1987 Jeep Cherokee Pioneer review from North America

The person who owned it before I purchased it this year was an idiot.

The short list:

- Tranny had NO oil in it (still offroaded it before I knew of the issue) and still didn't break the transmission.

- Been smoked in.

- Brakes were holding on by three pieces of ceramic inside of the 3 1/4 inch grooves like a record player. Quite frankly, I was amazed that I was able to drive it on the Interstate going 85 for about 400 miles and still have stopping power and shifting ability. I just thought the syncros were broke in 1st and 2nd gears, but just needed OIL!!!

- Headliner is sagging BAD (not uncommon)

- Dash was broken due to a break in before I acquired the vehicle.

- Rims didn't match, and were badly worn due to excessive offroading by the previous owner.

- Horn button was broken.

- Stained interior.

- Rear hatch doesn't close all the way unless you SLAM it shut.

- Front Speakers are SHOT!

- Front left joints are failing.

- No interior lighting.

- Windshield was broken in 3 places due to previous owners fist penetrating it (frustrated)

This Jeep after about 2 months of restoration has become a reliable transporting vehicle.

I still can't believe that the tranny has operated so well, and once I put in some royal purple gear oil, the tranny came back to life and is as smooth as my Focus manual transmission.

I LOVE my JEEP!!!

Even though it has 128k on it, it still drives like it has 25k on it.

The 4wd works wonderfully, and all electrical circuits are accounted for, and are functioning as well.

It is just amazing to see that when you purchase a TRASHED Jeep for $750 and put in about $600 (including new set of tools), you can come out with a better jeep and an AWESOME stock 4x4 vehicle that is a TANK!!!