my trail Jeep isn't very fun to drive on the road either.
 
2 door and 4 door xj's are the same room wise. I never really had a problem when my kids were small with my 2 door. They loved crawling around in it.
 
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