1997 Jeep Cherokee Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Aside from the sentimental value attached to this Jeep (it was inherited from a dear friend), this Jeep has always been trustworthy and useful. No major engine problems, no surprises with the regular maintenance, and frequent usefulness all make this a great vehicle. It's the kind of vehicle that inspires ideas to go off road and take it out to actually use.May 14, 2014

even though this old jeep only gets 15 mph in the city it will go when nothing else will it drives great and runs good for 200+ miles. 4 wheel drive is easy to operate and I feel comfortable when the wife and kids need to go in bad weather.the truck accelerates well and drives quite well. I bought this old jeep wrecked last summer for 500 dollars and spent about that much more to fix her up and after this winter have decided it was money well spent .its a keeper!Jan 13, 2014

Best vehicle I've owned yet. It could go almost anywhere. I never did manage to get it stuck. Throw on some mud terrain tires and these things are awesome in the snow. The manual 6cyl is very quick. They are very roomy inside and the rear seat folds down for more room. Only problem I had was that the spare was inside the vehicle and was a donut. I ended up taking it out all together for more room.Dec 13, 2011

I mean seriously? Review an SUV Icon? Why? It's exactly what you'd expect. it's a truck, you can beat the crap out of it, it doesn't break, and if it does, it's cheap as hell to fix! This is my 2nd, and I'll always have one around, even if it's not my main car. It's roomy, hauls all my gear, is relatively comfortable, and is a monster off-road, even in stock form. If you've never driven one, you should, and you can pick them up cheap nowadays.Apr 02, 2010

Accelerates well off the line but likes to drink gas over 70mph. Off road performance is marginal. Wasn't meant to be lifted more than 2 - 3 inches so my 6 inch special means I needed to install a slip yolk eliminator and stronger drive shafts. The cost of ownership for me has been different from what one might expect. In the past 18 months I've rebuilt the engine with all new bearings, oil pump, pistons, crank, cam. I opened up the head and increased the volume at the top of the cylinder to reduce compression to a tame number, the combination of the .030 bore and high flowing heads caused a little pinging on 89/93 RM/2 The fuel supplier for my Mazda offered me 101TEL fuel but only by the 55 gallon drum which is pretty much useless for a daily driver. The 33" BFG RAT tires are a great set of wheels for this rig, but be warned the wider your wheels the heavier you want to be to handle well on the snow / Ice. My axle swap to a Ford 9" rear and a DANA 44 Front was pretty easy and well worth it. Installing an Atlas Transfer case came after I blew up my 2nd NP231. This is going to be a vehicle that I keep throughout my entire life, most likely my children will enjoy riding in it. There's absolutely ZERO rust on it, trust me, I've looked. Chrysler (or someone) did an amazing job at undercoating this XJ. In some places it seems about 1/4 inch thick. The break master cylinder seemed strong and large enough for running the brake systems for the 79' Broncos break system, but after needing a quick stop and not receiving what I wanted I decided a Wilwood conversion was in the cards. I must say, amazing products and great company to deal with. So far I've invested around 3,400 in materials and machine shop labor. I don't factor in my labor, but I'd say around 400 hours. The Chrysler paint is strong, but not strong enough for a regular off road rig. Go for something rock solid that sets up quick. I've messed around with PPG and Kustomz, have yet to find the strongest stuff out there. Some people rhino line their bodies... I think it's tacky. Next up... ENGINE SWAP. Thinkin LS... wait for it... wait for it The supercharged 6.2L LSA. Oct 15, 2009

Really Can Not Even Express My Love For Jeeps and Off Roading. I've had a few Wranglers, A Grand Cherokee and a Cherokee, but this one.. my toy.. is Definitely my Favorite. Had to get the 5spd, I-6. It has a 3" Susp Lift wth 31" Mickey Thompson MTZ's. Motor is strong, it runs incredible on and off road. I can't believe the Liberty replaced it, and now they don't even offer this great old I-6 AMC motor anymore :(Aug 26, 2008

We bought this used from a relative who was the original owner. It started out fine and then, problems, problems. I started to hear from other people that they had the same kind of problems. The car would lose power but still be on. Numerous rounds in the shop and then we talked with someone who had had the same problem and we got it fixed. Now we are having problems with it losing power and completely turning off, while driving.Sep 21, 2007