Hello all - I am in the market for a Jeep Cherokee. My specific reason for wanting one is to tow mine and my brothers motorcycles across the country using an open trailer - we have harley touring bikes that together weigh aout 1600 lbs.

The reason I ask which Jeep is best is because I have heard many times that I should get the I6 engine because it is bullet proof but I am wondering if the V8 is just as reliable - I would like to have the reliability and low maintenance benefits and have this Jeep for many many miles.

What do you all recommend AND WHY?

Thanks.

 

Cherokee never came with a v8, you must be thinking of the GRAND cherokee.

 

I've no idea about the V8 but you won't need one for that load, unless you've got a really heavy trailer
I6 is great, if you have a choice of Cherokees I'd go for a 96 or later and try to get one with a transmission cooler which puts the tow rating up to 5000 pounds.
Best of luck, it sounds like fun.

 

Opps - yep I mean Grand Cherokee - I updated my post, thanks.

Thanks - Been looking at 2000 to 2004....do you know if any particular years to avoid because of recurring problems for that particular year?

 

Well, I was talking about Cherokees.... and they stopped in 2001. If you're after a Grand then look out for electrical problems especially the heating system - but I don't know much more about them really.

The two vehicles are quite similar, but not the same. Have you test driven any?

 

If you are looking to tow no doubt you with a 96 to 98 grand with the 5.2 or a 99 to 04 with a 4.7 the 4.7 is faster and better fuel mileage but the 5.2 is allot more powerful Moore towing power. The i6 motor is known for torque over power. Of you put a trailer on that i would think you may struggle at highway speeds plus the fuel mileage would be no good with a load. I could be wrong but i have drove all of them many times

 

I owned a '96 grand cherokee for a year but have not driven others. I liked the grand but I am now more concerned with tow ability which didn't concern me then.

So you are suggesting the V8 and I wonder if the V8 engine is as reliable as the i6 is known to be?

 

Honesty no its not the 4.7 would probably be more reliable then the 5.2 but none compare to thei6. There is a 5.9 they put in the gc but only inn 98 and don't know much about those.

 

I can't speak to any other models/years but my 99 Cherokee with the 4.0 I6 had absolutely no problems towing a 3000 lb trailer 15 hours across fairly flat country.

 

The 5.2 is nearly as bullet proof as the I6 and will get about the same gas mileage. The only real drawback is how full the engine bay gets with the 5.2 stuffed in there.

 

5.2 is just as good as the 4.0. problem w/most to all grands is the trannies.

both trannies in the cherokee AW4 auto, and AX15 manual are solid.

for towing under 2k, id suggest cherokee w/4.0. the grand weighs alot more than the xj, and the awd in the 5.2 eats up some power and mpg too.

 

I am hearing here that the grands have a few issues to worry about like the electrical and the tranny - but when I search craigslist for Cherokee, nearly all that comes up are grand cherokee's (limited and lerado) - there are a few cherokee classics and cherokee sports....are the latter two the type of cherokee you are recommending? how come harder to find?

I am finding two '99 cherokee classics (one at 148k and other 176k miles) both are very clean and asking 3200.00 - what do you think?

 

3200 is not a bad price for a clean low mileage 99. The 99 model years are kind of the best years for the second gen body style.

 

Just for info, the cherokee is rated at max 5000 pounds braked trailer weight if you get a 4.0 auto with a transmission cooler.

 

those are not bad prices.. i really missed out on a clean 99 here w/150k that sold for 2950. havent been able to find another.

the limited trim came in both the xj cherokee (smaller boxier) and the grand cherokee. much more common in the grand tho. the laredo did as well, but only in the old xjs (pre '92 i think) and the grands. the classics and sports are strictly xj cherokee which is what i recommend. not sure why they are harder to find. imo, they do hold their value better tho.