How many miles...

can I get out of a 89 Jeep Cherokee 2WD with the 4.0L I-6? Ours, (thanks to a traffic accident) just became our primary vehicle. It has 145000 on it and still runs great. Just curious as to how many miles I can expect this thing to go?

I have the exact jeep as yours with 226,000. Still runs great.

Regular oil changes and good maintenance practices will keep your Jeep reliable for many more miles to come. Recommend going to a Synblend type oil. I have a 00 XJ w/86,000 running Castrol synblend 10w40( Virginia Temps) Works well and keeps the internal engine componants "clean".

A friend of mine has an 88 Cherokee with 256,000 miles on it, the motor has never been touched, and all he has done is replaced the starter, alternator, and a few sets of brakes. And I can guarantee that he does not maintain his vehicle very well. Changes the oil maybe 3 times a year, and will average 20K plus a year in miles driven. That is why I bought my 93 with only 112,000. Just got broke in, and it is fun to drive.

You want to be carefull about changing to a synthetic oil after that many miles are on the engine. While it is a good idea to change to synthetic oil soon after the break-in period, if you do it after many miles on regular oil, you will probably experience a loss of compression and other leaks due to the characteristics of the synthetic.

Just let go of my 1986 Cherokee pioneer that I puchased barely used in '87. 326,000 miles and still happily chugging along. I took care of her on an as needed weekend basis. But nothing too extraordinary. Replaced a water pump, radiator and took out the A/C. Easiest Carbeurator replace ment ever! Great vehicle. We both cried a little when she drove away! 326,000 was the main justification for buying the 97 xj I now own.

The 4.0L is bullet proof and is why the cherokee is or was so popular.
It's the electronic interior parts that are garbage. It you don't have all the extras your better off. If you do and want to drive your cherokee for a few hundred k miles then you better be handy and know where to find knock-off parts.

Uninstalled
For example.....Power window regulator (dealer price $175)..Knock-off 2 for $150.

Power door lock regulator (dealer price $135)..Knock-off price New $6

Retractible hood utility lamp...(dealer $125)...Junk yard $5

At about 110k or 120k miles you will have to start looking at the cooling system. The reserve bottle will probably start to leak or crack and a replacement is about $40. At the same mileage you will probably have to get new emmisions lines or clean them.