Is Jeep Grand Cherokee good starter 4x4 ?

[PenthouseNinja]

Yeah sure, capable, but who wants capable when you can get ridiculous

And the long arm upgrade is actually for ride quality as well as articulation. The lifts do make things a little harder which is fixed by the long arm kit.

Nah look, my main thing is that the toy must end up on 35's and have front and rear lockers. In order to do that as you know, lots of work on the axles has to happen. JK swaps are just the easiest way of getting the axle strength and the diff locks at the same time (here in SA at least).

[XJ Junkie]

Yeah sure, capable, but who wants capable when you can get ridiculous
And the long arm upgrade is actually for ride quality as well as articulation. The lifts do make things a little harder which is fixed by the long arm kit.
Nah look, my main thing is that the toy must end up on 35's and have front and rear lockers. In order to do that as you know, lots of work on the axles has to happen. JK swaps are just the easiest way of getting the axle strength and the diff locks at the same time (here in SA at least).

One of the things that I don't like about the jk locker set up is the fiddley way the switch works. Two buttons would be better with the ability to be able to engage them individually. Then were talking. Me thinks arb is better

[PenthouseNinja]

ARB definitely IS better. But then its forking out for axles and then again for lockers.

[japspeed]

A while back , on a different thread, a fellow Jeeper was reprimanded for blaming a petrol pump attendant for not filling the radiator properly and causing overheating damage. Japspeed, you and you alone should take responsibility for buying a lemon. Dont blame the car. It cannot maintain itself. The previous owner probably never did and the kilometers on it not true. I am really sorry for your bad experience, but it is not the norm.
Still one of the best buys for the money out there.8)

Uh Kobus M- difficult to know if you're buying a lemon unless you're prepared to send the all the fluids to Wearcheck for analysis, can tell whether the recurring OBD codes have just been recently erased (which they were the morning I took delivery). I had an AA Certificate saying "This is perfect!" and on test drive it felt fine. It was also sent to Jeep and given an all clear. It also had full service history from Jeep.
So, to say it's a purchaser's fault for buying a lemon when all reasonable precautions had been taken is not a useful response.

For the record, I have owned 2 Nissan Patrols, 3 Jeeps and a 110,all of which I serviced myself. There was no way to know that this particular vehicle had issues until I had driven it for a full day.

I think that objectivity overrules blind brand loyalty by some margin.

[Callabria]

If you purely want a toy to bash around with on huge rocks and potentially drown in deep water, then don't get a WJ - get something with leaf springs all round, a tractor, quad bike or similar

Other than that I think the WJ is good option. The auto transmission allows you to focus on your driving line and the varilock limited slip diffs helps you along when you make a judgement error while deciding on the proper line and speed.

My personal choice has been the V8 from the start. I've never driven the 2.7 CRD. I did test two (one?) 4.0 I6's but only after testing a few of the 4.7 V8's... needles to say by that time it was too late for the I6

Whatever you end up buying, if you buy through a dealership make sure to have a discussion with the previous owner, if possible have the vehicle checked by an expert, get a third party warranty - some peace of mind, etc.

Bottom line remains that there is unfortunately no way to be 100% sure that any vehicle will be problem free.

[KobusM]

Japspeed, I am not picking a fight and am truely sorry for your woes.
I am trying to make the point that horror stories for any manufacturer exists and that the brand and specific model should not neccessarily be demonised because one had a bad experience with it. I had my WJ for three years, the CRD 2.7, and had some issues. They were minor and easily solved by myself at no greater cost than any other manufacturer and after that it took me everywhere, including the okavango delta, in comfort and reliability.

I,too, have driven just about any make of car on the road and believe it all comes down to maintenance in the end, irrespective of brand.

My wife drives a suzuki, my company car is a Renault, I race a Toyota, mine is a WK CRD and Ford Focus.

Hows that for objectivity??8)

[XJ Junkie]

Well put Kobus!

[2CooL]

Thanks all, I will start looking to see what is availible.
Maybe see if I can get 1 or 2 for a day.

[2CooL]

On the Wranglers, what should I look for (model & spec), also on the XJ's which are the better, or less likely to have issues.

Not completely off the WJ yet....
Just checking what's availible.

[ThysleRoux]

TJ's are the ideal plaything. I would suggest an automatic and although many would disagree, look for one that has not been modified. The previous owner's mods may not be what you want/need and the chances that an unmodded TJ was raped off road are smaller. Mechanically, they are tough as nails, but check out the front control arms, as they are a weak point in my opinion. Same applies to the XJ, which is very similar to the TJ. Stay away from old diesels.

Enjoy the hunt.

[Rolf]

On the Wranglers, what should I look for (model & spec), also on the XJ's which are the better, or less likely to have issues.

Not completely off the WJ yet....
Just checking what's availible.

There is no real spec you can go wrong on with the TJ. It is either Sport or Sahara. Sahara is the luxury version. All are 4.0 I6 engine with a choice of 3 or 4 speed automatic or 5 or 6 speed manual depending on the year model. No specific model has any real issues. Some prefer some of the gearboxes to others but there is not much in it really.

[2CooL]

Thanks all, will do some searching now... see what I can get.
Seems the TJ and XJ are a bit scarce atm.
TJ also much more expensive than WJ's.

Anyways will see what's out there.....will keep you posted !

[Rolf]

Thanks all, will do some searching now... see what I can get.
Seems the TJ and XJ are a bit scarce atm.
TJ also much more expensive than WJ's.

Anyways will see what's out there.....will keep you posted !

With a TJ you can always be sure of two things: you will struggle to find one and if you do you will pay alot.

[2CooL]

Hey Guys

Just realized something while searching for Jeeps.
Seems the 2005 Grand Cherokee (WK) shape is slightly more expensive, but much lower KM and newer. (probably because of the age)

From what I read they've changed the suspension to be more On-Road aswell.

"his newfound emphasis on on-road refinement led Jeep to replace the live-axle with leading-arms front suspension (found in the ZJ and WJ) with a new design: an independent double-wishbone setup like that which debuted in the 2002 Liberty"

What's your opinions WK vs WJ , pro's an con's ?

[0l1v3r]

There is no comparison between a WK and WJ on road, a WK is just sooo much nicer (I've got both) ! Off road is debatable. Quadra Drive 2 as in a WK is an awesome system, but you are limited slightly because of the IFS.

In stock forms I would probably prefer a WK off-road also. However, the Americans seem to prefer their WJ's over the WK's for off roading : You can pimp a WJ much better than a WK I think and I would definitely prefer a pimped WJ over a pimped WK for abillity.

[2CooL]

Hi 0|1v3r

Seems to be the general suggestion from the American Forums aswell.

[PenthouseNinja]

Yeah if you're not planning too many modifications I would go WK, but in the long run for serious mods the WJ is superior, no doubt about it.

[Bulli]

Yeah if you're not planning too many modifications I would go WK, but in the long run for serious mods the WJ is superior, no doubt about it.

I have to agree with PHN.

[PenthouseNinja]

I have to agree with PHN.

Haha, many do....... few admit it

[2CooL]

@Bulli

"WJ GC on its way to my driveway"
GREEN with ENVY !
Which one you getting ?