Help, please: '92 Jeep Cherokee Laredo

[Don Ro]

I see from Souk's thread (Jeep Cherokee Tires?) that there are some Jeep folks here. I'd like some input/wisdom/feedback (what to look for, etc.) on a '92 Jeep Cherokee Laredo I'm considering buying, please.
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My neighbor is moving to France next month and wants to sell his Cherokee Laredo. He's the second owner - bought it from an elderly couple 8 yrs. ago when it had 110k miles on it. They never took it off road and neither has he.
Very basic 1992, 4x4, 138k miles, white, 4 dr., 5 spd., 6 cyl., factory allow wheels, power brakes/steering, roof rack, cloth seats, no power windows/door locks, etc. As he puts it, "...bare bones, A/C and radio - that's about it." New clutch, front brake discs, Mich. LTX A/T tires. I have not driven it nor looked at it closely, so I don't know if it has the tow package - I see no hitch back there. I asked him if it had a tow package, his response: "What's that?"
He's quite anal and the inside and out is mint! No rust. Never been wrecked or dinged. He says he gets ~ 17 - 20 mpg overall.
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I think I've listed everything.
Off the top 'o yer heads, is it worth his asking price of $2,500? I looked at Kelly Blue Book, and for "Good" condition, it's listed at $2,503 for private party sale.
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Thanks for any assistance.
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Best,

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Don, I've got a 95 with 219K miles on it. It's had an easy life of highway miles, some towing.

In this time, it's received a new motor and transmission, so it's good for another 50K before the scrapheap.

things to look for:
transfer case and rear diff fluid. Have a shop suck a little out of each. transfer case should be clean auto trans fluid. check for leaks. rear diff is most likely sludge. If so, bank on $1K for a new rear end if you are going to drive this thing much.

Even if well-cared for, it's a very old car, and made to American standards, not German. $2500 sounds high to me. At $1500, it would be a steal. At $2000 and nothing goes wrong with it, it would be a good deal. At $2500, nothing can go wrong with it for you to make out.

If he's anal, check every record he has on maintenance and then get a quick PPI done by a local Jeep garage who knows the ins and outs.

You didn't say, what would you be using it for mainly? With a v6, it's not much of a hauler. My v8 pulls anything around, but even that on a hill needs some TLC.

good luck!

[lm6y]

Hi Don, The first thing that sticks out is that it's not a Laredo. A Laredo is an up-level trim , and option package. It SHOULD have power windows, locks, automatic, consoles (top, and bottom) foglights, fullsize spare with cover, and the up-level seats (not usually leather though). The Briarwood, and the Estate were the top of the line models, with the Laredo in 3rd place.

I paid $2500 for my clean, 92 Laredo with 96k three years ago. This one sounds like way too much, and it sounds like a Cherokee Classic to boot.

On a good note, the 4.0 "usually" lasts around 250k with some abuse, I have seen a few with 400k with good maintainence. They will go just about anywhere within reason, and they can take a pounding. Just be sure to check the waterpump, radiator, front axle end u-joints, and see if the CPS has been changed, I keep tools and a spare CPS in mine at all times. I love mine, especially in the winter.


If you look around, I think you can find a better deal.

[Rot 911]

I believe it must be a Cherokee and not a Grand Cherokee and all Grand Cherokees were automatics. Having owned more Cherokees, Wranglers and Grand Cherokees then I can remember, $2500 is a fair price.

[Teutonics]

Seems like a fair (not terrible, not great) price, and should have a lot of life left, especially with a 5-speed. Debatable item: the 5-speed may actually make it worth slightly more on the "real" market as that is what the 'wheelers are looking for to convert for off-roading. I'm starting to see a lot of them lifted and tricked (flares, snorkels, bumpers/winches, racks, lights, etc.) for off-roading in my area.

138k is considered "mid-life" for the straight six, with 200k+ without rebuild (assuming decent maintenance) the norm. 17-20 mpg sounds high unless it is highway driving (I get about 15 city/traffic driving and I drive REAL easy, wife gets around 12mpg when she drives).

If the maintenance items (tires @ $400/decent set, clutch, brakes, seals, etc.) are good so you won't have to sink money into it soon, and no rust/wrecks, the price probably isn't too bad. In reality ($2500 isn't that much) it is probably a decent amount of vehicle for the money.

Check out jeepsunlimited.com forums for lots of information on maintenance, etc.

[Joeaksa]

What does Kelley Blue Book say? www.kbb.org

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Good idea on links. I've used http://bbb.quadratec.com/ and they've been really helpful.

[Wolf1]

The biggest problem with the 4.0 inline 6 is oil leaks.

The other main problem with the 4.0 is excessive blow-by. This is easy to look for, simply check the air filter for oil saturation. I see ALOT of these vehicles coming into the shop with this problem.

Idle related problems are also common on these, but easy to overcome.

Is it worth it???? Depends on how clean it is and what you intend to do with it.

[red-beard]

With 138K, I think $2500 is about right. Grand Cherokees didn't come out until 1993, so it's a Cherokee. The Laredo usually is a higher end model with most of the options, but then, 5 spd Laredo's are usually rare.

Personally, with a Jeep and it being 13 years old, the less options, the less likely something will go wrong.

Look at what the KBB ratings mean. I'll bet it rates more than "Good".

If you wrench your own cars, these are relatively easy to work on, have a good supply of used and new parts and also have a good aftermarket following.

My 1995 would get around 17 around town and 22-24 on the highway. It was a 5spd. My 2001 doesn't do as well, but it's an auomatic.

The 5spd does not need anything more than a hitch for the trailer. But, check the manual. My 1995 5spd was only rated for towing 2000 lbs.

James

[johnco]

NADA lists that year with those miles at low $1850 to a high of $3,375 with the Larado at $1950 to $3525. I have a 90 Larado 4x4 and a 93 Sport 2wdr. the 90 4x4 with 100000 more miles is worth more than the 93 2whdr just because of the 4x4. $2500 is not bad. not great, but not bad

[Don Ro]

Hey gents, thanks for all the hot tips/inside info...and I have looked at a few forums - but this immediate info is super.
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What to do w/it?...well, I've always seen it as a super clean Jeep, I like that it's a 5 spd. ("...usually rare." - James), without all the foo-foo fancy accessories, etc. (James), so if the price was right and it checked out good, I'd just buy it to have. I'll be selling out of CA one day soon and heading to OR or WA, so the rig appeals to me as being consistent w/that.
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Shaun: I'll be calling Boardwalk Jeep for the ins/outs of a PPI, etc. Probably better than having my ASE buddy/mechanic do it, as BJ will know more of what to look for - I hope.
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Im6y: From: http://www.ilovejeeps.com/forums/printthread.php?threadid=9097
"TRIM LEVELS
'92 - Base, Briarwood, Chief, Laredo, Limited, Sport" ...I assume that means progressive levels. (?)
I just strolled across the street for look/see - it's defo a "Laredo", says so right under "Cherokee" on the front fenders; and "4.0 Liter/High output" on the rear gate.
Also, CPS = crankshaft pos. sensor? They're a known fault? You carry a spare?
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Allen: I know my neighbor looked for months for a "minimalist's" Jeep w/5 spd. He was tickled to find this one, and complained that the elderly couple held out for top dollar.

Joe: As per my first post - "...Kelly Blue Book, and for "Good" condition, it's listed at $2,503 for private party sale."
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James: I did look at the difference between "Good" and "Excellent" on the KBB site. I placed it at "Good" because I have not closely inspected the rig myself nor have I driven it. It just looks super clean. As per KBB: Excellent - "Less than 5% of all used vehicles fall into this category." The difference between the two is ~$375.
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Oil leaks: It's parked in the shade in his driveway in the summer months - zero oil spots. But I'll look closely underneath this week - plus, hopefully a PPI will show most issues.
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Thanks much, guys. Voice more, if yer inclined. I'll follow up later.
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Best,

[lm6y]

Hmmmm... Very interesting.

Before I bought mine, I did all kinds of research, and everywhere I looked, the laredo was a "nicer" trim package, with more options. This one seems to be an exception. I doubt the elderly couple, or your friend would have switched badges on it ( ever seen a '70 Chevelle that WASN'T an SS? ). The high output meas that they switched to a better, bosch style F.I. system, and away from the P.O.S. Renix system that was harder to dianose, and fix.

Yes, the CPS is the crank position sensor. If it goes, you are dead in the water. I regualrly go where there isn't a parts store for 20 miles or more, so I keep a backup, and tools ( two bolts on the bellhouising, and one nut on the fuel rail) just in case. With a long extension I can change one in 10 minutes. And yes, they are a known fault. They seem to go in spurts, kinda like timing belts on 944s. On Jeeps Unlimited you can go for months without hearing a problem, and then see 5-10 in one week. There isn't any rhyme or reason to the failures, they just fail. It's usually the connector that goes bad on them.

As for oil leaks, that's just part of the "charm" of living with a straight 6 that was designed in the 50's. If it doesn't leak now, it will. I gave up on mine, and live with a little seepage.

I guess from the other posts, $2500 is about right. They just go cheaper around here.

Either way, I think you will like it. Especially the first time you need 4wd.

[Eric 951]

Don,

2500 is just about right. It can definately be a Laredo without all the fancy doo-dads. I owned an 88 Cherokee Laredo 5-speed with the 4.0 and it didn't have pw, cc, etc.
A 5-speed Laredo is definately more desirable than the slew of automatics, espcially with the 4.0 HO.
The 4.0 is the best motor you can have in a Chero--should easily last 200K. Things to watch for is rust around the rear door handles and under the lower-body cladding. See if the rear wiper works--common failure. Also see if the Clutch slave has been replaced and when. The clutches themselves are fairly stout--I had the original clutch in my 88 when I traded it with 120K on a 91 5 speed Sport, which I then proceeded to put about 130K on (original clutch again). I sold it 4 years ago for 5,200.
Neither Chero had a weak point besides the slaves--which is easy to swap. Only other things I did were brakes, exhaust, and a water pump on the 88(normal replacement items). Snap it up

Almost forgot--make sure the 4WD works there were different types of 4wd--can't recall off the top of my head, but my 91 sport was shift on the fly via a lever right next to the shifter, clutch it (up to 55MOH) yank on lever, release clutch--4 wd engaged. Others I have seen were dash operated.