1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited review from North America

I bought my 94 Grand Cherokee in Jan 2006. It had 139,000 miles.

I immediately changed the oil, had the radiator flushed, a new serpentine belt, and replaced the back-hatch pistons ($35 each).

On April 12-13,'06, I had the following work done:

Thermostat and gasket replacement $108.95

L & R motor mounts replaced...$300.00

Upper/Lower radiator hose replaced$130.00

Valve Cover gaskets replaced $180.00

New front brake pads and rotors $270

Distributer cap & rotor/ignition wires/spark plugs $210.

So I thought was in good shape after all this... so I took it for a little off-roading (...Rainbow Basin, just between Barstow and Ft Irwin, CA)

During that short expedition/trial, I noticed that on a couple of bumps, it seemed like the front-passenger side "bottomed out" with a loud thud. Luckily, I had a friend with me that knows a lot more about automobiles than I do, and he said to check the shocks.

The next day I take the Jeep to the lift for a cleaning and inspection. Sure enough, the front passenger shock needs to be replaced, on top of it, my driver side CV boot is mangled and the other one shows signs of impending doom (actually, it's just showing signs of age. I'd bet serious money that they have NEVER been replaced).

Here's the kicker... remember I had the motor mounts replaced... the left one is practically demolished (and missing a bolt) and the right one has a big crack. (I'm not sure how long the right motor mount will last all by itself, doing all the work. Poor little guy (sniff)...he was tough little motor mount... he held on as long as he could, until...

Apparently, the lady I bought it from wasn't too big on maintenance. I only paid $3500 for it, so I sort of expected this.

Oh yeah, I just bought new tires $409 and mounted 2 front fog lights $25.

I just ordered four Gabriel max-control shocks $237. We'll see how that goes.

And I ordered a replaced keyless-entry. I kept looking around for one, but no luck. Finally had to go to the dealer...$156.00 for the little lock/unlock controller. OUCH!

(I bought it anyway. Whatcha gonna do?)

I need to replace the steering gear box (MOPAR $916 just for the part) and another $400 for labor.

I also need a complete sunroof assembly. The dealer says about $1200. (That one's gonna hurt.)

In spite of all this work, I love my Jeep Grand Cherokee. It takes me everywhere I want to go in comfort and style.

Even though the regular maintenance has been neglected, the exterior and interior are in superb condition.

I wish it got a little better gas mileage, but what do you expect from a 5.2L V8?

Actually, I don't care about gas mileage. I wish gas prices were cheaper.