Are Jeep Cherokee sports a good car?

Question

I found one that was 2001 with 157,000 miles for $5,200
and i found another one that was a
1998 with 137,000 miles for $5,200
Is this a good deal or do the cars sound like they're about to crap out soon....I don't want to end up spending more money to fix the car in the long wrong.

Answer 1

Way too much money and way to many miles for these cars. DO youself a favor and look for a used Toyota 4Runner or a Nissan Pathfinder. You won't regret going with either.

Answer 2

Cherokees are pretty decent vehicles only if you remember a few important things about them.

First of all, they are Jeeps. Not sports cars, luxury vehicles or grandma and grandpa comfy cars. They are four wheel drives, have stiffer suspensions, and also handle differently than a car or truck, because they are not a car or a truck.

They do use a little more fuel than a similar sized vehicle because of the fact that they are four wheel drives and have the usual extra weight and drive line resistance associated with any four wheel drive vehicle. If you do not want or need a four wheel drive, don't buy one.
As far as the engines. It depends on what you want the vehicle to do. If you are pulling a trailer with it, depending on the size of the trailer you may want the 6 cylinder or a 8 cylinder. If you are just commuting, then a four cylinder will serve your needs just fine.
Many people mentioned that the engines and transmissions are bad in these vehicles, but overall they are not any different than any other vehicle, if properly maintained.
The prices you have are a little on the high side for the miles. If you can talk them down a little, expect to spend some money on having the vehicle thuroughly checked and serviced. Either way that you go, you still wont be burdened with a 25K new dollar car loan, even if you do have to spend a little on getting the quirks fixed on the used vehicle.

I have 3 Jeeps. None of which are newer than 1989. Two have over 150K miles on them and although occasional maintenance and repairs are required, they are pretty good vehicles. I have also been a mechanic for over 20 years, Jeeps are pretty decent vehicles. Often imitated, never duplicated.

Answer 3

All the Cherokee Sports are pretty stripped down models. I would prefer a Country or Laredo model. Preferably with the pre-96 AMC style interior. The 2.5 is okay. It is loosely based on the durable 4.2 L6 but it's really underpowered. The 4.0 liter Inline 6 is a very durable motor. I have seen many 300,000+ mile Cherokees. Ideally, you should look for a 4.0 liter 6 cyl with the Aisin 4 speed automatic. (similar to the Aisin transmission used in the Volvo 740) Make certain the doors open and close easily. If a door or hatch sticks the unibody could be bent from serious off-road abuse or collision and the Jeep is worthless.

Answer 4

Both of these sound like they could be good rigs. Check the price around your area. If those are all freeway miles than those Cherokees are just getting broken in. I would go for the 98 and talk the price down a bit using the 2001 price tag.

I have a 98 wrangler TJ with th 6 cylinder engine and have had no problems with it. Overall I have been impressed with the build quality of the Jeep product of that vintage and am considering a Cherokee for a second car. They are capable, simple and easy to own and drive. Parts are readily available and you don't need a electrical engineering degree to work on them.

The In-line 6 cylinder is the only way to go.

Answer 5

I had a 1997 and the transmission and computer started acting up around 100,000 miles. Otherwise it was in pristine condition. My 2004 just needed to have its brakes fixed- the mechanic said it was a bad design (something that changed with the new body style, old Jeeps don't have this problem) where there is no vent for the rotors. Other than those problems, I've never had problems with my Jeeps. They are the sturdiest and toughest vehicle I've ever been around. I was in a huge wreck on a highway, $9000 worth of damage just to my Jeep alone, and I walked away unharmed. While I recommend you getting a Jeep, you need one with less miles on it to start off with - look for 80k or so. If you're limited by price, you might have a problem as Jeeps tend to have a higher resale value than other SUVs of the same age and miles. In other words, yes, it is a great vehicle, but you also have to pay for that.

Answer 6

Jeeps generally have pretty good life in them and they can last up to 200,000 miles if they are taken care of properly.

The biggest problem is that the body will rust out if you have not rust-proofed it.
The engines, transfer cases and transmissions are generally reliable, and if not abused, they will run a long time. Gas mileage, as with any truck, is not great, although that has improved a lot with fuel-injected engines.
Do NOT buy any 4 cylinder model or one that has the 2.8L six cylinder. Both of those are very much underpowered for a vehicle of that weight.
If you're not doing very high mileage every year yourself, a good used Jeep will suffice. Watch out for bad 4WD components, axle boots, bad transmissions and the usual stuff like brakes that have to be redone.

Answer 7

Its a jeep not a car, they are good jeeps but i would take a mechanic with you before you buy any used car because you never know what you are getting a mechanic can tell if anything is wrong by the way it sounds.

Answer 8

As for the rediculous answers to go foreign,,go check parts prices. Cherokees were built almost unchanged for over 10 years, they last with maintenance 200000 miles or more. Have two at that level.

Answer 9

My employer gave me one in the late 1990 for work/It was a great car. The only problem was had to drive in all weather and it was dependable. There was a serious flood and had to work, drive through lots of water. It destroyed the transmission.
For a personal vehciel and use, you will never do the things I had to do for work, so you should have a good and dependable vehicle.

Answer 10

I bought a 96 grand cherokee limited 3 years ago with 146,000 miles on it, and it now has 190,000+ miles on it and still runs great and gets 24-28MPG with full time 4WD.

Pretty reliable trucks, and will go anywhere.

Answer 11

the straight 6 engines in the jeeps are unbelievable, the run forever and if something goes wrong, they are usually pretty cheap to fix. And to top it all off, Jeeps are the best vehicle in production currently although Chrysler is starting to ruin the Jeep name, they aren't sticking to the Jeep heritage,