1986 Jeep Wagoneer Limited review from North America

At 190,000 miles the 2.8L V6 engine died. I replaced it with a 3.4L and added another 80,000 miles to it. Only years of utter neglect made it time to replace it.

I loved this Jeep. It took over a decade of my neglect and have nary a complaint. I had to put a new engine in it when the old one spun a main bearing (the 2.8L is a known to have oil problems). I replaced it with another 3.4L GM V6 long block and it's still going strong another 80,000 miles later. It's only because the front springs and shocks wore out and let me hit a pothole hard to enough to crack the oil pan that I stopped driving it. The paint went to hell (maroon with that fake woodgrain trim) back in the 90's. But only recently has it developed any rust (driver's floor in wheel well and bottom of passenger rear door).

I basically treated this thing like crap, doing NOTHING other than change the oil. No washing, vacuuming or any sort of decent care. It, of course, looks like Hell because of it. But it kept running quite well up until the very end.

Were Jeep to have continued making the Cherokee-style body I'd have bought a new one in a heartbeat. Instead I bought a new 2006 Grand Cherokee (and love it).