good year for a grand cherokee?

[mancheman21]

i might be looking into getting a zj soon. the power of a v8 sounds very nice. i have heard of a lot of problems with the trannys in them? so my question is what years are the best for the v8 grand cherokees? what to look out for?

thank you

 

[GLOCK98XJ]

98 would be the best year imho but 97-99 should be fine, in 98 is has a chance of being equiped with the 5.9L not all 98's but some, easy way to tell just by looking is if the hood has vents inline with the headlights, if you get a v8 might as well get the biggest. My friend just picked up a 5.2 even though... lets just say if it's got 35's on stock differentials, a leak on every gasket the vehicle has, and spark plug wires that wobble at the plugs and feel like gummy worms in certain spots from either being sprayed with degreaser or the like or some how obsorbing oil, stay away from it. You pretty much come with the essential tools for purchasing a vehicle, eyes and ears, if you see problems or potential problems chances are they're problems and if you hear anything out of the ordinary, and don't know what it could be, you probably don't want to know what it will cost to fix. Look and listen high and low. Thats my best advice, aside from that don't settle and look for the features that matter most to you.

 

[Ian Christiansen]

98 would be the best year imho but 97-99 should be fine

The 1999 Grands were the first year of the WJ.

 

[GLOCK98XJ]

The 1999 Grands were the first year of the WJ.

Yes, you are correct, I had the XJ on my mind instead of the ZJ year wise. Thanks for the correction. Sorry OP for any confusion.

 

[bails85]

had the 5.2 zj and it was a POS. i hated that car. and for being a v8 it was gutless. my f150 with double the weight and the 4.6 shit all over the zj. go with something newer. or at least low miles. just my experience.

 

[Stukboy]

I had a 99WJ with a 4.7 and towed my YJ behind it for 4 years. It did well for me and I had no issues with power.
Well, that's not true. On long hills on my way to Tellico and back I did notice a lack of power. So, for the most part it towed very well.

I purchased an Expedition with a 5.4 and it towed flawlessly!!! I was maxed out with the WJ at 6500# and jumper to 9600# with the Ford. Night and day differance in towing.

Well money has gotten tight around my house so we had to make some cuts.
My wife sold her 06XK with a Hemi and I sold the Expedition.
I ended up with an 04WJ with a 4.7.
I went back to this because I felt comfortable with this setup.
My only concern is I will be at the limits of towing with my XJ behind me now.

My buddy has a 98 with a 5.9 and it has more than enough power.

Good luck,
Stukboy

 

[Cottontail]

I've had 2 ZJs and one WJ. Here is what I can tell you.

The '94 with the V8 had some get up and go. It was a fast and powerful truck. I enjoyed running it on the interstate much more than in town.

The '96 with the I6 does everything I need it to except pull my Cherokee. I have towed U-haul trailers over 800 miles with it. I have almost 210,000 on it and it still runs great. This one is better in town withthe fuel, but lacks, on occasion, some get up on the interstate when I need to pass. Nothing severe though.

I think my '04 WJ with the 4.0 is a dog. I probably wouldn't get another one of them. I may consider a WJ with a V8 but haven't driven one.

If I were in the market I would find a 96-98. I dig their style better than the 93-95 and better than the WJ.

And yes, there are still some 5.9L ZJs running around out there. I have driven them and they are FAST. The '98 model year was the only year for them.

We are looking at getting a new truck for my wife (3rd row equipped) and I want to dump my '04 and hang onto my '96. I'm not excited at all about inhereting the WJ.

 

[Talyn]

The 4.0L in the 93-98 ZJ was adequate. The ChryCo transmission are crap in the ZJs though, 5.2L wasn't anything special and I would take a 4.0L over one. If you want a ZJ look for a 98 with a 5.9L.

I wouldn't get a first year WJ (99), and the WJ is just too heavy for the 4.0L plus by that time they were lacking power. Get a 4.7L or 4.7L HO in the XJ. Powerful and reliable.