looks, comfort

reliability, DiamlerChrysler sales contract terms, DiamlerChrysler customer support

reliability: drive train problems (they all have them, just look at the reviews). Burned up rear end at 500 miles, another burned up rear end at 3000 miles, drive shaft problems at 3100 miles, fabric seats cause enough static electricity to make a 3/4" spark between my hand and the car body, it happened near the gas cap one time...

DiamlerChrysler sales contract terms: DO NOT SIGN THIS SALES CONTRACT WITHOUT HAVING A CONSUMER LAW ATTORNEY REVIEW IT FOR YOU!!! This is an extremely well crafted agreement whereby you relenquish almost all of your rights to sue DC and agree to instead go to arbitration that they pay for. Care to guess how that works out for you?

DiamlerChrysler customer support: got two words for you - NO HELP. Two reps were nice, but not helpful, the other five were rude, had serious attitude problems and were not helpful.

I recommend DO NOT BUY - great looks and comfort, but its's not reliable and DiamlerChrysler is a horrible company to deal with. THE SALES CONTRACT TAKES AWAY YOUR RIGHT TO SUE if you sign it!!! Customer Support at the corporate and dealer levels are worthless. I'm currently negotiating with them to get my money back. So far, they have offered to take it back and charge me $5000 for the 5000 miles I've put on it. I told them to expect a website full of links that expose the truth about these vehicles along with ads pointing to my site run in the auto section of the top twenty newspapers in the US. If you have to do this in order to extract your money back from them (because you can't simply return the product for a full refund), it says volumes about the company you're dealing with. Sad part is that I'm actually an easy customer who likes the vehicle and understands that warranty issues sometimes exist and have to be worked thru. But I can't handle a company who sells in a deceitful way, refuses to be truthful about problems with their product, and then won't make a reasonable offer to remedy the situation when they get caught.

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89 Cherokee Limited 4x4 - put 200K miles on it, I bought this one thinking it had essentially the same drive train...

4.7L Laredo has excellent power and a very plush ride. The quadradrive is most impressive and the Up Country suspension adds excellent handling to the package.

I previously owned a 1999 JGC and it was problematic but it seems that the 2000's have the bugs worked out of them. I have had no problems whatsover after 5K miles.

I love this vehicle! Ordered it online for 3K under invoice!

Everything, V8 engine, great ergonomics, great looks, great handling

Gas mileage (15 mpg average w/V8) but what do you expect with a 245hp SUV?

First of all, check out my new Jeep in the photo gallery at http://www.carreview.com/gallery/gallery/files/thejeep.asp.

Well, I've known since I bought my previous vehicle, a Mustang GT, that my next one would be an SUV. I am an avid Mountain Biker, Snowboarder and aspiring surfer so it's the only logical choice.

For a long time I had my heart set on the Ford Explorer XLT. Then I went back to the East Coast for Christmas and rode around in my friends Grand Cherokee Laredo and I knew I had to consider it.

I went to the Ford Dealership and test drove the Explorer. I asked the sales woman what she owned and she told me she had a Jeep! Kudos to her for her honesty. When I asked her if she'd buy the Jeep again she said she loved it and that she would. She said the Explorer rides like a pickup truck (rigid) as opposed to the Jeep which rides softer like a car.

Next I went immediately to the Jeep dealership and drove the Jeep. It rode like a dream. Plush interior and amazing ergonomics. I swear they thought of everything and engineered for it. I have been surprised and amazed by the Jeep engineers attention to detail from everything to how the back seats fold down to the placement of the cup holders.

I stepped on the gas and it took off (245 hp)! The V6 is not bad itself but unless you have a long commute and gas mileage is a major concern I'd strongly recommend the V8. It's only $1,000 extra but it makes this SUV feel like a sports car. It's a great feeling to by flying up the hill at Donner Summit (Lake Tahoe) passing all the other vehichles that are struggling for power.

I also compared this with a Toyota 4runner which I never seriously considered. The ride in the Jeep was just plain better plus I have a preference for buying American.

I was sold. I ordered one so I could get it the way I wanted it - V8, sunroof, CD, upgraded stereo and F package with cloth interior. It took four weeks and was painless.

Most of the Jeeps on the lot come with most everything (V8, Sunroof, CD changer, leather) or nothing (V6, cloth, etc.). I'd recommend ordering one if you can wait and you'll save money on the options you don't want.

You should pay three or four hundred dollars over invoice at most. I started with Autobytel which generally starts at 2% over invoice and worked my way down from there.

So far I love everything about this vehicle and hate nothing. I plan to drive this for 20 years.

It would be good for just about anyone. Drive it before you buy any other SUV!

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Test drove 4Runner and Ford Explorer. It's is far superior to either for most people.

I have the V8 with Quadra-drive (mistake)and the power is teriffic. Good handling and more interior room than older models.

Like everyone else, the transmission and transfer case anomolies. However, I found something interesting. I was clanking and jerking from neutral to gears - no more. Checked trans fluid level - THERE WAS AN EXTRA 5 QUARTS INSTALLED BY THE FACTORY!!!!! Had that removed and the whole deal is much better. Still minor shift roughness but overall improvement. Dealer was red-faced because the Jeep was in for trans problems three times previous. Also, only get 16.5 MPG on highway (improved somewhat with extra fluid removed).

I like the vehicle, but definiately a drive train design bomb. Wouldn't recommend to anyone until/unless a fix is found to all the drive train problems. Mileage stinks, and for no worthwile reason. The vehicle is too pricy for the type of continuing problems it has. This is probably my last Jeep!!!!!!!

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96 Jeep, 94 Blazer Loved my 96, that's why I got the 99. Not a bit of problem with it.

engine is fair... thats about it.

Handling is horrible, rocks from side to side. Steering is numb

Have had the Jeep for about 14 mos. and have had nothing but problems!!! The rear has been rebuilt twice, and the handling and ride stink!! It rocks so bad from side to side, I get dizzy driving it!! Have not been happy one day in it!! Absolute piece of junk!! Stay away from this vehicle, even consumer reports rates it poor. Will trade it in as soon as I can afford it!!!

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ford explorer

Excellent 4 wheel drive, when you can get it out of the garage. Rides well.

In 17 months and 32,000 miles, been in shop or waiting for parts in 10 of those months. 42 specific repair problems. Some were fixed (sway bar bushing - after 3 trips; rattling sunroof - couple more service visits there; leaking xfer case - bunch of time tied up in that one; rear end replaced for growl; and don't even drive it through a car wash if you want the cargo area to stay dry). A lot
were not (door warning chimes don't work right and dealer can't tell me how they are supposed to work;
rotors replaced or turned 4 times and I drive in
the country, not town; overhead console temperature
works when it wants to and this is the second one).

Service manager says hatch will continue to leak and the vehicle is just too heavy for the size of the brakes. Zone manager says find a 2000 at the same sticker price and pay 15 cents a mile for use and DC will swap vehicles. Base price on 2000s is $800 more than 1999, so could not buy the same options at the same total vehicle price. And why should I pay for a defective vehicle? I am in arbitration now.

Hard to believe these folks are associated in the same company with Mercedes-Benz. Dealer tells me problems are fixed in 2000s, except for possibly brakes. I'd have to have about a 50 pound bag of salt to believe that, I think.

$27K. If you have a high tolerance for consumer pain, don't mind being annoyed by continuous problems that either can't be fixed or take 2 or more trips to the dealer in hopes of being fixed and your wallet has no sense of value, it's a fine vehicle.

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40 years of driving various Subarus, Explorer, Ford F-150s, military jeeps, GM 4wd. This is at the bottom of the heap in my experience for quality and reliability. Even my mothers 81 Chevy Citation was more reliable.

Great off-the-line acceleration (for an SUV). Excellent power heated seats (gotta love those butt warmers). Quadra Track is a very good 4x4 system. Stock I-G sound system is very good. Brakes are incredibly grippy and powerful for an SUV. Excellent in the snow.

Gas milage! Somewhat sluggish feeling at times, and I hate the recirc ball steering problem that requires steering wheel adjustment every five seconds when you're on the highway.

Mine has a Flame Red Clearcoat exterior and the Black leather interior--Of course, the color's the only thing that matters! :). What can I say? I was sick of Ford products, so I decided to try the Jeep. Bought it off a friend who'd put 18k on it--still looks in near new condition, and better than new that fine spring-like day I waxed and washed it.

I love the sunroof and the dual power heated seats....and sharing my music with the cars around me whether they like it or not :). So far, it's been a great SUV. We've had one snow storm since I bought it and the Jeep preformed flawlessly, launching itself from snow covered intersections in 4-Hi with little to no loss of traction whatsoever.

This is the ultimate 4x4 in the Midsized range. Get one that's in good condition cheap, and you've gotten a great vehicle at a great price.

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-1994 Ford Explorer XLT OHV V6- Weak engine, for the most part. Mediocre seats, bad stereo.
-1998 Explorer SOHC V6 - Better acceleration compared to the other explorer, but still pretty bad compared to the V8 torque. Pretty good, bass rich stock system--Like the CD changer setup. 4x4 system is more expensive to repair when it's electronically controlled. No heated seats!
BTW, Ford uses cheap bolts that basically rust the components together, so when you try to get things repaired, they charge you a hefty fee to remove those fused bolts from the components. I even have friends who've bought new Ford products and completely disassembled them in order to replace ALL of the bolts with ones of a higher quality.

I LOVE the V8! deffinetely a must for a jeep, comforatble seating, deep engine noise...only on V8, hehe. Infinity gold audio system, value, all wheel drive

Rear door lining cant handle the speaker base-would recomend getting an after market door sillant. Gas millage

Had this baby for a few month now, baught it off a retired couple that took good care of it for $12,600. Love the V8-lots of power, handles like a sports car, cant be beat on a weat road..
have not had any problems,...yet
i would recomend a used jeep, they drop their value like crazy. their-fore would not recomend getting a brand new one.

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Isuzu Rodeo-no comparison, Ford explorer-not enough power

We really like the extra room provided by moving the spare tire to the underfloor of the back.

Quality is terrible, noisy, lots of wind buffetting from sunroof and rear windows. Lack of repair parts. Cannot get items fixed correctly. No Support from DaimlerChrysler to our dealer.

$35,000,
No, I would recommend that anyone wanting a new Jeep wait until DaimlerChrysler gets their act together and builds a quality product again.
We have had the vehicle in for service over 30 days during the past year and the original problems remain open.

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1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 5.9, 1998 Jeep Cherokee, 1998 Ford Expedition. All three of these are far superior to the 1999 Jeep GCL we got.

Comfortable leather seats, handling and ride quality, acceleration. Feels SOLID!

Poor workmanship. Interior could be of higher quality for the money.

Paid just $12,950 for it USED off a lot. Resale value really sucks on these suckers, but after car shopping for SUV's the Jeep was clear winner when it comes to Bang for the buck! The V6 feels strong and crisp! There's no need for a V8 unless you plan on towing a large trailer. The ride is smooth and responsive. There's a bit of wind noise, but the engine has a pleasing roar when you floor it!
BUY THIS CAR USED!! Don't pay full price for a new one of these, but they make a great value as a used car. It has 87000 miles on it so far and I havn't noticed any problems yet.

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Toyota 4-Runner, Nissan Pathfinder. For the money, the Jeep is the winner, but for quality it's a loser.