Great off road and in the snow. Tight turning radius. I6 engine has ample power. Good looks.

The ample power takes alot of gas
back seat cramped (the dogs don't seem to mind though)
noisey on the highway

I purchased the '98 cherokee classic about one year old for about 17000 which seems like a fair deal. (has automatic, cruise, electric windows etc.) Overall a great vehicle especially if you use it as an SUV. (i.e. have a need for getting up to powder days and/or off road) (If you won't use an suv as an suv buy a car!) We have taken many long trips in it as well (already has 70K miles on it) and have found it to be comfortable enough. At 5'9" the driver's seat fits me just fine.

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first SUV

Nice looks, fun to drive, peppy, great finish on interior, inexpensive

Bad handling: my Cherokee had the UpCountry suspension. It had a aggravating shimmy when first accelerating from a stop. Three dealers looked at it, Don Jacobs said it was normal (in fairness, I drove about 10 Cherokees, five had the problem, five didn't). I went all the way through Chrysler Arbitration, but got no help. So frustrating I sold the car with 2400 mi on it, taking about a $2000 loss.

Road and wind noise: the boxy line that look so sweet lead to lots of vind and road noise. I found I had to really crank the radio to get past the noise. Adding a CD player is hard, since Jeep uses an odd sized radio frame, which really limits your choices.

Interior is really small for an SUV.

Owning this Jeep was the worst ownership experience I have had. Because of shimmy on acceleration, I went through hell with a very unhelpful dealer (Don Jacobs in Waukesha, WI), Chrysler Arbitration, and got only frustrated. Though three dealers tried multiple times, no one could fix the problem. The Cherokee is an old design -- timeless looks maybe, but way behind current designs. Because of my experience, I may never own another Jeep -- there are simply too many good alternatives out there.

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Ford Explorer (4 years, 40K miles). For me, a much better version of the SUV. Not as quick, but a whole lot more liveable over the long haul.

Looks, Tons of Torque and ample horsepower, great HVAC system, built like a tank, versatility, 4.0L I-6, love that engine!!!

unusual driver seat postitioning, seat needs to be able to lower just a bit for us tall folk

This is my first SUV. I have driven all of the above listed SUV's and the only one which comes close in a comparison is the JGC. I had a friend who had the 4Runner and it was always in the shop. It was underpowered and every time he took it off road something fell off, talk about fit and finish. I am leasing my Cherokee and will either buy my lease out or purchase a new one when the time comes. I only have the 2DR 2WD model but that has not really limited me off road except for rock climbing and deep mud. I can go places with my 2WD that alot of other 4x4's cannot get to. I also am very heavy footed and found the Cherokee to be very stable and surefooted even above 85 mph. The only problem I have ever had is the actuator on the drivers window failed and I had to have it replaced (under warranty). Other than that not a problem. Yes, I would reccomend this car to anyone.

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93&96 JGC, 2000 Tahoe, 1992 4Runner
The Cherokee beats out all of the above in price and reliability in my humble opinion

It loves to pull smaller fords out of the mud. I have not had the chance to try an F150. It's bigger than a S10 Blazer. Power wise; I am all over F150 and Chevy's with the few modification I have added. (header,K&N filter,got rid of the fan clutch and put in another electric.) Easy to work on. Awesome in the mud/on the beach. I have it sitting on 32X11.50 mud terrains with 6 inches of lift. I love it and so does the women.

rough ride, The electric seats suck I changed them to manual, A little tight, I'm 6'5" though. Liked to run hot, 210-220 before I switched fans. Hud Bearings are $160.00 ea. Ouch! They are uni-body.

You can get a Cherokee in excellent shape for a decent price. You are able to find a lot of extra accesories to load up your cherokee. Put a roof cage up top and its great for hunting, camping, annoying in-laws or friends. I love my cherokee! As soon has I get out of college I'm going to find a cheep, cheep cherokee and really see what I can do to one. I,m thinking of putting a 360 magnum engine, 10 inches of lift and 35" tires. Big boys have big toys.

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Im a Mechanic at a Chrysler dealership so I get to drive anything from Rams, Durangos which are nice but over priced) to intrepds and other makes and models.

Reliable, dependable, good in snow, good visibility.

Outside noises. From day one there has been a wind whistle coming from the driver door. The rear wiper motor is starting to wear out. A little bouncy on rough roads.

This is a company provided vehicle so we are leasing. I chose the Cherokee to stay within a lease budget of under 300/mo. for 3yr and 15,000 miles per year. The vehicle has been very dependable. The only problem I had was with a water leak. I have talked to other Jeep owners and am surprised I didn't see this problem mentioned in many of the other reviews. There was a leak up front that allowed water to seep in and I was actually growing mold in the vehicle. It smelled like a musty basement. The dealership had it for over 2 weeks. They fixed the leak and then had to kill the mold and then get the odor out. Other than that isolated problem the vehicle has never let me down. I would recommend this vehicle for sales professionals who need a dependable work vehicle for calling on accounts. Plenty of room in the back for your golf clubs, room to take clients to lunch, and good when the weather turns bad.

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Nissan Pathfinder (more solid)

I6 engine is great, classic body styling, great interior, beautiful color (Sienna), fully loaded, the Limited comes with SelecTrac full-time 4WD, not just part-time.

I can't get the driver's seat adjusted to fit my body. Something feels awkard no matter what I try. It just might be me! I also wish the rear window opened without having to open the whole back door.

I paid 23,000 for it with my trade. The dealer made us such a great deal we couldn't say no. I knew I wanted a Cherokee when I drove a friend's and fell in love with it. I would recommend a Cherokee to anybody that is looking for a classic, hard working SUV that is really affordable (you can get one of these for just a little more than those really small value-price SUV's). These are more like trucks, and handle like trucks. So if you want an SUV that rides really smooth and handles like a car, try a Grand Cherokee (if you can afford it), Explorer, or such. If you want one of these -- hurry -- they are changing the body styling with the 2002 models.

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Drove a Ford Explorer. I like the Cherokee better because it seems more like a truck and real SUV...less like an overgrown station wagon. Have driven Ford F150 4x4 and several other Ford trucks.

Take off power, mudding power, easy to spin around in loose gravel!

Hmmm..4wd gear shifter sometimes rubs my leg (I'm 6'3"). And I have manual windows, so the handle rubs my left knee, but maybe it's because I'm tall! Also, sometimes it's hard to shift into 4wd, but not a major issue, probably some WD40 and knock off the encrusted mud will most likely fix that.

I recommend this vehicle, It rides rough when the going is rough, I really like it and am hard pressed to find something negative to say about it. For what I paid for it,$4500 I feel that I got an awesome deal. It had 80000 miles on it, but everything seemed fine.

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1977 Scout II. My Scout will probably always be my favorite vehicle because I practically built it myself, while the Cherokee came "ready to run"

4.0 is a great engine. No one mentions how accessable everything under the hood is. Do it yourself repairs are the easiest I've ever experienced. The power of this engine is satisfying. Turning radius is wonderful.

Rear seat too cramped but you should figure that out before you buy it. It is an suv. Pretty rough. Wouldn't want to take it on long road trips.

As a rural mail carrier I put 96 miles a day six days a week on my Jeeps. About 75 of those miles are gravel roads. I have 322,000 miles on my 88 and still use it as my primary delivery vehicle. Sure it has lots of rattles. No engine problems at all!!! I religiously change oil every 3000 miles. I have replaced the radiator, alternator, u-joints and front wheel bearings, fuel pump and pinion but everything else was what I consider routine. My 96 had a strange mystery. I kept getting repair codes that said various sensors were bad. Replaced all of them I think. Turned out to be the wiring harness cover near the firewall had simply rubbed the insulation off several of the sensor wires thus giving the mixed signals. I had an in-line fuse blow ( my fault I think...I was trying to do some wiring changes under the dash) for the transmission. It was one of the few times it had to go to the shop to find the fix. (Dealers are no real help...avoid them..they usually know less than the corner mechanic)
This is a great vehicle. Don't buy it if you want luxury or interior room. Don't buy it for heavy-duty towing...however I haul a 12' flatbed with mine loaded with firewood. The weight of the vehicle is too light for heavy towing. I concur with the safety comments. Rolled it on its side once and no real damage...dented door, not even a broken mirror.By the way..any vehicle would have rolled in this particular situation. Go buy one. Only have 120k on the 96 so I figure I have at least 200k more before I will need another.

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My Jeep is the best vehicle I have owned. The reliablity has bee outstanding. Engine is very strong-- great proformance

I have had very little go wrong. I did need a rear differential to be replaced, but this was a tire problem (wrong sizes on each side)

I Factory ordered my Jeep, and that it how I would purchase them in the future (you get what you want). I have over 130,000 miles on ours, we travel, two a trailer and haul with it. I would (and will) get a new one if this one ever wears out. Gas mileage is fair 16-18 in town and up to 24 on the open road. I have pretty much every option you could get and I have the 'select trak' 4 X 4 option (the only way to go) I wish that I gotten power seats (for long trips)
NEVER been stuck in anything, even 24" deep snow, and I often pull lesser cars out of the sand/snow.
I paid about 27,000 new and I intended to get at least 10 yrs out of the Jeep, thats only 2700 a yr for the pleasure of owning AND driving this vehicle.

A great purchase!!

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Blazer, earlier Cherokee and Toyota

Nothing

Integrity
Power (lack thereof)
Handling
Noise/lack of insulation
Inefficient heating/cooling
Service
Anything & everything else

I paid $9000 for my 1994 Jeep Cherokee. Part of the reason this car sucks is b/c: (1) the dealer is horrible - they are lying & cheating bas..rds, (2) a Jeep should never be sold with a 4-cylinder engine.

The day I bought my Jeep from MORGAN MOTORS in DURHAM, NC there was a rattling. They assured me that they had done their 25 blablabla 5-star check-up & everything was great. Well, to make a long story short, I was sold a used 1994 Jeep in 1998 with a bum catalytic converter, a front windshield leak (which would explain why the Jeep was sold to me without floor mats - b/c they the moisture would have been more visible due to MOLD), a broken driver seat, a piss-poor engine (it can't tow my bicycle), and other less "conspicuous" problems. Within a year of owning my Jeep (with a full 4yr/48,000 warranty I might add) I spent $1500 fixing problems that should have been noticed at the 50,000 5-star BS checkup (i.e. when it was sold to me). Since then I have spent another $600 on crap. I have also tried fixing the windshield professionally, but water seems to keep coming in from different direction. MORGAN MOTORS claimed that they fixed the "conspicuous" problems (after I threatened suing), but needless to say they didn't fix anything. Everything was still in piss poor shape & I paid the bill for it. IN addition, I think that there is a water leak coming in from the ceiling.

I don't mind that my Jeep has problems. That I can deal with. It's that is has had continuous problems....little (and big) annoying problems that never seem to go away, no matter how much cash at throw at them. In addition, the car was not meant for the snow, water, etc. nor was it meant to tow anything, nor was it meant to drive over 60mph - unless you are willing to wear earplugs or invest in an expensive stereo system (as I did).

The car also gets about 20 miles per gallons!!! It's even worse in the city. And that's with a 4-cylinder engine. Talk about poor quality.

I would definately NOT recommend this car to anyone UNLESS you know the car has been well taken care of etc.. I would not buy one new either b/c you have no idea what "factory" problems might arise. As others have mentioned, having a warranty doesn't mean "hassle free" or "cost free."

Best of luck.

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