Grand Cherokee WJ vs LX470 high mileage (1 Viewer)

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Aug 13, 2020
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Hi guys, new to the forum. I am thinking of switching from a 2002 Grand Cherokee with the 4.0 and 185k miles to a hundy or lx470 with about 265k miles for about $4k. I love the WJ, but I am getting tired of electronics and such going out all the time. And it's only going to get worse. But I love it and would only sell it for a Cruiser. I am in an auto service course, and I do my own repairs.
If I were to find a good LX with the coil conversion or an LC, and upon inspection found it to be in pretty good condition, would I still have to put up with lots of crap constantly or just some at the beginning?
Anybody else have experience switching from a WJ to a Hundy? How does it compare with a locked/slightly lifted WJ off road? Thanks.
 
Hi guys, new to the forum. I am thinking of switching from a 2002 Grand Cherokee with the 4.0 and 185k miles to a hundy or lx470 with about 265k miles for about $4k. I love the WJ, but I am getting tired of electronics and such going out all the time. And it's only going to get worse. But I love it and would only sell it for a Cruiser. I am in an auto service course, and I do my own repairs.
If I were to find a good LX with the coil conversion or an LC, and upon inspection found it to be in pretty good condition, would I still have to put up with lots of crap constantly or just some at the beginning?
Anybody else have experience switching from a WJ to a Hundy? How does it compare with a locked/slightly lifted WJ off road? Thanks.

No one here will recommend the Jeep. I'd venture a guess, any Toyota 100 with under 700K is going to be more solid than the WJ. Those things just wear out.
 
A 4k 265k mile LX is still going to need maintenance, it's a nearly 20yo vehicle. That said, I think you'll find the major drivetrain components will last much longer. But yeah, end of day, you're on an LC forum.
 
Hi guys, new to the forum. I am thinking of switching from a 2002 Grand Cherokee with the 4.0

I'm SHOCKED...that there is an 18 year old Cherokee still on the road
 
I bought a rusty one here in Detroit with bad brake lines. It had 325K on it for 1500 bucks. It now has 360K 18 months later after some tires, brake lines, fuel lines, fuel pump, front ball joints, A/C compressor and most recently a radiator. It's due for a timing belt service (which is easy like all the maintenance), but all in all I have like 5K in it with doing the work myself and buying parts off rock auto. It's a solid, luxurious beast that can go anywhere. 11-14 mpg though, so I've spent more in gas than I have in the vehicle LOL. Whatever, I drive new cars all the time and this truck is still my favorite.
 
I have a 2004 WJ with the 4.0. Still have it as a beater vehicle. My 2000 LC has held up so much better overall but the WJ has held its own, has 266k miles and the motor runs fine, just little things haven't held up the way they do with Toyota.
 
Those 4.0 straight sixes are great engines, no doubt. I know the transmissions in the WJs had issues but I think that was limited to the 4.7 V8 cars.

The 100 series is a world apart from a WJ. If you're content to do your own work and realize that there will be some to do, I'd say go for it.
 
Have the blend doors failed yet? Power seats? Windows? Seat heaters? Calipers? ;)

I had a 2001 Overland. Loved it... for month. It was ridiculous how many electrical failures that thing had. The WJ is why I'm a Toyota guy now. It was my last of many (!) Jeeps.

Comparing the WJ to a Land Cruiser isn't even apples and oranges - it's like eggshells and anvils.

The only part I can say for sure - is dump the WJ. Maybe the 100 isn't the next purchase (based on budget) - maybe it's a 4Runner or Tacoma... but dump the WJ.
 
I mean you're asking a biased crowd so you're going to get biased answers, but I wouldn't even think twice about making this switch. I wouldn't even worry too much about the AHC on the LX's, its a pretty stout system with some maintenance. 4Runner + Tacoma suggestion is solid too.
 
Depends on your luck / patience (to wait for a decent one). You can easily buy into something that will eat money like nothing else does. These, when neglected are about the most pricey cars (apart from supercars) ever to keep on the road. Mine is about a 3 out of a 5, and it swallows around $3-4k maintenance yearly. Start offroading with it, break a diff or a CV and the numbers go up pretty fast. That said, I've never had electrical issues with it.. (But man did I have a ton of mechanical issues..)
 
WJs have problems but so do cruisers. A cursory look at this forum would tell you that basically the AHC is finicky and needs flushing and a complete review of the Paddo thesis, etc. You'd also find that there's a stickied thread about COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE wherein the booster just craps out and you go careening down the road. Lastly, who can forget the catastrophic cooling failure you'll run into when your heater tees blow out?

Add to that the CVs and front end rebuild hassles, differential bushings, sway bar mounts rusting off because Mr. T decided to put the a/c drain right above it, the A arm torsion bar mounts cracking off, and then the pain of dealing with starter issues and frequent timing belt changes....

Electrical issues? Has anyone had their mark levinson amp fail? speakers need reconing? a/c lights blinking on the dash all the time? etc. Good luck replacing some of the relays because they're affixed to the distribution block. You can't even service some of the basic electrical componentry!

The cruiser drivetrain isn't particularly special. It has the same motor and trans as a sequoia, tundra, 4runner, etc. The transfer case is old tech, the front diff is pretty weak, and the rear axle isn't even a full floater like the 80 was.
 
WJs have problems but so do cruisers. A cursory look at this forum would tell you that basically the AHC is finicky and needs flushing and a complete review of the Paddo thesis, etc. You'd also find that there's a stickied thread about COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE wherein the booster just craps out and you go careening down the road. Lastly, who can forget the catastrophic cooling failure you'll run into when your heater tees blow out?

Add to that the CVs and front end rebuild hassles, differential bushings, sway bar mounts rusting off because Mr. T decided to put the a/c drain right above it, the A arm torsion bar mounts cracking off, and then the pain of dealing with starter issues and frequent timing belt changes....

Electrical issues? Has anyone had their mark levinson amp fail? speakers need reconing? a/c lights blinking on the dash all the time? etc. Good luck replacing some of the relays because they're affixed to the distribution block. You can't even service some of the basic electrical componentry!

The cruiser drivetrain isn't particularly special. It has the same motor and trans as a sequoia, tundra, 4runner, etc. The transfer case is old tech, the front diff is pretty weak, and the rear axle isn't even a full floater like the 80 was.
Sweet Jesus, Mr. Flip-Side-Of-The-Coin just turned up!
 
A conversation with a Grand Cherokee owner way back in 1998 (so maybe not so applicable today?).

Me to a supplier as I got into his GC with two other gentlemen -

“I’m in the market for an SUV for my wife. How do you like yours?”

Him -

“My wife has a Land Cruiser and it’s ten times the vehicle this is.”

I took that as honest and unbiased feedback and thanked him. The rest is history. And my apologies in advance to any Jeep owners that might be offended by this post. ;)
 
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No comparison. Prior to the LX, I had a 1998 Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited ZJ and I would argue the point that the ZJ is a better Jeep than the WJ . Neither ZJ or WJ is in the same ballpark as the 100 Series. The days of endlessly swapping sensors and rebuilding my trans are long gone!
 
WJs have problems but so do cruisers. A cursory look at this forum would tell you that basically the AHC is finicky and needs flushing and a complete review of the Paddo thesis, etc. You'd also find that there's a stickied thread about COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE wherein the booster just craps out and you go careening down the road. Lastly, who can forget the catastrophic cooling failure you'll run into when your heater tees blow out?

Add to that the CVs and front end rebuild hassles, differential bushings, sway bar mounts rusting off because Mr. T decided to put the a/c drain right above it, the A arm torsion bar mounts cracking off, and then the pain of dealing with starter issues and frequent timing belt changes....

Electrical issues? Has anyone had their mark levinson amp fail? speakers need reconing? a/c lights blinking on the dash all the time? etc. Good luck replacing some of the relays because they're affixed to the distribution block. You can't even service some of the basic electrical componentry!

The cruiser drivetrain isn't particularly special. It has the same motor and trans as a sequoia, tundra, 4runner, etc. The transfer case is old tech, the front diff is pretty weak, and the rear axle isn't even a full floater like the 80 was.

There are 80s without full float
 

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