Buying my first jeep cherokee?

[Jordan]

Okay, I'm selling my current car for about $4500, so thats my budget for now. I want to get a jeep cherokee and it will be my daily driver and an occasional off road toy. But there are so many different cherokees its hard to decide which one is right for me, do i want the straight 6 or the v8? what year should i get? should I get a nicer, newer one or and older one and use the extra cash to fix it up and lift it?

How do you think I should spend my $4500?
Oh and should i look for a manual or automatic? i prefer manual usually but would that make it more of a hassle off roading?
I think i found one for me, its a 98 cherokee sport 4.0, some simple performance stuff like intake and exhaust, auto, 31" tires and 3" lift for $3000, sounds like it's in pretty good condition. that sounds like a good deal to me but i wouldn't know. What do you think?

 

[artie]

The v8 is more expensive when it comes to filling it up at the gas station, but in return it does have a bit more power, I believe.
I have a straight 6 and I get along just fine. My Cherokee is wonderful and it's not too expensive for me.

I think it really depends on how much money you have and how much you're willing to put into it. Mine is oler, a '97, and it cost me $3400. I put almost as much into fixing it up (mostly because my parents rushed our friend who sold it to us to give it to us before HE fixed it all beforehand. He's a car dealer) But it's been worth it. It's really up to you and how you'd like to spend your money, and obviously, what kind you can get and what kind of modifications you can get with the amount of money you have to use.

 

[theshadowknows1]

The plain Cherokees are definitely a great vehicle if you can find a good one. They stopped making them in 2001 (bad decision). The 4.0 automatics are virtually indestructible. Very few manuals were made and it's almost impossible to find one, so forget about it. There were no 8 cyl engines available for the Cherokee, it was only an option in the Grand Cherokee. The Grand Cherokees are not really good for off road (but drive nice on the road) and the 8 cyl was a hog. BTW, the 4.0 6 cyl is a straight 6, not a V6 as the other guy says. Parts are cheap and easy to find too.

 

[Roger]

For a jeep the 4.0 v6 with an automatic is the motor and transmission to have. A manual would be the perfect nightmare for an inexperienced offroader. Try it with an automatic, if you want a manual you can buy another one later, one thing I know about vehicles when you start off roading them they get more use and abuse in a hurry. I always liked v8 but the price of gas is going up not down and gas sucking pigs are cheap and getting cheaper, plus I know that 4.0 6 cylinder has a tried and true reputation.
I would get a newer jeep versus a really old one, mainly because parts are tougher to find on older jeeps, not so with the late 80s and the 90s there are lots of them out there. Focus in trying to get one with low miles that has been taken care off. A lot of big cities are great places to look, they hardly ever get off road and can be in pristine conditon which is what you want. Patience is the key, If you can afford to find the jeep you want first, then sell your current car that works out better, or if you have access to another car when you sell yours thats ok too. I borrowed the money from a family member, bought the 4x4 I wanted, and then sold my other rig so I was not carless. In the end, take the car to a mechanic after you do a good test drive. I like to do a cold start test drive, after leaving the vehicle parked overnight I start it up, and listen to the motor. If should be quiet and smooth into a high idle in 10 to 15 seconds I give it a minute or two to warm up then drive it like I stole it. Any used vehicle you should be able to start, warm up and drive off within a few minutes, , you should be able to get up to 55 miles per hour in the first 5 to 7 minutes of running. Check out all the accessories and make sure everything works, drive it for a good 40 minutes to an hour and put it through a variety of stops and starts and a nice crueise down the freeway and see how it all feels. Any questions , save these for the mechanic that you should have inspect the vehicle at a later time. Being patient, and at the same time keeping your eye on every aspect of the car is critical, if you hear any unexplained rattles or bangs, be sure and discuss this with the mechanic. It could be as simple as a broken muffler hanger or something a lot more expensive.Here are a couple of websites with some good information you can research the various years by typing them in your web search box 1994 jeep wrangler?" and see what pops up, also Edmunds.com has a lot of links to jeeps old and new, and may have a jeep forum. a link for how to buy a car is www.samarins.com a good price guide is www.nada.com and go tho thier consumer section and carcomplaints.com is a good place to check to see if a vehicle was a lemon way back. It also has the 20 worst cars to own which is helpful.

 

[DreRick]

Get a '95 and lift it, try to get one that's in good mechanical condition or else you're gonna have to spend a lot more than you want on getting it fixed up. I've wanted one of those babies for years.
Edit: I'd say manual. You actually have more control of it, so off-roading would be safer.