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        General >> Off Topic Subjects >> Can't decide...2
        
(Message started by: Jonnycab on Oct 26^th, 2011, 3:20am)

Title: Can't decide...2
Post by Jonnycab on Oct 26^th, 2011, 3:20am

The wifes 2.3 Ultima estate has served us well for everyday use & camping trips since we bought it three & a half years ago & continues to now....but we're thinking of a change.

Been looking at the Jeep Grand Cherokee (99-04 version) 4.0 Limited with an LPG conversion, preferably pre 2001....so less road tax ;)

I've read they can suffer from perplexing electrical problems & also diff failure is apparently common (front & rear), which I imagine, could be quite expensive due to lack of readily available good used spares :-/

Anyone ever owned one ?.....& could give any pros/cons of owning one ? :)

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Simmo on Oct 26^th, 2011, 8:21am

on 10/26/11 at 03:20:24, Jonnycab wrote:

I've read they can suffer from perplexing electrical problems

So you won't find a lot of difference to some on here then Jon !! ??? ::)

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Mike H on Oct 26^th, 2011, 11:22am

If Scorp works perfectly well, personally I wouldn't ;D

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Scorpio_Mike on Oct 26^th, 2011, 7:55pm

I have a Cherokee XJ - the classic shape one - which will be venturing out of the garage very soon in anticipation of the promised weather.
Bought it last year and it never let me down over the very bad weather we had.
Only real downside is 15 - 16 mpg but as I only did about 50 miles a week between December & April it was something I could live with. The 4x4 system is very rugged and even with the roads covered in sheet ice it coped perfectly...very tempted to get a Grand Cherokee for a bit more space and comfort.

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Simmo on Oct 26^th, 2011, 8:30pm

on 10/26/11 at 19:55:16, Scorpio_Mike wrote:

The 4x4 system is very rugged

and I meant to say....
"Which was very handy when I wanted to get some spares out of the back garden shed" !!!!!!. :D ;D

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Jonnycab on Oct 27^th, 2011, 1:39am

Yea, I know they're not exactly economical....the Grand Cherokee WJ is even worse at about 12-13 mpg around town. So I'm not really considering one unless it's LPG converted :)

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Highlander on Oct 27^th, 2011, 10:38am

I do a fair bit off roading Jonny,

the guys that run the Jeeps don't seem to suffer any more problems than anyome else other than the fuel consumpition and prices for spare parts.. I think they can be a bit eye watering sometimes :)

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Jonnycab on Oct 30^th, 2011, 2:05am

To be honest, we don't really intend to do much off-roading....only when camping ;)....although it would come in handy when trying to get across the Mersea Island strood on high tides (two feet over the road) to visit my folks....other mere mortals have to queue for over an hour ::)

Really though, the main reason for wanting to buy a Jeep above any other 4x4 is purely cosmetic.....It's American & therefore, it looks cooler than anything else ;D

Stuart, I remember seeing one of your off-road exploits on Youtube a couple of years back via a post link. Anymore links ? :)

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by scorpio_man on Oct 30^th, 2011, 9:53am

hi jon

i had a grand cherokee on hire in the us a few years back.

it was the 4.7lt v8 and was a great car to drive.

lots of spec.... sat nav, sat radio, reversing camera, etc. also 2 setting heated seats that would set fire to you!

i was getting 16 mpg (us) overall.

hth

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Jonnycab on Nov 2^nd, 2011, 1:00am

Andy, I've seen a few 4.7 lpg's for sale & had considered it as well as a 4.0.

It's got very similar fuel consumption (4.7 is a V8, so doesn't have to work as hard), but the real thing that concerns me about the 4.7 is the fact that it's all jammed into a rather small engine bay (it's small for a 4.0) & I've read horror stories about overheating problems/blown head gaskets in warm weather due to a combination of insufficient engine cooling & lack of air flow around the engine.

If it it wasn't for reading these owner testimonials, then I'd defo be looking for a 4.7, as they are quicker than a cossie ;)

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by scorpio_man on Nov 2^nd, 2011, 6:42pm

hi jon

the one i had on hire had only done 6k miles, but i took it up a mountain road without any issue.

http://www.mountwashington.org/

did have smelly brakes by the time i got back down!

loved the power of the thing! and the triptronic gearbox.

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Scorpio_Mike on Dec 2^nd, 2011, 4:21pm

So...did you decide after all JC ???
I just sold my XJ....and bought a WJ ;)
Scorpio will be going away for the winter.

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Jonnycab on Dec 6^th, 2011, 10:37am

Hi Mike, did you get the 4.0 or 4.7 ?....any piccies ?

The purchase of a WJ is on hold for the time being (finances) ;)

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Scorpio_Mike on Dec 6^th, 2011, 8:47pm

JC,

Got the 4.0 litre model.
2000 model with 57k on the clock, very comfy & drives really nicely too ;)
Think it was a bargain at under £1500
Will pop a pic up later.

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Jonnycab on Dec 8^th, 2011, 3:24am

Sounds like a good price for a 57K miler Mike ;)....Would love to see some piccies :)

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Scorpio_Mike on May 18^th, 2012, 8:44pm

Must do some pics...best give it a wash first !
Despite the fact that it is a 4 litre petrol, I managed 22mpg on a 70 mile round trip last weekend which I thought was not too bad.
Town driving / short journeys gives a bit under 15mpg - lucky I only do about 50 miles a week on average.
MPG figures from the on-board fuel computer.

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Jonnycab on May 27^th, 2012, 3:03am

Some piccies would be nice Mike ;)

We might be looking at a V reg WJ tomorrow afternoon (Sunday) with 87K on the clock for £1495....sadly not LPG though.

The LPG converted ones seem to be going for alot more money (obviously). But are they really that more economical ?

If you take into consideration the initial extra purchase price (sometimes twice what they are really worth), the extra servicing costs & the potential problem in that LPG causes the engine to run hotter, increasing the likelyhood of head gasket failure......are you better off in the long run ? :-/

Also, am I correct in thinking that the mpg figures given on Autotrader etc are in US gallons (Jeep is American) & therefore can be multiplied by 1.2 to give a true UK mpg figure ? :-/

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Scorpio_Mike on May 27^th, 2012, 7:56am

JC, not sure about the mpg figures given in Autotrader re : US gallons ???
My understanding is that Jeeps sold in Europe are assembled in Austria by Steyer-Puch so would probably have to comply with EU rules...less said about that the better...grrrrr >:(
Initially I thought about getting an LPG converted model but as it is about a 25 mile round trip to the nearest LPG stockist in my area didn't think it was worth paying the extra as my weekly average mileage is quite low.
When we have had Grand Cherokee's as rental cars in Florida we have managed about 16mpg average based on US gallons which would be about 20mpg on an Imperial gallon I guess.
Couple of things to look out for - make sure the A/C works ok and that the blower fan runs OK - replacement resistor pack is about £125 and also check for binding brakes on pre 2001 models. The earlier calipers can seize up - the fix is to replace with the later type of caliper - obviously they have to be changed in pairs.

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Jonnycab on Jun 1^st, 2012, 3:29am

Mike, I went & took the plunge.....head first ::)

Looked at the Grand Cherokee I mentioned above yesterday (Thursday) & was very impressed with the condition (no scratches or dents).....only a couple of small (easily fixed) faults that I could see (I crawled underneath as well) ;).....Took it for a drive & it drove as smooth as silk with a lovely yank purrrrr 8)

Shook hands with seller at £1300 & will be picking it up later on this afternoon :)

Anyone wanna buy a '97 P reg Scorpio 2.3 Ultima estate (silver), 96K on the clock with 10 months MOT & 10 months tax ? :)

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Simmo on Jun 1^st, 2012, 6:09am

Jon. Is it manual or auto?. Mike.

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Jonnycab on Jun 1^st, 2012, 5:41pm

Hi Mike, it's auto :)

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Scorpio_Mike on Jun 1^st, 2012, 9:30pm

Sounds like you got a bargain there JC ;)

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Scorpio_Mike on Jun 1^st, 2012, 9:31pm

on 06/01/12 at 06:09:52, Simmo wrote:

Jon. Is it manual or auto?. Mike.

Don't think manual was an option on any WJ.
The ZJ 2.5 diesel I think only came as a manual.

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Jonnycab on Jun 2^nd, 2012, 1:50am

The new addition to the family :)

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i101/jonnycab/IMG027.jpg

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Simmo on Jun 2^nd, 2012, 6:26am

on 06/01/12 at 21:31:47, Scorpio_Mike wrote:

Don't think manual was an option on any WJ.
The ZJ 2.5 diesel I think only came as a manual.

I was referring to his Scorp!. ;)

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Scorpio_Mike on Jun 2^nd, 2012, 11:36am

on 06/02/12 at 06:26:30, Simmo wrote:

I was referring to his Scorp!. ;)

D'oh!

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Scorpio_Mike on Jun 2^nd, 2012, 11:39am

Looks nice JC ;)
Lot of car for the money.

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Jonnycab on Jun 3^rd, 2012, 2:27am

on 06/02/12 at 11:39:02, Scorpio_Mike wrote:

Looks nice JC ;)
Lot of car for the money.

£1300 for a 2 tonne car......that works out at 65 pence per kilo ;D

Any pics of yours yet Mike ? :)

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by scruffygyt on Jul 14^th, 2012, 6:44pm

Hi JC i was wondering how you are getting on with your jeep? are you happy with it, any issues, i am on the look out for one myself to tow a caravan but not knowing much about them was wondering what there like? is yours 4.0 or 4.7.

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Scorpio_Mike on Jul 15^th, 2012, 4:51pm

on 07/14/12 at 18:44:26, scruffygyt wrote:

I have the 4.0 version and have been very pleased with it. Have been told the V8's can have overheating or head gasket issues. Fuel 'economy' is about 15.7 on local journeys but I have got about 24 on a longer run.
My average mileage works out around 50-60 per week so I can live with it.

Title: Re: Can't decide...2
Post by Jonnycab on Jul 16^th, 2012, 3:48pm

We're really happy with our Jeep so far :) It's the 4.0 & we're getting much the same economy as Scorpio Mike & doing a similar weekly mileage, so can suffer the fuel costs.
The only real issue we've had so far was rain water leaking in through the windscreen surround & drivers door seal, but both problems are now sorted :)