Jeep Cherokee

yellowdr · April 2001

I just got my 2000 Ch sport inspected. I had them check the exhaust due to rumble. At times it sounded like it was not fully connected somewhere.

The service dept found no problems at inspection and NO problems with exhaust... the explanation for the sound is that the new V6 "sounds like that".

What do you all think?

sebring95 · April 2001

Well, considering it's not a V6 and it's really not new.....hmmmm. The I6 has been around along time, and hasn't really changed much. It is noisy, and it's not that smooth just by nature so they might be right that there isn't a problem. Hard to build an engine with that much power that's extremely refined. The new V6 in the Liberty will be much more refined, of course the torque numbers will probably fall through the floor.

ntr166er · April 2001

Greetings from Athens, Greece. I am new to the site and have been reading most of the comments. I am out here with the American Embassy and am due back to ship an auto from the states. We are choosing the Cherokee Sport as we plan to shipit back to the States at the end of my tour,as it has American specs. Our choices are limited out here, service wise we have three Jeep dealers. Traffic here is to say the least challenging. The roads become very slick from the sahara rain we have occassionally as they are made with marble chips. Traffic is a sweltering, congesting, of horn-honking, impatient, frappe - drinking, chain smoking fanatics, and I am half Greek! It also has the highest mortality rate in Europe... It took me one hour to go 6 blocks, last week.. Enough said. Now the reliability question. I get the feeling from the discussion that Chrysler has abandoned it's service of the new Jeep Cherokees, and shifting it's resources to the Liberty line. How has the break-in period for these vehicles been rated so far? I know we can get a deal on these when we return in May, and that makes me nervous. Has the situation deteriorated that much? Any comments, suggestions would help over here.

csawru · April 2001

Hello NTR166ER,

Sounds like you're gonna have a perfect vehicle for your driving conditions. I'm not sure I get your question about reliability. I guess there is a bit of concern about a vehicle built by people who's minds are focused on learning a new vehicle with a new plant and new work rules - or are about to be laid off. But from everything I know and have experienced with the Cherokee driveline and suspension, you'd be hard pressed to find a more durable, rugged vehicle. Yes the addons, GeeGaws and trimmings may be somewhat inconsistent, but Chrylser will HAVE to support these vehicles for at least as long as the warranty expires. Are you moving back before then, or will be there for several years? Don't forget, the aftermarket and parts market for Cherokees will likely be good for a long time - there's 18 years worth of vehicles out there. BTW, last I heard the Cherokee line shuts down on June 29th, and the order lead time runs at least 4 weeks. I'm not sure if the order window has closed yet or not but it's getting real close.

No one knows how the Liberty will hold up long term. From the literature, they've run it in Alaska during winter, and alledgedly drove it over the Rubicon trail. But how it does after a few years of midwestern winters, or Arizona heat or Florida humidity, the potholes and bad roads everywhere, is any one's guess. Unfortunately, some of these issues just take a while to come out.

Personlly, in your location, I'd like a vehicle with a simple, rugged powertrain over anything else.

Good Luck

countsmackula1 · April 2001

I've been hearing September will be when production of the Cherokee absolutly finishes,(just a rumor, though). Then, that factory at Toledo will be partially revamped to back up the new factory that builds the Liberty. Demand is still high, so if you're returning in May, I doubt you'll have any problems . In fact, you may get a great deal. Dealers will want rid of the Cherokees to make room for the Liberty. I'd just buy one here if I were you, get the TMV( true market value) of this site. Make them an offer they can't refuse. Good luck.

stever · April 2001

Jeep Remains Tenth Best-Selling Brand

Steve
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sebring95 · May 2001

Probably want to go with the Select-trac so you can run 4X4 full time if the roads are that slippery when it rains. Maybe ABS too, that's your call.

Nice thing about the Jeep is it's small, easy to zip through tight spots, pretty darned powerful, and still weighs a ton so you've got the advantage in a head-on:) Get the tow package too because you'll have the heavy-duty cooling package and a nice ram bar in the back:) For the money, I think you'd be crazy NOT to buy the tow package. You can barely get an aftermarket hitch installed for what they charge for the hitch, extra wiring, heavy duty engine cooling, synthetic fluid, and extra tranny cooling.

sasquatch_2000 · May 2001

Wow! I have never seen so many people who have problems with WET roads.

What is the problem with driving on non dry roads? Is this something you really think you need a 4X4 for?

csawru · May 2001

Looks like Chrysler looks to keep the deals going...

As per Jeep's Website:

http://www.jeepunpaved.com/

Cherokee
Current national consumer incentives

U.S. cash allowance of $2,000 on 2001 models is available through 7/3/01.

or

Chrysler Financial's special alternative APR financing is available on 2001 models through 7/3/01: 0.9% short term APR financing or 1.9% long term APR financing is available to qualified buyers. See your Jeep dealer for complete details and eligibility requirements.

or

Eligible retail customers may be eligible for a U.S. cash allowance of $1,000 plus Chrysler Financial's special alternative APR financing on select 2001 models available through 7/3/01. Short term APR financing of 0.9% or long term APR financing of 2.9%-3.9% is available to qualified buyers under this program. See your Jeep dealer for complete details and eligibility requirements.

or

LOWER YOUR MONTHLY LEASE PAYMENTS! Special lease cash allowance available on select 2001 models through 7/3/01. Please see your Jeep dealer for complete details and eligibility requirements.

and

Qualified lessees who are returning from a lease on a Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge or Jeep vehicle may be eligible for a special loyalty lease cash allowance of $2,000 on eligible 2001 Cherokee models. Offer ends 7/3/01. Please see your Jeep dealer for details.

csawru · May 2001

...yesterday. I took delivery of a built-to-order Patriot Blue 2001 Sport with Tow Package, Selectrac, tint glass, Automatic, and of course the I6 and the usual goodies.

$22,800 was total price BEFORE incentives. The dealer didn't even flinch when I said I'd start at invoice price, he gave me invoice on the ordered options as well. Minus almost $6000 lease incentives, final price came to $17,400; payments of $306 monthly, with lease end purchase of just about $10,000...Happy Day!

sasquatch_2000 · May 2001

I really like the Cherokee.

It sounds like a lot of people are getting good deals on them.

I only wish I could fit into one. (test drove one, and my knees hit the steering wheel)

I always wonder what basketball players drive. I saw a real tall guy get out of a Saturn once, and I can't put my seat all the way back in my Civic. I wonder why they can't make room in a Cherokee? Maybe that is why they are phasing it out...???

sebring95 · May 2001

If you noticed in the previous post, the roads in greece are marble chips and are slippery when it rains. A rear-driver will be more prone to slippery conditions obviously, so the select-trac might help. The roads here (US) really don't get slippery when wet just the hydroplaning issue. I've never used 4X4 on a wet road, but I've never driven on a wet road that was marble either. Ever walked across a marble floor with wet feet?

sasquatch_2000 · May 2001

I forgot about the marble part.

What were they thinking? (even in old days, it was STILL slippery!)

balanoff · May 2001

what you need is a part that is now made for a post production problem: it's called an exhaust isolator, and is made specifically for your model/year. i had the same problem (probably more noticeable on mine because it's a manual, and it vibrated/rattled every time i got started/let the clutch out.) just pester your dealer to order you one...it is a small rubber part that goes on the exhaust line. it takes two minutes for them to install it. if you have any question about it, email me at cbbalanoff@att.net
brian

vin_weasel · May 2001

I'm looking to buy a '01 Sport but there aren't very many left around Western Canada. I was looking at an auto with the trailer tow package but what I would really like is both the trailer hitch and the Up Country Suspension (with SelecTrac, too). The problem is that not a single Cherokee left around here has both. Can you get both on the same vehicle? The saleswoman didn't know off the top of her head. What I would almost like to do is buy the Up Country and then slap on a Hitch after the fact. Can that be done or does the enhanced suspension make it difficult to put a receiver on?

Thanks in advance,

Vin

csawru · May 2001

I believe they are "compatible" Yo may just still be able to order one with those two packages. the cutoff is coming up real soon, a dealer I just ordered my from did mention something about them being able to modify an existing / pending order a dealer already had in the pipeline. Apparently, there is a week or so after the order is input and the actual parts commitment to build it.. if in this window, apparently they can make changes to the build codes...

Good luck,

Will

sebring95 · May 2001

You can get them both, and the selec-trac too. Just going to be really hard to find all that. I wanted both, but had to skip the up-country (only two had it in a 300 mile radius). The nice thing on the tow package is the heavy-duty engine cooling, tranny cooler, along with some other advantages plus it's really a bargain. If I remember correctly, the up-country swaps out some suspension parts has skid plates, and the trac-loc differential. I bought the skid plates through Mopar, will replace the shocks soon with heavier units, and so far haven't missed the limited slip differential. It can be added fairly easily too. I'm just going to do a part here and there until I have the up-country. The price isn't that big of a difference by piecing it out if I remember correctly.

vin_weasel · May 2001

Thanks for the help. The Up-Country also seems to come with the heavy-duty cooling and tranny cooler, same as the hitch package. Now if I get an Up-Country, can I get an add-on trailer hitch later? If I could it would solve all my problems about which one to buy.

sebring95 · May 2001

Sure you can add the hitch. I'm not sure what comes with what honestly. I've got two different equipment lists, and one says the up-country includes heavy-duty cooling but not tranny, the other list says the up-country includes tranny cooler but not engine cooling. These are actual equipment lists from Jeep, so go figure. Mine Jeep has the tow package, and it DOES have the engine cooling/tranny cooler.

You probably have to remove the rear tow hook to install the hitch if you get the up-country package. The rear tow hook is deleted from the up-country when you order the tow package so it must be in the way. I added a tow hook to my hitch, was only $20 from the dealer.

My other problem is that the up-country deletes the rear-sway bar for heavier springs. I'd rather have the sway bar and just pull it off when I go off-roading. The on-road handling is better that way, where I spend most of my time. I can add bilsteins for a couple hundred bucks, and they'll probably be better than the up-country shocks anyway. Another discrepancy with the Jeep equipment list is on the trac-lok. According to the list the up-country includes the trac-lok, but on the same list is a $285 option for the trac-lok that requires the up-country package. So you better check twice on that too if you want the trac-lok. Probably need to look at a window stick to make sure you get everything you want.

vin_weasel · May 2001

Exellent info. Thanks. The vehicle I'm looking at has the tow package and the Trac-lok. Go figure. I think my deciding factor may just be the Selec-Trac over Command-Trac with either the Up-Country or the Trailer package, just to take advantage of the heavy duty cooling/tranny cooler. I'm not sure which yet. Basically the dealership I'm dealing with printed off a list of all the vehicles left in a 1500km diameter circle and they can get any of them driven in. Most are sitting at rural dealerships and have been there for a good while. My colour choices are a little limited.

eagan · May 2001

I recently ordered Manik Tube Steps from www.performanceproducts.com and I am going to probly put them on this weekend. In their catalog the steps are listed as no drilling required, yet the instructions say 2 small holes must be drilled in the frame. If I make these holes, will I void any manufacturer's warranties?? I know there is a warranty against rust, so that is why I am asking. Thanks in advance.

Dan

umperine1 · May 2001

I am having problems deciding whether or not to buy a 90 cherokee from my friends father. not because it is my friends father, its just because its a 90 and it has a little more cosmetic problems than I would like to deal with. such as rust and a new paint job are definetly needed. everything is in great condition besides that and it only has 60,000 miles on it (wow) this will be my first car that I buy myself and I am wondering is it worth all the extra cosmetic work

please help
thanx
Jarrett

tjeep27 · May 2001

My '90 Cherokee Lerado is running great at 138,000
miles, although it doesn't have any rust and the paint job is the original. If cosmetics are the only problem, I would take it. Especially if your friend's dad gives you a good price.

haana · May 2001

Hi Jeepers,

We just leased a 2001 Cherokee and have had less than a month. Today at the car wash a speck of paint washed off from the hard plastic wheel mold covering.. is this normal? We're now going to look at mud flaps in event stones caused the problem yet still think this is too ultra sensitive material for a 4-wheeling machine. Also, noticed some grease under the wheel mold covering and hope its just greased picked up from tire tracks or the road and not a sign of something with the Jeep.

Appreciate any feedback from all you jeepers!

Thanks:)

haana

ntr166er · May 2001

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions on my query from Athens. My wife has scoured the Virginia-Maryland-D.C. area, visiting 4 dealers, and the stock seems to be running pretty low. We received price from our credit union, with all the rebates coupled with invoice price, everything seems to be settling around the 20,000 figure. We got all the options we wanted and then some. Finally my wife went back to a dealer in Maryland and asked if they could beat our credit union's price. You go girl! And they did! We got a fully loaded Cherokee Sport for 20 and change. Now the question. I would like to add a brush guard and tailight covers if possible. The dealer said they would charge about 500.00, and suggested an after market place. I surfed the net and all I could find were J.. Whitney, Quadratec, mostly Wrangler accessories. Do they make brushguards, rear bumper guards etc. for Cherokees?

eagan · May 2001

im not 100% sure if they have them, but a really good site to check would be www.performanceproducts.com

i ordered some things from them for my cherokee and had a very good experience

good luck

milt721 · May 2001

Most of the stuff is for Wranglers, but there is also a good selection of Cherokee stuff. (Brushguards and taillamp covers included...)

rdg50 · May 2001

According to the Jeep web site and #211 listing, Jeep is offering various customer cash, APR interest, and combination customer cash+APR interest incentives. It appears that qualified buyers can choose the incentive that best fits their needs.

Additionally, Edmunds lists another incentive not found on the Jeep web site. This is listed as "dealer cash". My question is this: does the dealer receive the dealer cash independent of which of the above customer cash and/or APR interest incentives are selected?

If anyone knows, I would appreciate a response.

csawru · May 2001

Last I heard, about two weeks ago, is Dealer Cash is extra cash for the dealer's discretion above and beyond the $2000 customer cash offered directly to the buyer. As I understand it, dealers don't have to acknowledge or offer it, however if you ask them and they offer it to you, that's $1000 less you pay. If they hedge or blow smoke, leave and find another dealer who wants your sale... The dealer will already get 3% of the MSRP, which works out to about $700 as the Holdback...plus they may charge you the legitimate advertising fee of around $250.

Figure it this way, the invoice price of a Cherokee Sport with the Sport package and with Auto Tranny and cruise control is about $22,000.

I've seen ads in the Madison, WI region for this Cherokee for about 19,000. The only way they can advertise this is if they also apply the Dealer cash against the purchase price.

Hope this helps,

Will

sasquatch_2000 · May 2001

I wonder if you can add the customer cash, dealer cash, and use as a down payment, then get the groovy financing?

bblaha · May 2001

No. You can't get both the customer cash and special APR; you have to choose one or the other.

stever · May 2001

Just yesterday looking at Voyager prices I was surprised to see some DC incentives that include both customer cash and special APR's. Drill down to the Cherokee under New Cars at edmunds.com and then look at the incentives and rebates section for the Jeep deals. Your region may be different and incentives are difficult to keep track of, so ymmv.

Steve
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rdg50 · May 2001

I am currently working with a dealer for a Cherokee. The salesman claims he is working from the dealer invoice. He claims the invoice includes two (2) separate advertising charges: one national, one local. These advertising charges are $210 each which is $410 total.

Does anyone know what, if any, a realistic advertising charge would be? I am not sure if advertising charges are actually invoiced to the dealer or if the dealer is trying to increase profits.

sasquatch_2000 · May 2001

none!

vin_weasel · May 2001

There should be none. I've also gotten a prices from multiple dealerships and not one has mentioned ad fees for the Cherokees I've looked at. It's all supposed to be included in the base price. Your dealership is just trying to make some extra profit. I've actually enjoyed working with some of the Chrysler dealerships as they include everything directly into the price and deal in all-included numbers. You can still get a breakdown, of course, if you want it. But it's nice to know there are no suprises when you go to write the cheque.

tfrie · May 2001

Greetings fellow Jeepers. My wife and I just purchased a 2001 Cherokee 2dr Sport. We now have about 1200 miles on it. We have only noticed one minor irritant. Usually at speeds of 40 mph and above, there is a hum that comes from the front of the Jeep. I am pretty sure its coming from the vents by the windshield or possibly the wipers them self. This sound is intermittent and seems to vary in volume depending on the wind speed. I have owned a Cherokee before and not noticed this sound. Has anyone else noticed this or have any suggestions as to the origin. This appears to be a wind noise and not a mechanical noise from the engine or the tires. Overall we love the Cherokee, it just has this one quirk.
Thanks... John

vinney · May 2001

Has anyone heard of taking the 3,750 gold key rebate which is for a balloon payment (I think) and then refinancing at same time to a regular apr note? I visited a jeep dealer whose salesman said I could do this to get an additional 1,750 cash back for a total of 3750 cash back. what do you think? Is this a way to get more money back from Daimler/Chrysler? Also,does anyone know of a good jeep dealer in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area? thanks any help will be appeciated.

bblaha · May 2001

Steve. Hmmm. According to Edmunds, customer cash is not compatible with the special rates.

Link

Jeepers:
Well, the article is, by now, old news. But it still steams me up. In the March 01 issue of Car and Driver, they decided to take 11 small SUVs up to Boyne Mountain (in Michigan) to (in their words) "see if we could get stuck."

They managed to get stuck in 10 of them. With the Jeep, they quit trying when it was apparent it wasn't going to get stuck and they feared the 1/2 mile they had to back out.

So, they're checking on the little SUVs ability to get stuck offroad in the snow, and the Cherokee is the only one that doesn't.

Where does it rank out of 11?

10th.

The article

sasquatch_2000 · May 2001

The one thing most buyers look for!

"The Korean-built Kia Sportage specializes in the one thing most buyers look for in a new car -- low price. "

Apparently they are not.

stever · May 2001

I'm getting more confused :-). It's probably something obvious I'm missing when I go to this link. It seems that no cash incentive yields the lowest APR rate, and the $1,000 cash incentive pops you up a few points. It's hard to tell if the models affected are the same too.

Maybe we should go back to post 230 and start over (and I'll stay quiet this time, lol).

Steve
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sebring95 · May 2001

Yeah that article kinda got me ticked too. I'll give them the Kmart materials, fit and finish points because that's true. However, they pointed out that the tires on the others were probably part of the reason they got stuck so easy. It's really a catch 22 though, because if you put the more aggressive AT tires on them, then they aren't going to handle/ride/drive like the cars they want them to drive like.

One thing for sure, it's going to be awfully hard to find a small sport-ute that can tow more than my jock strap. Some of those tested aren't even rated to tow what my trailer weighs empty.

I don't care if the Jeep doesn't have the fit/finish or fancy materials. I'm more interested in utility.

checkme · May 2001

I have seen several newspaper ads which offer the 2001 Cherokee Sport for approximately $15,000. I believe that the price includes 6-cylinder engine, 4x4, four doors, air conditioning, automatic transmission, and a standard assortment of options, such as power windows.

I am sure that $15,000 is "sale" price- I know that "lease" prices are often understated, but the ads specifically say that $15,000 is the sale price.

Does anyone know whether these prices are realistic? Is there a catch? I have always heard higher prices mentioned, so I am skeptical. Also, in case geography affects price, I live in Chicago.

brian126 · May 2001

I purchased a new 99 Jeep Cherokee 2 years ago and felt compelled to write about the experience. Starting at about 11K miles and ending at 25K miles, we experienced 4 sets of rotor failures, replaced bearings in both front axels, and pinion bearings in both differentials. Needless to say, we are not happy with the product. WE went to the formal arbitration process and Chrysler offered to pay for the extended warranty. the local dealer(Don Phillips) in Frederick Maryland, offered to help us get out of the product by upgrading us into a new vehicle but for the last 5 months, we have not been able to make contact.They simply have no desire to carry though with their promise. I hope this information can help someone who might be looking at this product..or at this dealer..stay away.

bblaha · May 2001

1999 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE
99 Jeep Cherokee

So which is it? These are two entirely different vehicles manufactured at different plants.

This forum is for the latter.

vin_weasel · May 2001

I've just put a deposit down on a '01 black Cherokee Sport and I have a question about the alarm system. Is it the same one that is on the Grand Cherokee? I'm asking because the big list of approved car alarms for insurance purposes lists the Grand Cherokee as acceptable but not the normal Cherokee. The confusing part is they are both called the Sentry Key Engine Immobilizer.

I'm pumped. With rebates and an E-com dealer, I'm getting almost $6700 off MRSP ($33,115). But that's also in Canadian dollars.

milt721 · May 2001

Do not offer a factory alarm system. Grand Cherokees do, maybe that's the difference. Any alarm on a regular Cherokee is aftermarket.

vin_weasel · May 2001

I just found out that all of DCs Sentry Key alarms count as approved ones for the insurance discount. Damn small type on websites.

By an aftermarket alarm, do you mean dealer installed? I ask because all the alarms offered by Jeep are the Sentry Key (tm) alarm by DC.

milt721 · May 2001

Is not really an alarm system. It's just a specially encoded key that "communicates" with the vehicle's electronics. If the wrong key is used (or no key at all, i.e. theft) the vehicle will not run, but no alarm sounds.

By aftermarket alarm, I mean any alarm not installed at the factory, dealer installs count as aftermarket.

The Wranger has no factory alarm, only the optional Sentry Key. Same for Cherokee. Not sure about Liberty. Grand Cherokee has standard Sentry Key on all models but also has a vehicle security system standard on all models except Laredo "E" package.

Hope this helps.

milt721 · May 2001

The Liberty has a Security Group option which includes both an alarm and the Sentry Key.

vin_weasel · May 2001

Thanks for the info, Milt. I thought the Sentry Key was also an alarm you're right. Good for insurance purposes but not overall vehicle security. Guess I'll have to get an alarm, too.

Jeep Cherokee

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