General information about the model:
Foresters and farmers used to be interested in off-road vehicles, but they were exotic on the roads.
That changed in the early 1990s with the first off-roader boom, from which the Jeep Cherokee XJ benefited.
The American came onto the market in 1984 and then became really popular in Europe.
"In the 1990s, it was the most stolen car in Germany," says Werner Hamann, who specializes in classic jeeps with his workshop in Eching, Upper Bavaria.
The Cherokee XJ had several merits.
With switchable all-wheel drive, the raised station wagon was suitable for off-road use.
Nevertheless, it only weighed 1.6 tons, because instead of the classic heavy ladder frame, the Cherokee stands on a self-supporting body like a normal car. "It's so agile on the road," says expert Hamann.
Assuming the original owner hadn't ordered AMC's base four-cylinder with 105 hp.
With it, the Cherokee XJ cost around 40,000 marks and thus significantly less than a Range Rover, but was then weakly motorized.
The 122 hp of the injection version didn't really make it any better either.
The 2.5-liter diesel only delivered 120 hp, but at least 300 Newton meters of torque.
Basically, there was no way around the four-liter petrol engine: the 180 hp in-line six-cylinder makes the Jeep still suitable for touring cars today, and 180 km/h are possible on the motorway.
With simple cloth seats and crank windows, the economy version of the Jeep Cherokee was sparsely equipped.
The bony manual transmission was fortunately not intended for the European market, here there was always the creamy automatic transmission without extra charge.
The trailer hitch was a popular extra because the Cherokee XJ is a strong draft horse: it can pull 2 to 2.5 tons, the second generation from 1997 even up to 3.25 tons.
The top model was called Limited and offered a "full hut" for around 60,000 marks, including leather seats, air conditioning, electric seats, central locking with remote control and other accessories.
The 1997 facelift included an optical facelift and a redesigned interior.
The drive technology remained the same.
The last Jeep Cherokee XJ rolled off the assembly line in 2001.
Why that one?
Nobody needs off-road vehicles in the city.
Nevertheless, SUVs are more popular today than ever before.
The Jeep Cherokee XJ is their pioneer, above all it rightly bears the name SUV.
Because unlike modern pseudo off-road vehicles, the rustic American is actually still a "sports utility vehicle": It can drive on the road AND off-road, and in fact much more than just driving through a large puddle.
"The Cherokee XJ is an all-rounder," emphasizes enthusiast Werner Hamann.
With the XJ and its self-supporting body, Jeep proved at the time that off-road vehicles without a heavy ladder frame can also be used in forests and meadows.
At the same time, the XJ is good as a chic classic for the family, the interior is large and variable with the folding rear seat.
And it drives wonderfully relaxed.
The four-liter petrol engine is an old-school straight-six.
He sounds nice, is powerful - combined with the four-speed automatic the perfect engine for cruising.
The solid technology without a lot of prone electronic bells and whistles compensates for the rather high fuel consumption of 14 liters and more, the six-cylinder is good for half a million kilometers.
Tip: If you choose a model with a retrofitted gas system (LPG), then the operating costs will drop to around ten euros per 100 kilometers.
Availability:
There are still dozens of copies on the used car exchanges.
Gasoline models predominate.
There are also enough four-liter models, which is why you don't have to do the overwhelmed four-cylinder.
Most diesel Cherokees have not survived to this day.
Spare parts supply:
The parts situation is fine for a classic SUV.
Keeping a Range Rover alive is significantly more expensive.
Common wearing parts are fairly easy to obtain and inexpensive.
You can get body parts such as doors or fenders used, and interior replacements can also be found in classified ads on the Internet.
Spare parts prices (example):
Exhaust from G-Kat with installation: approx. 400 euros
Changing the water pump: approx. 300 euros
Installation of new cooler: approx. 400 euros
Set of new front brakes: approx. 355 euros
Vulnerabilities:
Rust occurs, especially after winter traffic with salted roads. The sills then often rot, and the end tips, trunk floor, the window frame at the front and the rear side windows and the tailgate are also at risk of corrosion. A maintenance backlog is often reflected in worn-out universal joints, and the axles have to be lubricated regularly. The Aisin-Warner automatic transmission is extremely durable as long as the oil is changed every 30,000 miles. "In almost 30 years, I haven't seen a broken automatic transmission on the Cherokee XJ in my workshop," says expert Werner Hamann. If the engine starts to boil during normal operation, the cause could be a loss of cooling water. Behind it are mostly rotting frost bushes, for a replacement the engine has to be removed.Ignition problems are the result of oxidized contacts on the distributor cap. Cherokee XJ from 1991 are diagnosable and can be read out, models from 1995 even have an OBD interface.
Price:
Specimens with "patina" are offered from 3000 euros, which usually means there is a considerable maintenance backlog.
From 5000 euros you can find decent Cherokee XJ with fresh TÜV.
Good Limited models with a six-cylinder can go well over 10,000 euros.
Contact points on the Internet:
www.jeep-club.de
www.jeep-forum.de
