Winter’s coming. I know, it’s only mid-August and it’s probably as hot and humid as it gets for most of the country, but seeing the photos of this 1977 Jeep Cherokee that were obviously taken in the snowy winter makes me sad that I haven’t moved to a warmer part of the country where there isn’t snow on the ground five or six months out of every year. This Cherokee, however, does not make me sad, it looks like a really nice example and it’s listed on eBay in Johnstown, Pennsylvania with a buy it now price of $10,600 or you can make an offer.
This looks like a fantastic example of Jeep’s Cherokee series, which in 1977 introduced a four-door Cherokee to the lineup. According to legend, the term Sport Utility Vehicle was first seen in a brochure for the recently-reintroduced Jeep Cherokee which marked its comeback after the two-door Wagoneer, on which it was based, took a five-year hiatus. The seller has included many great photos including several underside photos and for the most part it looks solid.
I don’t really see a flaw in this Cherokee, at least a marked flaw that would make me cringe and wonder about its condition. The seller says that it has 74,529 miles on it which is about a year and a half of driving for me and this thing is 41 years old! That’s only 1,818 miles a year on average, no wonder it looks so nice. It’s being offered by a dealership as you probably guessed from its location around other vehicles. It’s the dealership owner’s personal Jeep and they say that it’s a “a paint job away from being a high dollar jeep”. Talk about being a perfectionist, I don’t see a flaw in this choice Cherokee.
The interior appears to be even more impressive. How those seats stayed that white over the decades in a 4-wheel drive vehicle is crazy. The seats, both front and back, look like new. The cavernous rear cargo area looks nice, too. Everything reportedly works perfectly: “gauges work perfectly. I have gone through the Vintage Jeep mechanically. Fresh PA State Inspection, emission, oil, fuel tank, new brakes and rotors, newer tires, etc. … It runs and drives great. It is rock solid underneath.”
Ahhh.. the famous 258 cubic-inch inline-six which had 110 hp and it runs and drives great according to the owner. This looks like a nice example for the price. Hagerty is at $7,000 for a #3 good condition Cherokee and $11,600 for a #2 excellent example. This one has to be somewhere in-between those two numbers? Any thoughts on this Cherokee?
AAHHHH, ( arms flailing in the air, screaming into the night), it’s my Jeep Cherokee The one I always complain about. What a great site, you get to relive auto memories, good and,,not so good. 1st, let me be clear, I like all Jeeps, had several and I know these are great trucks. My particular experience with these was pretty shabby. Started out ok, had a so-so heater, but lots of room, went through the snow great( although that switch in the glovebox for the Quadratrac, didn’t seem to do anything). The list of bad things that happened was lengthy, gauges quit, wiper motor, heater motor, drivers door window disappeared into the door, seat adjustment broke, rear electric window quit halfway down,( this one appears to be the crank model) got absolutely dismal mileage, even with the 6, to name a few and the last nail in the coffin was the rear leaf spring mount broke, sending the spring through the floor( not really the Jeeps fault, it rusted terribly). Oh, one more thing, don’t try and put lockout hubs on the front( to try and improve fuel economy),, then it wouldn’t move,,,,you know what? I hated this truck!
My experience with a 2014 Wrangler Unlimited tells me if nothing else, Jeep quality hasn’t changed much.
To be fair, this truck obviously didn’t get subjected to the tortures of my ex-wife, or the salt bath. This sat in a garage somewhere, where as I used mine. Big difference. While my personal experience wasn’t good, I wouldn’t write them all off as being bad. This really is an outstanding example here.
Howard, You described my 97 not so grand Cherokee very accurately. What a POS! Bought it off my old man in 2002 for $6500, no handouts in our family. At the time it seemed like a good idea to join the SUV crowd.
I had one of these as well.. total nightmare the entire time I owned it.
Beautiful Classic Jeep! I am based in Beirut Lebanon. I recently bought 2 vehicles from this seller Jim Babish a 79 Chevy Blazer & 81 AMC Concord DL coupe both very original low mile examples !
You don’t want to see my Blazer Max. You’ll want it too!!!
Fuel economy? We don’t need no stinking fuel economy….
I respect the seller for posting the pictures and identifying the problem areas… it’s definitely been repainted and needs to be in the $7000 range in my opinion.. neat looking old Jeep for sure with a nice interior.
Based on the $32,000 plus asking price for his CJ8 and $37,000 International Scout II, I’d be surprised if there isn’t something ugly lurking under the paint.
Steve R
Looks great up top, but it’s in snow country, PA, and no pics of the underside, hmmmm.
I always get a kick out of seeing the instruments plucked straight of an AMC Hornet that are found in these.
Hi, AMC guy – there are 19 underside photos in the eBay listing.
As being a native of Johnstown and living 5 minutes from this dealer, I can say that this guy is an expert on his old jeeps. He made most of his money from an old stash of Grand Wagoneers.
Paint fade says it’s original
Narrow track Cherk…check. Bullet proof 4.2l 6…check. Hand crank back window…check. This is a beautiful truck that’s going to get 50% more mpg’s than the 360…calm down, that just means you’ll get 15mpg instead of 10.
Love it. If the underside looks anything like the top side it’s worth the money.
That Max guy lives in same country as that guy Alan lives in and has same cars purchased over the years. Very weird.
I like it
I have always had 4WD SUV or Pickup for hunting and fishing as well as something sexy, fast and sporty. I needed something I could put the dogs in that wouldn’t get mess it up. Back in the 60’s and 70’s there weren’t a lot of options especially if you wanted something that resembled what we now call an SUV. Consequentially, the Wagoneer was my choice, because I could drive it in town with the kids and it looked like a big station wagon or I could drive it in the woods to go hunting or on the sandy beach to go fly fishing for Stripers in the surf. Sure, they had some quality problems and getting in and out of the car to set the manual locking Warn Hubs for highway or off-road was not as convenient as pushing a button or shifting to low range, but all I have is great memories of them taking me to some place beautiful where all the bad memories of the war would leave my head for a while.
Mr. Willy, while my appreciation for Jeep products is pretty low, my absolute RESPECT for ALL who SACRIFICE and SERVE for OUR FREEDOM is never ending!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! I genuinely pray that your “memories of the war” do NOT dominate your Life to the point of being unhealthy!!!!!!!!!!!
This Jeep is a beaut’! I really was unaware that their deficiencies go that far back?! Sad! A vehicle with such potential, that has gone from bad to WORSE…………..Fiat/Jeep. Finally two equals in the same bed!!!! (and the bed probably collapses) And YES, I have owned Jeep products before!
I don’t think U lock the hubs on this 1. Isn’t it just the 1 speed 4WD?
It’s on or it’s off? No transfer case shifter (my early bronk D20 has 5 positions).
These early jeeps (1st attempts @ on rd or suv) had no probs w/4WD or diffs. Everything else tho as Howard sez…
thanks for your service
The guy obviously used it for personal transportation to and from the office!
Lovely looking car. I’ve always loved the Jeep Cherokee and Wagoneer of this generation. I hope whoever bought it loves it, loves owning it, and takes cares of it.