1986 Jeep Cherokee Pioneer review from North America

The rear end went out around 170k miles.

The clutch has gone out about every 2 years since I got it.

The starter needed replaced due to a MAP sensor failure.

Overall, I was very pleased with my Jeep. It ran very well and I got a lot of miles out of it during my college years.

It managed to survive pizza delivery with very few issues, besides the clutch and rear-end.

I was in a rear-end accident a few years back and the Jeep held up very well. The guy who hit me totaled his car and the jeep only needed the rear bumper replaced.

The 2.5L engine is a little small, but does very well. It is still running strong and has pretty good pick-up with the manual transmission. You could easily get a good jump on one of the trendy Honda's or Nissan's that all the kids drive these days.

The transmission in this particular model is a little weak. It's built for light duty. Driving around in the snow and on the hills in the mountain town I live in eventually proved to be the death of it. I have met many people who swapped out the transmission with a heavier duty one and switch the gearbox to a 231 and have no problems with this model. The clutch problems that I had in this Jeep have been linked back to the failing transmission.

The 4x4 in the Jeep also did very well. It got around in the snow and ice with no problems and did very well off-road on the way to camping trips.

If you are looking for an older, cheaper jeep to fix up, this model would be a good bet. The chrome package on it is a nice touch. It also sits higher stock than any of the Jeep Cherokees built after 1989.

Overall, if you are looking for a first vehicle or a Jeep that is inexpensive to get you around, then this would be a pretty decent vehicle to start with.