99 4Runner versus the Jeep Cherokee (99 - 04)

[Cox]

What are anyone's thoughts on the 4Runner versus the Grand Jeep Cherokee. I am currently looking at a 99 4Runner SR5 and an 01 Grand Cherokee V8. I travel a lot on the highway with my job and will be doing a little off road as well. I want the best vehicle for my $ and one that will last a while and be able to handle the miles I'm gonna put on it.

Thanks

 

[JohnsD90]

What are anyone's thoughts on the 4Runner versus the Grand Jeep Cherokee. I am currently looking at a 99 4Runner SR5 and an 01 Grand Cherokee V8. I travel a lot on the highway with my job and will be doing a little off road as well. I want the best vehicle for my $ and one that will last a while and be able to handle the miles I'm gonna put on it.

Thanks

From a reliabilty and on road standpoint the 4runner wins by a mile. Offroad i hear they are fairly similar.

 

[Dous]

Well the Grand's are a nightmare. Lots of head-gasket issues, but instead of dealing with just one head-gasket you have two! Also the transmissions are junk, and they are uni-body. Get a 4runner.

 

[98_4runnerSR5]

2nd what others say. I love the looks of Grand Cherokee's and would love to drive one if they were reliable. 3 friends had them all 01's and this is the run down of each of them:
-2 of them had their ac units go out which cost a fortune to replace
-all 3 of them had to replace transmission: 1 @ 90,000 the other @ 110,000ish and the other not sure
-1 heated seats quick working after 100,000 and were rarely used
-Rear windows had major issues with going up and down
-4wd also had major clunking issues is 2 of them

enough said... the list goes on and on with them after 90,000 miles. 4-runners on the other hand- last forever. Check the boards- half the guys have over 200,000 on them. mine's @ 160,000 no major problems yet!

 

[durrell]

I had a 99 Grand Cherokee for about 5 months in 2005, and the following went wrong:

-It would cut off when shifting into reverse randomly
-Air conditioner stopped working, never could diagnose it
-Brake calipers nearly caught on fire after a very brief trip off-road
-Transfer case sounded like it was falling apart when shifting into 4LO

However: the creature comforts that actually did function were awesome and the power was amazing. Once 4LO was engaged, it felt like you could hook up to anything and pull it anywhere.

My dad has owned a Jeep Grand Cherokee and the front end literally almost vibrated itself to pieces. My in-laws just bought an 02 Grand Cherokee and they're already having electrical issues. Family friends have two Grand Cherokees: a 99 and a 98, and the 98 cuts off at stoplights while the 99 has random electrical issues. Another one of my good friends has a 98 Cherokee and has already replaced a radiator, various coolant lines, and currently has several electrical issues.

Keep in mine: all of the above mentioned Jeeps have 30-60k less miles than my 4Runner WHEN I BOUGHT IT. So even with the rough suspension, it was miles and miles above the Jeeps.

I can say definitively that if you even have a hint of desire to buy a 4Runner, do it. The Jeeps are cheap and feature-packed, which makes them seem to be a good deal, but while we are replacing suspension bushings and finding proper tire balance shops, Jeep owners are replacing transmissions, rear ends, and fixing countless electrical issues.

Chrysler is so full of fail, it's ridiculous.

 

[fenrisx]

Mines @ ~196k, and nothing major here. Fan clutch went bad, a/f sensor, and rear 02 sensor. Cheap do-it-yourself fixes.

 

[iraqsux]

i would go with the 4runner over a grand cherokee any day... now a regular cherokee, its a different story. i would get a late model cherokee limited in a heart beat over my 4runner. the cherokees have the same trans as the 4runner and the 4 liter 6 cylinder is bulletproof and they are super easy to find parts for

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I've owned (or immediate family members have) numerous examples of both vehicles.

The last Cherokee in our family was my sons 1999 Cherokee Sport.

The good - the 4.0 litre Chrysler motor is bulletproof and is a very good motor. I owned an HO version of it way back in 1993 new and it is a powerhouse for it's size. (Sorry, I know you are asking about the V-8 but thought I'd throw this out there FWIW).

The bad - There are things on Jeeps like the power window infrastructure that are a joke. The V-8 Cherokee sucks gas like there is no tomorrow. The quality control IMO is poor.

But when people ask me about vehicles, I always tell them to look at the resale value. There is a reason why vehicles hold or lose their value.

Here are the retail values from KBB for base 2002 units. There is a reason why both vehicles cost the same within a ballpark when new yet one is worth almost $4K more than the other today:

2002 Toyota 4Runner SR5 $11,915
2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Sport $8,200

Quality. You get what you pay for. Toyota is hard to beat and the Jeep is not even in the same ball game.

 

[Jamacee]

x7 on what everyone else has said.

Couple weeks ago I delivered a friends 2004 jeep grand cherokee 3.5hrs. to N.C. only to drop it off and purchase my 99 4runner near by and drive it back. Hands down I liked the ride of the 4runner way better. The jeep was nice at 1st with its fancy nick knacks but a couple hrs in the seat and what I thought were cushy seats became really uncomfortable.

Another buddy of mine is a DIE HARD jeep guy. He is a Army ranger stationed up in Alaska. He always had Cherokees. He finally got a real cherry 85 1st gen 4runner. He actually really loved it as a DD and it sat on 31's. One day he was going through a intersection and a guy slammed into him while attempting to evade the police in a high speed pursuit. The cops said the 'bad guy' was travelling at 50mph when he got t-boned. My friend rolled 1 and a half times through the intersection.

He later said to me "Honestly Jason I think I would be dead if I was in one of my Cherokees. The guy slammed into my frame on the yota which absorbed the impact a tipped me over."

After that story I knew I loved the Yotas.

 

[farmerjon]

x7 on what everyone else has said.

Couple weeks ago I delivered a friends 2004 jeep grand cherokee 3.5hrs. to N.C. only to drop it off and purchase my 99 4runner near by and drive it back. Hands down I liked the ride of the 4runner way better. The jeep was nice at 1st with its fancy nick knacks but a couple hrs in the seat and what I thought were cushy seats became really uncomfortable.

Another buddy of mine is a DIE HARD jeep guy. He is a Army ranger stationed up in Alaska. He always had Cherokees. He finally got a real cherry 85 1st gen 4runner. He actually really loved it as a DD and it sat on 31's. One day he was going through a intersection and a guy slammed into him while attempting to evade the police in a high speed pursuit. The cops said the 'bad guy' was travelling at 50mph when he got t-boned. My friend rolled 1 and a half times through the intersection.

He later said to me "Honestly Jason I think I would be dead if I was in one of my Cherokees. The guy slammed into my frame on the yota which absorbed the impact a tipped me over."

After that story I knew I loved the Yotas.

Incredible.

 

[Drcoffee]

I've never driven a Jeep Grand but what helped me decide were all the reports of T4R over 300,000. More to the point, when I looked at autotrader.com I had a hard time finding a T4R but there were hundreds of Jeeps for sale. I was actually looking at the cherokee not the Grand but all I found were Grands for sale. The regular Cherokee were all rusted out and in bad repair with as little as 120,000 miles. There was no comparison in my mind. The Toyota was what I was going to get.

 

[Baja Runner]

Completely biased crowd here, but for good reason.

I'd personally never buy a Cherokee for their reliability issues. However I do like that they have solid axles and a V8. Not to mention they are 1/4 the price of a 4Runner...But we all know you get what you pay for!

 

[JayRolla]

The older jeeps where a little better. My family has had a 92 grand Cherokee in the family a long time. 298000 miles original motor and trans. Burns 2 quarts a month and lost 1st gear. But still moving.

 

[offthebeatenpath]

The older jeeps where a little better. My family has had a 92 grand Cherokee in the family a long time. 298000 miles original motor and trans. Burns 2 quarts a month and lost 1st gear. But still moving.

X2-
That 4.0 inline 6 is a time tested motor, though now it's a bit antiquated and underpowered. Good torque though. The V8 and full coil suspension was always intriguing, but when I finally got rid of my 98 Cherokee, I bought a Tacoma. I got $3k for a rig with 180k and thousands poured into upkeep, not upgrades. It was like having a car payment that meant you HAD to work on your truck.

 

[J-money$$$]

if you like the idea of a v8 in a unibody then go for the cherokee. Honestly they are okay vehicles, but unless they are super cheap i dont see them being worth it

 

[kegelinanger]

Ex 2001 Grand owner here, bought in 2003 with 30k dealer serviced miles on it. I am meticulous when it comes to servicing my autos, but by 110k I had replaced the water pump twice, fan clutch, all 4 window regulators AT LEAST ONCE (yes, replacements were new), PS pump, head gasket, and the final straw was the tranny. Even though I had spent more on repairs than what I got when I sold it, I loved that thing. Put it in 4LO and go...

That being said, I would never go back to a Jeep as a DD after owning a 4R. The bottom line is the build quality. And as far as off road capability, my e-locked 4R has walked me through everything my Grand ever did.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

Rear passengers will appreciate the actual useable legroom in the 4Runner vs the Cherokees. Reliability is the major plus with the Toyota.

 

[khann]

I used to have 99 GC (WJ) in europe version (3.1 l Diesel QT 4x4) - never had more sh...er car. It had 100k miles and I need to repir engine seriously. windows - not working, problems with transmission, electric failures (seat heating etc) Car was for all his life in same dealer serviced and still problems. After one by another brakdowns I sold this s*t and begin happy life with 3y. older (96r) T4R version. Comparison chart (0 to 5) - Comfort of driving (GC-2 T4-5), Relibility (GC-0, T4-5), Economy (GC-3, T4-3)

V8 is far better in Jeep but GC for me is lost - I can think about GC as quite niece SUV for city and very light outdoor nothing more. Whilst with Toy You can do what ever You'll dream of. If You doubt in words written on T4R.org look at any Discovery Channel about wildlife You will for sure see some toyotas 4R or LC in regions like Mongolia, Kazakhstan etc... have U ever seen Jeep like GC WJ there?

 

[darwezzy]

4 runner

my friend of mine owns a 4 runner and has 450 k right now it's 2000 and i have two i drive my 99 and has 120,000 miles iv'e only replaced bearings and anything wheel related not the axle. I use to drive my mom's 96 and has had no major replacement rather than the brakes and discs all with proper maintenance. they would last forever my 99 has 121,000 and my mom's has 182,000 k which i believe is the best Suv out their.:trophy::gun5:

 

[shadow247]

Jeep VS Toyota is no contest. Toyota wins hands down. While it may not have the most powerful engine, or the most features, or a solid axle front suspension, it makes up for it with Reliability! Who cares how capable your rig is when you are stuck on the trail with a blown heater core, or busted tranny! My T4R has 341k on it and everyone that has driven it tells me they can't believe it has that many miles. The only work that has been done (by previous owner) is 2 Timing belts, 1 rear end because the seals leaked and burned up the 3rd member, a waterpump, and some shocks. This truck has been in 3 wrecks and refuses to quit. The only reason I didn't hesitate to purchase a vehicle that I KNEW had been in 3 wrecks was because we fixed it all 3 times at our shop, and I know my guys are some of the best techs in the area.

I wouldn't even think about trading down to Jeep Cherokee. I would however be really interested in a Wrangler on some 35's.