As if having just over 47,000 miles wasn’t reason enough to like this 1996 Jeep Cherokee, this one has had only one owner since new. This 4×4 time capsule can be found here on eBay in White Marsh, Maryland. The current bid price of $9,200 is about half of what it would have cost new and it may be hard to find a nicer one for that money.
The color isn’t real eye-catching but the condition sure is. I don’t see a flaw anywhere in or on this Cherokee inside or out. On the Carfax in the seller’s eBay listing, it says “titled or registered for government use” which could explain the low miles? It’s clearly been a Florida vehicle since new and the one-owner was some sort of government agency? A state or federal park maybe? Who knows. It also notes a “body water leak” being checked and that it was sold at auction.
This Jeep appears to be a base model without even a rear wiper, perfect for government use. The Cherokee was available with two doors or four doors, or as carmakers say, three doors or five doors, counting the rear hatch as a door, I guess? That’s just weird, in my opinion, but what do I know. (hey, I heard that)
The seats look a little dirty and in need of maybe some new foam padding, but otherwise, the interior looks as good as the exterior does. This is not a fancy edition Cherokee but in 1996 it was a nice vehicle. Actually, it still is today. As expected, the rear seat looks great as does the rear cargo area. There is no 5-speed manual here, this Jeep has an Aisin Warner three-speed automatic.
The seller has it listed as a V6 but the engine is AMC’s famous 190-hp 4.0L inline-six. There is no word on how it runs or if the AC is still cold or really anything else. Let’s assume that it works as well as it looks. Have any of you owned a Jeep Cherokee?
Scotty:
I had to respond. I had a ’91, bought it new in December of ’90 from Worldwide Motors West, a Jeep-Eagle dealership in Jacksonville, Florida and drove it until September of ’15. I put 325,000 miles on it (4.0-liter, six-cylinder, A/S four-speed automatic, Quadratrac 4X4) and never had a serious problem with it. I sold it in the Autumn of ’16 to a friend of my son who altered it for off-roading. It has to have 375,000 miles on it now and it’s still beating around town. I miss it!
Image attached from January of ’15.
Jim – that’s a beauty! I love hearing stories of multiple hundreds of thousands of miles on vehicles without any major problems. I bet it’s bittersweet to see it modified, but at least it’s still working great.
One of the best engines ever made. Thought you’d like this if you haven’t already read it….
https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/a24671511/jeep-cherokee-vintage-price-for-sale/
Good read. Thanks for posting.
I think it’s quite unusual to see one of these that doesn’t have over 200G’s on it. In Colorado, they were very popular, and still are, although, most by now, are pretty tired. My particular experience with one, wasn’t good, but that wouldn’t deter me. They were the right size, and normally bullet proof. I all but guarantee, if the mileage is accurate, and it looks legit, you won’t find a lower mileage Cherokee.
Howard, I’m hoping that since it was gov’ment-owned, maybe it was maintained properly, too? It sure looks great.
This is a nice Jeep, if not a little spartan. The low miles are maybe all city miles judging by the wear on the drivers seat. I had a 99 Limited with all the toys available at the time. I drove it for ten years and 170k. It never left me stranded and holds the title of “best vehicle I’ve owned” though the Toyota Tundra that replace it is nipping at its heels. In my mind at least, the straight six was running as good as it did when new. I traded it in for a few grand after I let a bunch of little “Jeep things” go. Things like switches and other electrical connections thy shake and rattle apart from the rough ride. Other than that all it ever asked of me was a starter, water pump and thermostat, a few sensors and transfer case bearings. I like to think it’s living out the rest of its life as an off road monster somewhere..
I have owned 2 of these. They drift and need constant adjustments of the steering just to stay on the road.
You will be lucky to get 14 mpg in city driving.
They are only good for one purpose, off road driving.
A full size Suburban is a more practical vehicle and those things are pigs.
Man, I’m sorry you had that kind of luck with yours. Mine (5 of them) was quite different. I never had the issues you’ve had. No muss or fuss with mine. MPGs with mine was pretty consistent. They all averaged about 15-16 in town and never better than 19 on the highway. I still considered that to be liveable though. Mine either stayed stock or at the most I’d do a 2 inch lift and only up the tire size by one size. 235/75 15 or 9.50/15. Very capable vehicles.
@David Ulrey
Your MPG analysis is on point. Over ten year my Cherokee averaged between 15.6-16.1 mpg per the digital overhead readout. I’d reset it for a long interstate trip and get somewhere in the 19’s, but never 20. My V8 Tundra gets the exact same mpg’s. I understand other vehicles can do better, but overall I never felt shortchanged.
love those motors (even if can’t tell the diff: AMC, MoPowr 258/4.1).
I’d agree, tough to use as DD. Don’t forget – what ever classic U get, think abt what it was when new. That’s the best it will get.
Very nice! 1996 I believe was the last year for the original AMC design and interior. For ’97 through the end, Chrysler did a slight rounding of the exterior edges, redesigned the grille, replaced the fiberglass hatch with steel, and completely redesigned the interior.
The Aisin-Warner automatic is 4-speed by the way, not 3. Like the engine, which is based on the old Rambler six, the trans is a very reliable design. (A useless factoid is the early 4.0 blocks had mounting bosses for the AMC Eagle front differential. Apparently some thought was given to making the engine available in Eagles though it never happened.)
I have a ’99 though it is not in as nice condition as this and it has considerably more miles on it. I bought mine several years ago when they could still be found pretty cheap. Values have been going up on them lately, especially for those in original condition rather than festooned with possibly questionable modifications.
Gas mileage as has been mentioned is not the greatest. You’re going to get 14-16 mpg under almost all conditions. It doesn’t improve much if at all on the freeway since these Jeeps have the aerodynamics of a brick. You have to remember though when these were designed in the early 1980s the typical 4WD vehicle was more like a heavy truck and might be hard pressed to even break into double-digit gas mileage.
I have a 96 2 door 4wd 5 speed manual trans that has 3.07 gears and I get 18 mpg general and up to 22 on the road.
My sone has a 98 with the auto trans, 4wd and 3.55 gears I believe.
He gets between 15-18 mpg with not to much city driving
We live in a rural area so we don’t do much city driving
That’s a really nice jeep. Near impossible to find in that condition, especially here in the northeast. I even like that color. I almost owned one about 10 years ago but the deal fell through. I’ve regretted not moving forward on that one.
Well guys and gals I’ve owned 7 of them have one in driveway now for just parts with good everything but frame. I driving number 7 right now it just turned 300 thousand. It was a 1 owner from a friend and it is the 1st 5 speed 4.0 H.O. i had ever seen and I’ve looked at thousand of them I have seen 2 since buying this 1 last year. 1st one was an 86 and the 1 I’m driving and have for parts are 96 models. If u want better gas mileage then k @n air filter some high performance spark plugs wires and dist. No matter what the gear was I’ve always got 20mpg no matter were I drove them unless I was sucking the paint off of some mustang or something if u will spend some cash for extra horse power u can out run a lot of v8 from the same time line. Especially because most of them had gov shutoff at 100mph and the jeeps don’t. My son is driving #5 around I gave it to him 6 years ago it had 270 thousand its over 450 thousand now. His friends call me the jeep whisper and his jeep has had a ruff last 6 years they call it the undead beast. So if i had the cash id buy the white 1 right now. If u think off roading in an automatic is fun find u a 5speed. 4 wheel low in 1st gear and just get out and walk while u steer. I’ll do my best to always have a jeep. U can camp in them or what ever b4 the kids I had 2 one for driving it was a good 98 the thing would fly i won a lot of 100$ bills in it. The other one was a 96 just built for hunting and fishing and going were ever I wanted to go. Only prob u can have that is real bad is oil pump going out on one. There expensive to swap out. As u can tell I love them they were and always will be the 1st SUV that started the SUV craze that we have today the new ones are junk unless u get one of top $ 1s what a shame if they would just bring them back they would seĺl the far out of them.
Nice Jeep,but one downer is Clear Glass all the way around!!. Let’s refer to the power plant as an “ENGINE:” This is what i was told at the Mopar Training Center in Center Line , Mi. A gasoline engine run on gasoline, An Electric Motor runs on Electricity. Also, in manufacturing Engines always came from an “ENGINE PLANT” Hence Mound Road Engine Plant, Trenton Engine Plant Windsor Engine Plant and in the case of the Jeep 4.0 Litre engine it came from the Kenosha Engine Plant.Kenosha, Wi
I had a 92 2dr. 2wd 5spd. 6cyl. that I bought new. Was a fun truck. Pretty fast because it was light. Only had it for 3 years traded it for a Chevy van to haul around grandkids. Only problem I had was clutch slave cyl. leak 70k mi.
This vehicle is The Official State Vehicle of Arizona. Heavily used/bought (when new) for county/state official use in rural areas, and I’m sure other states with long rural dirt roads did the same. White to help fend off summer heat, bought as basic as they come because it’s government being thrifty. You want comfy? Drive your own car!
This is also a vehicle that people either love or love to hate. Loyalists snap them up, turn their noses up at later models, and keep them running for ever–there’s a 4WD manual one down the street from me at 280K miles, supplemented by a ’99 2WD in the garage beside it at 140K, owned by a county worker. He drives whichever he feels like that day to work and back or out for fun off-roading. His family has three others he keeps in good repair for them. But, of course, this guy is changing the oil every 3000 miles even with full synthetic oil.
BTW the auction was ended early because of “an error in the listing”–probably the tranny being 4-speed instead of 3-speed and the engine being listed as a V6 instead of the inline 6.
I actually just bought this one! 😁
No way! Congrats. Please keep us updated.