Modern-day Jeeps don’t seem to be as sturdily built as their forbears. Fortunately, there are plenty of older Jeeps, like today’s Nice Price or No Dice Grand Cherokee, to remind us of what the brand once meant. Let’s decide what this one’s price means to us.
Yesterday, we looked at a 1988 Ford Mustang ASC/McLaren convertible. That car may have, through convoluted means, shared its name with the vaunted British F1 and road car builder, but quite a few of you thought its $16,995 price wandered a little too close to that marque’s wares as well. An overwhelming 72 percent No Dice loss proved to be the result.
Hey, have you noticed that modern Jeeps don’t seem to suffer quality control issues? Most of those are under warranty, but fixes are challenged by the Stellantis supply chain, which is bout as reliable as a middle school game of telephone. What’s a Jeep lover in need of a bit of comfortable off-roading capability but backed by reasonable dependability supposed to do?
Well, one option would be to buy this 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee and then simply ignore the fact that more modern—and hence vastly more complicated and prone to dysfunction—Jeeps even exist.
With just 67,019 miles under its tires, the clean-title California Limited looks to be in nearly-new condition and comes with the seller’s appraisal that it has been “very well maintained.” The ad further touts the Jeep to run and drive “amazing” and that it “needs absolutely nothing.”
That would all be moot if the wagon wasn’t worth our time on aesthetics alone. Painted in Light Driftwood Satin Glow over a beige leather interior, this ZJ matches its mechanical condition with good looks. Aside from minor scrapes on the bumper corners, the paint and bodywork appear unmarred and in excellent shape. Beneath all that, the factory alloys look in-curbed and wear Firestone rubber with what looks to be plenty of tread. The only outside issue appears to be a broken fog lamp lens.
It’s the interior, though, where this Jeep’s age really shines through—and in a good way. The seats are upholstered in a loose-tucked manner that makes each one look like it’s wearing a down jacket stolen off an Aspen socialite skier. No company is making seats that look as comfortable as this anymore, and that’s a crime. Everything else in the cabin looks to be in great shape, and there is a later JVC stereo in the dash for CD enthusiasts.
Getting all that plush padding and CD sounds moving is a 5.2-liter V8, giving it up to the tune of 220 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque. That’s mated to a four-speed automatic and full-time Quadra-Trac four-wheel drive. Disc brakes at each corner serve as the reins. With this setup and the hitch in the back, this Jeep is ready to tow upwards of 5,000 pounds.
According to the seller, their initial intention was to build this ZJ into a jacked-up off-road beast, but they had second thoughts after contemplating how nice this one obviously is. That has resulted in it being put back up for sale, with the proceeds going to buy a less-nice edition for the mad doctoring. The asking price for this thankfully un-molested wagon is $10,500.
What do you think? Is that a fair price for this well-preserved Grand Cherokee? Or should the seller just bite the bullet and eff this one up?
You decide!
San Francisco Bay Area, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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