Jeep advice needed plz

[MrDuke]

It seems I've been talked into viewing an N-reg Cherokee for my neighbour tomorrow. He knows the square root of nowt whatsoever about cars, but 4x4s aren't really my thing either.

 

It's a 4.0L Auto with LPG, I suspect it's mainly been used for towing as it's had recent rear springs, and lives amongst horses. Mileage is unknown at the moment, as is the age of the gas conversion.

 

What should I be specifically looking for and asking about, other than the obvious stuff?

 

Thankee kindly.

[Cavcraft]

Diffs, head gaskets and (sorry) they're bloody horrible to drive.

[gordonbennet]

I know bugger all about these except that Chrysler parts prices are supposed to be scandalous, but now and again i meet a bloke with one filling his with LPG, space must be a problem cos the tank is so small he can only get 100 miles from a tankful at best.

[Bear]

Big things:

Rust, particularly around spring hangars and sills at the back, plus EVERYWHERE on the roof, rear edge.

Death wobble! High-speed vibration from the front. Trackbar bushing failure causes it, along with knackered shocks.

Immobiliser/ECU problems.

Usual head gasket check - also water pumps, oil pissing down the back.

As a 4.0 it'll have part and full time 4WD. If you're brave, check it shifts. Ideally on a loose surface for when the lever refuses to budge. Don't shift under power.

Front UJ/CV are weaker than a kitten.

So are the rear springs. which is more likely why it has new once. Bonus - if someone cared enough to do those, the rest of it is probably alright.

 

Locks, seats and windows are electric and prone to failure, usually switch pack needing a good clean.

 

Also, they're awesome. Except I hate LPG conversions - I could get 23-24mpg from both of my Cherokees, and needed the boot space. But if it's got a really well done, underfloor (gallon tank for petrol/starting, then the rest of the tank LPG) setup then it'll go on for ages given good maintenance.

[Bear]

Diffs, head gaskets and (sorry) they're bloody horrible to drive.

 

They weren't new! Like a little GTi 4x4. Only with 4.0 though, I wouldn't touch a four-pot one even free.

[Bear]

Oh, and Chrysler dealer parts prices are fucking insane. Rockauto, however, restores sanity - beware import charges of course.

[D Spares & Tyres]

I don`t get why anybody would want one either. Dreadful on fuel. Worse on gas. No room inside. I quite like the pre facelift interior though, so tacky and typical yank

 

Apart from usual checks, make sure the rear hubs aren`t wet with diff oil. Make sure it`s either got no probs or is very cheap

[D Spares & Tyres]

They weren't new! Like a little GTi 4x4. Only with 4.0 though, I wouldn't touch a four-pot one even free.

What about the Renault diesel engined ones, were they any good? Never had one of those

[Asimo]

Rust, Interior decay and oil leaks is all I have heard. Any Cherokee that old is lucky it wasn't shredded years ago. They seem to be worth their weight and no more. Farmers around here give them to their kids to thrash around the fields for a while. And they are tiny inside, compared to how big they look.

 

Diesel is a VM like a Rover 800, but much noisier than in the Rover.

[Cavcraft]

Renault diesel? These were 4 headed GM monsters, I'm sure.

[Bear]

Why? Because they're very small, particularly in comparison to modern 4x4s - people used to go "Oh, a big SUV" when I said I had a Jeep, then you park it next to a Focus Estate and suddenly twig what's so neat about them. Also, very capable off road and much better road manners than a Discovery. I genuinely used to drive my '98 in 2WD mode for best economy and throw it about, absolute confidence in how it would behave. It could get interestingly sideways.

 

They are shit in town, for fuel, the 4.0 likes to drink and both 2.5s are as bad, there's no sense at all in the 2.5 petrol and the 2.5 diesel is for people who like replacing head gaskets, as it has four cylinder heads.

 

Best one is a 4.0 High Output Limited S.E. with leather-trimmed dash, better leather seats, and ideally pre-airbag wheel with the Momo sports wheel.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Yeah on the continent, before the 4-headed job got fitted,these came with a 2.1 Renner Trafic diesel motor

[Bear]

Renault diesel? These were 4 headed GM monsters, I'm sure.

V.M. - but there are Renault 2.1 diesel models too, Euro-spec pre-94ish.

 

(Nerd hat on)

 

The XJ Cherokee was designed for Europe, as a Renault collaboration. Hence it being so bloody handy. AMC made it a bit of a parts-bin special - Peugeot manual boxes in some models, for example - so prior to Chrysler getting their hands on it a tidying up the range and suppliers, they can be a LOT of fun to sort out.

 

I think some models got a GM V6 petrol engine. Will have a snout about in the 'states. And FWIW, they are held in high regard in America, XJ Cherokees are a bit of a cult thing. Britain is too attached to the Land Rover to be swayed by imports, even when you see something as ludicrous as a Delica L400 dragging a stuck Range Rover out of trouble.

 

Edit: FWIW, these are so "Renault" that they used Renault fuel injection on early ones, and the Cherokee shows up under the legacy cars on the Renault EPC.

[Cavcraft]

Yeah on the continent, before the 4-headed job got fitted,these came with a 2.1 Renner Trafic diesel motor

 

F-LOL, they must have been comically bad to own, Id love to try one out.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

 the 2.5 diesel is for people who like replacing head gaskets, as it has four cylinder heads.

 

Where do I sign?!

[Lacquer Peel]

You could get them with the Renault 2.1 TD engine in America too, when they went diesel nuts for a bit.

 

The survival rate for Cherokee TDs seems pretty good, I don't think the VM diesel is all that bad in them. They aren't heavy so go fairly well and the VM is supposed to give 30MPG+, and will nom veg oil.

 

I'd like to try one, I think they look like a jacked-up Montego estate.

[MrDuke]

Muchos thanks for all the info, people. Apparently the present owners have had it for 10 years, so I'll be wanting to see some service/repair history. They're only asking around £500, however neighbour wants a fairly hassle-free car for a few months, so I'll have to err on the side of caution.

Size issues aren't a problem really, he's only looking at 4x4s as he has trouble getting in and out of cars. MPG isn't really a problem either, as his current daily is an 8-berth Fiat motorhome. Yes, really.

[Bear]

£500 is fair if it's low on roof rust and has decent MOT.

 

I've seen Honda CR-Vs for £1K. Frankly, given the potential for £500/worth of stuff breaking/falling off an XJ (and I see LPG conversions as a sign of people wanting to run a thirsty car for pennies, not a good omen for actual maintenance - you don't buy an XJ Cherokee for long drives as you spend more time at petrol stations than driving thanks to the stupidly small fuel tank), I'd look elsewhere for hassle-free experiences for £500.

 

I mean, I'll take all the £500, MOTd 4.0 Cherokees that aren't too rusty - but I want them for the love of the car, not because I'm expecting to buy and forget it.

[Bear]

You could get them with the Renault 2.1 TD engine in America too, when they went diesel nuts for a bit.

 

The survival rate for Cherokee TDs seems pretty good, I don't think the VM diesel is all that bad in them. They aren't heavy so go fairly well and the VM is supposed to give 30MPG+, and will nom veg oil.

 

I'd like to try one, I think they look like a jacked-up Montego estate.

 

They're like a jacked-up Escort estate in terms of size - slightly longer nose. But if you think of them that way, they make a lot more sense. But the diesel is horrid to drive compared to the 4.0, the manual gearbox makes Mercedes look like masters of the craft, and there's no full-time 4WD and without that, a Cherokee in bad weather can be a very wayward thing indeed. Having said that, I managed to get a 109" 2.25 Petrol Landie sideways on a junction, so I shouldn't be judging how well behaved offroaders are

[Cavcraft]

I suppose when you look at it for £500 you're not going to get anything that clever anyhow, so it pretty much doesn't matter what it is or what people say about them.

 

The one I drive was a 4.0 petrol, which tried to kill me on a roundabout in the wet. For £500 and a bit of MOT I'd try another one though.

[holbeck]

There's a rather nice LHD 3-door one I see around town here. Driven by a lady of a certain age. Still got USA bumper stickers!

[Lacquer Peel]

They're like a jacked-up Escort estate in terms of size - slightly longer nose. But if you think of them that way, they make a lot more sense. But the diesel is horrid to drive compared to the 4.0, the manual gearbox makes Mercedes look like masters of the craft, and there's no full-time 4WD and without that, a Cherokee in bad weather can be a very wayward thing indeed. Having said that, I managed to get a 109" 2.25 Petrol Landie sideways on a junction, so I shouldn't be judging how well behaved offroaders are

I don't doubt that the 4.0 is the driver's choice but with a decent supply of waste veg oil running the NVH-tastic VM diesel would make me much happier.

I don't think any car is inherently dangerous to drive, you just have to drive around their flaws.

[320touring]

The key element is the "POWER" button on the dash..

 

If that works, you're fooking golden!

[Junkman]

My experiences are pretty congruent with RichardK's. I sold oodles of them new in the late 80s and the annoying bit was that I only ever saw them again for being serviced.

There was little warranty or repair money to be milked out of them. As they got older, they certainly showed common wear and tear symptoms, which I would think either led to them being scrapped, or fixed, so the ones that survived should be fairly good. Generally they are good. They were built in Austria after all.

 

However, whether I would buy a car from some horsey folk, I know not. I doubt it.

[MrDuke]

Neighbour walked away on my advice. It was dripping oil, had a slight exhaust leak, and had crispy door-tops, plus the LPG kit looked quite old. 158k, no service history but no big MOT advisories for a few years either. Not massive problems, and I was going to advise him to offer around £350, but then I put my finger straight through the sill with no effort at all.

 

Annoyingly, if it was me, I'd have bought it anyway. The roof was rock solid.

[garbaldy]

Sounds like they have dodged a bullet with this one, it took me months to sell mine and I as good as gave it away in the end.

[Anglevan]

My mate has recently bought one of these £400. Zero rot 100k miles s reg and diesel.

Looks alright to me, not my cup of tea but he's happy with it.

[tommotech]

Didn't JEEP used to mean Just Enough Essential Parts, far from that with the Cherokee though.

 

From my experience a well sorted 4.0 can be a real gem. The VM dizzler is no disaster though and shouldn't be overlooked unnecessarily.

 

Plenty of USA parts to choose from but do avoid the UK stealers if possible.