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2)Anyone who read my posts from March to September knows I was stuck with a "bad Jeep". I was NOT happy with that vehicle. 3)Daimler Chrysler financing incentives 0% 3yrs, 3.9% 4yrs, 4.9% 5yrs until January 8, 2002.
4)Seven year/100,000 mile limited power train warranty INCLUDED with delivery on or before December 31, 2001.
I upgraded to a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited, 4.7L V8 engine, 28k package, rain sensitive wipers, all terrain tires, trailer tow group IV at dealer invoice $33,192 and $23000 trade (2001 JGC LTD 28G package, cold weather group, CD changer w/infinity speakers, tow group).
At first dealer would only give $21,000 for trade.
(Edmund's and Kelly Blue Book suggest $24,000)
Dealer said warranty incentive won't be extended. My advice- get it for nothing while you can ($1500 worth)! That, coupled with low Chrysler financing, reduced my loss on a one year old vehicle and made sense for me.
I used Edmund's numbers, which were mostly accurate, to help determine dealer invoice. However, the 4.7L V8 engine is an option separate from the 28k option (EVA). Edmund's doesn't list it! Imagine my surprise, and the resulting frustration, when I discovered my offer was about $920 short of invoice? This story has a happy ending because the dealer showed me the invoice and we hammered out a deal. I hope Edmund's can update their JGC invoice numbers so others don't have the same unpleasant experience as me.
1. Press and hold the desired Jeep transmitter button for about 20 sec. until the display reads TRAINING.
2. Press and hold the hand-held transmitter button.
3. Release the hand-held transmitter button when the display says TRAINED. (If you do not have a rolling code system, the garage door opener will now work).
4. Locate the programming button on the garage door opener motor head unit and press it. It will activate the programming light.
5. Firmly press and release the Jeep transmitter button two times.
6. Voila!
I am considering a 1998 Grand Cherokee. Did the Limiteds come with a 5.2 or 5.9 that year, or could you get a choice?
Also, what is the towing capacity for each?
Rob
We now have too many miles to think about lemon law arbitration.
Two days ago it quit at a traffic light. Ten minutes later it cranked but engine light was on. First transmission, now engine--what gives??
Anyone out there with similar troubles?
Please advise!
Thanks! Katey
The Limited offers/includes:
1. Electroluminescent gauges - standard
2. Dual air conditioning - standard
3. Upgraded wheels/tires - standard
4. Memory systems for seats, optional pedals, radio etc. - standard
5. Heated side mirrors - standard
6. Cargo area power outlet - standard
7. Automatic headlamps - standard
8. Fog lamps - standard
9. Front door courtesy lamps - standard
10. Rear view mirror, auto-dimming - standard
11. Rain Sense wiper system - optional
12. High Output V8 engine- optional
(Only No. 10 above is available with the Laredo model, and it is an option. Fog lamps can be ordered after-market.)
The next step up from the Limited is the top-of-the-line Overland. It adds or includes:
1. High Output V8 engine - standard
2. Leather/suede combination heated seats - standard
3. Woodgrain (real) upper 1/2 steering wheel - standard
4. Rock rails - standard
5. Rain Sense wipers - standard
6. Side curtain air bags - standard (can be deleted for credit)
7. "Up Country" package (stiffer springs, 3 skid plates, different front control arms, all-terrain tires and high-pressure charged shocks)
8. "Overland" badging (exterior and floormats)
9. Available in 4 colors only (silverstone metallic, graphite metallic, inferno red and onyx green)
The base price of the Laredo, including destination is $28,135. The Limited is $32,800 and the Overland $36,940. Between the 3 different Grand Cherokee models, you'll get the smoothest on-road ride with the Limited. If you like extra power, go for the 265hp High Output V8.
this is the first time I've posted anything in here so forgive me if I step on anyone's toes. I've been wanting to buy a Laredo for a couple of years now. From what I've read in here over the past 2 years, I've been reluctant to buy one and bought a different vehicle instead. It's a 2001 Subaru Legacy GT Limited. I like the car a lot but I just love the looks of the Cherokees. Is there anyone that has a 2001 or 2002 JCG with atleast 10k miles on it? How is it holding up? Any brake rotor, window motor, or whine from the quadra drive? Has DC cleaned up their mistakes after the debut in 1999? Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks.
With the $4000 below-invoice deal, 01 JRC models seem like a good deal. $4000 should be enough for the price depreciation of 1 year old car, right? (It will be a used car in 2 weeks when it's bought now)
Can we get a better deal?(another $1000)
I will appreciate any input.
Thank you
tidester
Host
SUVs
Service manager could not give a reasonable explanation for the pallet load (at least 20 sets) of rotors behind the shop. Claims there is not a problem. YES...there is a problem with the rotors.
Since I will soon be out of warranty,are there any after market brakes that don't show the tendency to warp. If I am going to spend my money in a year to replace them, it won't be ones that warp faster than a Marin County trust fund kid in a Pakistan.
Love the jeep. Way cooler than my wives BMW 330xi, and maybe just as fast going straight. With that V8 rumble I think of it as the Harley of the SUVs.
I've owned 3 JGC's so far, a 93, 98 (went back under WI's lemon law) and currently, a 99. Loved all 3, despite some problems and annoyances, which all vehicles seem to have today.
I've had the warped rotor problem on all of them. DC vehicles in my opinion have always had poor disc brake rotors since their inception back in the 60's. Fortunately for me, my dealer has replaced my rotors when they warped on my 98 and 99. I would definitely insist upon this with your dealer.
Most vehicles today have this problem, not just the JGC. In an effort to reduce cost, rotors today are made from cheaper materials and more susceptable to damage from heat build-up. We all know this and it's not rocket science. It's an unfortunate part of life today that a lot of us are forced to live with.
Keep in mind that even if your dealer is willing to replace your warped rotors, you're only starting the same problem all over from the beginning. Factory replacement rotors come from the same supplier as the OEM rotors, so the dealer's MOPAR replacement rotors are no better than the originals. They too will warp in a few thousand miles and your dealer may not be willing to replace them a second time around.
Let the dealer replace them if they're willing to. But when you fry these, don't waste your time going back to the dealer. Find a reputable service center (or do it yourself) and have the rotors replaced with any decent aftermarket brand that you can get from a local automotive parts supplier (like NAPA).
My 93 had warped rotors from day one. On this vehicle, my dealer would only turn them (what a joke). After the problem returned, I had them replaced for under $100 a pair (remember, the 93's had drums in the rear) by a friend who owns a service station (remember these?). Never had another problem with the rotors in the remaining 80K miles I drove it.
I see a lot of people here advising you to spend upwards of $1000 to buy these fancy, hi-tech aftermarket rotors that probably work no better than a decent set of "no-name" rotors do. That's absolutely senseless advice, but hey, it's your money and you can do what you want with it.
Now, here's a couple of real annoyances that I've experienced on all 3 of my JGC's, but yet I've never heard anyone else complain about these. Anybody else live with this or have any suggestions on how to correct?...
Everytime I get in the draft zone behind a big truck, or have to drive in a crosswind of 20 mph or so, all 3 of my JGC's have been tossed around like a rag doll. Never in my life have I owned/driven a vehicle that's had such P-poor lateral (side-to-side) suspension stability and control.
A commute to or from work is physically tiring, not to mention scary at times because I just don't know what direction my vehicle is going to want to throw itself under those conditions. Man, if a cop was following me, he'd probably think I was driving drunk. I don't see this happening to any other vehicles in the traffic I'm flowing with at the time.
It's unbelievable how much I have to keep my steering wheel turned into the crosswind just to keep it in my lane. And man, when the wind lets up, I better be awake enough to react because the vehicle will instantly veer hard in the direction I'm turning the wheel.
For the record, my 93 had the Up-Country Suspension and handled the best of the 3. My 98 handled the worst, the 99 marginally better than the 98. How do your JGC's handle under these conditions?
The other annoyance is the poor low beam headlamp illumination on my 99 (my 93 and 98 were great). I remember DC bragging in the 99 brochure about how the new headlight design improved low beam illumination by 30-40 feet over the 98's. What a joke. The low beams on my 99 hardly illuminate the road out to 30-40 feet! No complaints with the high beams on.
You can really see the difference by walking around and looking at them from the front... the low beams just aren't as bright as what you see on almost all other oncoming cars. Yes, I've had the aim checked and they're "okay" according to the dealer. I usually run with the fog lamps on too (what little light they throw) to get a few extra candlepower.
We are infested with deer where I live and night driving is a real adventure, even with great headlamps. Anybody else out here have similar complaints? Any suggestions for a low beam lamp replacement that will throw better light without having every car you meet flash his lights at you?
Thanks for your input!
M.
No transmission problems that i am aware of, however, I just had to replace my rear dirve shaft and rebuild my rear differential. The drive shaft twisted and snapped in two.
Jeep Grand Cherokee year 2000 with 40K road miles. I talked with Chrysler customer service that resulted in the district service manager review, but no warranty help was offered.
I applied for a customer arbritation review.
My advice to everyone with brake problems. While it is definitely DC's problem there not going to do anything about it unless a class action law suit is put together. Save some time and aggrivation and get your self a set of Bendix or any other non-DC rotors, they won't warp like the DC pieces of crap.
Too bad DC didn't cut into their profit margins a few dollars and put on decent quality rotors. Maybe if they would have they wouldn't have to be discounting Jeeps several thousand dollars now!!!
What? And the Laredo plastic cladding still looks good after a few months? Good luck keeping that looking good. I have a Limited and have had no "bumper" problems. The Limited is miles ahead of the Laredo, there is no comparison. For what you get the difference is an excellent value. If you are going to spend 30k, what's a couple more thousand for a lot more features and luxury items, not to mention power and comfort?
http://www.stlouis-software.com/jeep/video4.shtml
The quality is real good and I was viewing them on a very high speed connection, so modem users beware!
--Countless brake rotor replacements prematureley: literaly replaced every two months
--Get this: Washer fluid spraying inside cabin via the windscreen defroster outlet...the dealer didn't believe it until a mechanic was a victim of the torturous spray
--Several seatbelt failings and repairs
--Suspension rattles, noises, abnoramlities, and repairs...dealer didn't believe this one either until the took it for a drive, certain area of suspension doesn't like to move anymore...and even after the dealer "fixed" the problem it still rattles and doesn't like to move.
--Interior/frame rattling, feeling of non-solidity...worsens every day
--Plethora of other problems makes this car seem like a real lemon
And very annoying that DC won't admit a problem exists with the rotors, they blame "driver error" for the problems
Of note: Model was a very early production version, but still the problems exist.
The Envoy has a few nice features but looks too "bloated", especially the back end. I felt "crowded" sitting in the drivers seat, the dash is too busy looking, and I didn't care for those "aluminum" or whatever oversized air vents. There is no storage space by the shifter, and the front cupholders are located illogically. The power was ok, but the seats a bit stiff. I did not like the shoudler-belt-in-the-seat idea. Ackward steering wheel as well, it seemed too large. No convenient location for a cell phone either. Awful A/C controls.
The Jeep, on the other hand, seems miles ahead of the Envoy. More comfortable ride, more power, much better dash layout (less clutter and no confusing knobs), sleeker styling, better off-road of course, nice area for cell phone or accessory, tire monitor system and much more.
The Jeep is really FUN to drive, slow or fast, on-road or off-road, city or highway. The Envoy drives nice but to me looks more like an altered minivan.
Check 'em both out, take a nice long drive in each, check out the interior features and comfort (note seat belt comfort level too!), take a nice long hard look at the exterior (different colors, from all angles), and go from there.
Oxx93, I went for the Limited with the H.O. engine instead of the Overland. I did NOT like the lighter suede/leather seats and interior, nor did I like the woodgrain steering wheel. I have the dark slate grey interior and love it. I was also able to find a set of the Overland rock rails and installed them on my Limited. So, I pretty much have an "Overland", just without the "Up Country" suspension - but, that provides a rougher and stiffer ride and since I mainly drive on the highway I went for the smoother ride the Limited offers.
The ONLY differences the Overland has that my Limited does not are:
1. Suede/leather seats
2. Woodgrain steering wheel
3. Some of the Up Country suspension (shocks, tires, springs)
4. Overland badges
5. Rain Sense(less) wipers (I did not want this option)
I have the adjustable pedals, Tire Pressure monitor system, side air bags, HO engine, rock rails, tow hooks/tow IV pkg, skid plates, and engine block heater.
Best vehicle I have ever owned, a true pleasure to drive. If you are going to go as far at the 30K range for a new car, what's 2-3 thousand more for the better model? I got 0% financing on the '02 so that helped quite a bit.
I take exception to you calling laredo owners cheap and worriers. I bought my laredo because I liked it and I didn't want leather seats, not because I am cheap. The limited is nice if that is what you want. I just happened to like cloth seats over leather.
As a new engine in 1999, the V-8 was rife with problems. No doubt Chrysler has addressed some of those problems in the 3 years since (the vehicles would have stopped selling otherwise). However, the V-6 has had very few problems. An article in the October 25, 2001, Philadelphia Inquirer by Al Haas described the V-6 in the Laredo as “bulletproof” (a descriptor he did not apply to the V-8).
Edmund’s review of the 2002 Jeep GC notes “Quadra-drive whine” as one of the cons of the vehicle. This is not noted as a problem with the selec-trac system.
Milous asks which posts were considered in my assertion that some of the standard features of the Limited are more problematic than those of the Laredo. While I don’t consider this argument important enough to justify re-reading 730 posts, any of the posts placed by fishrxman over the past year or so, and others, go to these issues. It is great you haven’t experienced these problems, however your anecdotal evidence does not outweigh the experts.
Milous suggests that there is not a significant difference in cost between the Limited and Laredo. Comparing the MSRP, Invoice, and Edmund’s TMV costs for a 2002 V-6 Laredo with Selec-trac 4x4 vs. a Limited w/V-8 and the Quadra-drive 4x4 system produces a consistent 16% difference in cost. For a $30,000 vehicle, this translates to just under $5000. For my family, and me that is a significant difference.
Obviously, one gets many more features with the Limited. It is a more luxurious and powerful vehicle. As bornzo said in post 734, if that is what you want, great. However, I contend that is likely to be a more problematic vehicle, based on posts on this board and the publications of industry experts.
It's been 25+ years since the exploding-Pinto experience, and probably 5-7 since similar issues with side collisions on GM trucks (or was it Ford trucks?). I'm assuming that DC considered these facts when they designed the current version of the Cherokee? (Did the pre-1999 model year have the tank located in the same place?)
I haven't yet heard anything about problems in this area, and it has been more than 3 years since the current design came out in late 1998 (the 1999 model year).
What do you think? Have there been any reports of a problem here? Is this an issue of concern?
Thanks very much in advance for everyone's comments.
Joe G
I like a decent amount of power and the I-6 just does not provide that. Furthermore, I NEVER read about any problems with the current generation V8 engines, so why do people keep saying how "reliable" the 6 is when the V8 is JUST AS RELIABLE??? In fact, one would tend to have more problems with the I-6 than the V8, as being under-powered the vehicle is pushed a lot harder.
QUOTE: "I contend that is likely to be a more problematic vehicle, based on posts on this board and the publications of industry experts.."
What? Based on ONE "review" that said the 2002 model had a "whine"? The whine has been with Jeeps a long long time, but I don't notice it at all on my '02. Again, I have been talking about the 2001 and 2002 Jeeps, not the 1999 model (which was fill of problems). Jeep reliability has come a LONG way in the past 2 years. And I see hardly ANY differences when problems are mentioned between the Laredo and the Limited's.
To recommend someone buy a Laredo over a Limited because of a "reliability" difference makes no sense at all and really has no merit. One could end up with a "lemon Laredo" just like they could with any other vehicle in any price range. I have read thousands of posts from different forums and have never run across anyone who wished they had bought a Laredo instead of a Limited because of problems they had...
Dealership claims that is normal! <<
bobhex40 replied:
>>That noise is common to most DC cars. My 300M and Jeep GCL V8 does the same.<<
My 2000 JCL Ltd also developed this noise, I guess after a break-in period. Dealer also told me it's normal. Otherwise, the transmission really shifts great. Very comfortable. It's just that I have a ingrained distrust of anything these service managers say! 11,500 miles, and no problems with this car. Although, I gather that I should be expecting rotor problems. Should I have them inspected? Brakes do NOT pulse. Thanks
Changing the trans fluid sounds like an excellent idea.
Glad to hear about your reliable GCL.
The '02 has many new features and the reliability seems to be getting better and better the past couple years. I had no problems with my '01 and the '02 has been perfect so far. Go for the High Output engine if you enjoy extra power to spare. There are several worthwhile new options on the '02s, including side curtain airbags, adjustable pedals, and the Tire Pressure monitor system, among others. There are a lot of people out there who now have the 02s and I hardly ever read anything negative, everyone seems to be 99+% pleased.
I have begun researching and looking at the mirad of options that are available to me. At this point, I have narrowed it down to the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the GMC Envoy/Chevy Trailblazer. At this point, I am leaning towards the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited.
Can anyone out there who has gone through the same process give me an idea of how my chose and what was the deciding factors for you.
Thanks,
MIKEnTN
http://www.eresourcing.com/02jeep/index.htm
Now my question.....My Jeep has the towing prep pkg but no hitch, I'm going to have the Jeep dealer put one on it. What is the safe towing capacity of the 6-cyl Jeep? I need to tow a 2-horse trailer with one horse in it to shows and stuff. Total weight of less than 4000 lbs, probably about 3000 lbs actually. Will I hurt my Jeep using it to tow that? Thanks for any info.
The brochure for the 1997 jeep says class III, with 4.0 engine is gross combined weight rating of 9550 pounds, maximu loaded trailer weight of 5000 pounds, tongue load limit 750 pounds. The trailer tow prep group for the 6 cyl had 3.73 ratio rear axle, auxiliary trans oil cooler, and increased cooling engine fan drive. There was also a trailer tow group that included the above with the addition of a hitch-frame mounted receptacle for load equalizer type hitch and a wiring harness- seven pin harness outlet with four pin connector feature.