First post be gentle

I own a 94' Jeep Cherokee Country 4.0L HO with 86k miles on it and I've owned it for around two weeks. Sold my mustang for it and now I am not sure if I should regret it or not. The longevity of these motors/transmissions and Jeeps in general cannot be denied as there are hundreds of examples of these Jeeps going to 250k and further. That being said these two weeks have been hell. I deliver pizzas and I needed something with some more space than my mustang as I am transferring colleges this coming fall. I bought the Jeep and within the week have dropped nearly 300 into it. I had to buy a new serpentine belt, water pump and battery all within the time period of around three days plus labor. I had it inspected by two separate shops before I bought it and they were amazed at its condition. No rips, tears, usual rust for a 23 year old car, a patch or two where the carpet showed wear and the roof fabric was falling a tad. I replaced the brakes and then I buy it and all the issues happen, etc etc. Engine light came on this morning and now I've no clue what wrong with it lol. I assume an O2 sensor but given how my luck is turning out, who knows? Any one have similar experiences with jeep that turn out to be lemons or should I just keep my head down and mush on? I love the Jeep to death but I deliver pizzas lol aint got money to just blow every week on things that pop up.

Love and Happy Memorial Weekend

 

First, it's impossible for a 23 year old vehicle to be considered a lemon. It's made it 23 years, hasn't it? Second, don't assume it's an O2 sensor. Go to Autozone and get the code(s) read and start from there. Don't throw parts at it hoping you're right.

For me personally, I wouldn't own such an old vehicle without being able to work on it myself. If you bought the Jeep because of its famed "reliability" you're kidding yourself. It's 23 years old, stuff will break and need fixed. It's the nature of the beast. We're mostly DIYers here for a good reason.

 

Welcome

No reason to assume anything. Start here:
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...il&FORM=VIREHT

 

Shop labor is the largest cost when fixing a car - usually the parts are cheap but most shops charge $80/hr for labor.

Get a bluetooth code scanner off Amazon or something - helps quickly diagnose issues.
Second - look on Craigslist for a cheap tool-set so you can start fixing stuff yourself.

Youtube videos and forum threads will be a huge source of info when tackling a project. Almost everything major has a how-to tutorial or video to go along with it.

If you are going to have a shop do everything, maybe consider getting a brand new car and finance it (Toyota Corolla's are like $199 a month brand spanking new)

 

As a side note, parts are much cheaper if you shop for them yourself. Many shops will buy the biggest POS part they can find for your vehicle and then mark it up 50 to 100%.

 

Also very true, one of the main reasons why I don't use mechanics unless I am up against a wall. And I usually go to one of the local 4x4 fab shops in that case because they know their stuff and do GOOD work and take pride in it.

 

example, im not a welder. went to muffler shop for simple "2 minute" job. it took less!, $22! ya gotta pay the price..

 

seems like ol' once and done poster.

 

^X2^

This especially applies to sensors and/or if a better high quality part is wanted.
Examples; shocks, U-joints, ball joints, MOPAR sensors, brake pads, etc.

I'll tackle any repair that doesn't require long periods of time laying under the Jeep.
Getting too old to crawl under vehicles for major repairs anymore.
Done more than my share of that in the past.
Wish i had a full blown hoist in the barn!

So i found a shop with a technician (also owns an XJ) i trust which i developed a good rapport with.
I'll sometimes bring in a bushel basket of parts for him to change.

Its important you have a good OBD reader and know the mechanicals inside/out.
That would enable you to reliably pre-diagnose the issue by yourself before heading to the shop.

 

not just about the time, mechanics have to pay their tools too. in your case, i see it more like 5$ for labor and 17$ for the use of a welder for example.

 

Not to mention the shop's rent, taxes, insurance, utilities.
Don't forget the shop owner has to make a profit to pay his home's mortgage, taxes, insurance, vehicle loan payments, utilities, food, kids education, etc.