Used 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee for Sale

This SUV has been pretty good and would be a great vehicle if there weren't issues with the computer and electronics. I have over 250,000 miles on it. When it's working right, it still drives great. I have used it as a local get around vehicle and used to commute to a job that was a 6-hour round trip drive. The suspension has always been good, and the ride is always smooth. The biggest issue I've had is with the computer. When they go bad because they are remanufactured parts, it's hit or miss when you have to get a new one. I have had 4 computers, and two of them worked longer than the warranty. When the computer goes bad, it throws codes for about 5 different sensors. The first time around, I changed out all the sensors, and then within a week or so, I had the same stalling issues that really had nothing to do with the sensors and everything to do with the computer. It was such a pain that my mechanic hated to see me coming. Because we'd change the sensors and the computer, and then the computer would be bad. Needless to say, I was stalled on the side of the road quite a bit for a while. It's a 20-year-old vehicle and well worth keeping it if you can get the right parts that work like they are supposed to. This is a common issue for 1996-1997 JGCs. So far for the last two years, all is well with the electronics. It's great for the snow in winters. It's sturdy in windy weather and solid. Other than the electronics issue, I've not had any other problems with it. What I do know is I carry a back-up computer in the car that I got from a junk yard -- just like you would carry around extra fuses or bulbs. You really should check out the forums on this issue with this make, model and year Jeep.

The 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a marvel of bad design. Numerous recalls have came from this design, and it covers a swath of items from drive train, to the air conditioning system, to interior problems such as faulty electronics. The Jeep is a true four wheel drive and does good in snow and off roading. It'll even go over curbs no problem. It is a unibody design which makes it lighter than other SUV's such as Ford who offer a body on a frame design as in their Excursion line. Gas mileage is typical of the SUV's from this time frame. Mine gets around 16 in the city, and 19 on the highway. It has enough room in the back to haul cargo such as chairs, or PVC pipe or camping equipment for three people. My Jeep has the 4.0 Liter, inline six cylinder engine and has over 200,000 miles on it. I haven't had many problems with it and many have said that these engines will go 300,000 miles with no serious problems. It rides well, and is big enough for bigger/taller persons to ride comfortably. With the towing package, you can easily tow things such as small trailers, cars, motorcycles with no problem. The 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a good vehicles, but it has a list of problems that seem to be universal to it alone.