moorlandman Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Hi folks, I'm concidering a used Jeep Diesel as my next towcar (about 2005 to 2008). There are plenty of auto's and not so many manual's about, if anyone has used a Jeep for caravanning could they tell me what they thought of them please. Thanks Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipbroker Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I had four, all diesels, all manual. ...2 were 'Classic' models, 2 were the newer shape Cherokees. ..... As towers they were great,I also used them for business and managed up to 47000 in one year once. Why did I stop running Jeeps, they were getting too expensive and prone to failure. ..the older ones both had clutch and aircon problems, the newer ones were not put together well, in Italy by Steyr Puch, the first one had a fuel fault caused by wrong assembly, which was never corrected by them, and the second one blew an engine at about 8000 miles as wrong pipes had been fitted . ...which had a new engine f. o. c of course. ...... Loved them as cars and as towers but unless they have improved their act with the increasing ownership by Fiat ( all but 41%) I wouldn't be happy to have another. .......I'll stick with Rextons. geoff Quote Kia Sorento KX-1 CRDI 4WD towing an Elddis Affinity 530 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommanderDave Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 (edited) Depends on what models you are looking at ? . A 2005+Jeep Grand Cherokee /Commanders are totally different to a Cherokee CRD . The Cherokee CRD is a RHD US built Vehicle with a 2. 8 engine that started life as a 2. 5 Detroit diesel . The 2005+ Grand Cherokees/Commanders are built in Austria out of Mercedes ML components . I found the Merc V6 3. 0 Commander gave better fuel consumption against the 2. 8 CRD Cherokee I had a new one of each at the same time so could compare . Dave Edited March 11, 2014 by CommanderDave Quote Jeep Commander 3. 0 V6 CRD Isuzu D- Max Utah Auto Elddis Crusader Storm 2000 Kgs, Unipart Royal Atlas Mover . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nectarease Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I once had a Cherokee 2. 8 diesel auto with overdrive 2003 model . Very noisy engines, but the big problem was 18-20 mpg . Sold it on very quickly. Quote Pegasus 534,, Mercedes E280CDI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPG Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I ran a 3. 0 V6 crd grand Cherokee for 5 years doing just shy of 100K miles in it. Great tow car and I had no real issues with mine other than the £465 a year road tax and 25 mpg economy and about 20 mpg towing. They arn't cheap to run but if you want a cost effective proper 4x4 you won't go far wrong. Mike Quote VW Touareg 3. 0L V6 262 R Line with a Unicorn IV Segovia trying to keep up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushallmanor Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I had a Cherokee 2. 8 CRD auto with a VM diesel engine. As supplied new 23mpg solo, 21mpg towing 1800kgs. I had it remapped and mpg went to 27 solo and 23 towing. Kept it for 5 years and was very pleased with its capabilities as a tow car on and off field. But £480 road tax and the odd problem after 80k miles some that were difficult and costly to fix meant I needed to change. Now a new Sorento. better mpg, smoother ride, not so good at pulling the caravan out of a muddy field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOAC Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 My Grand Cherokee 2003 auto. with a Merc. 5 cylinder engine was bought for £3500 and needed another £2000 od quid to bring it up to par. I thought it was worth it and I have run it for 12000 miles now and it has clocked up 126,000 in total. The most luxurious vehicle I have ever owned - but would I buy another Jeep? Definitely NOT. Far East manufacturers vehicles are far more reliable and not so thirsty. Should I condemn the whole make because of past experiences - probably not - but I have owned many Mitsubishis and Hondas in the past and they do have the edge in all aspects except for comfort in comparison with the Jeep. As for towing - GCherokee pulls 1550 kgs without effort. BO Quote See the CT Quick Find Index Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard j h Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I tow wirth a jeep 3litre v6 best tow car ive owned. Pulls fantastic as you would expect mines 05 model so still cheap tax but you dont buy a big 4x4 and expect to get 35miles to a gallon. Mines about 23 mpg and happy with that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durbanite Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 We currently tow with a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee 3. 0 CRD auto. Towing a large twin axle we get about 23mpg and solo about 30mpg although on occasions we managed to get 32mpg. They are great for towing with plenty of bhp and torque. If you get the models built between March 2005 and March 2006 road tax is about £250. After that the road tax jumps up to £450+. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenrir Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 I'm running a 2. 7 CRD Grand Cherokee. It's my second Jeep my son is running my old one and he's a convert. We don't think there is a better tug. Our's are our daily transport as well as our tugs. We both do lots of miles and are of the opinion that if it needs fuel you put fuel in. Not had a problem with either and would recommend the marque to any one. Second hand they are a lot of car for little money. The comfort level is great. Make sure the service history is good and in my experience you have a car that will take you the family and the caravan anywhere in safe luxury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlfaEuropa Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 My parents have a 2010 (previous model) Grand Cherokee (diesel auto). They think it's great - worlds better than the Sorrento SX1 that it replaced (both in terms of reliability, comfort and towing ability). They do have a heavy 'van though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moorlandman Posted March 16, 2014 Author Share Posted March 16, 2014 Thanks to all who commented, they have given me the incentive to check out the marque further. Thanks again folks Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Early last year I bought a 53 plate, Jeep Cherokee Limited 2. 8 crd auto. When I bought it, as third owner as the other two had used it for almost five years each, I did a couple of jobs such as two new tyres and I replaced the rear brakes and discs (not dear as I did it myself). I towed my van down to the Vendee last year at about 22mpg. Since coming back, I've given the car a treat and changed all the oils and filters, including the gearbox. When I did the axles, I did change up to the heavier oil recommended in the handbook for towing. The only problem that I've had was the air con pump siezing, which was not cheap, but I did shop around for a recon unit. A comfy car and a great tower. Quote A Fiat Doblo camper and a Lunar Ariva 2019 grace my drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipbroker Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Aircons do seem a problem on the early ones. ...... geoff Quote Kia Sorento KX-1 CRDI 4WD towing an Elddis Affinity 530 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOAC Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 Earlier I stated that I was not happy with the reliability of my Jeep GC. Today I received a recorded letter from VOSA stating my GC was subject to a vehicle safety recall notification. Occupant restraint control module. The ORC module may sustain damage following an electrical overstress situation causing the front airbags to have an inadvertent deployment. Thanks to VOSA and Jeep now owned or represented by Fiat. Says it all really BO Quote See the CT Quick Find Index Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durbanite Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 How old is your Jeep GC as I notice you say it is a 2. 7L? From 2005 they had a 3. 0L engine and the only recall has been on the gearbox jumping out of neutral which was a software issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pebble Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Not that the OP wants a pre 2005 Jeep GC but my 54 plate Overland always felt like it was hinged in the middle. The General Grabber M+S tyres didn't help but at 80k miles, it had been abused by the previous one and only owner, a farmer. I could have thrown £1000's at the suspension to get it somewhere near feeling safe but in the end we chopped it in for a 62 plate Santa Fe. For all its faults, and the post 2005 models are pretty good value for money, I still miss the luxury and towing ability of my Overland. Quote 2019 Adria Adora Thames Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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