Ownership Verified: rickhamilton620's sorta big red box! - 1995 Jeep Cherokee Sport

rickhamilton620

has a fetish for terrible cars
Joined
Nov 28, 2009
Messages
16,962
Location
Mount Wolf, PA
Car(s)
2023 Mazda CX-5 Premium
I told myself my search to rid myself of the failtastic Accord (it broke on day one, absolutely sucks in snow!) wouldn't be a epic journey and the FG hive mind steered me in hopefully a more reliable direction!

0N9Glhg.jpg


It's a 95 Jeep Cherokee 4.0L 5-speed with around 120k. The seller was a father who needed it gone because he and his wife decided to move to California. He only had it for a year or two but put a lot of work into it. I could tell that, by how he discussed the car, he wished he could have kept it.

Moar exterior pics:
olyleLw.jpg


SAHGNFI.jpg


I really like the overall design - it's boxy, sure, but doesn't really look that dated. Overall it's aged well.

It's also funny how many cars you see once you buy that particular model. These things are everywhere. :lol:

Interior:
VokUFkt.jpg


It's Beige! :D :p The interior materials (it's ME we're talking about...I gotta live up to my self appointed sig title.. :p) are pretty good. The doors and upper dash are padded and the controls feel solid.

rqijj2R.jpg


Apparently the stock knob broke off and the owner drilled a hole in a VW mascot and tada! New shift knob! :lol: It actually works a hell of a lot better than one would expect and I like how it looks. It's taken me some time to get used to driving a stick, but i'm picking it up. I'm even learning more about driving stick than I did in the SHO, things like rev-matching downshifts for smoothness and doing a better job about finding the bite point on the clutch (thanks, Reddit!). I'm very much a noob though but all things get better in time.

Those cup holders, coincidentally, are almost German in their level of afterthoughtness....Only the skinny bottles of water/soda likely fit. I guess this is the whole "designed in a earlier time" thing. I can only imagine how often cups got spilled, especially with a passenger. Hey, I got a free lint roller!

foq1mZr.jpg


Haven't tried the tape deck in the radio yet, one interior gripe I have is that the radio and HVAC controls seem too far away. Small potatoes that.

GAaKOR8.jpg


Backseat looks good! Haven't sat there, but it's cleaned up well for having a kid or two + a dog riding back there.

bKzKjIK.jpg


Headliner needs work but who cares, I got a steal.

Overall, it drives great, engine sounds healthy (EyeMWing checked everything out, much props dude), and it'll get me out of my driveway and to work this winter!

It's not perfect and there's some things I'll need to tend to (coolant flush, alignment and/or steering box adjustment, oil change in 2k, EyeMWing told me to get the diff seals changed soon) but overall I love it. It's not necessarily "camry plush" in the ride department but I knew that going in! Driving stick is fun, the engine's power makes maintaining speed on hills a breeze without having to downshift often.

I'm enjoying taking my time...in the Jeep I'm content sticking to 65 mph, while in the Accord I tended to be in the crowd of other drivers going 80 on the highway.

I suspect this is going to be interesting....

It's taken me like 2 hours to type this...I blame getting distracted by Empire...damm you Lucious, you evil SOB! :lol:
 
Last edited:
Proof pic :p
 
Proof pic :p

You're right, it's so awesome and unexpected for me that I couldn't have possibly bought it. With my own money. :lol:

I'll get one tomorrow, I completely forgot!
 
Last edited:
Interesting cupholder locations, my center console is totally different - I'm guessing due to it being a stick.

Headliner will need replaced - I can provide some tips, BUT ONLY if you commit to doing it in some pattern that isn't solid gray/beige. Oh, I don't know, maybe some bears? Wait no! Bears belong to the Bearokee! You can have elk! :lol:

But yeah, looks awesome! 120k means its basically new! Congrats Rick! Looks properly clean! I'm particularly jealous of the manual tranny. Post some underhood shots when you get a chance too!
 
Wheres the fun in a camo headliner! You need animals, and trees, and something absurd
 
My god...

237384d1334139688-steve-dannys-bam-game-original-still-best-sunglasses-meme.jpg


Did Rick finally get a good car?? A 4.0L 5-speed XJ with that few miles should run basically forever.

I knew that didn't sound right - it has 228k! Hopefully it'll run just as well as it does now at 300k.

Interesting cupholder locations, my center console is totally different - I'm guessing due to it being a stick.

Headliner will need replaced - I can provide some tips, BUT ONLY if you commit to doing it in some pattern that isn't solid gray/beige. Oh, I don't know, maybe some bears? Wait no! Bears belong to the Bearokee! You can have elk! :lol:

But yeah, looks awesome! 120k means its basically new! Congrats Rick! Looks properly clean! I'm particularly jealous of the manual tranny. Post some underhood shots when you get a chance too!

I guess so! it actually has 228k (whoops!) and thanks! I'm trying to imagine where the cupholders on the automatic model but am struggling. Hmm...elk...?!?!? Maybe... :lol:

Yeah the stick is great. And for sure, I'll do so tomorrow!

- - - Updated - - -

Don't listen to him; you want this:

MCZ%20Pink%20TT10.jpg

I laughed, but around here, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to find at least one truck/suv with that sort of headliner pattern. :lol:
 
Last edited:
I guess so! it actually has 228k (whoops!) and thanks! I'm trying to imagine where the cupholders on the automatic model but am struggling. Hmm...elk...?!?!? Maybe... :lol:

Hey, for 228k miles that body looks damn good! Any the engine will be fine for a long time with proper care.

As for the cupholders, this it my interior shot

iZa4Zdql.jpg


I can see that being a very not fun shifting experience if the location carried over.

Also just noticed you have 2 switched to the left of the steering column, I'm guessing one is rear defrost (like mine), but whats the 2nd?
 
Last edited:
Congrats rick, you've actually bought the RIGHT car for once. :p

228k is nothing to worry about on an XJ. There was a guy in my Jeep club that had 340k on his 87 still on the original engine and trans.

I also vote for some sort of absurd headliner.
 
Actually...I'm gonna sound like a dumbass but I was right the first time. I looked at the wrong ad i screenshotted on my phone. Yes there was a mirror copy of this car on CL sold by a car dealer.

The final legit mileage number is *drumroll*: 124500


Hey, for 228k miles that body looks damn good! Any the engine will be fine for a long time with proper care.

As for the cupholders, this it my interior shot

iZa4Zdql.jpg


I can see that being a very not fun shifting experience if the location carried over.

Also just noticed you have 2 switched to the left of the steering column, I'm guessing one is rear defrost (like mine), but whats the 2nd?

Ok yeah...that makes sense then haha.

It's a fog lamp switch...I don't see fog lamps in the photo I took though...I'll have to look.

Congrats rick, you've actually bought the RIGHT car for once. :p

228k is nothing to worry about on an XJ. There was a guy in my Jeep club that had 340k on his 87 still on the original engine and trans.

I also vote for some sort of absurd headliner.

Ikr?! :lol: And that's good to know, especially since I apparently have only 120k (I'm an idiot who can't read...)
 
Ikr?! :lol: And that's good to know, especially since I apparently have only 120k (I'm an idiot who can't read...)

In that case, you really don't have anything to worry about drive train wise. I don't think I've seen hardly any XJs below 120k for a long time, most of them are well over that and still running.
 
Am I the only one that finds it amusing that the lint brush and mouth wash already made it in the Jeep?
 
In that case, you really don't have anything to worry about drive train wise. I don't think I've seen hardly any XJs below 120k for a long time, most of them are well over that and still running.

Awesome! :cool:

Am I the only one that finds it amusing that the lint brush and mouth wash already made it in the Jeep?

Hey now, the lint brush was there when I got it! :lol:
 
It's not a Saturn. :(

Sorry, you lost out on the pool.

Now that I have this, who knows what I can get as a 2nd car in a few years... ;)

It would have to be a very special Saturn to get my attention: A Homecoming Edition SL for example. I'd have a hell of a time finding one though with less than 5000 made per S-series generation.
 
Now that I have this, who knows what I can get as a 2nd car in a few years... ;)

It would have to be a very special Saturn to get my attention: A Homecoming Edition SL for example. I'd have a hell of a time finding one though with less than 5000 made per S-series generation.

You really want a driveway bonfire, don't you?
 
You now need a crappy second car to keep your well cultivated FG worst-car reputation. :p

Anyway, congratulations on the Jeep. Looks like it was built by Lego and then painted by Ferrari, and over here the Cherokee is a officially cool car. :)
 
Had me worried there for a sec when you said it had 228k miles on it. I distinctly remember seeing it had 120k on the craigslist ad. I thought the odometer was broken or something. Anyway, even with 228k miles, that Jeep will last practically forever. At 124,000 she's not even broken in. Congrats on your Jeep. It looks nice. :thumbsup:
 
Last edited:
Top