Need input on the following vehicles

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81
Went to a Honda dealership today and got info on some cars. Here is the list

96 Accord $10,588 - 80,000 miles ,no warranty

96 Cherokee Sport 4WD $8,600 - 82,000 miles 7year/100000 mile warranty

94 Toyota 4Runner 4WD $9900 (loaded) - 103,000 miles no warranty

98 Accord LX $10,000 - 79,000 miles no warranty

They also had a bunch of civics, but they were more than same year Accords(!!)

All these cars seem nice, no dents or rust on any of them. She wants the SUVs, which i wouldnt mind, since i would feel safer if she were driving it(call me a hypocrite). Gas mileage doesnt matter, because her current car gets 22 MPG going downhill with the wind at her back, so any MPG better than that means more money to spend on the car.
 

Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 9, 1999
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Just don't buy that Cherokee Sport.

Here's a quick thang to do in the bright light of daytime. Pop the hood, take off the oil cap (not the dipstick, but where you would physically add oil), and look inside at how clean the internals are. No sludge or beloved patriot gives you a quick, simple idea if the previous owner changed the oil at a reasonable rate.

Also, don't be afraid to scoot under the car and look for leaks aroung the engine, transmission/transaxle, whether the CV boots are going, etc.

Your best bet for a purchase of this magnitude is to pay a mechanic to check it out for you.

Good luck.
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81
What problems do you have with the Cherokee? My brother's Jeep lasted til 16x,000 miles when he traded it in, still running just fine, but the floorboards rotted out. Too much offroading/getting it flooded ;)
 

N8Magic

Lifer
Dec 12, 2000
11,624
1
81
I would get the Cherokee, simply because of the warranty. The 4.0L I6 engine in them is a solid powerful engine that will last a long time with proper care. Just don't expect the best gas mileage.

The Hondas while very reliable, are NOT indestructable and I would be wary of any car with out a warranty.

Besides, you'll have the most fun with the Cherokee. :D
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
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81
Originally posted by: N8Magic
I would get the Cherokee, simply because of the warranty. The 4.0L I6 engine in them is a solid powerful engine that will last a long time with proper care. Just don't expect the best gas mileage.

The Hondas while very reliable, are NOT indestructable and I would be wary of any car with out a warranty.

Besides, you'll have the most fun with the Cherokee. :D

my thoughts exactly. I like the 4Runner(leather, bull bars, brand new off road tires) but the mileage and issues i have looked into worry me.

If we do get an SUV, it will DEFINATELY see mud, so no weak 2WD one.
 

Jeffwo

Platinum Member
Mar 2, 2001
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76
I own a Cherokee 4 WD and it has over 200,000 miles on it and still uses no oil. I love it!

Jeff
 

Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
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Oct 9, 1999
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Originally posted by: iamwiz82
What problems do you have with the Cherokee? My brother's Jeep lasted til 16x,000 miles when he traded it in, still running just fine, but the floorboards rotted out. Too much offroading/getting it flooded ;)
None, personally, and I mean no disrespect to Jeffwo and his loyal beastie, but, strictly statistically speaking, they are not a good bet.

Look in the Consumer Reports annual car issue. I haven't seen one in a while -- I don't have a subscription and I haven't had the need to look -- but I believe I remember Jeep Cherokees from those years having worse than average and/or much worse than average reliability ratings.

Accords regularly rack up better than average and much better than average ratings. Consumer Reports accepts no advertising. It is run by geeks. Their database is the most comprehensive, least biased available to the general public.

As for that 7year/100000 mile warranty that made N8Magic recommed the Cherokee, it is obviously only a powertrain warranty, the most restrictive and least helpful you can have. The problems you have will most likely not be with the Cherokee's engine or transmission. If you still want the Cherokee (I have always liked their understated good looks and true off-road fun potential) check out that warranty. If it covers all the four wheel drive running gear, that's a huge plus.

Two things to keep in mind when buying a used 4wd vehicle: All that extra running gear to wear out of eff up, and, hmmmmm, just how much rough FUN did the last owner have with it.

Those Cherokees were most likely made in the Toledo, Ohio Jeep plant that is one of the oldest and least efficent in the country still operating, complete with the "It's not in my job description" mentality of the UAW.

Another thing about that 4.0L straight six is that it is perhaps the last remaining vestige of American Motors, know to old school purists as Rambler, and to the rest of you, if at all, as the makers of the Gremlin and the AMC Pacer.





 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81
good point about the 4WD being part of the warranty. I'm sure i could talk them into it, along with lowering the price. The car itself is emmaculate. There were no dents/dings/scratches on the paint. There was a stone gash in the front bumper, but i dont think it ever saw mud.

What are some good alternatives to the cherokee in the same price range? I want something that does have 4WD, if we go SUV.
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81
this scares me from teh 4Runner.

A rating of 1 on driver side crashes, 13.8MPG, 13 sec 0-60.


ohhhhh... teh 1997's and up got MUCH better. Maybe i should find one of them.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
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I know you hate GM, but you can get 98'ish GMC Jimmy or Chevy Blazer with half the miles of that Jeep for about that price.

The 4.3 is a very proven engine and the tranny is damn near bullet proof. IF I was going for an SUV in that price range, that would be my choice. There are also tons of them out there so you'll lots of bargaining power.
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81
Originally posted by: vi_edit
I know you hate GM, but you can get 98'ish GMC Jimmy or Chevy Blazer with half the miles of that Jeep for about that price.

The 4.3 is a very proven engine and the tranny is damn near bullet proof. IF I was going for an SUV in that price range, that would be my choice. There are also tons of them out there so you'll lots of bargaining power.

GM truely scares me at this point. :) I had to write the $1100 check this morning. I cannot believe it costs $250 for a set of gaskets alone.
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
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GM cars and GM trucks are two VERY different things :)
 

AmigaMan

Diamond Member
Oct 12, 1999
3,644
1
0
$10,588 on the accord seems high to me but that depends on the options and model. My wife and I just bought a certified-used 97 Accord LX with cruise, a/c cloth seats, no moonroof/sunroof, and was in excellent condition under the hood. It also had ~79,000 miles on it. We financed $10,400 and this is for a 97. The exterior paint was in average to good condition. There was a scratch running along the right rear door but we didn't care too much for that. Whoever had the car before us took excellent care of it mechanically. The engine bay was spotless.
We also got a maintanence agreement for 1 year/10,000 miles too which includes free oil-changes for 3 years/36,000 miles. That cost us $400.
As for the rest of the vehicles, I have no opinion. Good luck!
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81
yes, i hear you on that. The 4Runner was so nice. I'm amazed people can keep their cars looking so good for 100000 miles. There was only one paint chip on the hood. My car looks like someone shot it with buckshot after 50000 miles.

All these prices can be talked down, since it is a dealer.
 

thedarkwolf

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 1999
9,030
123
106
Another thing about that 4.0L straight six is that it is perhaps the last remaining vestige of American Motors, know to old school purists as Rambler, and to the rest of you, if at all, as the makers of the Gremlin and the AMC Pacer.

And? The amc straight six is also known as one of the most reliable engines ever made. My friend has a 96 cherokee and other than something that is wrong with the fuel pump that he has put off fixing now for over a year he hasn't had any problems with it.

 

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,920
2,161
126
96 Cherokee Sport 4WD $8,600 - 82,000 miles 7year/100000 mile warranty

These are 150,000+ mile vehicles. I have that same year Country (only 48000 miles on it though....just drive it to work). Best most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. They made this body style and engine for nearly 15 years, so they pretty much perfected it at this point ;)


BTW- Edmunds gives it a pretty good rating for that year. All the raters pretty much said the same thing we did.
 

Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
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Oct 9, 1999
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Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
Another thing about that 4.0L straight six is that it is perhaps the last remaining vestige of American Motors, know to old school purists as Rambler, and to the rest of you, if at all, as the makers of the Gremlin and the AMC Pacer.
And? The amc straight six is also known as one of the most reliable engines ever made. My friend has a 96 cherokee and other than something that is wrong with the fuel pump that he has put off fixing now for over a year he hasn't had any problems with it.
And nothing. I merely added this bit of automobile arcana because it is interesting (to me, at least) and most folks would not be aware that a Chrysler product under the Daimler-Benz world-wide umbrella would still be using an American Motors engine in a vehicle that owes it's parentage, no matter how remote, to the Willys Overland company. I agree that it has been a good truck engine in this use, and a decent auto engine back in it's day. "One of the most reliable engines ever made" would be the true Chrysler Corp. slant 6, seven main bearings and all heart. That engine literally could not be killed. It's demise was accelerated, so I'm told by it's inability to easily meet the ever tightening emissions control specifications. All hail the slant 6.

 
Apr 5, 2000
13,256
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Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Went to a Honda dealership today and got info on some cars. Here is the list

96 Accord $10,588 - 80,000 miles ,no warranty

96 Cherokee Sport 4WD $8,600 - 82,000 miles 7year/100000 mile warranty

94 Toyota 4Runner 4WD $9900 (loaded) - 103,000 miles no warranty

98 Accord LX $10,000 - 79,000 miles no warranty

They also had a bunch of civics, but they were more than same year Accords(!!)

All these cars seem nice, no dents or rust on any of them. She wants the SUVs, which i wouldnt mind, since i would feel safer if she were driving it(call me a hypocrite). Gas mileage doesnt matter, because her current car gets 22 MPG going downhill with the wind at her back, so any MPG better than that means more money to spend on the car.

It's pretty dangerous to get a car without a warranty. You're SOL with any problem you have with it. Why not spend about $5k more and get a base Accord?
 

TopGun

Senior member
Nov 5, 1999
357
0
0
Get the Cherokee. 186k on my '92, and still going strong. Expecting at least 250k out of this engine, possibly alot more.
 

thedarkwolf

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 1999
9,030
123
106
Originally posted by: Perknose
Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
Another thing about that 4.0L straight six is that it is perhaps the last remaining vestige of American Motors, know to old school purists as Rambler, and to the rest of you, if at all, as the makers of the Gremlin and the AMC Pacer.
And? The amc straight six is also known as one of the most reliable engines ever made. My friend has a 96 cherokee and other than something that is wrong with the fuel pump that he has put off fixing now for over a year he hasn't had any problems with it.
<STRONG>And nothing.</strong> I merely added this bit of automobile arcana because it is interesting (to me, at least) and most folks would not be aware that a Chrysler product under the Daimler-Benz world-wide umbrella would still be using an American Motors engine in a vehicle that owes it's parentage, no matter how remote, to the Willys Overland company. I agree that it has been a good truck engine in this use, and a decent auto engine back in it's day. "One of the most reliable engines ever made" would be the true Chrysler Corp. slant 6, seven main bearings and all heart. That engine literally could not be killed. It's demise was accelerated, so I'm told by it's inability to easily meet the ever tightening emissions control specifications. All hail the slant 6.

Ok I thought by saying it was in the pacer and gremlin you were trying to slam it :p. I had a /6 in an 81 dodge mirida and it did run great with 190k or 290k whatever :) on it but with all the emission crap on it it was WEAK. I think it only had 90hp from the factory. The straight 258 amc was weak as hell to till dodge changed some stuff around with the head and I am sure they tweaked a few other things.

 

Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 9, 1999
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Ok I thought by saying it was in the pacer and gremlin you were trying to slam it <IMG border=0 src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif">. I had a /6 in an 81 dodge mirida and it did run great with 190k or 290k whatever <IMG border=0 src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif"> on it but with all the emission crap on it it was WEAK. I think it only had 90hp from the factory. The straight 258 amc was weak as hell to till dodge changed some stuff around with the head and I am sure they tweaked a few other things.
Cool. I guess I won't get started on much of a better engine I think that AMC straight 6 is than the GM sourced 2.8L V-6 it replaced in the Cherokee, or I'll have a whole new raft of loyal users/owners gunning for my hide. :Q

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