1988 Jeep Cherokee Reviews

I've replaced the water pump 4 or 5 times since 1988.

The heater fan has been replaced twice.

One window handle broke off.

The thermostat has been replaced twice.

The vinyl part of the drivers seat is worn, torn & scratchy.

The lock on the glove box is broken.

The rear windshield wiper has been "fixed" and now makes a screaming noise when it's turned on.

When I lived in a rainy area of Oregon, the Jeep was not in a garage and did not start many times due to moisture in the? Can't remember what the problem was.

When I bought this Jeep in October 1988, it had only 7 miles on it and I paid a total of $19,000 (with the finance charge etc.). It now has 367000 miles and still runs like a champ! I sure did get my money's worth from this vehicle!

I have not had the engine overhauled, and it runs beautifully!

I have never had transmission problems in 23 years -- and it's an automatic!

My Jeep and I are on the Daimler-Chrysler Wall of Fame in their main headquarters for reaching close to 200,000 miles. The Vice President called me and asked me for a photo & brief story and sent me gifts! Soon I will be contacting Chrysler Corp. to tell them about my Jeep reaching 400,000 miles!

The starter/ignition pulley has broken.

Minor coolant system problems.

The headlamp switch has shorted out.

The '88 model Cherokee is rock solid.

It has the advantages of being a dependable work horse for any on-site contractor (plus it can tote your toys).

Yet it also serves well to make any teenage girl confident behind the wheel.

If you're an off road junkie, lookin' for kicks, or a concerned parent browsing for your child's first car, an 88' Jeep Cherokee won't let you down.

NOTE: 1988 was the last year GM owned Jeep.

First the ignition coil gave up; it had a crack in its rubber epoxy coating on the underside that allowed moisture to penetrate the internal parts, thus causing it to malfunction.

Then the master cylinder for the clutch gave up, leaking on top of the fuse box! This was great, it fried all my fuses! Then the power booster for the braking gave out!

I replaced the booster & promptly replaced all brake lines, cylinders, & calipers.

Next was my left rear internal seal; I had both sides replaced.

The header gasket gave up, & the exhaust was shot; over $500 to fix that!

The biggest of all was the problem with the coolant overflow bottle, it kept exploding, I went through 4 bottles before I reverse engineered the problem! I had to get rid of it altogether! The closed coolant system was a complete failure, a very bad design indeed!

However, the hardest & most common problem, & the worst design Jeep had ever chose, had to be the 5 speed transmission they chose for the 1988, the slave cylinder gave up! All the u-joints shot! The clutch was very worn indeed!

Not to mention after all this, the under side of the body is rusting so badly it's no longer worth any money!

I love my Jeeps, but it takes one to know one! They both handled & drove great for years, but I think it's time for an upgrade! Though my 1988 Jeep truck is getting a complete rebuild with all newer equipment!