Faults:

1989 Grand Wagoner - all incidents since April 2002. (all $ Canadian)

* Incident #1 - Brake master cylinder, calipers, flex hose, service ($800). The brakes went really soft, had to tow it in.

* Incident #2 - transmission service /seals and misc ($250). A routine service where oozing was noted.

* Incident # 3 - front brakes pad and related ($300) (went for a tune up #5 below and 5-10% was noted left on brake pads)

* Incident #4 - Muffler and pipe ($300) (tail pipe had rotted off, muffler a bag of bolts, converter was OK)

* Incident # 5 - Major tune up, wires, distributor etc ($300) (coughing sputtering, poor power, was getting about 8 miles to the gallon)

* Incident # 6 - Now just a few days after the #5, the in car heater won't come on, although the air conditioning module works. Perhaps it's the switch. And the right front window has started sticking. (to be done)

General Comments:

Hi folks. In April 2002, I acquired a 1989 Grand Wagoner from a relative. It had about 60,000k, now has 66,000 k. We love this fine beast. But we are bugged by the maelstrom of problems. But, despite the growls we won't cut this wildcat loose. Comments?

Faults:

Gas gauge is inaccurate.

Temp gauge may be inaccurate: never goes above 160 but smells like it's overheating in hot weather.

Only gets 11 - 12mpg.

Exhaust rusted out when I got it at 156000 miles.

Headliner beginning to sag.

Reverse lockout is unreliable, so be very careful when shifting from drive to neutral while moving!

General Comments:

Awesome off road capability.

Beastly powerful engine.

Very reliable.

Faults:

My 1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer didn't survive the third fire. The first time it was burned happened at the gas station when the catalytic converter overheated and started a fire. The interior of the car had to be completely restored.

The second fire was due to a short in the wiring harness.

The third fire was the fatal one. The engine started smoking while parked at a service station. The engine was off and the cause of the fire is unknown because the engine was so badly burned.

The Jeep seemed to be part of the family, and we are all so sad because it is gone. It can't be replaced by anything on the market. Despite the many problems we had with it through the years, it always stopped running at a place where I could get help and continue on my way.

General Comments:

We bought the Jeep Grand Wagoneer because of its classic style and its reputation for dependability. It lived up to its looks, but not to its reputation. We loved it anyway.

Faults:

Electronics are notoriously bad - back seat driver's window, slow tailgate window, short in the back seat passenger window.

On one occasion, driving over the Continental Divide, the Jeep got a bit of vapor lock. Spraying carb cleaner in the carb started it up after 20 minutes.

Fuel gauge inaccurate - I keep a small notebook handy for records - and 5 gallons of fuel on the roof!

General Comments:

The GW tends to run hot - about 220 degrees consistently.

This truck is tough as nails and nicely countered with more panache than 99% of all other vehicles. However, it needs lots of tender loving care - routine maintenance like checking fluids, etc.

I wouldn't trade this truck for anything, despite the 11 mpg I get cruising down the mountain.