Just had my old Lexus RX written off after it got t- boned.
Need a big tow car for horse boxes, found a good Grand Cherokee, 2006. Huge merc Diesel engine, comfy, lots of toys, will pull horse box out of a mud bath, so all good there.
But, anything I should know before I pull the trigger?
Ta!
Assume you know it's a thirsty beast in any guise. FSH and a thorough check over and you should be fine. No personal experience but looked into them a few years ago - to replace a Lexus RXOriginally Posted by Hubs
Some Google reading -
http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2006/...rokee/recalls/
http://www.edmunds.com/jeep/grand-cherokee/2006/consumer-reviews.html
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/Re...and%20Cherokee
http://autoforum.classifieds1000.com...Grand_Cherokee
Last edited by gray; 11th July 2013 at 09:33.
Gray
Not quite the same but I m currently driving a Cherokee (not grand). Assuming you are 'happy' *ahem* with the fuel consumption, mines a 3.7l an has taught me to drive with a light foot, it's been a dream.
It's a very comfortable ride and has been as good as gold mechanically. I've had it in 4ft of snow in the arctic circle (Norway) and even at minus 30 it has started first time.
At the moment I am about halfway through 4k kilometre drive through Europe (currently in the desert of SE Spain and its just hit 35 degrees) and have had nothing but piece of mind.
On one adventure I had it loaded (overloaded?) fully inside, backseats down, and a towering load on the roof. When it pulled away you wouldn't have thought it had anything onboard at all.
On more than one occasion I've towed other, less well equipped, vehicles out of sand without issue at all. It's got the grunt of an elephant.
Given the relatively low 2nd hand price I really can't think of a better buy for my purposes. I love it.
Of course, now I've said all that, its not going to start and the wheels will fall off :)
Bought a top of the shop 'Orvis' model many moons ago.
Worst car I ever owned. Unreliable, lost a small fortune and contributed to half the fuel consumption out of Kuwait. Dealers were always spot on mind.
I've had most 4x4's and nowadays I'd go Subaru every day of the week.
What sorts of MPG do you get from it? I've been looking around for something large and comfortable and I came across a couple of 3.7/4.0 Cherokees at reasonable prices.
I had a 2005 Grand Cherokee Limited 3.0 diesel, the first model year of the (then) new WK model. Bought in the UK when I was living there. The worst car I have ever owned for reliability/breakdowns/cost of repair. It might just have been the lemon I owned, but it put me off the marque altogether. I hope others have had better experiences they can share.
A more objective assessment:
The 3.0 V6 diesel is absolutely fantastic. Smooth, quiet, loads of torque and power when and where you need it. It gave me no problems at all and is the best diesel I have run (much better than the Audi 2.5 V6 TDi diesel that I had before it).
Overall, the car was smooth and quiet (when it ran!).
The drive train - gearbox/transmission/torque converter - was the major source of problems. I think it was poorly matched to the engine's torque output. I had quite a few glitches during the first year - jerky drive and similar - that were fixed under warranty. Very soon after the three year warranty was up, the major breakdowns started: flywheel fractures, gears breaking and finally a complete failure of the torque converter. Cost me a fortune and Chrysler Jeep would have none of it.
The electrics were unreliable. I think I went through two wiper motors and also had lots of other problems. All fixed under warranty.
In case you are a tall guy - the Jeep looks great but the low roof line means limited headroom, especially for a 4x4.
The quality of the interior was OK. The leather was good, the plastics less so. Much better and less US-style than the previous WJ model, but still not up to top European standards.
They are pretty capable off road - way ahead of the luxo-European Merc & BMW SUVs, but not as capable as the 'real' 4x4s like Discovery, Landcruiser, Pathfinder & Mitsubishi Pajero (Shogun in the UK?).
I now have a Pajero that is absolutely reliable and is used a great deal for what it was designed for (i.e. off road!). A breath of fresh air after the Jeep.
Neighbour here in Girona has a Grand Cherokee V8, has some 130,000 miles (200,000 KM) and it sounds as sweet as when was new.
He is loath to let it go as not sure what can replace it
(Drives regularly Spain/Munich - not sure about fuel, but it's a V8 !)
Our daughter has the new Compass with the 2.2CDI Merc engine and loves it !
Last edited by ingenioren; 11th July 2013 at 09:55.
Well, it's the 3.7L petrol V6 and I get around 11mpg in town and upto 26 on the motorways. Looking at the readout now, I'm on an average of 20
I owned a 1999 Orvis cherokee 4.0 for 3 years. Seemed to averaged around 16mpg, no matter how you drove.
It had 90k miles when i bought it and needed a front R/H driveshaft, cost £72 from mansfield 4x4 and took an hour to fit.
The perfect sized car, chuck everything in, easier to park than family saloon, and very comfortable.
Loved the car but I just couldn't live with the petrol consumption.
Sold it and bought a V8 bmw engined L322 range rover, which gives better MPG, plus it's got an LPG conversion.
Sold the jeep for £600 (i only paid £550 for it), I wish i'd kept it and just garaged it for emergency use.
So based on the above two posts, 11-26mpg. Ouch. I wonder if the 2.5 diesel version is any better.
Great input, thanks!
Been checking reliability on the web ( see gearbox comments above) and the later models are getting far better reports than the earlier ones, so that's a risk I'll have to think on.
Overall fuel consumption on the 3 litre diesel seems a bit better than the big petrol engines - had an old style GC years ago that did 16 to the gallon which hurt, lexus was at around 22, so amazingly a potential 27 to the gallon sounds like a good deal to me..
It is the penalty of horse boxes - 2wd estate car will do most of it, but with 2 tonnes behind you, something big gets attractive real fast..
Subarus are interesting choices; almost went that way, but nothing quite right near me in the market this week, and with a write-off, I'm moving swiftly.
My previous 4WD experience encompasses early GC (not great), XC90 (lovely but flawed hubs / bearings / tire wear which cost more than the fuel to look after), Disco (great but industrial) and the Lexus (4wd limo). Would have gone for another Lexus, but prices are pretty firm now, and fancied less fuel consumption!
Should also have added it turns/parks on a sixpence. My mum can even park it.
The fuel consumption tells me I should let it go, but I really don't want to. It's pretty much got everything I need,but cost does nag a little.
May look at doing a PX for a diesel. Now there's a thought....
I've got a 2004 Grand Cherokee 2.7 diesel and it works just fine. It's been extremely capable off road and in the snow, never once getting stuck.
It's used for what it is; a utility vehicle and the mpg is currently reading about 28. On a run it will get low 30s. It's also been very reliable. In the four years I've had it's only ever had a leaky tyre valve. Although it's fair to point out that I have been warned by the local garage that services it that spares can be time-consuming to obtain.
It would say that it's unquestionably a 4X4, more agricultural in character and refinement than the SUV's. The diesel engine is robust but not exactly silken. Nor is it a sports car on the bends.
Mine is the Sport model (not aptly named) and has fewer gizmo's and electrics to go wrong so perhaps that accounts for the reliability.
Would I buy another? Without doubt.
Reminds me to book the bike in for another service!I owned a 1999 Orvis cherokee 4.0 for 3 years. Seemed to averaged around 16mpg, no matter how you drove.
It had 90k miles when i bought it and needed a front R/H driveshaft, cost £72 from mansfield 4x4 and took an hour to fit.
The perfect sized car, chuck everything in, easier to park than family saloon, and very comfortable.
Loved the car but I just couldn't live with the petrol consumption.
Have you also considered a Jeep Patriot, 2.0CRD?
Remember the road tax group jumps up on a 2006 Grand Cherokee the patriot is a much lower group!!
I'm surprised by the reliability comments. I'm in Sales Management and put loads of miles on cars. I've had three Grands and run them 120,000 to 160,000 miles. Tires, maintenance...that's it.
Its the one division of Chrysler that I would trust. ( just bought an '12 Wrangler Unlimited Sahara....my 14th Jeep going all the way back to my '73 CJ5)
I have an 06 3.0 CRD. Had one issue - the electronic turbo wastegate actuator went sour. Cost about £300 to mend. No issue other than that.
Oh, the front parking sensors do play about a little too. There's one on each side, fairly exposed to road dirt and muck, I've replaced 2 of them so far. They're only £20 and you can change them yourself from underneath.
Plenty of power, gives me 22mpg combined (hard) driving, 30mpg if the OH is driving.
Thanks for all the input; bought the 2006 CRD I had looked at for a reasonable price - low milage, good condition, good service history. After a weekend of typical use ( kids to beach, kids to horse, kids to food, you get the picture) through Devon lanes, I think it's a keeper. Good interior space, engine is excellent, handling feels fine (for a huge 4WD), off road systems are easy and effective, sound system pretty good, air conditioning icy cold.
Feels a bit bigger than the Lexus, build quality not as good, and detail design not as good.
Fuel consumption about the same as the Lexus round the lanes ( horrible) and pretty good on the run to work (mix of single track, minor roads, A roads, dual carriageway and town centre); so we'll see how that works out.
And, with a third of the mileage of the Lexus, it feels like all the components are attached to each other, rather than flying in a loose formation...nice.
Nice one. Same as me (black, chrome grill, leather int.)
Happy motoring ;)
Not a fan of the Chrysler Jeep or anything in the Chrysler range, but this would put me off even if I didn't dislike them: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zaYFLb8...%3DzaYFLb8WMGM
I have a Grand with the 4.7 V8 with LOADS of little trick bits, Cool air conversion,Exhaust , Cams, Re map, It will eat just about anything for breakfast and is super reliable,Bit are dirt cheap if you shop about and DONT forget most of the Jeep computers read in US gallons, Mine does 22.6 (english) constantly however driven, My old 4.0 norm cherokee did 20, So big is best LOL. Well worth remembering that us gall used., Also stick to the letter with Jeep recomended engine oil 5/30 fully synth was developed for the V8 and it makes between 8 - 10 mpg diff to other oils.Ask how i know LOL.
Did have a look through this saga, background stories etc ( in short, Swedish magazine gets jeep onto 2 wheels in moose test). Lots of back and forth, but I distilled it down to a heavily loaded vehicle was largely out of control on a heavy swerve. There is some debate over which GVW is correct; jeep says one thing, magazine says another. At the jeep limit, car passed test. The level of body control is more of a worry. Tyres popping off, also a worry. again, GVW made a difference. However, on the other hand, a whole bunch of 4wd pickups have also failed. Also, I don't go fast anyway, and there's no moose where I am. Smaller deer, yes, but no moose, and that's a big difference. Magazine got vast uplift in subscription on the back of the story, lots of lound and shouty on line debate and car's still out there; no recall, so TUV etc not convinced.
Trick is remembering a heavy 4 WD won't handle as well as something smaller and lower. I've got it to drag horse boxes around. Should be fine for that!
Ive looked at a 3.0CRD Grand many times and have been really close to buying on 2 occasions.
the only thing that put me off was the fact it was going to be difficult to maintain outside of the dealer here in NI and the dealer here i would trust as far as i could throw as i've used them with other marques and they have always been crap. My mate has a std Cherokee and loved it, only got rid as he didnt trust the dealer to service it properly (he had bad experiences with drive shaft).
I read many reviews and owners reviews on What Car, the majority of people had a really good word on them. Merc engine / drive train teamed with Jeep Quadra drive.
As a fellow horsebox owner it seemed to be a near perfect fit, good in 4 wheel drive, good towing capacity, not too big. Not a luxo barge 4x4 but better than some of the agricultural 4x4's
Also re mpg dont forget that the reading is shown in US gallons not imperial so looks worse than it is.
Personally i'd also be looking at a Pathfinder or Landcruiser.
Fixed that for you!
Update on the 2006 3.0 Diesel Grand Cherokee after about 2 months and 2000 miles: all good.
Had to fit a towbar and the build is so simple it was a couple of hours work with electrics. It's towed fully laden horse boxes all through the summer, no bother; indeed,it managed to accelerate up Haldon Hill past a horsebox convoy without breaking sweat. It dragged a large caravan across fields, through ridiculously tight manoeuvres on a green lane and into a friends field, 4WD dragging it out with full axle articulation, wet grass and a fully bottomed out caravan. It's done fully loaded festivals, with roof box full to capacity and the interior packed out.
Blew a tyre, cost £120 to change ( 17 inch, not 18 so cheaper). It's doing 28-32 on a run, 22 in the lanes.
Family like it, it's nice to drive, feels like a good one. Happy boy.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
