andrewmp6

The fsj cherokee can be a beast off road,But finding one today not rusted out is hard.And daily driving one would be hard on the wallet with its lack of a overdrive and v8 in it.

willc86

yeah might seem i will be taking home either 3

98 jeep sport cherokee
99 sport cherokee
2000 cherokee.

I figured the one without a rusted frame would be better in the log run. I am sure replacing a cracked head would be cheaper than replacing a whole frame, lol!

if I were to have cracked head syndrome happen, can I just give it tot he mechanic and it would be an easy fix? or is it one of those pain in the rear fixes where parts will be hard to find, and have to go to the junk yard?

btw thanks for all of the replies! really helps!!

extrashaky

That depends. If you catch it before the coolant getting into your oil damages the bearings, it's an afternoon's work, and then you drive it forever. If you let it go long enough that the bearings are damaged, it turns into an engine swap or engine rebuild.

The problem with buying someone else's 2000 is that you need to know when you buy it whether it's already cracked and, if so, how long it's been run that way. Do you know how to identify the head crack? Do you know how to identify damaged bearings? If you're paying a mechanic to do your work, you're potentially talking about a difference of thousands of dollars between those two repairs. We had a guy on here a while back who bought a 2000 that seemed okay when he test drove it, then started having oil pressure issues within a week of buying it and was going to have to swap the engine to keep it on the road. He was screwed.

So in your position relying on a mechanic, you basically have three scenarios with a purchase of a 2000:
This gamble is why I usually suggest that newbies don't risk it when there are still plenty of good pre-'00 trucks around. It's not difficult to find yourself paying more for the truck after repairs than it's actually worth. But only you know whether you're prepared for the risk.