Father looking to buy 1999 Grand Cherokee Limited

[transam4life]

This is my 1st post...so hi to everyone.

One of my really close friends traded in his Dakota for a 99 Grand Cherokee Limited about 2 months ago. He paid $14,500...it has the 4.7 V8, 42,000 miles, graphite exterior, quandra drive, great condition, and FULLY loaded (I mean everything). So anyway after only having the thing for 2 months he wants to get rid of it cause he can't afford the payments nor the insurance (he is 21 and pays $1900 every 6 months through some no name company).

My dad has an E430 Benz that he uses for the summer, but stores for the winter so he is looking for a new winter/rainy day driver because he gave me his old 1988 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 beater for free.

He offered my friend somewhere between 12k and he is willing to take a loss just to get rid of the payments. My question is what does everything think of these things. Are they reliable, anyone own one? I was reading some of the reviews on edmunds and it got really low scores from the consumer reviews and everyone *****ed how expensive they were to keep...so now I'm telling my dad to think it over. I think the 99-04 Grand Cherokees Limited were some of the best looking SUV's ever made, the new 05's are ehh at best. Additionally I noticed that the Quadra drive is ALWAYS on...there is no option for 2wd, so gas must be a killer.

What would be a good price for a 99 Grand Cherokee Limited and how reliable are they?

[ArloGuthroJeep]

I pay less than half what your friend pays for insurance(am 23), tell him to switch to a real company (unless he got in an accident and that is the reason).

They are reliable, but unlike Honda's which can be abused by not taking care of them, Jeeps need preventitive maintance so plan on either working with your Jeep or spending money to have someone else do it.

Gas milage is going to run you 15-21's (About the same as the 4.0L w/Selec-Trac (2wd option). So no, Quadra-Drive doesn't kill gas milage.

-Ryan

[transam4life]

Originally Posted by ArloGuthroJeep

I pay less than half what your friend pays for insurance(am 23), tell him to switch to a real company (unless he got in an accident and that is the reason).

They are reliable, but unlike Honda's which can be abused by not taking care of them, Jeeps need preventitive maintance so plan on either working with your Jeep or spending money to have someone else do it.

Gas milage is going to run you 15-21's (About the same as the 4.0L w/Selec-Trac (2wd option). So no, Quadra-Drive doesn't kill gas milage.

-Ryan

Well he is 21 now and is MUCH more responsible...but when he was 16-18 he totalled two of his cars, so I guess all that is still haunting him.

[Meerkat]

The 99's, as first year models, enjoy a certain reputaion for experiencing problems. I could be wrong, but $12K seems a little pricey for a 7 year old model to me. I think your advice to your father is sage.

HTH

[mrjeep]

I have a 99 4.0L with Quadra Drive ll and tow package. I purchased it after it came off lease at 3 years with 36,000 miles. The car now has about 77,000 on it. It has been a good car. The only real problems I have experienced are the front brake death wobble, two of the power door lock actuators failing and the turn signal relay failing. Otherwise, the car has been a pleasure considering it was a first year production.

I fixed the front brake problem by replacing the rotors and pads myself which cost me about $120.00. I replaced the two door lock actuators with stealership parts that cost me about $75.00 per door. The turn signal relay cost me $40.00 from the stealership. So I'm in for about $310.00 over the last 3 years excluding basic and routine expenses such as oil, shocks, belt, sparkplugs etc...

My neighbor has a 1998 E class Benz that costs him alot more than my Jeep. His wiper motor failed and cost over $600.00 to replace. Every time he has to replace something it is very expensive. My wife had an 88 Jeep that was running well when we sold it at 135,000 miles. We hope to get the same from the 99 with good preventive care.

[BlaineWasHere]

Originally Posted by wvd

The 99's, as first year models, enjoy a certain reputaion for experiencing problems. I could be wrong, but $12K seems a little pricey for a 7 year old model to me. I think your advice to your father is sage.

HTH

That is high I paid 10K for mine with about the same miliage...


Visit www.wjjeeps.com for more info...

[BlaineWasHere]

Also about it being a 99... After having mine for 10K miles it has been in the shop ZERO times and I am pretty happy with it... (66K through 76K)

[BlaineWasHere]

Also about the insureance I have no idea why he is paying so much... I am 19 and I pay 1,200 PER YEAR! That is less than half of what he is paying...

[mrjeep]

Originally Posted by Blaine59

Also about the insureance I have no idea why he is paying so much... I am 19 and I pay 1,200 PER YEAR! That is less than half of what he is paying...

Since he totaled 2 cars in the past, he is probably with a company that specializes in high risk drivers since no 1st line insurance company wants to touch him. These 2nd tier insurance companies charge far more due to the risk of the driver. Not that much different than the loan companies that charge higher interest rates to people with bad credit. It's all about risk.

[Meerkat]

These good folks illustrate exactly why you won't hear me tell you that the 99 models are bad. There are plenty of 99's out there that have experienced few or no problems. So, deserved or not, I merely speak to the reputation the 99 models have been saddled with.
Keep in mind, when you buy a used vehicle (any used vehicle at all), you are buying somebody else's troubles. The real trick is to identify those troubles. They could be mechanical, electrical, asthetic, or financial. Once you have identified the previous owner's problems, you can decide if you have the ability to correct or live with the problems. A knowledge of what the seller perceives to be problems with the vehicle will also lend you bargaining power.

HTH

[BlaineWasHere]

Pretty much any used Jeep you buy won't be perfict. You just have to make sure you get one that was well cared for and then care for it well yourself... thats really the only thing you can do. No matter what Jeep what year and at what milliage something is still bound to go worng at some point or another...