When my first love, a 1991 Toyota Previa started becoming too elderly to keep up with repairs, I reluctantly began looking for its replacement. I had no idea of what type of vehicle I wanted because nothing seemed to compare to my old van.
I looked a few vans, but the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey were too expensive, even used. The Dodge and Chevy versions were attractive on the outside, but felt the inside left much to be desired.
We've had Toyota 4-Runners, a Chevy Tahoe and a Volkswagon Passat and I've been ho-hum about them all.
I looked seriously into the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV-4 but after test driving both, I found wind and/or road noise to be unacceptable. I really felt disheartened about this seemingly endless stream of what I perceived to be inadequate vehicles.
Just on a whim, I decided to peek into a Grand Cherokee Larado - I had never before even looked at one because I've always been distrustful of Chrysler products. I only did so because the advertised price was only a few thousand more than the regular box-style Cherokee and I wanted to see the difference. Oh wow, here was the vehicle I'd been looking for and I hadn't even gotten inside of it.
Of course, acting disinterested and being somewhat critical I took it for a test drive. It was the first time I'd ever been inside a Jeep and I was hooked. The seat fit me so well that it seemed to have been custom - fully adjustable with perfect thigh support to prevent driving fatigue. The dashboard was low and easy for me to view, making windshield visibility more expansive for my short stature - this was a huge plus. The controls were well placed and can easily be manipulated with gloved hands. Air vents are also well placed and the cabin is cooled/heated very quickly and efficiently. And in similar fashion to the Toyota 4-Runner, the Jeep Grand Cherokee drives like a car. It's whisper quiet, smooth and can turn on a dime. The backseat is more spacious with respect to leg and head room and will easily accommodate my growing children. I can sit back there myself without feeling claustrophobic like I did in our old 4-Runner. The cargo area is also spacious and can be made more so by folding down the rear seats. I really like that the rear window can be popped open separately from the tail gate.
After purchasing this particular Jeep for $16,100 including tax, I continued to find neat little things about it. The pen holder in the center console; the 10-station programmable radio; the numerous features on the overhead display like setting the service interval, number of miles left before the tank needs to be filled up, current gas mileage and such.
My Jeep is a V8, which I would have ordinarily avoided. However, it gets such similar mileage to the V6 that it became a non-issue. I tend to get around 23-25 mpg and I drive fast, so I think our gasoline bill is very reasonable. It came with a CD player, which I've never had a lick of trouble with, and some fancy wood trim on the dash. With it's big tires, pewter gray body and charcoal/gray plush interior, I think it's a very sharp looking car. I don't feel like a soccer mom (van) or a yuppie mom (ford expedition or larger). I just feel like a girl who happens to have kids driving a car that happens to fit me just right
Now, onto the bad stuff.
I researched this particular model year on here and spoke with several independent mechanics before I bought and discovered that some of the 2000's had some serious brake issues. Many people complained about the frequency in which the brakes had to be replaced and the cost of those repairs. I must say that I'm pretty confident that I bought one of those vehicles. I just spent nearly $900 on 3 new rotors, a pair of calipers and a probably a whole jar of grease to loosen up the corrosion on the rear calipers. The pads on mine were worn very unevenly. The mechanic confirmed to me that he has seen a few of my exact vehicle year/type with the exact same problem, but the repairs back when the car was new were in the $2000+ range. With a promise to have the braking system checked twice a year, I will follow up this report on how my brakes are holding out.
Other than this, I absolutely love this car. I'm crazy about it. I've decided that when I wear this one out, I'm going to get another one. Newer, yes, but it's definitely going to be a Jeep Grand Cherokee
June 24, 2004
I just got my Jeep back from my favorite mechanic where I had to have a new starter and serpentine belt installed. The belt is fairly standard I suppose since the car now has 64,000 miles on it but the need for a starter was unexpected. I experienced 3 occasions where it had left me stranded (with my babies no less), and the mechanics couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. Each time, it was towed to the shop and when the mechanic turned the key, it would fire right up for them. I think the guys must have thought I was nuts. But as luck would have it, when I took it in for routine maintenance this last time, it refused to turn over for the mechanic and THEN they found out that the starter was bad on it. I'm not happy about this. Fortunately, my brakes have been checked twice and my mechanic maintains that they're perfectly fine. They do seem noisy at times though - an anomaly I can't quite understand.
So, in less than a year, I've spent around $1400 in repairs on this vehicle which makes me less enthusiastic than before. Assuming of course that my mechanic is honest, if these types of repairs continue to pop up, I will be more inclined to reduce my beloved Jeep to a "Not Recommended" status.
November 2004
After my most recent oil change, my mechanic has informed me that the front brake pads are getting thin and that they will need attention in the future. He estimates spring to early summer. I have no idea how much this is going to set me back and I'm feeling rather defeated. My mechanic told me that the model year I have does have a lot of maintenance issues.
In any case, I think I might start looking around for a different type of vehicle. I still love the way it drives and the way it looks, but I certainly can't afford to dump buckets of money on it every year in repair work and still have monthly payments. I think I might have to un-recommend my beloved Jeep. I certainly hope the Jeep folks have improved these things in later model years. Good luck everyone and watch out for those 2000 Grand Cherokee's with the sport brake package!
February 2005
Around Christmas of last year I decided to have my braking system checked one more time because they just didn't sound right to me although one of the mechanics at Tuffy Automotive that I frequent had assured me that they were fine a month earlier. Sure enough, the pads were nearly worn through and the rotors had to be resurfaced. The pads were warrantied, so I only paid for labor on the replacement, but the rotors and another set of calipers set me back $122. I was highly irritable.
Earlier this month I took my son to buy a new jacket. The truck started and drove just fine. But when we got in to leave, it wouldn't turn over. Completely and totally dead. We were gone a total of 15 minutes, it was broad daylight and I'm positive I didn't leave headlights on or anything like that. My mechanic came to my rescue and tried to jump the battery but it was far too dead to even take a charge. So, take a guess who had to find alternate transportation to secure a new battery, with a small child in tow no less?
This is my last update on this report. I have faced the music; this purchase was just plain bad. I hope people who have earlier or later model year Jeeps had better luck than me because I'm done. I'm researching cars (again) and perhaps next time I won't come up with a lemon. Folks, stay away from the 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Larado!
Amount Paid (US$): 16100
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2000
Model and Options: Larado, Automatic
