4WD (Cherokee?) recommendations please
Hello!
After 240K miles, my trusty old Toyota pickup is going out to pasture (literally, as a ranch work truck). I need a new main ride now, and I think a used cherokee may be my best choice. My driving habits are about 70% pavement (with pretty good snow/ice coverages in winter though), 20% dirt/gravel rural roads (sometimes pretty muddy in wet springs) and 10% off-road (not recreational 4-wheeling, but getting back on lousy 喪oads,' 2-track or worse to hunt, fish, hike, etc.). 鮮o kids, just the girlfriend and a buddy or two now and then (and plenty of gear) for trips. 'Maybe some light towing now and then (small horse trailer). And I want to stay under about $15,000 if I can. Like other folks with similar driving needs, I thought about some of the compact SUVs like the Subaru Forester and the Honda CRV. I like the idea of a full-time AWD system to leave "on" at times when in my neck of the woods you're not sure where your next patch of black ice is going to show up. However, the lack of a 4-low option for slow crawling and pulling concerned me, as did the basic fact that (based on my reading the opinions of others) these are on-road vehicles with *some* limited off-road capability. I do spend a fair amount of time "off-pavement," and I need a vehicle that can deal with that. When I put everything together, it seemed to me a used jeep cherokee might be a good choice. While I'm not thrilled with jeep's reliability compared to the likes of Toyota, Honda & Subaru (my immediate and extended family have driven jeeps for as long as I can remember, and they've spent more time in the shop than I think they should have), I need to think of performance as well as reliability. And when things do go wrong, my chances of getting decent service on a cherokee out here in rural America seem a whole lot better than Subaru or Honda. From what I've read, it seemed like maybe a late 90s Cherokee sport with the Select-Tract drivetrain (which apparently has a selectable full-time AWD option or something similar) would be an ideal choice for my needs. I would appreciate any thoughts others might have on the matter though容sp. any known "good" or "bad" years for Cherokee, features to look for/avoid, etc. Thanks so much- Coyotefred in Wyoming |
Re: 4WD (Cherokee?) recommendations please
1984-1990 Cherokees have a lousy closed cooling system.
Get the 4.0L inline six engine. Until mid 1995, the Cherokee came with a Dana 30 front end that has a problematic vacuum actuated axle disconnect and weak u-joints. Later Cherokee Dana 30s are always turning and have stronger u-joints. Look for the Chrysler 8.25 rear end as opposed to the weaker Dana 35. Cherokees with ABS will always have Dana 35 rear. Both have an oval diff cover, but the 8.25 has two flanges cast on the bottom of the housing that make it look flat underneath. Earlier 8.25s have smaller 27 spline axles so they're not much better than the Dana 35. Later 8.25s (1996+) have larger 29 spline axles. Many reasonably priced kits available for a three inch lift to clear 31x10.50R15 tires on any model year. Steve coyotefred wrote: > From what I've read, it seemed like maybe a late 90s Cherokee sport > with the Select-Tract drivetrain (which apparently has a selectable > full-time AWD option or something similar) would be an ideal choice > for my needs. I would appreciate any thoughts others might have on > the matter though容sp. any known "good" or "bad" years for Cherokee, > features to look for/avoid, etc. |
Re: 4WD (Cherokee?) recommendations please
1984-1990 Cherokees have a lousy closed cooling system.
Get the 4.0L inline six engine. Until mid 1995, the Cherokee came with a Dana 30 front end that has a problematic vacuum actuated axle disconnect and weak u-joints. Later Cherokee Dana 30s are always turning and have stronger u-joints. Look for the Chrysler 8.25 rear end as opposed to the weaker Dana 35. Cherokees with ABS will always have Dana 35 rear. Both have an oval diff cover, but the 8.25 has two flanges cast on the bottom of the housing that make it look flat underneath. Earlier 8.25s have smaller 27 spline axles so they're not much better than the Dana 35. Later 8.25s (1996+) have larger 29 spline axles. Many reasonably priced kits available for a three inch lift to clear 31x10.50R15 tires on any model year. Steve coyotefred wrote: > From what I've read, it seemed like maybe a late 90s Cherokee sport > with the Select-Tract drivetrain (which apparently has a selectable > full-time AWD option or something similar) would be an ideal choice > for my needs. I would appreciate any thoughts others might have on > the matter though容sp. any known "good" or "bad" years for Cherokee, > features to look for/avoid, etc. |
Re: 4WD (Cherokee?) recommendations please
1984-1990 Cherokees have a lousy closed cooling system.
Get the 4.0L inline six engine. Until mid 1995, the Cherokee came with a Dana 30 front end that has a problematic vacuum actuated axle disconnect and weak u-joints. Later Cherokee Dana 30s are always turning and have stronger u-joints. Look for the Chrysler 8.25 rear end as opposed to the weaker Dana 35. Cherokees with ABS will always have Dana 35 rear. Both have an oval diff cover, but the 8.25 has two flanges cast on the bottom of the housing that make it look flat underneath. Earlier 8.25s have smaller 27 spline axles so they're not much better than the Dana 35. Later 8.25s (1996+) have larger 29 spline axles. Many reasonably priced kits available for a three inch lift to clear 31x10.50R15 tires on any model year. Steve coyotefred wrote: > From what I've read, it seemed like maybe a late 90s Cherokee sport > with the Select-Tract drivetrain (which apparently has a selectable > full-time AWD option or something similar) would be an ideal choice > for my needs. I would appreciate any thoughts others might have on > the matter though容sp. any known "good" or "bad" years for Cherokee, > features to look for/avoid, etc. |
Re: 4WD (Cherokee?) recommendations please
1984-1990 Cherokees have a lousy closed cooling system.
Get the 4.0L inline six engine. Until mid 1995, the Cherokee came with a Dana 30 front end that has a problematic vacuum actuated axle disconnect and weak u-joints. Later Cherokee Dana 30s are always turning and have stronger u-joints. Look for the Chrysler 8.25 rear end as opposed to the weaker Dana 35. Cherokees with ABS will always have Dana 35 rear. Both have an oval diff cover, but the 8.25 has two flanges cast on the bottom of the housing that make it look flat underneath. Earlier 8.25s have smaller 27 spline axles so they're not much better than the Dana 35. Later 8.25s (1996+) have larger 29 spline axles. Many reasonably priced kits available for a three inch lift to clear 31x10.50R15 tires on any model year. Steve coyotefred wrote: > From what I've read, it seemed like maybe a late 90s Cherokee sport > with the Select-Tract drivetrain (which apparently has a selectable > full-time AWD option or something similar) would be an ideal choice > for my needs. I would appreciate any thoughts others might have on > the matter though容sp. any known "good" or "bad" years for Cherokee, > features to look for/avoid, etc. |
Re: 4WD (Cherokee?) recommendations please
Sounds like a Cherokee would be perfect for you.
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Re: 4WD (Cherokee?) recommendations please
Sounds like a Cherokee would be perfect for you.
|
Re: 4WD (Cherokee?) recommendations please
Sounds like a Cherokee would be perfect for you.
|
Re: 4WD (Cherokee?) recommendations please
Sounds like a Cherokee would be perfect for you.
|
Re: 4WD (Cherokee?) recommendations please
>From what I've read, it seemed like maybe a late 90s Cherokee sport
>with the Select-Tract drivetrain (which apparently has a selectable >full-time AWD option or something similar) would be an ideal choice >for my needs. I would appreciate any thoughts others might have on >the matter though容sp. any known "good" or "bad" years for Cherokee, >features to look for/avoid, etc. Cherokees were viewed as "budget" vehicles in later years, so they tend not to be as "loaded" as other SUVs. You may not care about lighted vanity mirrors, but AWD (Select-Trak) and limited slip differentials (Trak-Lock) seem to be fairly uncommon. After about '97, the interior got a lot more ergonomic and refined, but other parts of the vehicle were cheapened, like plastic instead of metal bumpers, and a metal instead of fiberglass liftgate. You really do want the 4.0 liter engine. Sport trim and above always had it, base or SE didn't necessarily. Problems endemic to Jeeps include the exhaust manifold and fluid leaks (most of them, except the rear main seal, fairly cheap to fix). The A/C and cooling are passible, but nothing to right home about. Look out for rust in the channel above the windows and at the bottom of the doors. Strong points are the engine/tranny and off-road capability. -- Monte Castleman, <<Spamfilter in Use>> Bloomington, MN <<to email, remove the "q" from address>> |
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