1990 Cherokee Question!

I'd say take your sister's Jeep, and save about 20 grand. I've only driven the 1998 Cherokee, and I think you'll find that in stock form that it'll do whatever you want it to. It won't need much beefing up if you plan do only casual offroading.

To> Hi all,

What's the difference between a PIONEER and a normal Cherokee?

Pioneer was a base package. Usually included chrome door handles.

The '90 Cherokee was available in five trim levels, from least to most expensive: Base, Sport, Pioneer, Laredo, Limited.

Call your local dealer about the recalls.

I agree with Thomas. The Cherokee will work perfect for your needs. Plus... You save money and you know the history of this "used" car.

Joe, 90 XJ Laredo

I had a '89 Laredo. Went every where. Snow , sand, rocks with oversize tires only. No lift. Sold it at 250,000 miles. New owners still have it. One of the best vehicle I ever owned. Harry

I have no idea what lifts are and what type of tires to get. The Jeep comes with the standard size (I think 205). Any ideas what kind of bigger tires to get? I heard BFGoodrich AT are good.

Also, what kind of lifts? Suspension?

How much will all of this cost?

'Lifts' refer to suspension lifts, parts that raise the vehicle's suspension above stock height by varying degrees to allow for larger tires. This *can* get complicated so I would avoid lifts unless your tire choice requires them. Stock tire size is 215/75R15 and I use the Goodyear Wrangler GSA in that size. I'm sure a 225/75 will fit and was told 245/70 will also work if you want wider tires.

I've got an `89 Cherokee Pioneer, 4L, Auto, AC, etc. It's a keeper. One problem that you might run into is the well-known cracking exhaust manifold thing (mine's cracked right now). It might be about time for the fuel pump to give up the ghost and to replace the rubber parts in the front end, too. Not bad, really, for a light truck more than a decade old. The safety recalls are forever, by the way. The annoyance recalls (paint, etc.,) expired long ago.

My son is running a stock 91 XJ with 235/15 BFG AT KOs with no problem. I noticed that when we took it up in the mountains he got a minor (very minor) amount of rub on the inside of the wheel well when he got it all cockeyed in the rocks. Looking inside the front wheel well, there was some sign of minor rubbing but just enough to knock some of the dirt off the paint. It comes VERY close to rubbing on the lower control arm with the wheels at full lock, but a 10 cent washer would fix it if it did rub. BTW, he has 187k miles on the clock and it's still not using any oil. (I've got 165k on my 88 MJ - same story).

The AT KO does very nicely in sand - at least the loose West Texas sand out around Pecos - and I've never even had mine aired down. The AT is not the best choice for gumbo mud - the tread pattern is too tight to clear unless you really wind it up to sling it out - but it's one of the best tires I've used on wet roads with standing water. That rather surprised me since I figured it would hydro plane easily but that hasn't been the case at all.

As for mud, I wish I had taken my camera along when Dad wanted me to help him get out of a ditch where he had stuck his tractor in that red clay they have around Abilene. That crap get slick in a heavy dew and he couldn't force it up the slope to get out. So we strap his front end to the rear hooks and off we go - him sliding all over the place, me throwing mud from all 4 wheels. Seems like all 4 wheels managed to throw the mud right up and back into the same spot - right where he was sitting. He didn't find it nearly as funny as I did...

Tooplane.... I have a 90 Cherokee w/141 k on it.. Engine still strong, except for the pesky oil leak. I have not had a cracked exhaust pipe/manifold. Other than normal ware and tare (Brakes, track bar, font end components) it has been very reliable. Mike