I still stand amazed sometimes by how often consumers will pony up some extra cash to buy a special edition vehicle. To some extent, as the new car and truck market has become a fairly unpredictable space with skyrocketing prices and interest rates, the frequency of special editions has decreased; you don’t see nearly as many vehicles offered with a decal kit and a few non-standard features for a 5 percent bump on the bottom line. That’s why this Olympic Edition 1988 Jeep Cherokee here on eBay – complete with its Olympic decals on the fenders – is a reminder of what used to be fairly standard practice in the new car industry.
At the end of the day, this is just a standard XJ Cherokee with a few extra features thrown in. And when you say “features” with a vehicle like this, remember that the dealers weren’t giving anything significant away. I couldn’t find a detailed list of Olympic Edition features, but I imagine things like the “optional” rear wiper (missing from this example) and the stripe kit constitute the bulk of what was included. The seller’s truck is more commendable for its clean, rust-free condition versus its Olympic Edition credentials, but a Jeep enthusiast is likely to be appreciative of the gold rings on the fenders.
The interior is in really nice shape, better than I expected considering it’s just a driver on the outside. The deep blue upholstery is everywhere, with blue cloth covering the front and rear seats and corresponding blue door panels and a matching steering wheel. Mileage is a hair under 150,000 miles, which makes the interior condition all the more impressive. Again, I’ll come back to the fact that the Olympic Edition isn’t as much of a selling point as the clean, overall condition for a truck that was clearly someone’s daily driver for many years. The only major “ding” inside the truck is the missing headliner.
At the end of the day, these Cherokees never received a special VIN number or other designation to help identify them as an Olympic Edition if the original decals go missing. The good news is the XJ-chassis trucks have so many other redeeming qualities that the Olympic badges are simply an added bonus. From the reliability of the 4.0L I6 powertrain to the impressive 4WD capabilities, the Cherokee should prove a reliable daily driver classic, or a good beach / trail rig for short money. Bidding is sitting at just over $3,000 with no reserve, and the truck is located in Farmingdale, New Jersey.
Those Olympic decals are so worn out, they detract rather than add to the appeal.
Finding a Cherokee from this generation thats clean with no rust is getting harder and harder to find. I always thought these were great, the fuel injected 4.0 pulled really well whether it was hooked up to an automatic or the very rare 5 speed ( Id love one of them) This sure looks clean in the pictures. Hope it goes to a good home and personally Id keep it stock like this.
The special edition vehicles are not always extra cost. Sometimes they are just a way to increase traffic into the dealership. My Mother purchased a 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera with the Olympic package. Same price as all of the other similarly optioned models on the lot.
Great looking XJ Cherokee. It’s nice to see a survivor that’s not molested with a lift kit. A special edition was a way of having something different without paying a lot for the privilege. People bought these and Spirit cars in the seventies as a show of support as well as a way to stand out. Keep in mind that there were twice as many colors back then. Sure was cheaper than buying the premium trim level.
I had a ‘88. Black. Not Olympic.
I loved it. The most comfortable non-electric drivers seat ever ( one good thing on their Renault partnership, maybe only good. lol).
I’m 6’5” and the way the seat would swivel back was great.
Nice driving rig. Wish I had kept it
It was! Being 6’5″ myself I found the leg/thigh support to be excellent. The pedestal mount afforded rear passengers added foot room as well. The design was cancelled with the introduction of driver air bags. The seat cushion had to be flat so that occupants slide straight forward in a frontal collision rather than up and under the bag.
I also had a 1988 that I drove for 250k miles before selling it. The clear coat was toasted and the headliner was giving up but everything still worked fine. It was the most useful vehicle I have owned, could haul anything I needed hauled and could fit 5 adults. As long as you understood that it had a higher center of gravity than a regular car you were in no danger of rolling it. The 4.0L motor and Aisin-Warner automatic were bullet proof.
I wonder if all the brew-ha-ha about the Cherokee name has lost its fizz. I see a 2025 Grand Cherokee still retains the name, for a paltry $61,621. The “injuns” were sure upset about that for a spell. I can hear it now, “dude( dad) better give the tribal members all new Jeeps, like they did in 1974”. It was considered an honor then, and I feel still is. They don’t see it that way.
Never cared for this particular model. Brother had one, certainly were/are popular, many out here with 2nd or 3rd motors, well over 300K. I had one for a very brief time, Looking to replace the tired Blazer S10, I figured what could be wrong with these? Found one, nice shape, wouldn’t go in a straight line, I was assured the alignment was right on, priced right, on the way home, the motor blew, we were lucky to get it back to the dealer. Got our money back and went with a full size Bronco, but that soured me on these.
The Olympic version doesn’t matter. The value is in being a clean XJ. Market is hot and anything under $5k is a deal. Find a 4.0 5 speed 4×4 in this condition expect to pay $10k or more.
Absolutely fantastic vehicles. Even my 2 door 2.8 pos chevy V6 1985 XJwith a weak 5 speed was a fantastic car.
Anyone has a clean one with a shifter, or a CJ, and wants to trade for a great 57k original 69 Cutlass in the NE let me know.
I was sorry to let it go but I was accumulating too many vehicles and running out of room.
The rims are from a 1993-1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee.