Jeep’s marketing department went all out when it named this color “Black”, compared to the flowery, fancy names for its other colors: Desert Sand Pearl Coat, Flame Red, Forest Green Pearl Coat, Deep Amethyst Pearl Coat, and you get the idea. Even “white” was named “Stone White”, so why did the color Black get gypped on a fancy name? This 1999 Jeep Cherokee SE is posted here on craigslist in Littleton, Colorado, and the seller is asking $10,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Tony P. for the tip!
I was reading a 1984 Motor Trend the other day (I know, get a life, SG) and saw an article about how the color red was the most popular for 1984 vehicles sold in the U.S. That was surprising given the lack of vehicle colors today; they’re generally tones now: black, white, silver, and gray. Sometimes you’ll see navy blue or a dark red, but that’s about it for the most part. Enough about vehicle colors.
The seller bought this Cherokee in San Diego and says it was an estate vehicle owned by an older woman who passed away. They drove it home to Colorado, and it worked like a gem, not to mention getting 20 mpg on that trip. Here’s what the rear cargo area looks like, by the way. The headliner is new, and the seller even included a photo of that – nice work. The only thing we don’t see is the underside, but they say it’s a rust-free California vehicle, and it looks great in the photos.
The XJ Cherokee was made from 1983 through 2001 under various corporate ownership, starting with AMC, then Chrysler, and finally, DaimlerChrysler. The interior looks as close to new as I can imagine any Jeep Cherokee looking. The Gilmore Cloth seats in “Agate” (even the upholstery gets a fancy name) appear perfect, both front and rear. Even though this was from San Diego, I don’t see any cracks or sun damage. A good, home detailing job would have done wonders for the presentation, though.
Speaking of detailing, the engine bay would look great with even a half-hour of cleaning and could make for higher offers on that $10,500 asking price. This is AMC’s 4.0-liter OHV V6 inline-six with 190 horsepower and 225 lb-ft of torque when new. It’s sent through the transfer case and a four-speed automatic to all four wheels when needed. They say it’s in excellent running condition and the gas gauge wasn’t working when they bought it (a scary drive home, I bet!), so they dropped the gas tank and added a new sending unit and fuel pump, and it’s also had a cooling system flush. This looks like a gem of a Cherokee to me. How much would you pay for this rust-free 4×4?
Love the greenhouse effect on XJ’s, and the bulletproof 4.0 makes it near perfect.
These punched well above their weight with the release of the 4.0 six. The 4dr pushed others to follow helping to define the market segment. This looks to be clean and solid. The fuel gage was an issue back in ’98 leaving drivers stranded while reading quarter tank.
I know about that problem when working on Jeeps back then and I still work at a Jeep dealership now. There was if I recall right a tech sevice bulletin or a recall to replace the fuel level sender.
Mileage?
Picture shows 116k.
Inline Scotty inline..
The 0334 head can be a issue, with the looks of that coolant can’t may be..
I didn’t see the mileage anywhere & it looks like it’s in pretty good cond but not worth $10500!
JP, if you click on the craigslist links in the first paragraph, either of them, it shows 116,300 miles listed.
I have a 1999 Cherokee but it’s not in anywhere near this nice condition. Paid $2000 for it in 2015 with some rust, a drooping headliner, minor driver’s seat tears, and much higher mileage – but it runs great and has needed little other than normal maintenance in the 10 years I’ve had it.
This one has the basic “idiot light” instrument cluster. Mine did too, but I dropped in a used full-gauge cluster. It does just drop in – no changes at all needed but the mileage is stored in the instrument cluster. I also upgraded the rear brakes to discs, which is a fairly straightforward conversion using parts from a Jeep Liberty or mid-1990s Grand Cherokee.
Price seems way out there but these have become more collectible in recent years and nice ones seem to go for $$$$$.
Great SUVs 👍
Six three and it’s still too cramped? May I suggest a 70 Cadillac convertible. I drove an ex postal one of these, ran great and was fun to drive. Those engines are easy to work on and they should get another 100k out of it
That’s what I’m wondering, J. I’m 6′-5″ tall and fit in almost every vehicle this side of a Subaru 360. I have a hard time believing that someone shorter than me doesn’t comfortably fit in this Jeep.
Height can be different for all of us. I’m also 6’5″ but have a 33 inseam giving me a rather long torso. When these got airbags in ’94 it changed the seat mounts to tracks rather than the pedestal. That made the seat set higher and flatter so that the driver would slide forward into the airbag in a crash instead of under the bag, called submarining. The old seat was infinitely more adjustable and comfortable but not compatible with the new crash standard.
That’s a great point, Nelson; I didn’t think of that. I’m 2/3 legs, 1/3 torso, so just the opposite. Maybe that’s why I can’t get my legs under the steering wheel of a Subaru 360, but some other folks my height can drive them.
“This is AMC’s 4.0-liter OHV V6” ??
didn’t know AMC made a V6. 4.0…
Good catch, Robert, thanks for spotting that typo.
Love my 99′ 5spd Sport. Back when you had great visibility and didn’t need any cameras.
Love my 92. 260k and third fuel pump which I didn’t have to drop the tank for. Btw, it’ll get 22 mpg on the highway with a tailwind and aiming downhill. : )
I was first to catch the V6 thing and I posted about a 0334 head could be on this XJ ,my stuff gone????
Your post was pending moderation but it’s live now.
I bought 2 of these, both 4 doors. These were my daughter’s first cars. One was a 1995 and the other was a 2000. The only problem we had with them was on the 95 the bolts on the passenger side motor mount broke and the a/c compressor went out.
The 2000 would not start in the cold unless you hit the gas tank with a rubber mallet. All in all these were great vehicles. It helped that I worked at a Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep , Ram dealership and I had a mechanic that I bought donuts for him and he was our main Jeep guy so once a month he would give them a once over inspection.
We sold the 2000 outright with over 200 thousand miles on it, sold for $5600.00
We sold the 1995 to a used car lot that advertised the bought cars. The ‘95 had almost 200 thousand miles on it, we got $5200.00 for it.
“Jeep’s marketing department went all out when it named this color “Black” – best line of the day.