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 ‘roads,' 2-track or worse to hunt, fish, hike, etc.).
‘No 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—esp. any known "good" or "bad" years for Cherokee,
features to look for/avoid, etc.

Thanks so much-

Coyotefred in Wyoming

 

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—esp. any known "good" or "bad" years for Cherokee,
> features to look for/avoid, etc.

 

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—esp. any known "good" or "bad" years for Cherokee,
> features to look for/avoid, etc.

 

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—esp. any known "good" or "bad" years for Cherokee,
> features to look for/avoid, etc.

 

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—esp. any known "good" or "bad" years for Cherokee,
> features to look for/avoid, etc.

 

Sounds like a Cherokee would be perfect for you.

 

Sounds like a Cherokee would be perfect for you.

 

Sounds like a Cherokee would be perfect for you.

 

Sounds like a Cherokee would be perfect for you.

 

>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—esp. 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>>