1996 Jeep Cherokee consumer reviews

I have owned my Jeep GC for over 20 years. It has very little exterior rust, or under the vehicle. The problem I currently have with it is that I hit a city pothole and the front end is having a hard time. I have taken it to four mechanics and they fixed everything but the handeling problem. Nobody can diagnose the problem. Overall I rate this vehicle a ********** (10) star vehicle. It starts in the winter.

I am confident in driving this vehicle anywhere without any problems. It is reliable and will last forever. Great for snowy driving conditions with the four wheel drive. Lots of aftermarket options available for this vehicle.

this car is very strong. 4 Wheel Dr. is awesome. One of the strongest engines jeep has ever made! love it.

Such fun to drive. a little TLC goes a long way and they keep on truckin! There were no blind spots and it was really roomy and comfortable inside. Best design Jeep has had. if you're looking for an older jeep wether for off reading or in town i recommend this one!

The 4.0 straight six can last for a ridiculous amount of time, the Cherokee is a great looking classic American truck. Can go most anywhere off road, and has a huge aftermarket selection of parts.

My first car is a 96 jeep Cherokee Classic that never seems to stop going. This car was given to me through my family. We got this car in around 05 or 06 from Florida , at that point it had about 90k on it. My mom drove it everyday and had very few problems with it other than what was expected. When I got it it had about 270 k and I beat it up driving it showing that it won't stop. I love jeeps I have grown up with them and I will always be a Chrysler man.

The very first car I ever bought is a 1996 Jeep Cherokee with a manual transmission and two wheel drive. This particular jeep didn?t even come with the more popular inline six engine but has the inline four under the hood. To a jeep enthusiast this would be the least sought after Cherokee on the planet but I love it. It is not because this vehicle does anything particular well but it always does everything that I ask of it and it never complains. This vehicle has a soul and loves to be driven. The rumble of the four cylinders as I accelerate and shift gears, the squeaky brakes the masculine look of the square front fascia and rectangular head lights everything about this SUV reeks of an attitude that I think has gone missing from more modern SUV?s. Back when this vehicle was designed car companies did not care about selling to people that wanted a car that could carry children and didn?t want to drive a minivan or a station wagon. They were not advertised to soccer moms and people who have too much money for their own good. They were not built to handle like cars nor would they ever win the plushiest interior. This vehicle was suppose to be able to go wherever you wanted it to go and bring you back time and time again without the driver having to worry about scratching the leather seats or having to repair a headlight that got knocked out. This vehicle was built to be both sporty and have a decent amount of utility without the owner having to worry about thousand dollar repairs. Modern SUV?s I believe are missing this point. Too much effort it put into making them luxury vehicles than handle like cars. As time progresses SUV?s are becoming more and more like regular cars. For example as of recent the Ford Explorer was placed on a car chassis instead of the more durable truck chassis. SUV?s were never supposed to replace sedans or mini vans as the people carriers of today. SUV?s were suppose to be fun go anywhere vehicles that were not too expensive to neither purchase nor maintain. They were supposed to be a way for the wealthier to show off. This is why I believe the Jeep Cherokee is still the best SUV ever built. It epitomizes what SUV?s are suppose to stand for. They were cheap, reliable and could go almost anywhere and unlike say the Jeep Wrangler were just big enough to have a decent amount of interior space to pack camping equipment and a couple buddies for weekend of adventure. Even mine, which is only 2wd and is the least sought after of the breed, is still able to drive though an ice storm without slipping and get me from Oxford Ohio to Cleveland quickly and safely. The owner did not have to worry about how much it would be to fix interior parts or to replace exterior parts such as the lights or the bumper. The Cherokee was built to be rugged and cheap to fix. Even today if you go on say Amazon.com you can find Cherokee parts for bargain prices when compared for parts form more modern SUV?s. Thus I lament the path that automakers have chosen to take the SUV. They have left the path the Cherokee started. True there are still some SUV?s such as the Toyota FJ Cruiser or the Nissan ExTerra that have the ability to go almost anywhere and are still relatively cheap but they are becoming more and more scarce and time progresses. Instead of being fun cheap go anywhere vehicles most are expensive, boring and not much better at driving on the road than a modern front wheel drive sedan. Most importantly of all they have lost their souls. My chunky ancient Cherokee with the rusty floor panels and the squeaky breaks still makes me smile every time I look at it as it has a personality all its own which just beckons me to get behind the wheel. It may not be the most comfortable or the most practical but I still love it for all it stands for, the idea that I can go anywhere and not have to worry about fancy interiors or expensive fixes. I don?t feel any sacrifices that had to be made to make it more practical for larger families. Instead I revel in its simplicity and the fact that it was never meant to be anything more than a Sport Utility Vehicle.

Comfort: Hands-down, the XJ has the most comfortable seats out of any vehicle that I have ever been in (in the front). They are akin to your favorite overstuffed sofa. I have no problems with headroom or legroom, which is saying something since I'm pretty tall. Any roughness in the ride is nicely offset by the seats (and in my case, by running partially aired-down 33s). Performance: The I-6 is simply unstoppable. I have over 150k miles on my XJ and have had no problems with it. The 4x4 capabilities of the stock transfer case are terrific. Running 33s on a locked rear 8.8 axle and locked Dana 30 front, both regeared, with no problems. The XJ is a vehicle that will just keep chugging along. And if something does go wrong (short of the fabled head gasket), Cherokee are the best vehicle to work on. Exterior styling: Love it or hate it, the utilitarian and no-BS design of the XJ is iconic. I happen to adore it, and even find the late-model XJs to be too 'refined,' as it were. The unibody design allows sturdy body panels to be used, while keeping the overall vehicle weight very low. Interior design: Simple, practical, comfortable. Controls and dials are intuitive. I keep the back seats folded, which gives me enough room to carry 3 extra 33s, my toolbox, camping gear, recovery gear, and even my dogs. Value: Unbeatable. While these do not have great gas economy, they will not die on you. There are ample XJs in junkyards and slews of aftermarket parts. Reliability: One of the few vehicles that you can pound the pavement and pound trails repeatedly with no or few problems. A Jeep is the vehicular version of a dog. Hardy, loyal, loving. Just keep a firm hand on it and you will love it and it will love you.

I have owned 4 Jeep Cherokees with 5 speed transmissions and 2 wheel drive. I purposely looked to purchase those vehicles. I have owned many cars and trucks and this is by far the best performing vehicle I have ever owned. I have never put one cent into repairing an engine. They just do not fail unless someone does not put oil in them or lets them overheat. They go and go and get superior gas miledge. I get 30-38 miles per gallon. The overall parts replacement cost compared to the many years you can drive this vehicle is very small compared to an automatic. The hydrallic clutch is so easy that anyone can learn to drive it. Once you drive one of these, you will wonder why you choose an automatic. Superior handling in quick stops, and turns. Also this jeep can go offroad, you dont need four wheel drive at all. I drove my jeeps across the country from new york to los angeles without a hitch. I saw new cars broke down. The jeep with 300k on it just wizzed by. Also the 4.0 engine with a six cylindar drives like a 8. You can haul anything from boxes to a couch. I once put mylarge black leather couch in the back. The seat folds down or you can easily remove it. You can also carry things on the roof with nice luggage rack.

These trucks can be driven with care or complete disregaurd. You can them to the store or to the top of a mountain in any weather. Powerful and quickly can get out of the way of any danger. Decent fuel mileage and confort. Parts are easy to find and dont cost an arm and leg