Hey guys,
I am new here and I was hoping to get your opinions on a Cherokee I am thinking about. So here is the skinny. I drive a 98 Honda accord now. I have decided to get some sort of 4x4 SUV to have more fun in. I am mainly wanting the 4x4 to take my son fishing in and the family camping and occasional outings in. And of course a daily driver. My commute to work is short about 5 miles or so. So the gas mileage is not that big of a concern. Although I don't want a major gas guzzler. That's what attracted me to the Cherokee. It has a solid\proven drive train that is pretty efficient.
So I found a guy here in town that is willing to trade me straight across his 2000 Cherokee classic for my Accord (he is asking $4000). He just got a job which requires a commute and looking for a commuter car. The Cherokee is maroon red has a basic 2 inch lift. coil spacers and drop down shackles on the leafs. 31 10.5 inch tires on pro comp wheels. The tires rub so he has removed the wheel flares and bumper extensions due to improper back spacing on the wheels. He still has the flares and extensions as well as the original wheels. I am wondering if mounting the 31's on the original wheels would solve the rubbing problems and allow the flares and bumper extensions to be used again. So this is one concern for me. The other is the truck has 200k miles on the drive train. This kind of concerns me as well. Is this something to worry about. From talking to him he seems pretty on top of all the maintenance, like regular oil changes with synthetic oil, replaced head gasket and valve cover gasket. He also has a extended warranty on the truck good to 300k that is transferrable to the new owner. The truck is nice and solid no rust, no body damage, nice interior. Some little things like noisy driver side door hinge, center console latch is broken, rear hatch gas struts need replaced. Other than that it seems like a decent truck. So I am hoping you guys here can give me some thoughts on what you'd do in my shoes. Sorry for the long post and look forward to hearing from you guys..
Thanks!
Aaron

 

Anyone out there with ideas? I am going over to look at it in more detail tomorrow.. Thanks again.. I'll also take some pictures and post them as well.

 

When I was growing up, my parents always told me that it "doesn't matter as long as its worth it to you"

You're trading straight across - so you're not out any money. You want a 4x4 rather than your Honda, to which the Cherokee meets all your demands. You say it's clean, and rust free (which isn't uncommon here in the midwest).

If the owner is as reliable as he claims to be when it comes to maintenance, 200K shouldn't be a problem with this vehicle from my experience with them, and from everything that I've ever read about them. (I have 3 Cherokees, one with as few as 87K and one as high as 188K - They both have proven to be very reliable during the summer heat, and starting right up when it was 20 below).

If it were me, I'd hop right on that offer. But it's ultimately up to you, my friend.

***And, another 100K on your extended warranty? Uh...Hell Yeah!

 

200k If wheeled is still a LITTLE high.. I would look around a little more and find somthing with lower miles..look for a older cherokee, seems to me that the power tech engines run louder and have the 0331 head that cracks if overheated.. The next cherokee i get will NOT be a 00-01..

 

I love mine so far, haven't had a problem with it yet. Like said, the heads have a problem of cracking, but it seems like the guy took great care of it so i dont think it should be a problem, just look it over well.

 

Thanks guys. The current owner claims he never takes it wheeling. He bought it from his mom which was an insurance adjuster. She had to drive all over Kansas so that's where the miles come from. All highway miles mostly. As for the head cracking.. That would be covered under the extended warranty as well. I go back and forth. I am excited to get a Cherokee and this seems like a great opportunity to trade straight across. Or I can wait and find something with less miles but most likely pay more and have to go through the process of selling my car?