Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests Jeeps?

Whats your opinion on the newer Jeep Grand Cherokees? I'm thinking about getting one but I really dont know much about them. My wife and I went and looked at a limited edition w/ V8 and all wheel drive and were very impressed. I just dont know how much maintenace it will need or if they have any notorios major problems. Any info will will be appreciated.

Check The autos.msn.com Jeep Grand Cherokee page . In my experience, 1998-2002 aren't the most reliable after a few years. When compared to an Explorer, they can be somewhat cheap feeling. Although, if you buy the nicer models, they have great looking interiors. The V8 is the way to go, the 4 wheel drive system on the limited model is rather handy. If you can get one with the 5.9 L V8 even better.

5.9L? What year is this made. I didnt see it on the site you posted.

1998 is the year for the 5.9 Limited. Click on 1998 then features and specs. It is a good engine power-wise, and you get mesh-like metal trim in the grille. Plus a really nice interior. Bigger is always better, right. However, I'd take the 4.7L V8 instead, because you could buy a newer model, and the reliaility isn't too great for 1998. Also it gets better gas mileage, and only 10 less horsepower. I was not recommending the 5.9 limited, I was simply saying it was cool. I would not buy a 5.9 Limited personally, i'd rather have a newer one with the 4.7L.

i have a 2000 grand cherokee limited....4.7L V8...quadradrive 4wd....upcountry suspension...tow pkg., etc. i bought it in nov. of '02 w/ 57k on it, and during the 60k service (~$800 at the dealer) they also had to replace 3 leaking seals ($150) - both diffs and the transfer case. since that time, i've put over 20k miles on it with no problems until recently - just before Christmas (almost exactly a year after my previous "issues") i had a couple CEL's; one led the dealer to replace the PCM under the federal emissions warranty; the second involved replacing the throttle position sensor at my cost ($200).

all in all, i think it's pretty reliable - it has its issues, and i won't deny that the last CEL almost drove me to trade it in on something else until i realized just how little it was worth on trade. it's very competent offroad, and i've had mine through some moderate trails a few times in the last year or so - nothing hard core, though.

definitely stick w/ the V8 - the 4.0L inline 6 just isn't as well-suited to the heavier WJ ('99-present) grand cherokee as it was to the previous ZJ ('93-98). gas mileage will be very similar between the two, but the 4L is pretty slow in comparison. i'd stay away from the '99's if you can, since those have fallen under the typical "don't buy the first year of anything" category and tend to be more problematic than the later years.

just like ford, they did start decontenting things over the years, and i personally like the seat leather pattern in the 99/00 years better than '01+...so i looked for a 2000 and found it.

if you have any specific questions, feel free to ask....or check out www.jeepsunlimited.com and www.wjjeeps.com (the latter being an invaluable source of specific info about every '99-present JGC, from TSB's to how to take out the radio).

i like mine, though i'll confess to being more of a car guy at heart than an SUV guy, so the gas mileage and its preference to staying below 80 mph irks me a bit. c'est la vie, though - it does come in handy when hauling mtn. bikes or other crap and does handle itself quite well offroad.

hth.

I own a 2004 grand cherokee 4.0 special edition which has the 4.0 all wheel drive system and i'm very happy with it so far, My only complaint would be the CEL that i just had along with a vacuum hose that split at the seam about 3 months ago, I'll see how there service is tomorrow.

If i had to do it again i would have bought the Volkswagon toureag 8 CYL.
I think that truck is pretty sweet and it's priced about the same.

If your looking for cargo room then the grand cherokee doesn't have it, the crago is about the same size as the 2 door explorer, the 4 door is alot bigger.

http://www.jeepsunlimited.com

ask these guys. my folks have a JGC Laredo V6 and they love it.

There is a redesign coming out for 2005 model year. That could mean even better discounts on the current one or you may like the next one better. Hemi is coming to the next one.

My wife works at DCX nad has brought home a couple JGC's. I like them in general as they are a nioce size to drive around town. I prefer the V8, but have not driven a high output one yet. Overall, I think they are nicely appointed and drive well, except for a lot of body roll on the ones I have driven.

I think I can get you a nice discount if you are interested. PM if interested.
Aaron

As the resident anti-suv nazi, I must ask what are you looking for in an SUV? Cargo space? Towing? Traction? Luxury?