The seller says that this 1976 Jeep Cherokee is original, at least on the exterior – the front seats have been reupholstered. I don’t know if I have seen a black Cherokee or Wagoneer before. This one is listed on eBay with bids of just over $5,000 but the reserve isn’t met. It’s located in gorgeous Vancouver, Washington.
Yeah, a black Cherokee, I love it. I’m a huge fan of vehicles in actual colors, but there’s something cool about black on this one. Especially with the nice white stripes – which supposedly are also original – and the white top and wheels.
In looking at the photos it looked like this vehicle had been repainted and I thought, oh boy, it’s full of bondo and fresh paint. Not so according to the seller, it’s still “wearing original black paint with white roof paint and white tape stripes.” They go on to say that there are no “major rust issues, original paint so nothing hidden. A couple of minor front floor board repairs, but that’s it… solid rockers, outer body, roof, etc. Very solid in my opinion. Some dings and dents as you can see.”
The “front seats just reupholstered to match the pattern of the factory rear seat, new rear side panels, new rubber floor mats. Rear window, tailgate, doors, side windows all work properly.” And, this Cherokee has a 4-speed manual transmission, nice. The dash top looks like it’ll need work. With the base engine I don’t know if this one will be restored, but who knows.
Here is that base engine, AMC’s 258 cubic-inch inline-six which would have had 110 hp. That’s not a lot of power for a 4,500-pound vehicle with 4WD, but it starts “easily, runs well, reliable. Power steering, manual brakes, four-wheel drive operates as it should.” Hagerty lists a #3 good value of $7,300 for a 1976 Cherokee with a 258 six-cylinder. I’m obviously no expert (if you don’t count Andy Griffith and Brady Bunch trivia), but I wouldn’t guess that this Cherokee is in #3 good condition with the amount of rust repairs needed underneath and other bodywork. Who knows, it isn’t there yet and maybe that’s the seller’s reserve. How much would you say this one is worth in today’s market?
Nice Cherokee (are we allowed to call it that?)
Maybe nice black suv 😜
For now. Did you know the PC crowd is demanding that the Canadian Football League Edmonton Eskimos change their name?
“AMC brave, honourable Indigenous person” didn’t have the same ring to it, so they just went with Cherokee…
Nice native?
Nothing wrong w a 258…
Not a bit. My family has a ‘78 Concord with a 258 hour speed that Mom bought new, and it still runs pretty well for having no major engine work done. I think it had some gasket work done, but block, pistons, etc are what came out of Oshkosh.
Those aren’t the factory seats. They’re a good choice, but nothing from Toledo at that time came with seats with headrests or a recline mechanism.
Good looking Cherokee! I’d drive this everyday. I owned a ’77, with the 304. I think they have an acceptable ride, so this would be a nice grocery getter, or Home Depot hauler.
There was no 304 engine option for these fullsize Jeeps, only the 360 cid motor.
Or the 401 which was dropped by the 77 model year I believe.
Well said, nice ride , great grocery getter, home depot hauler, price is right, bottom line, nice car, nice ride
I rate this as an awesome buy being that it is in original condition. For some the inline-6 is a plus because it is accompanied by a 4-speed manual which is a rare combination. At 4000 lbs it also probably has adequate acceleration due to its low peak rpm torque rating and rides great due to a body on frame build construction. It’s 4th gear acts as an overdrive providing it with decent 15 to 20 highway mpg. Thanks for sharing this potential buy.
Having driven a ‘78 Concord with a 258 four speed as recently as last summer, I will say acceleration is just decent in a vehicle that’s probably 800 lbs lighter than a 4wd Cherokee. I love the car, but it will never win a drag race.
The engine compartment looks as though it has over 100k. I would think if the body and paint was oeiginal that anythink under cover, as the interior and engine compartment should look as pristine as the paint. Maybe $2500??, maybe.
These have drastically risen in value recently. I haven’t seen a decent driver, even with issues (which these all have, lol) under $5k in a long while.
I’ll leave my personal opinions out of this, great trucks, mine, not so much, however, this seems to be an oddly equipped Cherokee. Almost never saw a 4 speed, and this does not appear to have the Quadra-trac, which 99% of them had. I’ve never seen a Cherokee with a transfer case shift and lockouts on front guarantee it doesn’t have it ( It won’t move, trust me) I thought Quadra-trac was standard. Anybody? 258, one of the best motors made. Such serious rusters, like mine, very hard to find like this today, except from the south or west.
The Quadra-Trac AWD option was only offered with the TH400 automatic. If you had the base 3 spd manual or optional 4spd, it came with a Dana 20 part time transfercase. I have seen and owned many stick shift FSJ’s, but they don’t seem to pop up as often as the automatics. Someone has put “rear” hubcaps on the front wheels, thus covering the lock out hubs. These are great vehicles, but i agree they are very prone to rusting badly. I have never seen a straight black one that wasn’t a Super Chief series of these btw. Seats are not correct as someone else pointed out and I bet a dealer or previous owner added those stripes.
77 with 258, base 3 spd and Dana 20 transfercase. 76k original mile and still earning its keep.
My boss bought a new ’74 Wagoneer 360/AT & it was a nice truck for Missoula, MT!
In 1976 you could buy 3 models of Cherokee’s: A base Cherokee base model with mono-paint, dog dish hub caps and no stripes, or a Cherokee S with mags, stripes, 2-tone paint, upgrade interior ,roof rack, and S badge on the side,…or the mack daddy the Cherokee Chief with mags, Navajo stripes, rack, Navajo interior, Chief decals, 2-tone paint, and some other stuff. This looks like a base model repainted, wrong stripes, wagoneer hub caps, and re-done interior. Still a decent Jeep but not original as claimed.
I have one that was factory dark blue, 258, one of the best cars i ever owned. Got great fuel economy also….
Looks like a 64 Plymouth under the cover in the first picture.
Sweet ride. Second to Scouts in my opinion. I don’t recall ever seeing those stripes as original equipment.
When I get one, I’d love to get a four speed stick rather than an automatic. I wouldn’t shy away from a six cylinder in either the jeep or the Scout.
I’ve seen an orange (maybe faded red) Cherokee with the same white top and stripes.
At this price, seems to be a good deal, given that the price of these and their Wagoneer counterparts have really risen. The front seats aren’t original, but the seller doesn’t claim them to be. I’d be nervous of where it’s coming from, given the proximity to the ocean and all the rain they get there. Would definitely want it inspected first. Makes me miss my 78 Wagoneer I had in the early 90’s. Loved that truck!
Are you guys saying the 4 speed is rare or a stick shift is rare in these?
Based on what I have seen and owned, more buyers seemed to opt for the optional automatic during this time frame, so finding a manual shift model is seemingly less common. Also, it would stand to reason that those who opted for the no frills stick shift in these vehicles used them for work purposes, and they were used, abused, worn out and rusted/rotted away faster than those used for regular driving and recreation. I have seen more 3spd manuals behind the 258’s overall, with a few 4spds mixed in. Seems like most of the v8’s with a stick I’ve come across had the optional 4 spd’s.
Had a 77 4dr that i dated my wife in 23 years ago. It was also the hauler of our band gear 26 years ago, and still going! You can guess how I met my wife. Lucky this one is on the Left Coast!
I paid $7,200 for mine new in ’76 and had the Chief Package. I also had the 360 with 4 speed manual, NP205 manual Transfer case and I installed Warn Locking hubs. So yes, they had lockout hubs and manual transfer cases in the 76’s. The automatics came with the quadra trac. The only thing I didn’t like was the universal joint which was not universal. It was a bell and roller arrangement and expensive to replace. Replaced it once under warranty and the next one was on me. This would be the major reason for not purchasing the Black One above. Mine had lots of power and I got 16-17 mpg highway running the AC. Not shabby for a work horse.
Sounds like a cool ride. Wish I could have gotten a new one! One thing though, Jeep never offered the np205 in their line up as far as I know, and nor have I seen it listed in any of the factory manuals or parts books. It was all Dana/Spicer model 20 part time cases behind the manual transmissions until the early 80’s when they started using the NP 228 and 229 cases behind their transmissions. The 20 is an iron cased gear driven box, just like the 205, and looks similar, but smaller. Jeep used the “texas” pattern transmission to t-case adapters on all their manual transmissions, where the np205 uses a round pattern.
Thanks for the correctness. I know NPs were around in the 70’s I just got it confused with the Jeep. It was a manual transfer case none the less. I prefer things simple and I ordered it the way I wanted it through Hinkle Jeeps in Pickens, SC. He was the #1 Jeep dealer of all times. He had a great business plan and pasted the savings on to his customers. I sure wish there was someone like him around doing the kind of business he did in the day.
This is my 79 Blazer!
Never seen a black Cherokee of this vintage either (or even a black Wagoneer for that matter), and something about the body being black with a white roof the way it is makes it look lke a Gladiator with a canopy on it, at first glance to me anyway. Think I’d repaint the roof black and have the car all black, would look way better IMO, be easy enough to go back to white if you changed your mind later and wanted it original
It’s essentially a wagon version of the J-series (Gladiator name was dropped in 1971), so obviously it would look like a truck with a capper on it.
I had two of these Cherokees , both had 360 and Quadra Trac automatic transmission , replaced timing chains on both around 80k other wise bullet proof , This was during the time I was the guy who drove the snowplow , never late and always got thru , miss them .
One of my four FSJs had the 258 straight 6. Even with an automatic behind it, it wasn’t bad. Kind of a slug but liveable. With a stick shift it should be decent provided it has the right gearing in the diffs. As a former painter (and some body work but only light) I say yes there is always the chance that underneath shiny paint can be a ‘bondo buggy’ but living in the Southwest I can also attest to the fact that some paints right from the factory were prone to fading and peeling. Not even being parked in a garage or carport at night will necessarily keep the paint demons at bay.
One of my four FSJs had the 258 straight 6. Even with an automatic behind it, it wasn’t bad. Kind of a slug but liveable. With a stick shift it should be decent provided it has the right gearing in the diffs. As a former painter (and some body work but only light) I say yes there is always the chance that underneath shiny paint can be a ‘bondo buggy’ but living in the Southwest I can also attest to the fact that some paints right from the factory were prone to fading and peeling. Not even being parked in a garage or carport at night will necessarily keep the paint demons at bay. Take a magnet or similar thing with you to check for depth. There are times a light skin of Bondo is needed and if prepped and done correctly it’s no problem.