Faults:

Sagging rear springs. This is easily fixed with an add-a-leaf kit.

Intermittent stalling, still not resolved.

Small rust holes on the floor needed patching, the rocker panels themselves had rusted away, along with some small sections of wheel-well. Otherwise the truck was rust-free and looked very good. I was able to make and shape all the required patch panels quite easily.

I bought this truck used and the previous owners had taken excellent care of it... except for rust-proofing.

General Comments:

Beware of the '87 to '90 Cherokees. They are hampered by a poor engine management system called "Renix" that's a hold-over from when Renault owned AMC. This system comprises the electronic fuel injection system and ignition system, that was grafted onto AMC/Jeep's otherwise excellent engine.

The Renix system has numerous engineering and design shortcomings, from poor-quality sensors, substandard ground circuits, bad ignition coils, fragile EGR valves etc.

Unlike most other electronic systems, there is no self-diagnostic system (check-engine light). This means when there's a problem, you have to figure out the problem based on the symptoms, and testing the suspect components.

The first problem is that many different failures cause very similar problems. Intermittent stalling, hard-starting and rough running can be produced by many different failures, and it's time consuming to test all the suspect components, to figure out what's wrong. This gets very expensive if you are paying a mechanic, and simply infuriating if you do the work yourself.

This truck has intermittent stalling, especially when warm. It's infuriating, and has resisted many hours of diagnosis and repair.

So, avoid the Renix system at all costs. Buy a newer one, '91 or later, which had the more reliable Chrysler systems.

Other details... I have the 5 speed manual transmission, the good, strong Aisin-Warner unit. This trans is much stronger than the earlier, Peugeot-sourced 5 speed trans, which were weak.

Still, the transmission is not at all sporty and not fun to drive. The shifter has a long throw, with a heavy feel, and is slow-shifting, especially when cold. Don't expect light, precise sports-car shifting or fun here. It's more like shifting a heavy transport truck. Normally I love driving a manual transmission because autos are so boring. But the Cherokee is the first vehicle I owned where the auto version is preferable.

The standard axle gearing is 3.07:1 , which is simply too high, even with the stock tires. Even on pavement, taking off from a stop requires too much clutch-slip. 1000 RPM in 1st gear is too fast for heavy, slow city traffic, or off roading. Yes, the low range helps off-road, but lower axle gears, which were optional, are very worthwhile. Highway cruise would benefit from shorter gears too. 100 km/h comes at 1800 RPM... too low for anything except level ground. My other Cherokee had 3:73 axles... way better.

This truck has the simple, part-time Command-trac system, which is reliable and works well... much better than the full-time Selec Trac system I had.

The rear springs are sagging, which is a common problem, but reasonably easy to fix.

Otherwise, this truck has all the same virtues of most Cherokees... the 4 liter engine is powerful, torquey and pretty fast, the vehicle is compact, maneuverable, and fairly light-weight, with an excellent driving position and visibility. It's easy and handy to drive both off-road and in the city.

The steering is light and numb, and the ride is not exactly luxury car smooth and quiet. It's actually a busy ride, with lots of bumps and rocking motions on paved roads. But the suspension is reassuringly firm on rough roads. It's no sports car, but has a more sporty, responsive feel than most large, fat SUV's.

The interior is comfortable, but a bit small, especially the back seat. There is no wasted space here, it's an efficient design. It feels small because of its compact dimensions, which is an asset in the city or off road. The rear seat folds down for decent cargo space. Overall, I find it's very versatile and an excellent compromise of size, efficiency and utility.

These trucks had a poor "closed" cooling system with a sealed expansion tank. My truck has been reliable, but the system causes problems, with leaks and overheating. One can get a kit to convert the system to an "open" design... inexpensive to do and way better.

All these trucks run hot. Coolant temperatures of 220 deg F are NORMAL when running... so don't be alarmed when you see this. Most other vehicles are on the way to overheating at these temps, but not the 4.0.

So, overall, I like this Jeep, for its benefits. But it's definitely a handyman special. One needs the automotive and mechanical background to fix and maintain it. The internet is decent at providing knowledge to do so, as all of its peculiarities and repairs are well documented on-line

Faults:

Had the front brakes, thermostat and radiator replaced.

Issues with an oil pan gasket leak.

Donated the car when the engine threw a rod.

Some minor seat wear.

General Comments:

This Jeep was quick, and always ran with no problems.

Leaks developed around the oil filter and oil pan.

My Cherokee was great going off-road in the Mohave desert. Didn't seem so steady in snow. but was OK.

Jeep ran pretty good, in spite of me leaving it with a former girlfriend who trashed it before I got it back (Military, deployed in Japan). I drove that Jeep West to East coast twice, and averaged 20+ highway miles. I did 80 miles a day for 24 days month going to work. The only failing on my part was not keeping up with the oil changes.

Jeeps are built like everything else in Detroit; some good and some bad.