We are thinking about selling our GMC Safari and buying a Jeep and need some useful advice from you experienced people.

Used...how old should we be looking at? Can't afford new.
Mileage? When do they start to give problems?
Which model is good at towing?
Is V8 stronger and lasts longer than V6? Maybe a dumb question?!

Any recommendations (good or bad) would be useful and welcome.

cheers!

Can't really say much about the GC's but if you look into a late 90's cherokee as long as it has the 4.0 inline 6 engine they are known for going well into 400k with regular maintenance.

Can't really say much about the GC's but if you look into a late 90's cherokee as long as it has the 4.0 inline 6 engine they are known for going well into 400k with regular maintenance.

I have a 2000 grand cherokee with a 4.0 with 180,00 and no problems with the drive train(or anything else for that matter). Still get ~18 mpg (not highway).

I would say the 4.0 will last longer then the V8 will. How much weight will you be hauling?

We are thinking about selling our GMC Safari and buying a Jeep and need some useful advice from you experienced people.

Used...how old should we be looking at? Can't afford new.
Mileage? When do they start to give problems?
Which model is good at towing?
Is V8 stronger and lasts longer than V6? Maybe a dumb question?!

Any recommendations (good or bad) would be useful and welcome.

cheers!

Currently have a 2002 grand limited. This is the third I've owned. The 4.7 V8 is the only way to go if you want power and some fuel mileage, 19 on the highway, although you could get a 5.7 V8 if you really want some horses. The 4.7 has great low end torque for pulling a load or your family. Have never had a worry on taking it out through the mud to go hunting or traveling through snow either. I have had to replace the stock brake rotors and pads with Jeeps update kit which is the 2003 style...although they won't claim to having a rotor issue on their '99 to '02 models. Still, it's a JEEP thing for me...:grinyes:

Sadly, I'd recommend against it. I had a couple of Cherokees with 4.0L inline 6 cyl that were great, my second a 92 gave my 250,000 good hard miles, beach, off road, NE winters. A great suv. The grand cherokee I have is a limited 2000 and has had more problems under 50k miles than the other two 400k miles combined. Anything electronic in the Chrysler products is going to fail. I've had to replace the power seat, the door locks give me problems, radio, it goes on and on. A nice comfortable ride but the POS does not hold a candle to the now discontinued cherokee when it comes to snow, sand and mud. Tranny / xfer case is quite tempermental too. Do a search for the TSB's on these vehicles or any you consider buying. A TSB or technical service bulletin is like a recall but you get to pay for it instead of the manufacturer, it usually involves something that was never designed or assembled correctly in the first place. Such as the rotors / calipers on the GC's. Look up Death wobble on the Jeep forums, that ought to help in your decision making process.

I couldn't tell you what to get but if you can't afford a GC new leave some room in your budget for repairs, I'll bet you'll have lots of them.

Just today I couldn't turn the ignition key, turns out that's common $400 problem too.

Just say No.

If you're looking for a used GC, try to stay away from the 99 and 2000 models, they did have some issues, as JimW1999 mentioned. Most other years are good to go, with a couple of common issues, like the Crankshaft Position Sensor going out after 90K miles.

Aside from that, the 4.0 will last a very long time if you change the oil. Try to get the, I forget the name at the moment (np 231 I think), but the transfer case with 2HI 4Part Time 4Full Time Neutral 4LO on it. (The other one is 4Hi Neutral 4LO - this is full time 4wd and has had issues with the viscous coupler in the transfer case).

If you need the power, get a V8. The 5.2 that came in the late 90's models is a tried and true Chrysler motor and will last 250K+ if cared for. The 4.7 is also a good motor that has had a good reliability record to this point.

Jeeps do have some issues with inside quality, but if you take care of them they'll take care of you.

Overall I'd recommend, as do most used car buying services. I've had 2.