Bought a used Jeep Cherokee tonight

[Stang2Vibe]

Just thought I'd share with some of the long time members here who know me, even from way back. Eh, the new folks can poke around too, I don't mind .It's been 5 years now since I've had a second car and with the way things have been shaping up in my life recently, it has become a necessity. So I'm keeping the 2003 Vibe GT (bought it new) that I've come to know and love, just adding to the automotive family. I've had to recently relocate and move back home due to circumstances beyond my control. So now my daily commute to school is 60 miles round trip, and it's about the same to work. 6 days per week x 60 miles per trip adds up to a lot of miles. The Vibe just hit 32,000 miles and they started racking up fast. In addition to work and a full time school schedule, I now own my own small internet-based business which requires me to regularly attend meetings and other events as well as meeting with clients. My Vibe could barely get me to school in the snow before when I only lived about 7 miles away, and that was with Blizzak snow tires on it. I thought about getting a heavier older car that was front wheel drive, but the more I thought about it, I said screw it and just get a 4wd. So I did.I got a 1994 Jeep Cherokee Sport, 4wd, 4 door, automatic. It has the inline 6 cyl 4.0L high output engine that is known to run forever. It had better, because the Jeep has 194,000 miles on it. I got to see the title, and it is a true one-owner car. It needs nothing mechanically. The return line to the tranny cooler was leaking a little, so as a condition of the sale, I required the dealer selling it to me to fix the leak. Seems like the valve cover gasket is leaking a bit too, as there was cruddy oil around the top of the engine, but I can change that myself. I was totally impressed when I test drove it at how good of a car it still was even with such high mileage. The 4wd worked great (I found a gravel lot to try it out in ) and the engine shows no signs of fatigue. The body is in very good condition, a few very small spots of minor surface rust that I can take care of easily and quickly myself. It needs a few cosmetic things that I won't mind doing and the interior needs a good overall cleaning. I'll take it to a detail shop to have 'er all cleaned up real good hopefully sometime next week. I have a friend who is a mechanic who I'll get to go over the whole car and perform a few regular maintenance things. It should make a better than average winter beater, and considering I picked it up for about $1700, I'm pretty happy.I got to see it before the dealer had a chance to do any cleaning of it, which in a way is good because I get to see any leaks, damage, etc.I don't know how long these pics will be up, but I'll try and post a few from the autotrader site. I get to pick the car up this Wednesday.The pics show the hood being open a bit, but it does close and latch properly. I went over the car on the lot for about 2 hours today and I have a pretty good handle on the relatively few things that need done to it. At least I'll be ready for winter this year!

[millster]

Hey, not too bad. It looks to be in pretty good shape really.I have a friend that had one with that same engine. Ran it into the ground, litterally. It had about 190K on it when he bought it and it finally died around 250K. He never changed the oil, his thought was that it leaked so much it wouldn't need changed. When it threw a rod, he learned how wrong that was.My point there is that it must be bullet proof to have stood up to that abuse for that long.

[ArcsVibe]

Welcome back stangy baby miss our "debates" bro! I hope all is well with you.Congrats on the purchase. We were about to buy a 1999 Cherokee before I got the Vibe. They are strong stable cars....Now start fixing her up

[ColonelPanic]

One of those things got me home last winter after a nasty snow/ice storm when that little whimpy little Vibe thing of mine wouldn't move out of the space I was parked in, let alone out of the parking lot itself. I was grateful to bum a ride... He made the 50 mile round trip with no problems, I couldn't even get out of the parking space. lol!Not too bad for $1700.

[Stang2Vibe]

Yep, that I-6 engine is a real beast! Before giving this car serious consideration, I checked out all kind of info from several sources on the web. Everything from J.D. Power ratings to Jeep and 4wd forum sites. Common consensus seems to be that the drivetrain on these is rock solid and I read accounts of dozens and dozens of owners who have put well over 200,000 miles on these with little or no more than regular maintenance. It just ran incredibly for such high miles, it's almost freaky.Almost forgot, the engine is rated stock at 190 HP, 225 lb-ft torque. Several dyno reports have shown that the HP figure is pretty accurate, but the torque should have been rated at 240 lb-ft. There also seem to be some easy and relatively cheap ways to mod this car/engine to make it as fast as my Vibe GT. It really doesn't feel much slower than the Vibe, considering it has almost 200,000 miles on it and weighs about 800 lbs more. It should beat the base and AWD Vibe in stock form. Fuel economy isn't terrible either, people are reporting their high mileage Cherokees still getting a consistant 20 MPG in mixed driving. I guess I'll see. My Vibe GT is only getting 25-27 MPG consistantly--which I don't think is bad either.

[Stang2Vibe]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »One of those things got me home last winter after a nasty snow/ice storm when that little whimpy little Vibe thing of mine wouldn't move out of the space I was parked in, let alone out of the parking lot itself. I was grateful to bum a ride... He made the 50 mile round trip with no problems, I couldn't even get out of the parking space. lol!I remember you posting that story! I didn't know that it was one of these that got you home though. Let's hope I have good luck with it in the winter months ahead .Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »Not too bad for $1700. Being a "frugal" guy, I thought you might like that! LOL . I'll be honest, the interior is rather cruddy but it looks like it should clean up OK. I'll let the detailers handle this one, as I've seen them do some amazing things with car interiors that I would have considered hopeless causes.And thanks to you too, Sam. I've missed the debates as well . Maybe I'll get to spend a little more time around here now, depending on how things go with work and school.

[ColonelPanic]

Yep. That was it. His Cherokee was around a 2000 or so, IIRC. From what I saw of that thing, I'm sure the Cherokee will serve you well this winter. Good luck with it! Feel free to share some fun stories if you run across any this winter with this thing. lol!

[cohocarl]

Quote, originally posted by Stang2Vibe »considering I picked it up for about $1700, I'm pretty happy.Shoud be happy. Sounds like a good price. I've had an eye out for just about exactly the same thing. Would be a great winter beater/fishing/tow vehicle.

[Mr. Poopypants]

Hey there stang!! Long time/no type.That beast should get you around nicely this winter.

[joatmon]

Good deal I like the color and you can't beat the price. Glad you are Stang2VibePlusJeep instead of Stang2Vibe2Jeep.

[Stang2Vibe]

Thanks everyone! Car sites like this one are much harder to come by than I had thought. I've been looking for one for the Jeep and haven't quite found one yet. Many of them are geared more for the Wrangler, but there is still plenty of info on the Cherokee (labeled as the Jeep XJ model I found out). It seems like on the Jeep sites I found so far, it can take several days to get a response, if you get one at all, yet their stats show that they have over 22,000 members. GenVibe has really spoiled me!I expect Autotrader to soon be notified of the sale and they'll take the pics down. After I get it all cleaned up, I'll have to see if I can post some pics of my own. Maybe I'll do some before and after the cleaning pics. Quote, originally posted by joatmon »Glad you are Stang2VibePlusJeep instead of Stang2Vibe2Jeep.You know, I may have started something bad by choosing my screenname. In about 20 years, my name will probably take up a whole page!

[joatmon]

Quote, originally posted by S2VpJ »You know, I may have started something bad by choosing my screenname. In about 20 years, my name will probably take up a whole page!you'll just have to go into acronym mode, but you better start buying a few vowels here and there Wow, you posted two days in a row. Don't hurt yourself Good to see you back in genvibe

[Stang2Vibe]

I like it! Now you've got me thinking. I could get creative from here on out and make my vehicle ownership line acronym spell out dirty words. LOL. Let's see, maybe I'll start next with, ummm, how about a Ferrari? lol .

[joatmon]

Quote, originally posted by Stang2Vibe » I now own my own small internet-based business which requires me to regularly attend meetings and other events as well as meeting with clients. Quote, originally posted by Stang2Vibe » Let's see, maybe I'll start next with, ummm, how about a Ferrari? Wow! Sounds like the small internet based business must be doing really well So when do you get the Cherokee, or do you already have it?

[heha]

my father inlaws cherokee just rolled over 330k and still run like it did whe he bought it

[soldierguy]

Woo Hoo! Another Jeep owner on the site!A couple of good sites I go to a lot are http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/ and http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/index.phpBoth sites have good forums. The link to the forums on JeepsUnlimited is right at the top just over the pic of the Grand Cherokee.The only issue that I know of on the XJ, ZJ, and WJ (Cherokee, Grand Cherokee 1st generation, Grand Cherokee 3rd generation) is the dreaded "death wobble" that can afflict any number of solid-front-axle Jeeps. It's a violent shaking that can occur anywhere from about 30-35 mph on up...it happens without warning. The causes of it are any number of things up front...worn shocks, worn steering components, bearings about to go...you name a part up front and I've read about people claiming that replacing that part fixed their death wobble. Some people never have a problem with it, while others have one heck of a time with it. The good part about it seems to be that it is fixable and it doesn't do anything except shake the vehicle.Good luck!

[drunkenmaxx]

Quote, originally posted by Stang2Vibe »Ferrari? lol .Ferrari Afficionado Racing Team

[Stang2Vibe]

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »Wow! Sounds like the small internet based business must be doing really well So when do you get the Cherokee, or do you already have it? Acutally, my small business is doing really well, especially for just getting started. Last week I got the chance to briefly meet with a guy who is a part of my business team who retired for life from his job at IBM at the age of 26. He's got a new Porsche, Jaguar, and another incredibly expensive car that I can't remember right now. He and his wife recently moved into a 2+ million dollar home on Lake Norman in North Carolina. If he can do it, so can I.And I just picked up the Jeep last night. Drove it about 30 miles and it runs so good it scares me. I've never drove anything that had nearly this much mileage that still drove so good. Pulls strong, tracks straight, leaks nothing on the ground, no funny noises, all power accessories work, I'm just totally amazed. It's more like a 40,000 mile car, not one that has 191,000 miles on it.Quote, originally posted by heha »my father inlaws cherokee just rolled over 330k and still run like it did whe he bought itAfter driving this one a bit, I have to totally believe you. I was starting to convince myself that the engine had to be replaced at some point earlier in it's life, but the more things I read like you posted, it may well be the original engine. The valve cover gasket is leaking a little so there's some cruddy oil around the top of the motor that starts to smell a little outside the car when it's warmed up, but that's a cheap and easy fix. Other than that, it runs absolutely perfect. It's got enough power to bring a grin to my face when I stomp on it.My only complaint with it is that the brakes don't stop it nearly as fast as the Vibe's. I know that the Vibe has quite good braking, but I'm wondering if the brake fluid in the Jeep needs changed or maybe the rubber hoses at each wheel are weakening. I plan to change the fluid and the hoses anyway just to be on the safe side, but it may just be the way that particular car is. I'll be changing all the fluids, having the radiator and tranny power flushed, put a new battery in it, new tires, cap/wires/spark plugs if needed, cover all the basics. And I'll have my mechanic buddy give it a good look over to see if he spots anything that might need attention.Quote, originally posted by soldierguy »Woo Hoo! Another Jeep owner on the site!A couple of good sites I go to a lot are http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/ and http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/index.phpBoth sites have good forums. The link to the forums on JeepsUnlimited is right at the top just over the pic of the Grand Cherokee.Thank you very, very much for the links soldierguy! I'll be checking those sites out for sure. I also heard of the dreaded "death wobble" but didn't know what it was exactly. If it can be fixed, I don't see why it is so dreaded. Front suspension/steering parts can go bad on any vehicle and cause similar wobbling, I wonder why they make such a big deal out of it on these cars? Oh well, no wobbling in my Jeep so far, so I'll just have to keep it in mind.

[Stang2Vibe]

I'm taking the Jeep to school and work today so I'll see how everything goes. I should be getting my computer back from being repaired before the end of the week, so I might be able to take some pics and post them soon.

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by drunkenvibe »Ferrari Afficionado Racing TeamF.A.R.T.? Stang, good to hear the Jeep is still good and solid. I gotta admit, that does say at least one or two good things about the product that everything is still in such good shape and things still work at almost 200,000 miles. Good luck with whatever you're doing these days as well, when you make it to the big leagues, don't forget where ya came from. (read: buy us stuff!) lol

[Stang2Vibe]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »Stang, good to hear the Jeep is still good and solid. I gotta admit, that does say at least one or two good things about the product that everything is still in such good shape and things still work at almost 200,000 miles. I got to inspect the underside of the Jeep last night after work in the shop. I changed the oil and filter, and the headlights (put in silverstars). I can't believe how relatively little rust is under the car. You'd think it was a southern car, but I have a copy of the original title and the car's only previous owner lived in a suburb of Pittsburgh. The rear anti-sway bar and the rear brake lines are the only parts rusted enough to require replacing. The shocks look a bit elderly and will be replaced shortly. The cap, spark plug wires, and spark plugs are getting changed too (hopefully today as well as the shocks if I can get all the parts). I pressure washed the engine bay and the outside of the Jeep to clean things up a bit, but it was too dark outside to see how well everything cleaned up. This car just amazes me.Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »Good luck with whatever you're doing these days as well, when you make it to the big leagues, don't forget where ya came from. (read: buy us stuff!) lolOh, I doubt I'll forget where I came from, but don't wait around too long for handouts from me. What I'm doing, virtually anybody can do if they just want to put forth a little bit of effort, so I'd rather teach others how to create their own wealth so they can buy anything their mind can imagine. Ah, the power of dreams and the ability to chase them down .

[Stang2Vibe]

Well, after cleaning the engine compartment on the Jeep the other night, I found out why the engine seemed to run so good for such high mileage. The next day when I was poking around under the hood in the daylight, I found a little red tag attached to the side of the engine block. It's got a rebuilt motor from Jasper Engines. I've heard good and bad things about Jasper rebuilds, but my mechanic buddy says they're good. He stopped by my work yesterday and we were looking the car over. He took it across the street to the repair shop where he works to show it to the shop's owner who has had 4 of these kinds of Jeeps so far and likes them. They said it looked pretty good and that I got a good deal on it. Also found out that the catalytic converter will need to be replaced, as the guts of the converter are starting to come loose and rattle around inside it. No biggie.I bought some parts for a tune-up that I did yesterday, and I'll change the valve cover gasket. Bought some Meguiar's cleaner wax and got the exterior all cleaned up. Got some primer and paint to repaint some of the flat black trim that is chipped/worn/starting to rust. This is turning out to be a fun project car! I'm thinking that if everything holds up on it and it prooves to me to be worth keeping, I'll have it repainted next summer.