Opinions on 97-2001 Jeep Cherokee 4.0L 6 cyl 4WD Limited?

[Chris Mac]

I'm taking a pretty serious look at a 2001 Jeep Cherokee 4.0L 6 cyl. 4WD "Limited" model. I've been able to find them with anywhere from 35K miles to well over 300K miles, but am really concentrating on getting one with 50K-75K miles. I've found several in pristine condition but I'll have to travel to get it.

I'd love to hear comments from those of you who have experience with this vehicle. A lot of comments on the web seem to indicate it's a very reliable car.

I may be moving to an area of the country that gets quite a bit of snow - as in, you risk getting stuck on some roads over the higher mountain passes unless you have 4WD or you're waiting for the plows to push through.

Anyway, would like to hear about anything that went wrong with your Jeep, if it was easy to repair, etc. I have my eye on one that has 75K miles, not one spec of rust anywhere (including the undercarriage) and looks basically mint inside and out. The one with 35K miles on it is wayyyyy too expensive but I guess with most new 4WD SUVs running in the $30-$35K range, it might be worth it to get a basically new Jeep at under half that price.

 

[Chris Mac]

My father has a Suburu AWD wagon, and he suggested that it might be a good alternative with the benefit of better gas mileage. MPG isn't something I'm too worried about as long as it gets at least 20 MPG on the highway. Both vehicles have good cargo space, but i think the Jeep would be able to tow a trailer a bit better if needed.

 

[AR-Trvlr]

I think the only real downside to them is their cramped (and dated) interior and poor gas mileage. Bulletproof motors and solid 4wd setups.

 

[Wahoo Creek]

I put 237,000 miles on a 1997 Grand Cherokee with the 4.0L inline 6 before I sold it about 2 years ago. It is still going strong. All I did was change the oil every 10,000 miles, put 4 water pumps on it, replaced the carrier and pinion bearings in the rear axle twice, and put tires on it. When I sold it I was still getting 22 on the highway, although it was 2wd.

 

[GreenPanther]

Overall they are great vehicles if that is what you want. I have a 1999 xj with about 190,000 hard miles on it that still keeps going and is one of my DD's. I sold another with 230K on it.

The only thing I would warn you about is the 2001's had a lot of issues with the 0331 casting heads cracking...I have seen a few, and they were on 2001 xj's.
They discuss it some here:
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1053502


-They also get around great in the snow.