Narrowed it down!

[93Ranger]

hey everyone! as i have told you before, I am shopping for a new car.

Now, i was considering an Explorer, and i found a 97 XLT with a V8, fully loaded, power everything. i could get it for about 9,990

I was soooo psyched... that is, until, i saw her.

a green 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. 4x4, leather, V8, CD player. 8,800 bucks.

both are fairly low miles. and i have my quam's with both of them.

with the Ex. its accel its not as crisp as the Jeep's, smaller engine, and it doesnt have 4x4Lo.

with the Jeep, its that the leather seats look kinda funny (not like the regular seats, they look really out of place, so maybe, if at all possible i'll swap them with better seats out of an X or another jeep), and the factory foglights are not there, yet the wiring harness and the hole in the bumper are there. the bumper is also slightly faded.

im leaning towards the Jeep, but i need to know if the front and rear have limited slip or not. also, if any of you have looked around, how good are the mod's for the Jeep compared to the Ex? im talking like apperance as well as power.

this puppy will see the off-road, and on road. probabally more on road than off-road.

HELP ME OUT!!!!! (BTW, im almost positive im keeping the Ranger, so i'll still be in the Ford Family)

 

[Joe93]

I would personally go with the Jeep. You already have a solid front axle, more power more mods available for it. There are many lifts out there for the Jeep and they look alot better lifted. I have seen alot of sweet Grand's around here that I would love to have. Anyway choose what you think is better off for you. Keep us posted on which one you choose.

 

[ChuckyD]

I'de go with the EX... I hate the way Jeeps ride!

 

[Hartman]

I'm loyal to Explorers and everything, but lifted Grand Cherokees look sweet. They're better off-road vehicles stock too, or so I've heard. Then again what do I know, I'm not an off-roader

 

[Fusion213]

Go with the Jeep, they look awesome and plus you have a huge engine for such a little vehicle. Is it the 318 or the 360?

 

[MSTNGGUY88]

Are you sure you are not thinking about a dodge? they have 318 and 360 motors. I thought the jeeps had 6's.

 

[Jason_25]

Grand Cherokee Engines:
WJ's- 4.0 I6 and 4.7V8
ZJ's- 4.0I6, 5.2V8, and 5.9V8(only in 98)

 

[MSTNGGUY88]

Thanks for the info man. That is awesome. I bet they pull good. Thanks again.

 

[Jason_25]

Yes all three engines are quite strong. Even the base 4.0 pulls hard and is a great torque engine for offroading. Although the Jeeps I have wheeled with had theirs overheat alot. It also lasts about as long as our 4.0 OHV's. (if you can keep them from leaking oil.) The 5.2L is just plain fast. They will beat a stock 5.0 Explorer no problem. And the 5.9L is ungodly......

 

[asp84]

The last time I was in a Jeep Grand, I noticed the interior was a lot smaller than my Explorer..... Is this just me? or is that a fact? and isnt Jeep Grands these days made by CHRYSLER???? (no comment)

 

[Jason_25]

Oh there's no doubt about it. Jeep interior sucks IMO. Squeaks like crazy.....everything gets loose inside....

 

[93Ranger]

5.9L eh? the Jeep im looking at is a ZJ (i guess? i dont know what the letters mean?) with the 5.2.

i'll keep an eye out for the 5.9L.

yea, the interior is smaller than the X. but thats expected. its shorter height wise than an X, and its shorter than an X Sport.

i wonder if i could get a 5.9L. that would be sooo awesome. but i bet it would be out of my price range.

Chris Chosky (if i spelled that wrong, Sorry Chris) and I were talking about it, and he was sayin that he would have a hard time deciding too.

so, heres what im going to do... test drive them. buy the one i like better.

what do you think?

 

[Jason_25]

Yeah definitely a tough decision. 5.9L '98 Jeeps are way expensive still. Also, the 5.9 was only offered with the limited model in 98, making it even more hard to find. Keep in mind your gas mileage is gonna suck with that engine.

 

[93Ranger]

the test drives will be tomorrow. more than likely i will be getting a Jeep.

i think the 5.2 is good enough for me.

and im gonna get a Gibson Cat Back or a Borla, i havent decided. the gibson makes it really high when you pound on the pedal. but its all V8 under the hood.

Phil

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Oh man, the 5.9L is awesome!!! I had it for a year before it was totaled. Let me tell ya, it's hell a lot quicker than the Explorer V8. And it rides a lot better than my Explorer, IMO. My Explorer is a whole lot rougher than the Grand Cherokee. That's why my dad bought a 2000 Grand Cherokee Limited, but the one we bought was a POS, so we traded it in and got my Explorer.

 

[Dannyboy]

Hands down on the Jeep, you already own a Ranger so mix it up a little bit unless you are a Ford freak. I would love a Grand cherokee for the trails, especially if they come down in price for the older ones. BTW the 5.9 Limiteds are easy to spot by the vents in the hood and a bigass exhaust tip. Those may be overkill.
What I would do with that Grand. First mods would be to swap a disc 8.8 open carrier so you can add a locker later. Ditch the front and rear bumpers and you will increase approach and departure angles enormously. In the mean time there is a 2" spacer lift available that will get you up a little higher. You have a solid axle with coils in all 4 corners, a big engine in a little vehicle, begging for lower gears to become a crawling machine. I highly recommend Terra Flex or Rubicon Express or this one was for sale on a jeep forum for 15 grand.

 

[Hartman]

Nice.

 

[Fusion213]

Well, Jeep/Dodge/Chrysler are all mopar. The 5.2L = 318 and the 5.9L = 360.

That jeep looks great.

 

[diablo5969]

Originally posted by asp84
and isnt Jeep Grands these days made by CHRYSLER????

They've been made by Chrysler for a while. (At least it was in the early 90's when my parents bought their two Jeeps.) The more disturbing part was when Chrysler merged with Daimler. It's hard to picture the fact that the company that started the whole "Jeep 4x4 off roading" thing is owned by the company that started the whole Mercedes "rich luxury" thing.

 

[93Ranger]

well, im sorry to say this fella's, but it looks like i will be getting a Jeep. the Jeep is big enough for me, strong enough, and i like the feel of Jeeps, they handle everything well.

Phil

P.S, i AM keeping the Ranger, gonna turn into a work pig for any little projects we need to do. (There is a SLIGHT chance that we will trade it in and get an S-10 or a GMC Sonoma, but you wont catch me driving that). a buddy of mine has a 1993 ZJ with the 5.2L and its pretty intense. we bomb speed bumps at 55MPh, and its been fine. he has been driving it for about 2 years or so, and the thing has 150,000 miles on it, and it still handles everything.

I didnt get to do the test drive when i wanted to, so im not 100% set on the Jeep, but im definately considering it. the X has a small chance, but hey, if the Atlanta Falcons can get into the superbowl, anything is possible.