Hmmm...SUV's calling my name! (1 Viewer)

[Shawn Solar]

I can hear it. Just about decided on a jeep grand cherokee. Not new of course as I'm gonna be college bound next year, but still work. I am thinking 1996-1997. anybody have comments? I was also thinking 'bout the jimmy or blazer but after visting carreview.com my opinion has changed. seems that they have a tendancy to break down...A lot
To add to that it has been snowing for several hours. Really don't enjoy sliding in to work in the mourning:frowning:
They burn more gas, are not as safe as a car and cost more, but shoot they're perty
...And have four wheel drive

 

[DavidY]

You might want to do more research on a Jeep Grand Cherokee too. Their reliability isn't that great either.

IMO, I suggest one of the import SUV's like the Honda CRV, Toyota RAV...or if you must have a domestic, a Ford Explorer.

Dave

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Why not get a station wagon? You won't be able to afford to put gas in the thing given the way they suck it

 

[Walt N]

That is spot-on advice, I'd say. Consumer Reports tracks reliability by owner repair history and they'd also agree. If you really want to be talked out of the Grand Cherokee I'll let you talk to my father. He still has his because he's very tall and can't fit well into the imports, but he's had endless problems with his '95 model.

 

[NickSo]

Check out some Nissan Pathfinders.. They're solid as a rock, and sure-footed as a mountain goat. Japanese reliability as well...
one drawbcak is that the last-gen Pathfinders were lackin in the power department (only 170, compared to todays' 250 )

 

[Philip_G]

the older pathfinders had some minor problems with the exhaust manifolds cracking too, not sure if it was ever resolved but my boss had several of 'em crack.
also might look at the xterra for a little less expensive option. No experience with the rav4 but I like what I've seen of them. I'm a nissan (car) owner and would take a toyota over a nissan next time around :frowning:
nissan is outstanding at stuffing a good engine and a lot of nice features in an otherwise kind of chintzy car IMO. Maybe the newer ones are better, the last two nissans I've had have been reliable (neither was ever in the shop, not once and I've had the altima 5 years now) but they have annoying minor little things that bug me, maybe I'm just weird
I saw the same things with my boss's pathfinders too. He went to a toyota landcruiser after 2 or 3 paths in a row. Not to say I wouldn't have a new 350z in my garage in a heartbeat

 

[Walt N]

If I were buying today I'd lean toward a used Toyota 4Runner. Very solid machine, but with an unfortunately high resale value. Great for the seller though.

 

[NickSo]

Cracking exhaust manifold? I think thats what my pathfinder has.. well something in the exhaust system's loose, and causes a virbation sound when accellerating. Or i might've shaken something loose after one of my offroad excursions...

 

[Rodon]

I have a 1998 JGC Special Edition and a 2001 GRand Cherokee Laredo and could not be happier. No problems with either one.
Pretty nice tunes in my 98 - If you want to see it check out:
www.sounddomain.com/id/rodon
They are great and very strong. Not very fast unless you get a 5.9 but hey it's an SUV anyway. 4X4 is the best way to go.
I like 4runners but they are expensive - the rest are too cheapy inside for me (passport and Izuzu, Nissan, and Pilots). CRV, Hyundias, Kia, and RAVs are not even in the same class.
GMC/Chevy makes some nice but expensive models.
As far as used teh best bang for the buck is the Grand Cherokees IMO.
Check out www.jeepsunlimited.com forums sometime.

 

[Shawn Solar]

Hey thanks. My price can vary but I'm hoping to grab something in the $16,500 price range. If I saw something in the $18000 range I guess I could afford it but would have to put more down on it. I really only do about 20000km/year. That is about 12000mile/year. I like the interior of the jeep and the 4.0L inline 6 has more power than my toyota camry
I'm still gonna be looking for a while I guess I could check out the imports. Though I like the style of the domestic a little better it is not the end all say all.

 

[James Q Jenkins]

If you don't need to go off road, then take a look at the car-based as opposed to a truck based SUVs like the Rav-4 and CR-V. They get better mileage and ride better than the "truck" based SUVs. If you need to go off road you need a truck.

Also, take a look at the Subaru Outback and Forrester - they are great cars that can probably meet your needs (AWD snow work, tall, good hauling capacity, etc.). They are very reliable as well.

 

[CollinMorphew]

Don't know about problems with a Grand Cherokee. I have a 97 with 121,000 miles on it--I've replaced the brakes, battery, tires and changed the oil--no problems at all and I am hell on cars. I have the Orvis edition which you don't see to often--a little break from seeing them all over the place. It has the 5.2 litre V8--and I think it's plenty fast. With full time 4 wheel drive--you can stay with Mustang a GT--at least for a little while. I would steer clear of the 4.0--it's a little more of a dog and does have some reliability issues. I got the V8 since it was the closest thing to a sports car in an SUV--at least for a decent price. I've had a Pathfinder, Trooper, Blazer and Bronco (I said I was hard on cars) and nothing was close. The two that I looked at with the Jeep were the 4Runner and LandRover Discovery. The 4Runner is a dog and you over pay for very non typical Toyota quality--lot's of rattles and plastic. The Discovery is one of the best looking midsized SUV's IMO but when you get inside it is really small--and that is a total dog V8. It's gearing is for low end offroad but you have to pound the pedal to get going and it shifts hard.

Anyway--just a couple of thoughts--and I would never look at an explorer.

 

[Charles J P]

Two things in car threads are certain... someone will come along and say that they owned a 19-such-and-such-vehicle, and it was the biggest piece of crap ever, and then someone else will come along and say hey, I had a same-vehicle-maybe-different-year and I had nothing but good experiances. Really, you mean every single unit off the line didnt suffer the exact same problems? No way. Read the consumer reports and consumer guides and take the professional reviewer's word for it. Anything below a "Good" in the reliability category equates to a future waste of my time and money.

 

[Philip_G]

I'm with charles.
I will say I've owned several jeep wranglers (3+) and will never ever EVER again in my life own a chrysler product. But that's just me.

 

[Charles J P]

I will say I've owned several jeep wranglers (3+) and will never ever EVER again in my life own a chrysler product.

And now there's the obligatory "I have a friend who always drives Wranglers and hasnt had any problems" (true, actually) so you see how it goes on and on. I also have a friend with a 2001 Grand Cherokee, with 12,000 miles on it and the transmission is already shot, and the engine is going out. I'm not a big fan of Chrysler either, but I accept the fact that my opinion means crap to you. Thats why I recommend you look to the pro reviewers and consumer guides. While Consumer Guide appears to like the Cherokee (probably based on whether or not you get a good one) they do state that the "cons" for all years from 1993 - 2001 is fuel economy, engine noise, and reliability. Take it for what its worth. I'd get a Honda or a Toyota and never look back.

 

[Jim_F]

My Forester has been excellent for me. I hesitate to call it any kind of SUV, it's a small station wagon (or huge hatchback) that's great in bad driving conditions and on crummy roads. It's not topheavy, so it's not considered a rollover risk. I like it a lot better than my ex-GF's RAV-4.

All things considered, it's close to being my ideal Michigan car.

 

[Shawn Solar]

When I read reviews from people that own the vehicles I look for consistency in the likes and dislikes. When I read the reviews on carreview.com about the jimmy's I noticed that in about 25 or more reviews a lot of people had the same problems with brakes, ball joints and service engine light always on and the sort. That means I might encounter the same problems. The odd tranny or major repair prematurely can happen. My work van, a 2000 ford windstar had the tranny replaced at 50000km. Still not sure though what I want. Really like the Jeeps but again, I am basically open to anything.

 

[Brandon_T]

I had a Jeep Cherokee Laredo, and liked it, but I wouldn't touch a Grand Cherokee with a ten foot pole. Too many bad experiences with them, like the axle snapping in two after 6 months of use. If I had to do it over again, I would get a Toyota. Good Luck

 

[Grant B]

I only had one Jeep....I learn quick; never again!

SF has mostly street parking, I dont know how much parking has disappered because of SUVs taking up more than 1 spot. Also how much quicker the worlds oil supply is disappearing but hey Canada is a free country
Good Luck with whatever you buy
Grant

 

[Ted Lee]

suv's are fun. i'd like to get my hands on one someday.
if safety is at all a concern for you, you may want to investigate whatever model you get.
http://www.hwysafety.org/