hey,

thinking about selling my 4 wheeler, nova, and saving up a grand or 1500 and buying a jeep cherokee as a daily driver, any thoughts on these rigs? i might by a 4 runner if i can find one that is loaded with leather and a stuff for around 6-8000, still gonna keep the 94 though, just use it offroad only, gets 9 miles to the gallon now that shes done and itll only get worse as i lift it and stuff. just curiouse on your thoughts or experiences on these rigs though, I respect everyone's opionion about it so hey, mabey i wont get that but ill get something else, my sister just bought a suzuki grand vitara, (2001 i think) its loaded, curiouse on stuff that you need to watch for breakage wise on these rigs to, thanks all, sorry for the long post!

laterz
wade

 

I'd say avoid the Cherokee. Grand Cherokees are better, but costlier. The earlier Cherokees always have something wrong with them. They'll still drive, but are never at 100%, kinda like old Subarus except than you can't expect more than 100k miles without some major repairs. Go for a 4Runner.

 

yeah im trying to avoid a cherokee now actually, dont know what to get.
wade

 

i agree with mtnfreak, go for the toyota reliability when choosing a daily driver, Jeeps just wont be as reliable as a toyota

-Casey

 

i like to think of cherokees like golden retrievers. some of them kick ass and never let you down, but others are dumb as hell and break all the time. it kinda depends on an individual basis. lots of my friends have cherokees, 6 i believe, 5 are lifted, a few have never had major problems and the others constantly break down. just my thoughts on the xj

 

I have a 2000 JGC. It's a decent pavement pounder...

 

Things to look for on a 4.0HO Cherokee:
Rear main oil seal were redesigned in '97 for better longevity, but the old ones will still go past 100k.

AC compressors tend to leak at the front seal (sourced from GM, MISTAKE!)

Vacuum actuated 4wd can goof up when not used occasionally, shif on the fly is great though!

Exhaust manifold can crack with high miles.

Other than these things, we loved ours, but out grew it with a baby!

Jeeps are pretty darn reliable, especially '97 and up. The Cherokee has great power to weight ratio, and can be a little hot rod with just a couple add ons, like a Rusty's free flow exhaust and an Amsoil panel filter, although there's a few intakes available for it.

Lifts are fairly cheap, especially when compared to a Toyota, depending no how high you want to go.

Straight axles are awesome off road, plain and simple. The Cherokee has coils up front, and it flexes quite well even stock. Leafs in the back can sag over time and use, but what won't?

We would get about 16mpg around town with ours, when my wife drove it (lead foot). We got a best of 24mpg on the highway when loaded down with every bit of camping gear we own, and a car top carrier! This was coming back from Camp Jeep in '00.

I've got a '92 4runner with the 3.0v6, and so far it is no more reliable than any Jeep I've owned, and way under powered. At least Jeep gives you a motor than can haul something!

 

ok, I hope that this doesent start some war between brands, but im thinking of getting a chevy 1500 4x4, will that pull my truck on a trailer with gear for camping to ? if anyone knows the facts on them like hauling capacity, etc. think that it will work as a hauler? i have about 8 grand to spend and can pick a 92 with a minor lift 5 speed and a 350 in it for about 8500! im gonna look at it tommorow. any thoughts are appreciated! thanks
wade

 

wimpy - i'd go with a f250 super duty, if you're gonna pull another truck with it. get the powerstroke, and over the years it could become a great wheelin rig, as it has a solid front axle

as for the jeeps, the 4.0 is basically the standard engine, you can find older ones with a 2.8 v6 in it, but most are a i6 4.0. biggest problem that they have for the most part is the exhaust manifold, but a header can replace that easily.

 

i knew it, people were gonna say get a underpowered, shottily built pos ford. nope, not gonna fix or repair daily dude!

Its either chevy or dodge, but im weary of dodge, so im thinkin chevy 2500 or 1500 will do it for me!

wade.

 

I just sold a grand cherokee... didnt have to many problem with it stock... but once the lift and big tires came... it broke a lot

 

Get the Chevy, Jeep and Ford are junk. Chevy actually still makes good trucks. Why would you care if a fullsize truck had a solid axle, it's not going to fit on any trails where it would give an advantage. Just make sure whatever you get has more than enough towing capacity, overkill is good. I don't think the 1500 would be the best choice, it would do it but I'd go bigger.

 

My roomates '89 XJ is a turd. There is always somthing wrong with it. It needed a rebuilt tranny (that nasty Pugeot thing) at 150,000 and now the 2nd gear synchro is dying. It may have been neglected before he got it but any used car may be like that.

My take on a having a daily driver and a trail rig is this, get the most economical car you can find that will meet your needs. Corolla, Tercel, Subaru Wagon, motorcycle ...? In big snow you can take the big 4x4 to work.

 

I would also look at the tahoe... you get them real cheap compaired to what they cost new...

Just last week on e bay there was a 98 2 door sport 4x4 tahoe... the buy it now was $8500.00

I have had 4 of the 2 door tahoes.. two where stolen Loved them and would still be driving them except for the work deal with having 4 doors... Then i ran across a new trooper and well i can pass on a 10 year 120,000 mile warrant

At any rate if you go tahoe shopping MAKE SURE YOU GET A 96 UP. the people that sale them say theres not a big diff. but there is... 96up had the vortech 250hp or something like vs the 180 in the 95 back... in turms of gas milage my 95 got 9-11 mpg but on the 96 it got 16-25 mpg. not to mention they hall a lot more ass...
The second 96 i had would smoke both tires just like a old muscle car...

 

nothin wrong with cherokees.. if you maintain them and take care of them they'll last..i had an 88 cherokee before i bought my 4runner, the cherokee was faster, flexed better for sure but the 4runner drives better to me.....you could buy my 4runner for a daily driver...then i can pour money into my chevrolet LOL but if you're gonna be towing your 4runner, get a fullsize...3/4 ton truck

 

My take on it is this: Your typical Toy will break down and niggle less but when it does, expect bigger bills and a bit more hassle tracking down quality parts. Typical GM trucks and Jeeps break down and niggle more but chances are the local auto parts emporium has better-than-OE stuff stocked on shelfs at 5:58 pm on a Sat. evening. This really only applies to N.A. residents (Can. and the U.S.) just like it does for Volvo drivers in Sweden.
I hope I'm making sense.

 

Almost any vehicle can last forever... If you maintain them. The question is, how much of a PITA will it be to maintain? I'm sticking with my Motorcycle theory.


Be sure to get a V10 motor also. They make great daily drivers if you own an oil company.



So do you want a daily driver or a tow rig? In any case, a Chrokee is neither.

 

hey everyone dont fret yet!

got a 98 taco, limited 4x4. now i have that to tow with(using a tow dolly) and my 94 pickup to play with! laterz
wade