12th Oct 2006, 22:19
Just got a great deal on a 2004 Grand Cherokee Overland with the 4.7L HO. Huge power difference. It has all (I think) the options. Leather, heated seats Navigation, and power everything. I moved up from an 02 Grand with the 4.0L. Both very good. Brakes as mentioned before are problems, but a good after market cross drilled (to run cooler) make a huge difference. Also, I have added a 1” rear anti sway bar replacing the anemic factory bar. Cuts body roll and sway. Highly recommend as an upgrade.
30th Aug 2007, 15:14
I recently purchased my 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Special Edition about 9 months ago. I have never before owned a Jeep, but saw this one after getting married and trading in my Nissan Frontier (btw, Nissan trucks are awesome, went 265,000 miles with NO problems). So far I can't complain about the Jeep (knock on wood). The only problem I've had is the pass. side window regulator broke and the window would not work. Luckily I had it under warranty and it was fixed. I agree with the other pro/con statements listed. The Jeep GC is a nicely designed vehicle, comfortable and fun to drive. Off road is a breeze (handles like a true champ). The Special Edition really feels like driving a Lexus, but has the off road reliability Jeep is known for. Cons: well yes, Chrysler needs to do a better job making them less thirsty beasts. There is no way an I-6 should only get 16 mpg! All in all it's a good vehicle, but if that changes, I'll let you all know about it!
5th Oct 2007, 13:42
4.7 owners beware!!!!!!!
Have a 2003/04 JGC with 4.7. Well about 2 weeks ago the oil pressure came up than dropped to zero than came back up again, all this right at start-up. A day later while driving home it dropped to zero again, this time while I was driving. I pulled over to the shoulder and waited for a tow. Well the dealer says the motor is toast. Wants $6500 to replace it. It only has 45K miles on it. I have changed the oil every 3000-3500 miles since new. Dealer says the motor is full of sludge. Will not cover under warranty because they say I did not maintain it. I have all the receipts for the changes so I can prove my case, but Jeep refuses to replace the motor. I did some on-line checking about sludge and the 4.7 motor. I also talked to a guy that works in a Dodge dealership parts department and he says they can't get enough 4.7 to replace the ones that have gone bad. minimum of a 4 week wait. I guess Chrysler has a major problem with the 4.7's from 99-2005 or so.. Talked to a dealer and he said the problem has been fixed in the 2007/8's. Do you trust them??? I don't. Bottom line is; I wonder (if I had done an engine flush every 10-15K miles) if it would have prevented the problem? Don't know...
19th Dec 2008, 06:37
I too purchased a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Special Edition due to the incentives/changes in the 2005 models. I felt good at paying $26,000 for mine that has every option available (including the funky adjustable foot pedals!) Since then I have installed a few extra goodies which cost about $2000.00 but increased my 15-18mpg to 22 city and 26 highway. The money I saved in upping the gas mileage paid for itself in no time! Now I have more power than the Overland and better gas mileage than the V6! It's the best of both worlds! I wouldn't drive anything else.
17th Apr 2006, 15:00
Bought a 2004 JEEP Grand Cherokee Laredo in august 2005. It had 14,000 miles and I got a very good deal on it. I’ve now put 5,000 miles on it, some of it off-road. So far, a couple of minor problems, eg., a pinched electrical wire that caused a short. Fixed by the dealer in a few minutes. Also, it pulled to the right a bit and dealer fixed with a wheel alignment. Putting vehicle in reverse caused a small clunk in the drive train, but it was fully examined and all appears well. The vehicle is not great on gas, getting 20 mpg on hwy and 16 mpg locally.
The vehicle has more sway than most SUV’s on the Hwy, but off-road it is stellar. I have driven and owned numerous off-road vehicles and this is wonderful. It has power and torque that rivals anything out there. Excellent on snow covered hills.
The storage space is great. With the seats folded down or in split position it is like a small van. I will likely trade it in after a few years and get another one.