21st Jul 2007, 23:08

I have owned a 1996 Grand Cherokee Laredo since new. I bought the 100,000 extended warranty and am glad I did. All these same items failed, front and rear diff., steering box, tran at 105,000, radiator at 75,000. Never been off road, but we do drive in the mountains a lot. Love the ride, great in snow, and the exterior still looks new. Interior is like new, but we had sheepskin covers on since new. I am considering spending $2000 on the car to "make it reliable" and give it to my son at college, but am worried about the possible engine seal failure I have read about. Dealer offered me $2500 trade in, but blue book says I should get $4500.

30th Aug 2007, 09:30

My wife drives our 96 Grand Cherokee like she's Schumacher's little sister and apart from replacing a few steering components just now at 140,000km (85,000 miles), and the inevitable exhaust manifold cracks it has been outstanding. Had 80,000km on when we bought it. Parts in Australia are also disgustingly overpriced; AU$1800 for a genuine manifold with the same design fault, or $360 for a reinforced stainless steel aftermarket import, but had to look high and low for a local supplier. No rust in the entire vehicle and will be buying another near new Jeep in a few years, probably 3.0L V6 diesel next.

7th Sep 2007, 23:55

Wow! I am surprised to see so many problems. Most do seem to be overseas models though.

I have a '97 GC Limited that I purchased 3 years ago with 76,000 miles on it. After I bought it, I noticed the first owner neglected the routine service. The radiator was full of rusty coloured coolant. The front differential looked the same. I run a quick lube, so I changed all the fluids. Had no problems until 3 months later, I was driving up hill in 3 inches of snow, and showing off to a friend that even though the rear wheels were spinning, I made it up. After our snowy winter, I found the 4wd was locked up. I had the Quadra Trac II system. After some research, I replaced the OE transfer case with the NV242 (Selec-trac). That was the best upgrade I ever made; better MPG and the tires lasted longer. I also replaced the manifold due to cracking. I bought both items from a national junk yard (www.woodfins.com), and had no problems since.

I did have the whining from either the front diff or rear. I changed the gear oil with 80W90 synthetic and added a half qt of LUCAS to both. The whine stopped.

Now at 125,000 miles, I do have an engine knock. Seems to me like a bent piston rod, but every time I de-carbon the intake system, it goes away for a while?

I beat the hell out of the SUV, and the only other item I had to replace, other than brakes, was the stabilizer links. Both went bad at 124,000.

I love my Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited.

The suspension seems a little loose now, but I still have the original shocks. I'm gonna replace them and other suspension bushings. Should be like new again.

2nd Oct 2007, 06:15

I have made the sad discovery about the engine immobilizer on our 1997 Grand Cherokee Jeep with 70,000 miles on the clock.

Thought our luck had changed when we got the car at a great price, all the luxury for this WOW!!.

Ouch! Radiator (warranty), car security system lock ups (always when my wife has it) she has the solution, a spanner to drop the - terminal off the battery for 30 seconds, this resets the system.

Distributor and rotor (2nd set), various leaks, weird noises.

We love our truck though and it has become part of the family in Australia, just a tad expensive to keep.

10th Oct 2007, 22:37

I'm writing from Australia. Thankfully I bought my 96 JGCL (Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited) secondhand for $8,500 in 2004 and as a result had far less to drop than others. I am a mechanic and the first problem I had was the A/C not cooling. It turned out to be the evaporator and I couldn't face taking the dash out so I rang around and got some prices on having someone else do it. The costs varied between $2,100 and $800 including parts - I took the $800 option. I still felt that it wasn't a bad car for around $9,000, especially considering all the features, great turning circle and excellent off-road performance compared to other 4WD's I've owned.

The bad points are the interior finish - cheap and nasty.

The rear diff whines and the exhaust manifolds crack.

Tailgate struts lose pressure.

Mirrors lose coating and memory system is rubbish.

Otherwise, for a sub $10,000 constant 4WD vehicle with good acceleration, leather seats and all that, the JGCL is in my opinion, good value. I really feel for those that bought one when they were new as they have lost a fortune.

15th Oct 2007, 12:19

Just bought a 97 GCL and took it in to dealer for a checkup. I was floored:

- Front Rotors and breaks (Rotors on recall, so only have to pay for pads..$64)

- Rear axle Seals ($306)

- Complete rear breaks (thanks too bad seals) ($599)

- Trans output seals ($10 part, $360 labor!!!)

- Trans cooler lines ($358)

- Steering damper ($157)

- Drive line service (whatever that is..$260)

- Shocks all around ($568)

- Tune up ($350)

- Viscous Coupler ($1645)

Prices included dealer labor.. which is extremely overpriced. Total cost with local tax is over $5K. I paid $3400 for the thing barely a week ago. I blame myself for not taking it in for a look before buying. The body and interior are great for a 10yr old Jeep.. only minor rust bubbles under rear hatch. I had to replace the hatch lifts though. Fuel gauge goes wonkers (drops to empty then comes back to about 75% of what's really in tank till I restart car), and floating oil gauge (dealer says idle presure is within specs and not a problem).

I'm in process of finding alternative places for some of the repairs. :/ Shocks, breaks and stuff like that should be easy to get done cheaper at a local shop or brake specialist.

Problems are really fault of previous owner.. while they too care to do oil changes, and fix things that were obviously broken (water pump, radiator, batteries, etc), the never took it in to dealer for a yearly look at seals, etc. I guess in their eyes, ignorance is bliss.

BTW, this is my first 4WD..bought is a second vehicle so I don't have to drive my 2003 Mustang GT during the winter. :)

21st Oct 2007, 14:17

I am in Lanzarote and just bought a GCV8 Limited 1997.

Wow what luxury.

Cost me 4000 euros.

Also the prev owner had paid 4000 euros a year earlier for a brand new tranny with install fro the rip stealership.

I still got guarantee.

Took it straight to the same dealer for a once over they fired me a bill for 1100 euros for this and that work needing doing.

A local mechanic did the same work for 100 euros.

Dealerships are a rip off. Avoid at all cost.

I just LOVE LOVE LOVE the JEEP.

WOO HOO!!!