Jeep Grand Cherokee

[DavidR]

My Volvo died on the way home from Pinhotti. I'm going to look at a Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 tomorrow that I'll probably buy. Anyone own or have owned one of these? Any input on performance overall? I think it'll be good for car camping or using as a base camp.

[Haveuseen1]

I have had 3.  95,97, 99.    All three were reliable.  All three got terrible gas mileage ( something I could care less about for other reasons ), and all three went through tires like crazy.

95 had a weird vibration in the front drive shaft.  I changed the drive shaft and it still did it.  It never created any issues, and only vibrated if you really got on it from a dead stop.

97 the air would randomly quit working.

99 had bad blind spots for me.

In the mud, the 95 performed the best.  On the road the 99 performed the best.  Mine spent on avg about 3 months a year off road.  That is more off road use than most people would do, and they did just fine.  Suprisingly their cargo space was smaller than you would expect.  But I would guess would be more than the Volvo, unless it is a Volvo wagon.

Good luck.

[Firedog]

I've had a 95 and it was tough as nails & very dependable. Had it several years and drove it daily. MPG not too great w 32/11.50's on it but was great in the woods.

[DavidR]

Thanks guys. I had a Z71 before my Volvo. It was strange going from a club cab 4x4 to a little car but the gas savings were amazing! That is the only thing I know I won't be liking about this Jeep, but I considered the other positives. Absolute wort case is that I keep the Jeep for off road & adventure driving and just buy another car for everything else.

[Firedog]

Have you considered an Isuzu Rodeo 4x4? I have one now and it is an awesome vehicle. 89 up is great for offroading and gets good gas mileage. Tough as nails dependable and very comfortable. Downside is if you want to do any suspension mods. The availability of upfits are limited to a few vendors. Look at Calmini for about anything you need if you want to beef up things a bit. PureIsuzu.com is a great site. Carl W.

[DavidR]

Spent the day in Nashville. I ended up passing on the Jeep Grand Cherokee today. I didn't realize they stayed in 4WD all the time. I'm not sure what I want to do. I'm trying to stay in a $5K cash range. I found another Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo that runs great, but it has 180K on it for $4K.

Carl, I used to own a Isuzu Trooper back in 2000. It was a great vehicle. The concern I'd have now is that they don't make them in the US anymore and parts seem like they'd be hard to find. I found a 1998 Rodeo for $4500 with 101K on it. I'm not sure what I think of that. It's not 4WD.

Still looking for now.

[DavidR]

I ended up buying the Isuzu Rodeo. The guy sold at 3K. I think I'll be happy with it if I get 3 years out of it.

[Pathfinder]

David, looks like a very nice ride, and well suited for what you will be doing with it.

[luke724]

I have a Isuzu Trooper, it is a 92 model, it has over 200,000 miles. I do perform periodic maintenance and it has treated me well.  I have had it stuck before, due to tires. I recommend having a come-a-long on hand.

[DavidR]

Just got back from Wal mart and having issues. The techs showed me that the rack and pinion has a leaking line in it. I'll have to spray the leak off to find it. The main issue is that it won't start after the Wal mart guys did the oil change! It has been starting with no issue until I took it there. They can't figure it out. They advised me to take it and have it fixed maintaining that it is no fault of theirs. I told them I would do that, but that if it is found to be their fault I'd be back. I understand it's not new and breakdowns don't have a schedule. I've had this less than 24hrs! I assured them that I wasn't scheming to get over on Wal mart and that I doubted that it was their fault, but for prudence sake I did let them know that it is a possibility. I'm off to the guy I bought it from. He's coming to haul it and replace the starter possibly. I'm glad he's standing by his limited warranty!

Man.....I gotta get ready for my hike in the morning!!!!!

[DavidR]

Ok....it just needed a new battery. I got one for free and it's working like a charm. I'll tend to the other minor issues next week. Montgomery loop here I come.

[Firedog]

Hey David, I'm glad that was all it was. I hope you like the Rodeo. It looks good. I love mine. It doesn't look as nice as yours. It has 33x10.50 mudders and is lifted. It also has been bounced off of a few trees from time to time. It takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Hope you trip is great. Carl W.