Needed economical 4x4, bought a V8 !
Discussion
With the Wife getting increasingly fed up with her low and long saloon ‘daily’, her brief to me was simple. Find her something smallish, modern, reliable, stylish, and more economical than her current petrol V6, but with a high seating position.
Paying almost zero attention to her instructions, I began my search. Porsche Cayennes were swiftly ruled out due to being too dam ugly. V10 VW Touaregs were too complex and P38 Range Rovers too rusty.
Then I found this.....
A 20 year old, two owner, totally rust free, 85,000 mile, 4.7 V8 WJ Grand Cherokee for the shed-tastic price of just £1500. Even the Road Tax isn’t eye-wateringly expensive at £283 p/a. Just don’t ask me about fuel consumption, ok?
The good points;
It is totally rust free, (with the exception of the underside of the side steps, which I don’t like and can be bolted off anyway).
It drives so smoothly. I’ve driven 3 year old cars with half the mileage that are worse than this. There isn’t any banging, knocking, crashing or thumping from the suspension.
The interior is immaculate and totally original.
Almost all of the electrics work, (although I forgot to check the sunroof).
The exterior paintwork is in very good condition for a 21 year old vehicle. In fact it’s in very good condition for a vehicle half it’s age.
The engine and drivetrain are silky smooth and quiet. The engine pulls well and picks up cleanly.
The brake pipes all look brand new.
The bad points:
The central locking doesn’t work. I think the problem lies with a broken earth wire, a common fault on these.
The central locking actuators are noisy, (another common fault).
The front diff and the transfer box are both leaking. The front differential doesn’t bother me as I suspect it’s the gasket, a job I don’t mind doing. I’m not so sure about the transfer box, so that will take further investigation.
The N/S/R 3/4 panel has been painted, but to a very acceptable standard with only a small and slight hint of orange peel and almost faultless colour match.
The O/S/F door has been off at some point and hasn’t been refitted squarely. The panel gaps between front door and front wing / front door and rear door don’t quite match, but strangely I can’t see any evidence of paint.
It needs four new tyres, (Pirelli Scorpions?). Even thought there’s plenty of tread left in all four tyres, they are old, (mid 2004!), with cracked and perished sidewalls.
The alloys need refurbishing.
The bonnet struts have failed, but I managed to find a set of unused 2nd hand ones on eBay for £8 including postage.
The front shocks look like a failure waiting to happen.
All four springs look every day their 21 years old.
The air-con needs re-gassing.
All parts of the exhaust don’t look like they’ve got many more winters left.
It needs a full service.
So what are my plans?
Well, the main priority for me is to keep this rust free vehicle rust free for many years to come. This will include making sure the drain holes are clear, removing the wheel arch liners and the front & rear subframes, taking the subframes and the chassis rails back to bare metal, Karusting, zinc-rich primer, several coats of Hammerite, before copious amounts of wax oil, including inside any and all cavities.
Fixing the central locking, changing all fluids & filters, the aux drive belt, drive belt tensioner, water pump, coolant flush, brake fluid change, spark plugs, remove and clean the throttle body / inlet, refurbishing the alloys and fitting new tyres, new reg plates, new tailored mats, loadbay liner, full detail and machine polish and changing the original stereo cassette for something more modern.
That may well sound like a long list, but it’s not really, or at least I don’t think it is, and it’s certainly not an expensive job to do myself.
I know it’s just a £1500 snotter, but I’m neither powerfully built or a company director, and frankly, I’m really chuffed to bits and even a bit excited as to how clean and original this Jeep is.
Paying almost zero attention to her instructions, I began my search. Porsche Cayennes were swiftly ruled out due to being too dam ugly. V10 VW Touaregs were too complex and P38 Range Rovers too rusty.
Then I found this.....
A 20 year old, two owner, totally rust free, 85,000 mile, 4.7 V8 WJ Grand Cherokee for the shed-tastic price of just £1500. Even the Road Tax isn’t eye-wateringly expensive at £283 p/a. Just don’t ask me about fuel consumption, ok?
The good points;
It is totally rust free, (with the exception of the underside of the side steps, which I don’t like and can be bolted off anyway).
It drives so smoothly. I’ve driven 3 year old cars with half the mileage that are worse than this. There isn’t any banging, knocking, crashing or thumping from the suspension.
The interior is immaculate and totally original.
Almost all of the electrics work, (although I forgot to check the sunroof).
The exterior paintwork is in very good condition for a 21 year old vehicle. In fact it’s in very good condition for a vehicle half it’s age.
The engine and drivetrain are silky smooth and quiet. The engine pulls well and picks up cleanly.
The brake pipes all look brand new.
The bad points:
The central locking doesn’t work. I think the problem lies with a broken earth wire, a common fault on these.
The central locking actuators are noisy, (another common fault).
The front diff and the transfer box are both leaking. The front differential doesn’t bother me as I suspect it’s the gasket, a job I don’t mind doing. I’m not so sure about the transfer box, so that will take further investigation.
The N/S/R 3/4 panel has been painted, but to a very acceptable standard with only a small and slight hint of orange peel and almost faultless colour match.
The O/S/F door has been off at some point and hasn’t been refitted squarely. The panel gaps between front door and front wing / front door and rear door don’t quite match, but strangely I can’t see any evidence of paint.
It needs four new tyres, (Pirelli Scorpions?). Even thought there’s plenty of tread left in all four tyres, they are old, (mid 2004!), with cracked and perished sidewalls.
The alloys need refurbishing.
The bonnet struts have failed, but I managed to find a set of unused 2nd hand ones on eBay for £8 including postage.
The front shocks look like a failure waiting to happen.
All four springs look every day their 21 years old.
The air-con needs re-gassing.
All parts of the exhaust don’t look like they’ve got many more winters left.
It needs a full service.
So what are my plans?
Well, the main priority for me is to keep this rust free vehicle rust free for many years to come. This will include making sure the drain holes are clear, removing the wheel arch liners and the front & rear subframes, taking the subframes and the chassis rails back to bare metal, Karusting, zinc-rich primer, several coats of Hammerite, before copious amounts of wax oil, including inside any and all cavities.
Fixing the central locking, changing all fluids & filters, the aux drive belt, drive belt tensioner, water pump, coolant flush, brake fluid change, spark plugs, remove and clean the throttle body / inlet, refurbishing the alloys and fitting new tyres, new reg plates, new tailored mats, loadbay liner, full detail and machine polish and changing the original stereo cassette for something more modern.
That may well sound like a long list, but it’s not really, or at least I don’t think it is, and it’s certainly not an expensive job to do myself.
I know it’s just a £1500 snotter, but I’m neither powerfully built or a company director, and frankly, I’m really chuffed to bits and even a bit excited as to how clean and original this Jeep is.
Edited by 105.4 on Wednesday 9th December 17:56
. I like the OP's purchase though, looks smart.Richard-D said:
105.4 said:
mac96 said:
At £1500 it IS an economical 4X4. What's not to like? Great choice.
I suspect she might have meant “economical” as in fuel economical. Her current steed drinks £90 of unleaded in 300 miles. This might be closer to half of that 
I meant £90 of unleaded to a range of 150 miles.
Great group on Facebook for these. Mine was a 2000 4L bought in 2010 for £2300 off of Ebay, kept it for 6 years. An appetite for rear axle oil seals, callipers & radiators but otherwise it was great. Despite a hardlife not a spot of rust although a few have had read sills start to go. Lovely to drive. If it is a Limited it should have CD & Radio cassette.
Make sure you use the correct oils, transfer boxes & PAS gets very grumpy if you don't. Do a fluid & filter change on the transmission as well. The diffs need regular oil changes (should be LSD on a V8). Mine was serviced twice a year & was pretty reliable.
I know a good Jeep tech in Kent if you get stuck!
Make sure you use the correct oils, transfer boxes & PAS gets very grumpy if you don't. Do a fluid & filter change on the transmission as well. The diffs need regular oil changes (should be LSD on a V8). Mine was serviced twice a year & was pretty reliable.
I know a good Jeep tech in Kent if you get stuck!
My brother bought one as a hack for the weekends. His daily is a Merc C350e through work. He takes the Jeep in most days! He loves the charm and the comfort. As a caveat his daily miles are 22. The Merc saved him a fortune in BIK which easily pays for the 13mpg he gets out of the Jeep plus some and some more!
His is a metallic burgundy with fabulous leather and screens in the back. IIRC he paid 2.5k about a year ago with 60k on the clock.
His is a metallic burgundy with fabulous leather and screens in the back. IIRC he paid 2.5k about a year ago with 60k on the clock.
"Smallish"
Compared to the Death Star it is I suppose.
I do quite like that.
I expect fuel economy will be heinous, but then it cost £1500, you will get someone telling you their Golf Diesel lease car does 48, but then you aren't paying £300 plus a month to have it before it turns a wheel in the first place.
Compared to the Death Star it is I suppose.
I do quite like that.
I expect fuel economy will be heinous, but then it cost £1500, you will get someone telling you their Golf Diesel lease car does 48, but then you aren't paying £300 plus a month to have it before it turns a wheel in the first place.
tr7v8 said:
Great group on Facebook for these. Mine was a 2000 4L bought in 2010 for £2300 off of Ebay, kept it for 6 years. An appetite for rear axle oil seals, callipers & radiators but otherwise it was great. Despite a hardlife not a spot of rust although a few have had read sills start to go. Lovely to drive. If it is a Limited it should have CD & Radio cassette.
Make sure you use the correct oils, transfer boxes & PAS gets very grumpy if you don't. Do a fluid & filter change on the transmission as well. The diffs need regular oil changes (should be LSD on a V8). Mine was serviced twice a year & was pretty reliable.
I know a good Jeep tech in Kent if you get stuck!
Thanks for the heads-up about using genuine lubricants. And yes, after fixing the central locking, I’ll be carrying out a full service, fluids & filters first.Make sure you use the correct oils, transfer boxes & PAS gets very grumpy if you don't. Do a fluid & filter change on the transmission as well. The diffs need regular oil changes (should be LSD on a V8). Mine was serviced twice a year & was pretty reliable.
I know a good Jeep tech in Kent if you get stuck!
Owned a 3.1TD one of these from a specialist years ago- broke down 3 times in 6 months (gearbox solenoid, power steering, coolant hose). Glad to get shot of it!
It was a nice thing when it worked but didn’t like going above 70 at all but I lost faith in it and sold it.
I hope the petrol versions were better - I think the 3.1TD was a crap lump supplied by the Italians so a 4.7 yank V8 should be better...
It was a nice thing when it worked but didn’t like going above 70 at all but I lost faith in it and sold it.
I hope the petrol versions were better - I think the 3.1TD was a crap lump supplied by the Italians so a 4.7 yank V8 should be better...
I have fitted a new pair of Cooper Discoverer tires to the front of our TD-4 Discovery. Very £ reasonably priced and we are very impressed with them in both the dry and heavy rain / standing water.
Will be fitting a pair of rears soon.
I think your Jeep will be on 15s ? So not sure if the Coopers are available in your size.
Will be fitting a pair of rears soon.
I think your Jeep will be on 15s ? So not sure if the Coopers are available in your size.
neutral 3 said:
I have fitted a new pair of Cooper Discoverer tires to the front of our TD-4 Discovery. Very £ reasonably priced and we are very impressed with them in both the dry and heavy rain / standing water.
Will be fitting a pair of rears soon.
I think your Jeep will be on 15s ? So not sure if the Coopers are available in your size.
Thanks for that. I’ve almost always had Pirelli Scorpions on this kinda size vehicle, but will look into the Coopers.Will be fitting a pair of rears soon.
I think your Jeep will be on 15s ? So not sure if the Coopers are available in your size.
As for the wheel size, I think they’re 17’s? A quick look at the correct size Pirelli’s on Black Circles came back at £540 for four.
I had a 4.7v8 WJ from 38kmiles through to 110kmiles and then lost it (divorce). A great car apart from the fuel consumption! but also cheap to run as bought cheap and then made £3k from it on an insurance buy back and repair after it was written off. I liked it and liked the build quality and simple engineering.
They tend not to rust imho and the engine is unstoppable - you can pedal them quite quickly at the expense of the brakes that do tend to fade.
Mine had an appetite for O2 sensors, a few door locks, a rad, rear half shaft oil seals and that was about it tbh. Oh and the wiring in the drivers door loom....
They tend not to rust imho and the engine is unstoppable - you can pedal them quite quickly at the expense of the brakes that do tend to fade.
Mine had an appetite for O2 sensors, a few door locks, a rad, rear half shaft oil seals and that was about it tbh. Oh and the wiring in the drivers door loom....
105.4 said:
With the Wife getting increasingly fed up with her low and long saloon ‘daily’, her brief to me was simple. Find her something smallish, modern, reliable, stylish, and more economical than her current petrol V6, but with a high seating position.
Then I found this.....
A 20 year old, two owner, totally rust free, 85,000 mile, 4.7 V8 WJ Grand Cherokee for the shed-tastic price of just £1500. Even the Road Tax isn’t eye-wateringly expensive at £283 p/a. Just don’t ask me about fuel consumption, ok?
I like the cut of your jib Then I found this.....
A 20 year old, two owner, totally rust free, 85,000 mile, 4.7 V8 WJ Grand Cherokee for the shed-tastic price of just £1500. Even the Road Tax isn’t eye-wateringly expensive at £283 p/a. Just don’t ask me about fuel consumption, ok?
105.4 said:
Thanks for that. I’ve almost always had Pirelli Scorpions on this kinda size vehicle, but will look into the Coopers.
As for the wheel size, I think they’re 17’s? A quick look at the correct size Pirelli’s on Black Circles came back at £540 for four.
I put mine on General AT2 which had just come out, They were fantastic & not too noisy. They lasted 60K & 5 years & were at around 5-6 mm when I sold it, they are 10mm new. As for the wheel size, I think they’re 17’s? A quick look at the correct size Pirelli’s on Black Circles came back at £540 for four.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff