General Comments:
This has been a dependable vehicle to get around in, and it's great in the snow. We purchased this Jeep new. The gas mileage isn't the greatest, averaging about 16 MPG with the 6 cylinder. Some monor rust has appeared underneath the back windows where the drains are, the paint is blistering in some spots, but it still looks decent for being 7 years old and not babied. The inline 6 is loud, made louder by a loud fan and air conditioner compressor. The exhaust has always sounded like it was leaking on the passenger side, despite there being no holes anywhere. It's just a loud spartan sort of vehicle.
There was a front end vibration, solved with new tires and alignment, but the tires need to be rotated and balanced frequently. The serpentine belt has to be adjusted two or three times after being replaced or it will squeal, there is no spring loaded adjuster on it. The tilt wheel has barely any tilt to it, and a fuse box cover near the passenger's foot pops off all the time. These things I consider to be minor complaints.
It is fairly comfortable on long trips, as it's not so noisy at highway speeds, but even out on the highway the gas mileage does not get much better than the 16 MPG, and with gas over $3.00 a gallon now, it's getting to be a very expensive vehicle to run. But in all, our ownership experience with it has been satisfactory.
5th Sep 2009, 23:40
I just got a 2000 Cherokee with a 4.7 V8.
I am having problems with the electricals where the speedometer and the tach are. They do not respond to the vehicle at all.
I have a whining noise that is coming from the front driver side wheel. I suspect that it has something to do with the brakes, the axle, or the differential box. When I opened up the differential plug, I noticed that the oil was filled with metal shavings. Anyone with any idea of what it could be, please comment. Maybe we can solve this mystery...