1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee Review

My poor Jeep

Written by: Great SUV! on 10/23/2009

Vehicle

1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4 Dr Laredo Wagon

Review

Bought my beloved Jeep GC with 107k miles. The good far outweighed the bad. 24+ mpg highway with the inline 6 and auto transmission. Would haul anything I put in it (1200lbs of Pavers) or towed behind it. Water poured in by the passenger A pillar while raining, brake rotors warped easily, power locks worked most of the time. It never left me stranded even though I used the heck out of it with little maintenance. As it was "dying" something would fail ONLY at the end of a long trip **after arrival**. A trans fluid line to the oil cooler blew off at 192k miles and the trans was toast, but it still drove me safely to a parking lot and out of traffic. My poor Jeep was good to me. <snif>

Favorite Features

Very efficient for an SUV, small size compared to huge monsters on the road today. I called it the "mini-me SUV". Could stretch out in the back with the seats down on a long trip and saved hundreds avoiding hotels.

Suggested Improvements

I didn't find any one thing particularly lacking, and I drove it a LOT without babying it and minimal maintenance.

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MY WORKHORSE

Written by: jerrymax on 10/03/2009

Vehicle

1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4 Dr Laredo 4WD Wagon

Review

I bought my Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo from my neighbor in Dec. 2007 and have put 21,000 miles on it. I've taken it to upstate NY 21 times, a 600 mile round trip. Only got stranded once when the water pump seized up on a trip to Pennsylvania. Snapped the serpentine belt. Had to replace H2O pump, belt, tensioner and radiator. Car severely overheated but it did not damage the cast iron engine, an indestructible workhorse of a motor. No other problems. With 158,500 miles it still runs like a freight train. Always starts. I have the Quadra-Trac system, full-time AWD. On a recent road trip at 65 mph without the AC running I averaged 20.3 mpg. I use 89 octane so it runs cleaner. Great old car.

Favorite Features

Classic timeless Jeep look, square and functional. Go-anywhere confidence from the 4-wheel drive capabilities of the vehicle. Handles well in any weather conditions. High vantage point and lots of window exposure for great visibility on the road.

Suggested Improvements

Placement of tire inside the vehicle wasted space but they fixed that long ago. From what I'm hearing the newer Jeep Grand Cherokees don't measure up to the old ones in terms of reliability. Might I suggest they resume production of the old 4.0 litre inline-6 motor that I have in my 1996 model?

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Ya man it's a jeep

Written by: Cale Unruh on 09/02/2009

Vehicle

1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4 Dr Limited 4WD Wagon

Review

This is a very good vehicle. It has lots of power, great for offroading,and it's good for the highway. The person before me didn't take very good care of it but I have put some money into it and now it runs great. I had to replace the transmission, the water pump, and the alignment was a little screwy when I bought. I'm very glad I bought it over a truck I was looking at. I recommend this vehicle to anyone who doesn't care about gas mileage. I get about 16 mpg.

Favorite Features

4x4, heated seats, sunroof, 5.2L V8 engine,

Suggested Improvements

I wouldn't change a thing. This vehicle is perfect the way it is. This jeep is a beast.

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fix the air again and again

Written by: Dave on 07/30/2009

Vehicle

1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4 Dr Laredo 4WD Wagon

Review

Had to repair the air the first year I had it and the 2nd year and the third and 4th year. Warranty ended and I gave up on being cool because repairs only lasted one year. Had to replace water pump, radiater, cat converter and radio around 100,000. But she still looks good.

Favorite Features

classic body style

Suggested Improvements

Air cond that works

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A sad farewell

Written by: Pat on 07/27/2009

Vehicle

1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4 Dr Limited 4WD Wagon

Review

I'm writing as I'm about to take up the Cash for Clunkers option on a new Jeep. I believe that the 96 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited must have been the miraculous model where Jeep did everything right for about an hour, and out came my wonderful old car. I've got 152K on a 12 year old model. Not a speck of rust. Original engine. Everything works (with, of course, some replacement expenses over the years) except the passenger side seat heater gave up the ghost 5 years ago. I've got the straight six, not the V8. It needed a little more room in the back, but I almost can't bear to part with it. They're just giving away too much money right now to say "no". Adios with a tear.

Favorite Features

The leather seats are the most comfortable I've ever been in, in any car, SUV or truck

Suggested Improvements

Get the spare out of the interior in the back section.

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