What's a good JEEP product/year for under $4-5K

[valaker]

I just donated my '87 Volvo 740 wagon to my in-law side of the family due to hardship on their end. Now I'm looking into something to replace it as my 2nd car/junk hauler/something reliable when my Passat has its next electrical problem.
I could grab another Volvo 740 as they are abundant around here for less than $2k for a clean one with 200K miles. But i'm also interested in maybe a more rugged option like a used Cherokee/Grand Cherokee (just in case I get that boat

) I've seen many 4.0 I6 Cherokees for less than 3 grand in seemingly good shape, some even under 115K miles. Any suggestions, warnings, words of wisdom? In all honesty I would seek out a 2x4 version as I have never had a need for 4-wheel drive. Thanks

 

[JTK]

IMO, if it's got to be a jeep, go for the newest cherokee you can get for the $. Years ago I had a 1994 Cherokee 4.0L, 5spd, 2wd. Loved that truck. Very reliable, powerful and decent economy. It was just frightening in the snow, which is why I sold it after a few years.

Joel

 

[valaker]

It certainly doesn't HAVE to be a Jeep, but they seem pretty hardy and simple to work on, not to mention the venerable 4.0 six. No snow, mud, or boulder-ing intended for this vehicle. Just looking for something to do what my Passat can't do. I did see some 96 cherokees for reasonable $$ with lower mileage. Then again as in the Volvo world, sometimes a higher mileage unit may be desireable as it may indicate better overall maintenence throughout the vehicle's service.

Or it could be a timebomb...

 

[Greaser]

You are on the right track...stay the course.

 

[Zaedock]

If you're going to be using it for your boat, I'd rather have 4wd. Even if you don't use low range, 4wd adds peace of mind when your're trying to pull out your boat and only have one wheel spinning.

 

[HawkeyeScott]

I think you're already leaning the right way. Find a Cherokee that appears to have been well taken care of. I've always thought that a vehicle that's well maintained on the inside has very likely got the mechanical attention it's needed.

For $4-5K, you should get a very, very reliable 2nd vehicle.

(And you didn't ask me, but if $5K is your budget, I'd spend $4K for the car and then $1K on a tune up, new fluids, tires if necessary, belts, hoses, all that good stuff to make it reliable right away. Then, outside of what's traditionally known as a very reliable engine and tranny, you know exactly what you've got under you.)

I guess that's how I'd spend my money. Best of luck with your pursuit!

 

[valaker]

The boat is still just an idea/fantasy not to mention any boat I got would likely be along the lines of something simple and cheap, But back to the Jeep... I have time to cherry pick a nice vehicle, no hurries. Craigslist search in my area with a 3500 dollar max price yielded dozens and dozens of Jeeps (or Volvos

, which still make a lot of sense to me). thanks for the input so far

 

[alanu]

First thing you do is pull the airfilter and inspect it. Those inline 6's tend to have major blowby and soak the airfilter.

Depending on what year cherokee the ones with the U-joint driveshaft front end eat wheel bearings (major howl) or U joints go.

Crank sensor on the bellhousing are constant unreliable sensors and the hall effects in the distributors commonly go too.

The Earlier cherokees had steel fuel tanks. Any mud and debris sits in the metal shield that protects the tank. That rusts out and fuel leaks are a potential. All in all they are inexpensive and hold up quite well. Raunchy feel and ride though.

Manual transission's have the slave cylinder in the bellhousing. Stupid system that requires overhaul of the slave IF it leaks. Auto's seems to hold up extremely well. Just flush it as per maintenance schedule.

Only thing about Volvo's are the heatercores that take a good day to pull the entire dash to get too. YUCK YUCK YUCK. Gotta use a bosch dist cap or the Beru brands will drive you nuts trying to fit them on the dist. All the ones I've worked on leaked everywhere.

maybe consider a 4x4 chevy pickup. fuel tank, heatercore and intake gasket will require changing in due time but otherwise they seem to be a decent workhorse. Headgaskets are not a usual issue.

 

[Sparkman]

www.naxja.org/forum

 

[jeepman]

I have a 92 Cherokee Limited with 163k and still runs like it was new. Regular fluid changes of course, and was AutoRx'ed last year. Best vehicle I have ever owned. I agree with the comment about getting a 4WD. On most all Cherokees you can use the secondary shifter to manually stay in 2WD until 4WD is needed, so there is no sacrifice in mileage, etc. The only oddity about the truck has been a need to replace the thermostat every winter for the 4 years I have owned it. Other than that, runs solid as a rock, and would be a vehicle I would recommend. You can find many tales on the web of 4.0L owners who have gotten to 400k and beyond with no problems. Great engine, will be sorry to see it gone after this year....

 

[HawkeyeScott]

Any way we could hoard 4.0s like some of us tend to hoard oil? A lot of people will miss this engine. It will be interesting how many decades from now some of them will still be used.

 

[alreadygone]

Excellent engine, allways buy 4X because of resale, not because value holds better (it does) but because finding a buyer is so much easier. Other than blow by issue (do check filter housing), never seem to see problems brought up by alanu in my shop.

Bob

 

[MarkC]

I've had my 96 since it was new, and I wouldn't part with it. 132K+ on it, uses no oil, never had anything fail but a battery. Just now gotten around to replacing waterpump, hoses, oxygen sensor. 19.5 mpg average (5-speed). Runs like it was new.
Just got a slight weep from the rear main seal, but not very much.
4.0 is strong, reliable, and not hard to mess with.

 

[Zaedock]

Quote:

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Crank sensor on the bellhousing are constant unreliable sensors and the hall effects in the distributors commonly go too.

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I am a member of three Jeep clubs and have been President of one of them. Of all the XJ's I know of, one person had a CPS fail and that was a few years ago.

Quote:

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Depending on what year cherokee the ones with the U-joint driveshaft front end eat wheel bearings (major howl) or U joints go.

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What does the driveshaft have to do with the front wheel bearings? FYI, if you are referring to the Dana30's with CV shafts instead of Spicer 260X u-joints, the wheel bearings are the same between the two.

Quote:

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Manual transission's have the slave cylinder in the bellhousing. Stupid system that requires overhaul of the slave IF it leaks. Auto's seems to hold up extremely well. Just flush it as per maintenance schedule.

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I believe Jeep went to an external slave in 1994.


Valaker, I bought an '89 2 door auto 4wd Cherokee last year with 87K miles from the original owner for $1700. It needed a new cap/rotor and that was it. No blow-by and virtually no rust (amazing for this area).
The good deals are out there. Get friendly with your neighborhood Jeep club

 

[valaker]

Thanks for all the replies

Looking for a 2x4 will probably just limit my options so i'll keep an open mind. I saw a beautiful red '86 with 119k miles for $1900. It looked brand new. Probably sat in the garage a lot.

 

[Zaedock]

The '86 will either have the 2.5L four cylinder or the GM supplied 2.8L V6, which was a real turd. A four cylinder model would be ok, but if you can, try to get an '87+ with the 4.0L if you end up trying to tow a boat.

 

[Challenger71]

Love my 01 XJ, 80k/4dr/4wd/GC 0w-30. Never a problem and I plan to keep it that way. I give my 4.0 even more special treatment since I want to keep it as new as I possibly can...it will be a classic collectors item soon.

 

[MNgopher]

My '88 Cherokee qualifies for collecter plates whenever "Jeep" starts selling '08 models.

On the blowby issue, the real problem is usually the orifice in the CCV system (no PCV) gets clogged. 90+% of blowby issues get cleaned up when this orifice gets cleaned as well as the CCV hoses.

I'm in the club that have had a bad CPS. It happens...

I've also done the front wheel bearings (hub assembly), but how that relates to the front driveshaft having U-joints I don't know.

We love our Cherokee and no, you can't have it

 

[m2200b]

If you get a 4 cylinder you need the 5 speed or its even slower than the stick. The v6 - forget-about-it. I avoid those that towed or were heavily used as ski taxis. Many of the straight 4 and 6s will run 250K just like a volvo 740.
I'd probably only look at an external clutch slave model which means newer if you want a stick.

 

[Tosh]

I was going to suggest a diesel pick-up for you to convert to run on used vegetable oil, so I did a quick search on Autotrader.com, and look at this Ford pickup for $4400 and 69k I found! I know you said no 4x4, but look at that junk-hauling bed. (I suspect it has 169k...)