Need advice re. buying a used XJ
 

Hi all,
I'm thinking of buying a used Jeep Cherokee and needed some advice. I'm
leaning towards a 1997 or later model (airbags and the improved console
would be nice). I needed some advice:

1. I'm primarily concerned about reliability. It won't be a daily driver but
I'd hate to be stranded out in the boonies on a weekend or on a long road
trip. Are there any model years I should avoid? I plan on running a Carfax
report, but is there anything else I should consider beyond that?

2. Would a Jeep Cherokee with 140,000 miles on it be a breakdown waiting to
happen? How reliable has the I-6 been in your experience (with average
maintenance!).

3. Does anyone know a reliable source for a used Jeep Cherokee in the NJ/NY
area? If you know of someone that has one for sale, feel free to point them
my way.

Thanks!

Mak
My email address is mpitke at hotmail dot com

Re: Need advice re. buying a used XJ
 

> 1. I'm primarily concerned about reliability. It won't be a daily driver
> but
> I'd hate to be stranded out in the boonies on a weekend or on a long road
> trip. Are there any model years I should avoid? I plan on running a Carfax
> report, but is there anything else I should consider beyond that?

I haven't had any driveability concerns with mine, BIGGEST thing to check
and make sure of is floor rust, I have replaced 90% of the floor in mine.
Rocker panels rust out fast if the J**P has/had running boards. (Bill has a
link to my floor repair pics) Rustcheck spray or krown will help prevent
and slow down on the rust.

> 2. Would a Jeep Cherokee with 140,000 miles on it be a breakdown waiting
> to happen? How reliable has the I-6 been in your experience (with average
> maintenance!).

Thats only a mere 225,308.16 kilometers, thats nothing.. my 93 XJ has
376,000 plus on it and no problems with the engine or drive train. Aside
from the obvious I have changed the altenator, rad (twice), water pump and
ps hoses, had the tranny lines break once. The 6 cyl. is almost bullet
proof, if you take care of it (oil changes somewhere close to the 3000
km-5000km's range) it will last a long time.

Snow...

Re: Need advice re. buying a used XJ
 

> 1. I'm primarily concerned about reliability. It won't be a daily driver
> but
> I'd hate to be stranded out in the boonies on a weekend or on a long road
> trip. Are there any model years I should avoid? I plan on running a Carfax
> report, but is there anything else I should consider beyond that?

I haven't had any driveability concerns with mine, BIGGEST thing to check
and make sure of is floor rust, I have replaced 90% of the floor in mine.
Rocker panels rust out fast if the J**P has/had running boards. (Bill has a
link to my floor repair pics) Rustcheck spray or krown will help prevent
and slow down on the rust.

> 2. Would a Jeep Cherokee with 140,000 miles on it be a breakdown waiting
> to happen? How reliable has the I-6 been in your experience (with average
> maintenance!).

Thats only a mere 225,308.16 kilometers, thats nothing.. my 93 XJ has
376,000 plus on it and no problems with the engine or drive train. Aside
from the obvious I have changed the altenator, rad (twice), water pump and
ps hoses, had the tranny lines break once. The 6 cyl. is almost bullet
proof, if you take care of it (oil changes somewhere close to the 3000
km-5000km's range) it will last a long time.

Snow...

Re: Need advice re. buying a used XJ
 

> 1. I'm primarily concerned about reliability. It won't be a daily driver
> but
> I'd hate to be stranded out in the boonies on a weekend or on a long road
> trip. Are there any model years I should avoid? I plan on running a Carfax
> report, but is there anything else I should consider beyond that?

I haven't had any driveability concerns with mine, BIGGEST thing to check
and make sure of is floor rust, I have replaced 90% of the floor in mine.
Rocker panels rust out fast if the J**P has/had running boards. (Bill has a
link to my floor repair pics) Rustcheck spray or krown will help prevent
and slow down on the rust.

> 2. Would a Jeep Cherokee with 140,000 miles on it be a breakdown waiting
> to happen? How reliable has the I-6 been in your experience (with average
> maintenance!).

Thats only a mere 225,308.16 kilometers, thats nothing.. my 93 XJ has
376,000 plus on it and no problems with the engine or drive train. Aside
from the obvious I have changed the altenator, rad (twice), water pump and
ps hoses, had the tranny lines break once. The 6 cyl. is almost bullet
proof, if you take care of it (oil changes somewhere close to the 3000
km-5000km's range) it will last a long time.

Snow...

Re: Need advice re. buying a used XJ
 

> 1. I'm primarily concerned about reliability. It won't be a daily driver
> but
> I'd hate to be stranded out in the boonies on a weekend or on a long road
> trip. Are there any model years I should avoid? I plan on running a Carfax
> report, but is there anything else I should consider beyond that?

I haven't had any driveability concerns with mine, BIGGEST thing to check
and make sure of is floor rust, I have replaced 90% of the floor in mine.
Rocker panels rust out fast if the J**P has/had running boards. (Bill has a
link to my floor repair pics) Rustcheck spray or krown will help prevent
and slow down on the rust.

> 2. Would a Jeep Cherokee with 140,000 miles on it be a breakdown waiting
> to happen? How reliable has the I-6 been in your experience (with average
> maintenance!).

Thats only a mere 225,308.16 kilometers, thats nothing.. my 93 XJ has
376,000 plus on it and no problems with the engine or drive train. Aside
from the obvious I have changed the altenator, rad (twice), water pump and
ps hoses, had the tranny lines break once. The 6 cyl. is almost bullet
proof, if you take care of it (oil changes somewhere close to the 3000
km-5000km's range) it will last a long time.

Snow...

Re: Need advice re. buying a used XJ
 

The 4.0L I6 is an old and reliable design. Some get over 300K miles.
Look for a seller with complete service records so you can see that it
has been maintained and so you know when to expect to replace other
parts like belts, bushings, joints, seals, alternator, harmonic
balancer, etc.

Cherokee has a choice of transfer cases. 'Command-trac' has 2WD, 4LO, &
4HI (offroad or snow only). 'Selec-trac' has the same plus a 'full time'
AWD mode that can be run on dry pavement.

The optional 'Up Country' package has skid plates, tow hooks, and better
(taller) springs.

Avoid the Dana 35 rear end. Look for the Chrysler 8.25. Any model with
ABS will have the Dana 35. The 8.25 got larger, stronger internal axles
beginning in 1997.

Steve
http://xjeep.dyndns.org

mpitke wrote:
> Hi all,
> I'm thinking of buying a used Jeep Cherokee and needed some advice. I'm
> leaning towards a 1997 or later model (airbags and the improved console
> would be nice). I needed some advice:
>
> 1. I'm primarily concerned about reliability. It won't be a daily driver but
> I'd hate to be stranded out in the boonies on a weekend or on a long road
> trip. Are there any model years I should avoid? I plan on running a Carfax
> report, but is there anything else I should consider beyond that?
>
> 2. Would a Jeep Cherokee with 140,000 miles on it be a breakdown waiting to
> happen? How reliable has the I-6 been in your experience (with average
> maintenance!).
>
> 3. Does anyone know a reliable source for a used Jeep Cherokee in the NJ/NY
> area? If you know of someone that has one for sale, feel free to point them
> my way.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Mak
> My email address is mpitke at hotmail dot com
>
>

Re: Need advice re. buying a used XJ
 

The 4.0L I6 is an old and reliable design. Some get over 300K miles.
Look for a seller with complete service records so you can see that it
has been maintained and so you know when to expect to replace other
parts like belts, bushings, joints, seals, alternator, harmonic
balancer, etc.

Cherokee has a choice of transfer cases. 'Command-trac' has 2WD, 4LO, &
4HI (offroad or snow only). 'Selec-trac' has the same plus a 'full time'
AWD mode that can be run on dry pavement.

The optional 'Up Country' package has skid plates, tow hooks, and better
(taller) springs.

Avoid the Dana 35 rear end. Look for the Chrysler 8.25. Any model with
ABS will have the Dana 35. The 8.25 got larger, stronger internal axles
beginning in 1997.

Steve
http://xjeep.dyndns.org

mpitke wrote:
> Hi all,
> I'm thinking of buying a used Jeep Cherokee and needed some advice. I'm
> leaning towards a 1997 or later model (airbags and the improved console
> would be nice). I needed some advice:
>
> 1. I'm primarily concerned about reliability. It won't be a daily driver but
> I'd hate to be stranded out in the boonies on a weekend or on a long road
> trip. Are there any model years I should avoid? I plan on running a Carfax
> report, but is there anything else I should consider beyond that?
>
> 2. Would a Jeep Cherokee with 140,000 miles on it be a breakdown waiting to
> happen? How reliable has the I-6 been in your experience (with average
> maintenance!).
>
> 3. Does anyone know a reliable source for a used Jeep Cherokee in the NJ/NY
> area? If you know of someone that has one for sale, feel free to point them
> my way.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Mak
> My email address is mpitke at hotmail dot com
>
>

Re: Need advice re. buying a used XJ
 

The 4.0L I6 is an old and reliable design. Some get over 300K miles.
Look for a seller with complete service records so you can see that it
has been maintained and so you know when to expect to replace other
parts like belts, bushings, joints, seals, alternator, harmonic
balancer, etc.

Cherokee has a choice of transfer cases. 'Command-trac' has 2WD, 4LO, &
4HI (offroad or snow only). 'Selec-trac' has the same plus a 'full time'
AWD mode that can be run on dry pavement.

The optional 'Up Country' package has skid plates, tow hooks, and better
(taller) springs.

Avoid the Dana 35 rear end. Look for the Chrysler 8.25. Any model with
ABS will have the Dana 35. The 8.25 got larger, stronger internal axles
beginning in 1997.

Steve
http://xjeep.dyndns.org

mpitke wrote:
> Hi all,
> I'm thinking of buying a used Jeep Cherokee and needed some advice. I'm
> leaning towards a 1997 or later model (airbags and the improved console
> would be nice). I needed some advice:
>
> 1. I'm primarily concerned about reliability. It won't be a daily driver but
> I'd hate to be stranded out in the boonies on a weekend or on a long road
> trip. Are there any model years I should avoid? I plan on running a Carfax
> report, but is there anything else I should consider beyond that?
>
> 2. Would a Jeep Cherokee with 140,000 miles on it be a breakdown waiting to
> happen? How reliable has the I-6 been in your experience (with average
> maintenance!).
>
> 3. Does anyone know a reliable source for a used Jeep Cherokee in the NJ/NY
> area? If you know of someone that has one for sale, feel free to point them
> my way.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Mak
> My email address is mpitke at hotmail dot com
>
>

Re: Need advice re. buying a used XJ
 

The 4.0L I6 is an old and reliable design. Some get over 300K miles.
Look for a seller with complete service records so you can see that it
has been maintained and so you know when to expect to replace other
parts like belts, bushings, joints, seals, alternator, harmonic
balancer, etc.

Cherokee has a choice of transfer cases. 'Command-trac' has 2WD, 4LO, &
4HI (offroad or snow only). 'Selec-trac' has the same plus a 'full time'
AWD mode that can be run on dry pavement.

The optional 'Up Country' package has skid plates, tow hooks, and better
(taller) springs.

Avoid the Dana 35 rear end. Look for the Chrysler 8.25. Any model with
ABS will have the Dana 35. The 8.25 got larger, stronger internal axles
beginning in 1997.

Steve
http://xjeep.dyndns.org

mpitke wrote:
> Hi all,
> I'm thinking of buying a used Jeep Cherokee and needed some advice. I'm
> leaning towards a 1997 or later model (airbags and the improved console
> would be nice). I needed some advice:
>
> 1. I'm primarily concerned about reliability. It won't be a daily driver but
> I'd hate to be stranded out in the boonies on a weekend or on a long road
> trip. Are there any model years I should avoid? I plan on running a Carfax
> report, but is there anything else I should consider beyond that?
>
> 2. Would a Jeep Cherokee with 140,000 miles on it be a breakdown waiting to
> happen? How reliable has the I-6 been in your experience (with average
> maintenance!).
>
> 3. Does anyone know a reliable source for a used Jeep Cherokee in the NJ/NY
> area? If you know of someone that has one for sale, feel free to point them
> my way.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Mak
> My email address is mpitke at hotmail dot com
>
>

Re: Need advice re. buying a used XJ
 

Steve wrote:
-snip-
> Avoid the Dana 35 rear end. Look for the Chrysler 8.25. Any model with
> ABS will have the Dana 35. The 8.25 got larger, stronger internal axles
> beginning in 1997.

I don't understand this - are you saying that even post 1997 all
Cherokees with ABS will still have the Dana 35?

How can I tell which rear axle I have? I'm in the UK if it makes a
difference, with a 1997 (facelift) Cherokee with ABS.


--
Regards,
Danny

http://www.gaggia-espresso.com (a purely hobby site)
http://www.dannyscoffee.com (UK advert for my mobile espresso service)
http://www.malabargold.co.uk (UK/European online ordering for Malabar
Gold blend)
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