This is a surprising find, mainly because it hasn’t sold yet. This 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited is peak ZJ-era, but it’s also incredibly low mileage. The seller reports there’s just over 27,000 original miles, and if you know these trucks, that should translate to many years of dependable use for the next caretaker. The only issue I see is the seller is asking $17,900 here on eBay, and perhaps that’s still a bit too frothy for the current market. At $14,500 or so, you’re talking about a potentially smarter buy than a new SUV stuffed with tech you don’t want or need.
This era of Cherokee represented an ideal middle ground for Chrysler’s bread-and-butter SUV. It was still a truck with real off-road capabilities but you began noticing the emphasis on luxury come wafting into the recipe. While the Grand Wagoneer had introduced the idea of a truck with a luxurious underbelly, the standard Cherokee was typically a fairly basic rig with the exception of its own Limited trim, which was truly limited in additional features. The ZJ Grand Cherokee, however, took some of the best lessons from the Wagoneer and brought them to the mainstream.
Supper leather seats, woodgrain trim, high-end audio options, full power features, seat heaters, and special edition trims like the Orvis edition all signified that the idea of a bare-bones Cherokee was a thing of the past. The seller’s truck presents well inside with the only signs of use coming from the driver’s seat, which likely signifies that the low mileage was racked up by a solitary individual. My favorite feature of these older Grand Cherokees is the traditional instrument cluster with its analog gauges, and plenty of additional gauges for vital info about operating conditions.
The seller reports that despite being a New England truck, it’s quite clean underneath with no obvious rust. The engine is the 5.2L Magnum V8, a legendary engine by many accounts, generating 220 b.h.p. and a healthy 300 lb.-ft. of torque. Despite the low miles, the seller has still performed a variety of recent maintenance tasks, including replacing both front axle shafts and front wheel hubs/bearings, new shocks, new brake pads, rotors, and calipers, transfer case fluid changed, and much more. While the asking price is high, this is about as good as it gets for a 90s SUV you can drive anywhere.
Buddy had one. Dark Green. Jeep capabilities and very comfortable vehicle. Loved it.
Lovely looking Jeep. IMHO, it’s the last of the best looking Jeep Grand Cherokees offered. After this, things went downhill in terms of style. I hope whoever buys this enjoys it and take cares of it.
Yeah, why would you be needing to replace axle shafts, hubs and bearings in a 27k mile vehicle?
Very good question! I have an ’01 Cherokee Sport 2DR with 52K original miles – has been off-road many times and last checked from bumper to bumper at 49K – nothing needed to be replaced — all checked out in very good shape — even the brakes. This Grand Cherokee with half that mileage needing this work raises serious questions.
That does seem a little strange for sure ???
I just don’t know, something smells wrong with this Jeep.No interior pics, the body moldings look to be glued back on or something.We all know about clear coat issues, but this clear coat fade looks odd to Me.The bottom edge of the doors are rusted. I would give a very close inspection, possibly a flood victim?
I have a 1998 Grand Cherokee that I have owned since 1999.It has 485,000 miles on it and still runs and looks great.
Too bad it’s the 318 V8, and not the 4.0 liter 6. Likely the reason nobody wants it.
Gas usage is about to become much more important in the value of all cars. It’s going to go up and stay up for many years to come.
I towed a Siata to the vintage races at the Glen with this same Jeep when it was brand new and a rear wheel bearing cooked on the way home. Not a fan…