I have had three cherokees and now have a 1990 wrangler. I like the cherokees but after being in two accidents I would never own one again. I consider them disposable vehicles. If you have a serious wreck in one usually it has to go to the wrecker.

That is why I bought the wrangler, it has a frame and you can replace anything on the vehicle. I just finished converting it to right hand drive.

As far as the reliability of the jeeps I have had to do a fair amount of work to all of them, but most of that is just standard wear and tear. Jeeps also get more than their fair share of punishment which takes it's toll. If they are looked after, (at least the older ones) they don't need any more work than any other vehicle.

However I have never relied upon the dealer to tell me what to fix. The ones I have been to seem to be rather eager to switch out parts before their time.


As an aside.
Just something I have noticed, and this applies to all vehicles, to increase traction off road and to minimize the loss of control around corners, go with narrower tires. Wide tires give way suddenly causing loss of traction and uncontrolled sliding, whereas narrower tires give way evenly and you can maintain control in a slide. Narrower tires are also less likely to bog. Many newer off road vehicles have wide (10"or more) tires because they look good, but IMHO they are not the safest.