Thoughts on the Jeep Cherokee?

CrazyFig said:
Know 3 people that had that make of car. 2 or the 3 had to have the gearboxes replaced. My advice is read up on it as much as possible...
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I've heard similar stories. Not sure what it is up with Jeeps and their gearboxes.

I guess if you can afford a new one with a proper warranty and maintenance plan then fine but I wouldn't go anywhere near a 2nd hand one.
 
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Good design but poor construction quality and components not assembled properly, which is the same thing. Friend had one where the aircon compressor failed repeatedly, After the 4th one had been fitted in 15 months, he took it to an aircon expert who quickly diagnosed blocked sensor ports. When he told agents what the cause of the problem was, they cancelled his motorplan as they said someone other than them had been fiddling with the car and refused to look at the problem as "they knew best". So he sold it and bought a Hyundai. Much more reliable and more comfortable
 
Btw I am looking at the limited Cherokee and not the grand Cherokee. Will be buying it new if I decide. It does come with a ton of features on the inside.

Has anyone got a limited Cherokee? Planning on going for a test drive next week
 
Great and capable vehicle at the price. 3.7L engine is previous generation. Not as good or frugal as the new 3.6L Pentastar engines.

I own a Jeep and I'm very happy with the service I get. I am still well within the maintenance plan, but I will probably upgrade when I'm close to the end. I know that Jeep service and parts can get very expensive out of plan. Also, these cars depreciate in value rather quickly. I bought a demo with 8000 km's on the clock, to sidestep the initial depreciation.
 
My dad has had 3; the 2.4, the 3.7 and now the 2.8CRD.

The 2.4 was a dog. Whoever came up with the idea to but that tiny engine in it needed a good smack. We struggled to get up a steep driveway with 5 people and some luggage in it. . .

The 3.7 was eager. Considering the heavy body, the performance was admirable. BUT, that performance came at a price. It was insanely heavy on petrol. And nce you did get going, it could be hair raising if you needed to stop in a hurry.

The 2.8CRD is not very refined. When he first got it the escalation in cabin noise was considerable and my dad wondered if he could get used to it. He did, but it is still a noticeably loud diesel. It burns very well though, with only a faint sulphuric smell. Fuel economy, while not being amazing, is respectable for a relatively old-tech diesel in a very heavy body (1.9 tons I believe).

The interiors are not of a class-leading quality, but hardly the worst. Designed to give you a retro feel, which I think is nice, but they rattle a lot eventually. Steering wheel is very thin though and it feels weird. Big car, skinny steering wheel. My Corsa's steering wheel is thicker. The steering is light for such big vehicles though. They have great driving positions too.

With the exception of the dog 2.4, the others are very comfortable cruisers with enough off-road capabilities to meet the needs of the less ambitious off-roader. We've taken both through dunes (legally) at St. Lucia and some rugged roads in the Natal midlands and we only got stuck once. The skid plate bottomed out in St. Lucia, so we had to dig it out. That was a fun exercise though. We were surrounded by guys in Landys and Landcruisers and they said they were gonna let us struggle for a while so they could see if the city slickers could get their fancy Jeep out. Which we did.

Major downsides are;
- Parts are crushingly expensive,
- The automatic gearbox - as informed by a Jeep mechanic - are good for about 160,000 kays before they become troublesome,
- Like the gearbox, the turbo on the diesel becomes troublesome after a while,
 
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Id rather take a look at a toyota prado/land cruiser depending on your budget. More reliable, and more capable off road, plus after sales support is one of the best in the country.
 
crysis said:
Id rather take a look at a toyota prado/land cruiser depending on your budget. More reliable, and more capable off road, plus after sales support is one of the best in the country.
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Please compare apples with apples...
 
http://subaru.co.za/Vehicle/Overview/Forester
You are now sorted :>

I have a friend who's dad had a 1 year old grand Cherokee and the engine block cracked. It was still under warranty, but specifically if the engine block cracks it means it overheated and it's your problem since you did not check the water levels or something to that tune. Not covered by warranty then.

He was not happy since he was sure he did nothing wrong. Took it to a private mechanic to have a look at it, and the dude found that the Jeep dealership did not properly connect some pipes when they serviced it and that's why the engine overheated. So he went back to the dealership to show the findings. Their response: "You took it to mechanic outside of our network so now the entire warranty is void, goodbye". My friend says his dad flipped his ****. Waited up all night for the headquarters in USA to open and phoned them there with the entire story, and emailed pictures and docs to follow it up.

At the end of the day he got his warranty reinstated and the engine fixed free of charge. That he had to go to those lengths to sort it out, not so great.

What kind of car are you looking for? Features, etc...
 
Brenden_E said:
+- same price, close in performance. What do you want to compare it with? Very insightful comment, not saying anything. If you feel you can't compare them, say why.
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2.5L Boxer with 126kW and 235Nm with crawl ratio.

3.7L V6 with 151kW and 314Nm with proper low range.

You are right... Exactly the same... :D
 
I will add... that I would rather pay R25k more for an Unlimited Rubicon with the new Pentastar 3.6L.
 
Quantum Theory said:
2.5L Boxer with 126kW and 235Nm with crawl ratio.

3.7L V6 with 151kW and 314Nm with proper low range.

You are right... Exactly the same... :D
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Hold your horses their Johnny, never said they are exactly the same, but surely comparable.
Both 4x4, only 30Kw power difference and you'll save massively on fuel with the Subaru. 12.4L/100km for the Jeep - it's a guzzler! The forester has more the 20mm ground clearance on the Jeep if you want to go rockin. I've seen guys go up some of the toughest passes in SA with their foresters no problem. Couple that was the assurance that you don't get shoddy after market service, well you get the picture.

The Jeep is not bad, but the after sales service puts me off immediately. Which he goes for depends on his selection criteria. If his main concern is power, well then the Jeep is probably the better choice.
 
Quantum Theory said:
I will add... that I would rather pay R25k more for an Unlimited Rubicon with the new Pentastar 3.6L.
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Now you are at 400K already - Much rather get a Fortuner! There used to be a saying "You upgrade to a Rubicon". It's been a long time since I heard that! :)
 
Brenden_E said:
Hold your horses their Johnny, never said they are exactly the same, but surely comparable.
Both 4x4, only 30Kw power difference and you'll save massively on fuel with the Subaru. 12.4L/100km for the Jeep - it's a guzzler! The forester has more the 20mm ground clearance on the Jeep if you want to go rockin. I've seen guys go up some of the toughest passes in SA with their foresters no problem. Couple that was the assurance that you don't get shoddy after market service, well you get the picture.

The Jeep is not bad, but the after sales service puts me off immediately. Which he goes for depends on his selection criteria. If his main concern is power, well then the Jeep is probably the better choice.
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Yeah... If you followed the thread, I said earlier that the 3.7L is not that good and that is why I would go for the Wrangler Rubicon 3.6L for a few grand more. I will also add a lift kit, bigger tyres and then I will drive over your Scooby... Haha. Just kidding :whistle:
 
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