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Cherokee questions

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BoberFett

Lifer
I know there are some Cherokee fans around here, so I'm looking for some opinions.

I need a winter beater. I'm parking the Mark VIII for the season, no way I'm going to drive that in the MN snow. So I started looking at 4x4 trucks. I decided that having a truck was silly for as often as I would haul things so I turned to Jeeps.

I looked at a couple of Cherokees, but as I started looking around and learning more and see that they aren't any cheaper than Grand Cherokees. For some reason, they're actually often just as much if not more expensive. So I started looking at ZJs as well. I'm still considering the XJ if I see a good deal. I read another thread around here recommending the 97 XJ and up after the redesign and I agree, they're much nicer.

Now I'm comparing all of the options in front of me and trying to figure out what to get. I looked at a few ZJs today, all of them Limited. They all had Quadra Trac and were V8s. I don't really care about leather seats, this is a winter beater so the leather is just going to be cold and wet anyway, and at 10-15 years old all the bells and whistles could start failing so who cares about those features. So now I'm looking at the Laredos as well, many of which have cloth seats, Selec Trac and I6.

I'm having a helluva time finding a V8 with Selec Trac. Was that even an option? Did all V8 ZJs come with Quadra Trac? If I wanted to tow, wouldn't the V8 be preferable? Seems to me though that the Selec Trac would be more reliable. Should I even care? If the I6s all have Selec Trac, then there's barely any difference between that and the XJ from what I can see, other than styling so it seems silly to buy a ZJ with an I6.

Anybody have any opinion on Selec Trac vs Quadra Trac usability and reliability? V8 vs I6? XJ vs ZJ?

I found this one that looks like a deal.

http://minneapolis.craigslist....ak/cto/1419642987.html



Also, on a related note... Does the rear wiper go bad on every Grand Cherokee? Every one I've looked at has had a non-functioning rear wiper.
 
The XJ with the I6 is more reliable than the ZJ with the V8. The transmission and transfercase that came behind the I6 in the XJ are pretty much bullet proof. While the ZJ isn't terrible the reliability of the drivetrain and some of the electronics is lower than the XJ, especially with higher mileage. The XJ also is a bit better offroad vehicle, being relatively small and light and has more aftermarket support. That reliability and desirability for offroading tends to drive the cost of older XJs over older ZJs.
 
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