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Advice

S

Spooner

Lifer
Just fell in love with an '01 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo that I'm thinkiing about buying.

Positives:

- In excellent condition (test drove it tonight)
- Power everything (including dual seats)
- Leather
- Sunroof
- Infinity sound system
- Got the dealer down to $9,000

Negatives:
- 112,500 miles on it
- Engine light is on

Dealer claims that his landlord used to own it and ran all over Mass because he owns lots of property...yadda yadda. Also thinks that the engine light is an O2 malfunction, and has agreed to take it to my mechanic of choice for a full inspection.

Ran a Carfax and it came back beloved patriot and span.
Also checked into KBB.com and they claim that even with the miles, it's worth around $11,500

What do you guys think? Should I pull this trigger?
 
Brand new, those vehicles get about 16 mpg. Used like that, I bet it gets about 8 mpg. Do you really want to pay the gas bills for that machine? How many Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredos do you see on the road with this much mileage on it?
 
Make sure they promise they fix the check engine light before you buy it, it could be easy it could be hard. Pay a bit more to compensate for the trouble, but you gain by reduced risk.

Check for engine compression and leak down to see if it has head gasket or valve seal problem.
Check if the frame is bent to see if it was in a major accident
Check if it is stolen (Carfax)
Check if suspension is still good (just test drive it)
Check if transmission is slipping (test drive)
 
Originally posted by: birdpup
Brand new, those vehicles get about 16 mpg. Used like that, I bet it gets about 8 mpg. Do you really want to pay the gas bills for that machine? How many Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredos do you see on the road with this much mileage on it?
Click to expand...
buddy just bought an '01 and claims to get 17-20MPG

i think i'd be doing better than 8 😕
 
Originally posted by: Spooner
Originally posted by: birdpup
Brand new, those vehicles get about 16 mpg. Used like that, I bet it gets about 8 mpg. Do you really want to pay the gas bills for that machine? How many Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredos do you see on the road with this much mileage on it?
Click to expand...
buddy just bought an '01 and claims to get 17-20MPG

i think i'd be doing better than 8 😕
Click to expand...

my sis had one and did something like 14 in town, 20ish on the highway

she loved the jeep

and hated buying gas for it.

but if you can afford it and dont care, well...go for it, if the engine light is no biggie
 
I wouldn't do it. You should stay emotionally detached and walk away. It's too high mileage on an American vehicle at that. Don't do it!
 
Originally posted by: Spooner
Just fell in love with an '01 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo that I'm thinkiing about buying.

Positives:

- In excellent condition (test drove it tonight)
- Power everything (including dual seats)
- Leather
- Sunroof
- Infinity sound system
- Got the dealer down to $9,000

Negatives:
- 112,500 miles on it
- Engine light is on

What do you guys think? Should I pull this trigger?
Click to expand...

Check engine lights are nonsense. It would be rare for that to indicate a problem more than $500 to get fixed. However in an 01 Jeep you should be able to pull the engine code by simply turning the key to on 3 times without starting. IE get in the car, put the key in, and turn it to the "on" position, then off, 3 times in a row relatively quickly. After you put it off the third time, go back to ON one more time and the odometer readout will display Pxxxx where xxxx is a numerical code. If it does more than 1, there is more than one problem. Write these down and look up on the internet.

If it is in good shape cosmetically and mechanically that is a pretty good deal. I think since it is a laredo it must have the 4.0 inline 6. IF IT HAS A V8 I WOULD THINK TWICE. The inline 6 is a good engine and is very cheap and easy to repair. However, this is the strong point of the vehicle. The rest of the systems etc are, well, what you'd expect for an American car.

I think you'll be fine. Make sure someone looks it over VERY thoroughly though, as any vehicle that is directly tied to a dealer (IE "I know the owner") could have a very shady past of repairs etc.
 
I'm taking it to my mecahnic of choice, as to avoid shady dealer mechanic dealings.... and it is a V8... why would you think twice in that case?
 
That is a lot for a high mileage Jeep. Grand Cherokee values are plummetting, along with all SUVs right now.

On the plus side, the V8 is a good engine, I wouldn't worry about it. Those transmissions aren't bad either. Is it QuadraDrive, QuadraTrac I, QuadraTrac II, or SelecTrac? A V8 with SelecTrac would be my preference because then you have the option of 2WD, improving fuel economy and making more power meet the wheels 😀
 
do you still use agbar for emissions....i know CT does and MASS used to... If the engine light is on u automaticly fail emissions
 
Originally posted by: Spooner
You definitely have the option to drive it in 2WD, which I will be doing 99% of the time no doubt
Click to expand...

V8 with SelecTrac is fairly rare. Jeepers will pay a premium for it.
 
Originally posted by: Spooner
Originally posted by: birdpup
Brand new, those vehicles get about 16 mpg. Used like that, I bet it gets about 8 mpg. Do you really want to pay the gas bills for that machine? How many Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredos do you see on the road with this much mileage on it?
Click to expand...
buddy just bought an '01 and claims to get 17-20MPG

i think i'd be doing better than 8 😕
Click to expand...

Not much better.
I would walk, no deal here.......
 
Originally posted by: Spooner
Just fell in love with an '01 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo
Click to expand...

This is the statement that will kill you

That and self imposed pressure.

Rent a car if you have too but
Take your time......
 
Originally posted by: Spooner
for that price, though? you don't think it's a deal at all? just because of high mileage?
Click to expand...

In my area that would be a high price.
The mileage is the killer.
I don't know enough about your area to comment.
I do know that SUV sales are going down the drain.
Gas prices will not get any better.

Just take time,and don't be rushed by anything.
 
Be very careful about the "death wobble". This is a problem with Grand Cherokees with a solid front axle. You are right at the mileage for that to happen. It is a problem where the tires will wobble while make a turn at high speed (a gradual turn, like an exit ramp on the highway). Ball joints, traction bar, tie rod ends, and shocks will likely need to be replaced if you have this problem.

Google "cherokee death wobble" for more information.
 
Jeep owners just fall in love with Jeeps and say they don't want any other vehicle. They find some mystical aspect that is so unique that they just want Jeeps. The rest of us don't like them at all. So it is a love/hate thing going on.

Just to let you know, the 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee made both the Consumer Reports "used cars to avoid" and "bad bets" list with signficantly lower than average reliability. The one you are looking at may never give you any problems. But statistics say you are more likely to have problems with that vehicle than another one.

Specific areas to watch out for:
[*]Transmission: by 2005, 5-10% of Grand Cherokee owners had serious transmission problems.
[*]Electrical: 5-10% had significant problems.
[*]Suspension: 5-10% had significant problems.
[*]Brakes: 15+% had significant problems (Consumer Reports doesn't report past 15%).
[*]Body Integrity: 5-10% had significant problems.
[*]Power Equipment: 10-15% had significant problems.

The rest was average or above average reliability.
 
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