I had one with a 4.0, it was a great engine wrapped in a body full of electrical gremlins. Other than that when it worked it worked well.

Couldn’t agree more. I got a 2001 Limited V8 with 130,000 miles for $2100. It’s absolutely unstoppable in the snow.

Another point worth mentioning is that there are loads of WJs and ZJs about that have been well looked after family cars that have never left the pavement. For the equivalent money if you buy a wrangler it's almost certain that it's had a hard life wheeling, whereas many of the equivalent WJs have probably never seen more action than a Walmart parking lot. I find them to be pretty reliable, even the 4.7l can be really reliable as long as you keep on top of the cooling issues which they are prone to.

I just picked up a 1999 Grand Cherokee Limited 4.7 fully equipped. Awesome vehicle. Going to do a BOV build. Should be a fun project. Thanks for sharing.

Agreed !! WJ is the way to go .. got an 02 4.7 with 160,000 miles 4 " lift 30" tires goes anywhere from fishing on the beach to climbing trails and camping

I got my WJ for 1000 with onlly 178 on the 4.7. 3k miles later this is my favorite car I’ve ever owned and love taking it out wheeling. Safe to say this is what’s made me a hardcore jeep guy

I have the 2004 with the I6 and it's great. I originally bought it to start overlanding. the best part is even when you have no gear you can sleep in the back with the seat down no problem.

I have a 2005 WK limited that I have been turning into an overlander, mine has the Hemi and an awesome DVD player for those in the back seat. I have lifted it with an OME 2" HD lift. I love these vehicles.

Love my WJ! I have a 2004 Overland with only 130,000 miles. 3 inch lift, 32’s… HK Offroad winch plate, Detours USA tire carrier… it does everything I ask of it.

Love the WJ. Besides the blend doors.

You are so right on this vehicle I totaled my 04 GC & she was a beast with the 4.0. Had paid $1750 for mine in 2019 with a great clean body and 172k on the odometer. Currently looking for another WJ and will find one but you are spot on in this video.

1. Solid axles 2. Cheap There you go that's all.

I Had a WJ CRD 2.7 20v Diesel and I love it!

awesome rigs. I got my 03 for 600 4.7 H.O needed work, but well worth it. been driving it for 3 years

Totally accurate for the safe confines of North America. Heading to the more remote territories in Africa or here in Australia, Parts and support are much more limited making other more common brands a better bet.

I have an WJ 2004 in Finland. Did buy it sheep actually cheeper that most listened in US. It's not to easy to get second hand spear parts over her dut then again new parts from Amazon or like wize is cheaper than most other brands so I don't complain. Thanks for your helpful content 👌

Great video, hope you see some more front end IFS rear axle in your comings and goings to prove to you they are not left behind VS front and rear solid axle

Awesome video. I have a wk2 overland and low key want one of these to build out. Would feel way more comfortable taking a 2k Jeep out rather then a 50k Jeep on the trails.

Sweet ride. You're motivating me to get one.

Very good points are covered here. Just a quick mention that the WJ series began in 1999, rather than 1998. I've got two of them: A running 2004 WJ Overland 4.7V8 HO and a work-in-progress 2004 WJ Laredo 4.7V8, both with the QuadraDrive 2 option. The WJ is great-looking and a very capable off-roader for sure.

Great video! Thank you! 🙌🏾

Thank you for this video. I will have one of these in the near future 😉.

Im interested to but one of these WJ. Thanks for your videos.

great video clips and selling points, love your content dude! 🇺🇸😎

Got my 04 Limited at a bank auction about 6 years ago, basically paid 1200 without hardly looking at it, knowing nothing about these jeeps. Was amazed to see that it had a solid front axle. Then I learned about the quadra drive and it also had a lift. I ran it hard for a few years as basically a farm vehicle pulling logs out of the woods, but now rebuilding the engine to put her back on the road as she should be. If she ever dies I will look for a new WJ.

WJ are very suceptable to Death Wobble when lifted. #BastardHeep has been a love hate relationship, BUT found the Cure. Replace the frame side of the Trackbar bushing with a JK bushing, and drill out the hole in the frame for the larger bolt. Gets rid of 90% of it. Now the brakes on the WJ the first couple years, was problematic, but Jeep did upgrade them to cure brake inspired Death Wobble. One last gripe is the Seat Brackets are weak, pivots on the seat frame are not much heavier than the dang body panels. they are prone to breaking. Only good solution is get a set of manual sliders and replace the power ones. Sucks I know, I love my power seats.

Totally agree with Ryan below. I have an ‘02 Overland. Mechanically it’s great. Looks wise it’s awesome. Electrical gremlins are jeeps DownFALL. 240Kmiles on mine. Engine burns a little oil but exhaust manifold cracked so I am throwing in a new motor. But it was 50/50 whether I’d do that or swap to a used 4Runner due to electrical hassles. CanBus system and bad alloys in copper wires that gets brittle over decades and wiring insulation that likes wise gets brittle and cracks. Oh well. Every SUV maker takes shortcuts somewhere or we’d never afford one for our hobby.

The WJ Grand Cherokee ran from 1999-2004

The JKU is basically a crappy WJ. Aside from the JKU's longer wheelbase, the external dimensions and curb weight are nearly identical. The WJ has a triangulated 4-link rear suspension while the JKU goes back to the 5-link. 10 days ago, I bought a 2002 Overland with a transmission that was stuck in limp mode for $900. Even stuck in 3rd, the 4.7 HO has enough balls to move it in stop and go driving. This fix is relatively cheap as it is simply repairing a wiring harness and replacing the shocks, since the shock mounts broke and the shocks chewed up the wiring by the TCM. Even without 1st and overdrive and the engine limited to 2k RPM, I love my WJ.

WJ was 99-04. Beautiful Jeep!

I removed the rear seats, so I can fold the backrests down, and still be able to store my toolbox and equipment under the seats and floor. WJs are great

Coming from a Toyota guy, these Jeeps and the XJ are my favorite ones, even tho my buddies are always broken down on the trail & idk if people just dont maintain them right? But thats why i stay away from Jeeps my 4runner has 547k miles and still runs strong. Compare to my buddy's Jeeps with under 200k miles always braking down lol but these rigs are badass!

I have a 2005 with the Hemi 5.7. We have 4 Shepard liked taking it into Georgia mountains. It is at 210k and still going.

Thank you for making this video I got mine in a trade and was just thinking of selling it because I wanted a zr2 s10 but now that I’m more informed this was more of what I was hoping for in an off-roader I know nothing about upgrades so please make a video for me so I can know what to upgrade and make it a solid off-roader I got the most base of them all a Laredo 4.0

I'm doing the single platform bed on the passenger side, with a slide-out for a fridge driver-side rear. It keeps the single driver side second row seat available if needed. My platform top has hinge on it closer to the front passenger seat, so that when its not in sleep mode, the front passenger seat can slide all the way back for maximum front passenger leg room. I ditched the spare tire location for a roof rack mounted spare with future plans for a full-size mount off the rear. One of the worst spare tires locations for anyone who keeps stuff in the cargo area. Wouldn't want to have to take everything out to get the spare. As part of the platform, I ran a 2x8 across the removed cargo area floor board and used the factory jack as a support in the middle of the board, adds accessible storage space in the old spare tire location. The platform will have a 36" rear slide out drawer, leaving an additional cavity for valuables between the end of the drawer towards the front of the vehicle and the end of the platform, accessible from the hinged top section of the platform!

When I was looking for a vehicle more or less a jeep in utah I seen many of these but they weren't super cheap and they all had rebuilt engines they all where the v8 so I took that as a sign but I bought a 2006 jeep liberty and it's just 6 inches overall shorter but it's been absolutely wonderful zero problems 153k miles and I've taken it everywhere I've put 3200 miles on it I'd say about 2k are all dirt roads and trails even taken it to toquerville falls went through the entire loop past the falls might have ifs but I haven't lifted a wheel yet but I plan to do a solid axle swap and possibly cut the cab build a frame and build a custom Australian style rig with a longer wheel base I think that'd be pretty sweet

Excellent video. I know there’s lists of room in the back but based on your RTT and the limited 5’6” length in the back, I don’t see how I can sleep back there. Any ideas?

Ive had mine for 4 or 5 years ive put around 20k miles on it, mines a 1999 with the 4.7, paid $800 for it ive put maybe 2k in it fixing the transfer case A/C new cats, Axels, drive shafts, wheel bearings and tune up stuff, did ALL the work my self and it runs and drives like a dream, i have a 2007 Dodge charger daytona too but i find my self driving the jeep more.

Love your build and videos! Can you do a walk around video explaining all the things you've done to it? Like wheel/tire specs, spacers, suspension setup and all that juicy stuff? I really want one because my father owned a 4.0L WJ before, though it was a 2WD Laredo trim, it was very comfortable and felt amazing to drive and light off-roading completely stock, the engine was literally bullet proof, but he sold it eventually, I'd like to buy one now that I can as an overlanding/daily vehicle, yours is very inspiring! I'll have to look into the V8's reliability as a whole, if it's good then I might go with that, otherwise the 4.0L is good.

Definitely wanna see the fridge pull out

Amazing. 👍

I’ve owned 5-6 grand Cherokees (ranging from ZJ’s to WJ’s) I have to agree with you at the price point comment, I found my most recent one, a rust free 96 5.2 for $1,500, and by the time I’m done at this stage I’ll have roughly $6-7,000 into it (IRO 7” long arms, 35s, steel bumpers, lockers, etc.) which is what I see stock TJ wranglers going for (at least around me) and I have more room in the cabin, more comfortable, a better ride, etc. but, personally I’ve always liked the ZJ’s better (personal opinion) I’ve always kinda liked the smaller, more compact, squarer body of the ZJ But with your solid axle comment, I would love to find a Cheap WK1 just to see what I can and can’t do with it and see how it would compare on trails to a ZJ/WJ, and to expand my knowledge on grands.

Love your vids. Great info. 👍 But Wjs were from 99 -04 not 98.

I bought one this year 2004 4.0 my first wj, I've had 2 xjs. Main questions what should i be looking out for as in problems and what should be my first mods? I've bought it lifted 2.5 on 17' wrangler tires

Jeep WJ in the Ozarks, doesn't get much better than that!!!

I took your axles and put them under my i6 with selec-trak... I can go vertical like butter

First video I've seen on this KZfaq channel and you've earned an immediate 'Subscribe & Bell'. Why? Because it's easy to listen to you speak! - There are SO many channels where I'm honestly interested in the content that may have to offer, but the channel owner either speaks too fast, pauses too long or simply has an annoying (AF) tone when they speak. Yet another factor is how the video begins; Your background music wasn't too loud after watching a previous video (Some channels you have to turn your headphone volume to 100%). And you didn't start by saying "HEY KZfaq... YAK YAK YAK...!!" Now I'm off to watch the 'UNBOXING New Mods' video. Thanks for the content and Happy New Year!

WJ was '99-'04 actually. But bro, great video.

production years in the USA 99-04 for wj

The ZJ is a much better option. Much more reliable engine/transmission/transfer case options, the gas tank doesn't hang as low, it has the same suspension as a TJ and front end of an XJ so both OEM and after market parts are much easier to find. The WJ does have better brakes and the limited slip is nice, but i don't think those are enough to offset the positives you get with the ZJ. Besides that, I'm pretty sure the WJ brakes are easy to put on a ZJ. All of that being said, i don't really think either are great for overlanding. Maybe it's just because I'm a bigger guy, but i find that there really isn't enough space in either the ZJ or WJ. Just to go on a 4 day camping trip, bringing a small tent, food, water, supplies, and tools, filled every inch of available space i had, including loading up the front passenger seat. The spare tire is mounted inside the back, behind the back seat, and takes up tons of space, especially if you have oversized tires. The other problem is that once you do put oversized tires on either, your fuel economy drops by 50% meaning you only get 200-225 miles per tank of gas, meaning you have to bring extra gas with you, which takes up more space. You could spend a few thousand dollars regearing the axles to 4:56 to get some of that fuel economy back, but now you are defeating the purpose of the affordable rig. I suppose a roof rack or a trailer would alleviate some or all of the cargo space woes, but once again you are sacrificing fuel economy, and while these rigs can pull trailers just fine, in an offroad situation you may find your transmission getting hot which will cause your engine coolant to get hot and possibly overheat your engine. So while you can overland in them, you have to make a lot of concessions. It would be very difficult to bring another person for example. I think these rigs are MUCH better suited for day or overnight trips to do some more difficult wheeling, like rock crawling. Or even traveling across the country to hit up short trails along the way. But for actual overlanding where you may not see a gas station, a shower, or a laundry mat, for days at a time, i think they fall a little short.

Got mine 9 months ago. 02 Overland with 158k for $3700. Burns some oil but I’ve put over 10k miles on it already.

Turn your driver side hood stop counter clockwise 3/4-1 1/8 turn to align your hood to your fender (my OCD is dying)

I'm looking at a 2003 Grand Cherokee out here in Ireland. Auto with a 2.7l diesel (Mercedes engine) Not much in way of petrol engines out here. 174,750 miles on it. The seller is asking €3300 which is about $3500. Looks fairly clean considering. Any thoughts on the diesel?

Makes me miss my zj!

Where are you all finding them for that price? I live in Colorado and can't find one under $5k that's worth looking at. I'm currently considering my cousin's 01 Loredo 4.0 with a flat cam for $2,000. Thanks for the video. I'm really debating pulling the trigger on this.

I love my wj HO good video

Awesome rig. Which trim level would you recommend when I search? I offroad and Overland. Thanks!

What transfer case is in that rig? Quadra drive? Its a limited, not an overland ?

okay i own one of these things and i got to say I DID NOT know my back window opened up like that and id like to know how to make that happen hahah , that aside great video my dude

My ZJ is a beast, lift 35s big offroad bumpers, roofrack I'm at about 2k as well lol

Bought my 04 Limited 4.7ho wrecked for $100. Spent 4000 fixing and modifying, a lot on the suspension with a long arm f&r 4" on 255/80-17 Geolander MT's. Goes anywhere my Wrangler did in much more comfort.

You dont see any issue with a v8 being overland? I know when I just drove on the road my Cherokee destroyed fuel. I can't imagine on the trail it's very good

Enjoying the vids Ive got a Kia Sorento mark 1 , which is excellent, but has its limitations. So, Ive been looking at the WJ and WKs over here in Spain. A good WK with 200,000kms is around 10 to 11,000 euros. THE WJ from 2002 to 4 is between 3000 and 10,000 euros depending on condition. I like the WJ foe the front live axle, but even dealers steer away feom it due to engine problems. In Spain 95% are the 2.7 or 3.1 diesel. In a video, Can you go through what to look out for on the WJ? Thanks

Jeep withstood the test off time and stayed true to its fan base I don’t see explorers out there. These Cherokees last forever like Toyotas 300,000 400,000 miles

Hello, I'm from Romania, I want to build a car just like yours, I want suspension details and what joints you used, if you can help me with information.

The wj year are from 99/04 .I have a 01 limited with 4.7l with 4.5 lift and 33inch tires. I wouldn't tread it for anything. Iam getting everything to build it in to a overlanding 🚙

When you said " comes with LSD in both axles ...pretty much lockers ..." Every offroader's soul twitched a little bit ahahahahaha best LSD's ok solid axles are on the Nissan Patrol GR , it is as close to s locker without being a locker , every other LSD I've seen 4wding is basically worthless when a locker shines . Great for improving safety though

The best

Uhhh I don't know if you have the H.O. version. You'd normally see the badging on the rear hatch. The air intake means nothing. You'd have to check the heads, you can look behind the alternator on the right side, there's an H.O. stamp on the head and that's your indicator. If that's not there then you don't have the H.O. unfortunately. Nice rig, none the less.

Братан, давай ещё раз но на Руссоком))

*80 Series LandCruiser enters the chat*

I've seen solid axle vehicles on 3 wheels so I think he means that it won't raise the wheels as much as IFS. Only problem I've heard about these from owners is that they are not as reliable as they would like....electrical and other mechanical problems.

6in lift?

The wj was from 99 on

Wanting legit answer to should i invest in our 01 wj limited if we have to rebuild the engine fix the AC and replace the front seats. We leak engine coolant even after changing the heater core, the pump abd radiator. Evaporated coolant points at it having overheated at some point. Engine oil pressure is always a above normal. Heater dont work lol

The best gc is the 98 5.9 limited. Only made is 98.

Building my 2004 right now. Parts are currently SO CHEAP for these WJ’s.

What is wrong with the 06

I've always liked the WJs. But was turned away from any Chrysler product for quite some time as the 3 jeeps my dad has had in my life time had severe engine issues. 2 of which were WJs, an '01 with the v8 and the '04 with it straight 6. But... I'm beginning to think that my dad never really did any maintenance on them, don't recall him ever really doing any oil changes. But now I'm back into looking into a WJ for a more budget vehicle than what I currently take off road.

Did all the overland have the limited slip front and rear ?

What's the roof camper?

Stopppp telling everyone how sick these are! Everyone will want one😂

Wea had a 1996 Cherokee, literally 1 million miles on it. 3 transmissions, engine finally gave up.

I'm driving a 2002 wj limited mint condition with 54000 original miles

Deberías colocarle subtítulos en español

What is considered Overlanding

In the middle of lifting my 2000 WJ 4.7 with just over 100,000 miles.

Wj started in 99 that's the year I have

99-04

Paid 10k for a 2004 Limited with 100k km im from Canada tho

How can this car cost 2500 dollars? here in Croatia you can buy cheapest ZJ model in "good" condition for like 7000 €.. WJ models are not even available in Croatia.. at least I didn't see them.. wish to live in States just to buy cheap Jeep and do some overlanding.. CHEERS FROM CROATIA!

Kind of agree, but don't agree with everything. I believe they had Torsen differentials and those are better then a locker IMO. They are tremendously hard on fuel for long trips. They are not only short on storage, they are also too small for anyone over 6' tall. I'm not a fan of the SFA for "overland" style trips, and 30" tires are too small today. Certainly a great off-road and hunting rig, that is quite capable of towing a trailer, but I don't think I would trust my life to it on the Alaska Highway in January.

I still don't get why ppl don't time their transit from start to first stop. Time in transit to first stop is prolly the best comparison for urbanites. Where I live now is several hours from where I lived when I wanted to travel here. Now I can just about bicycle easily, even at my age, to places I want to go where wheeled travel is either prohibited or impossible. Creeping along in gasoline granny gear is slow, and unless I'm packing out a large ungulate carcass, is sub-optimal. Even then, you may be better off seeking the right livestock producer for your healthiest meat. Don't sell to Chinese Communists, and don't list with Benedict Arnolds who would. in the United States and Canada (I don't think that's true of Mexico) the wild game "belongs" to the people, I emphasize this: Game does not, as in DOES NOT, belong to the landowner, as in much of the rest of the world. Landowners controlling game is Chinese Communism at best.

You can't touch a clean body one now for less than $6,000 :( I should have never sold mine!!!

Misutonia vigo España 1400€

'97 to '04

There are a bunch of mechanical parts and electrical parts that are no longer available new. Mine has been pretty reliable but small things are going wrong and keeping it going long term will probably require some creative upgrading and parts interchange from newer models. If you want a cheap car, this isn't it, especially with Biden era gas prices. If you want an offroad toy project, you can make it crawl almost as well as anything but the electronics could become a pain in the ass if you want to maintain climate control and other luxury features like memory seats. If you don't enjoy an ongoing project it probably makes sense to buy a Toyota or something simpler with less to go wrong. If you can handle the project, it's about the cheapest 4WD car to build up that I've seen.

Buddy i have had 5 jeeps and everyone of them even the most built wranglers in the country can 3 or 2 wheel teeder tooder ,, lets be honest .. and my cousin has a WK2 trailhawk with a hemi in it . It will go places the first gen like yours will never go with all the traction control and brake lock diffs ,, solid axel “only” advantage is if your gonna do alot of high level rock crawling .. now i like all jeeps but lets be honest for trail riding to hard to get to fishing or camping spots the solid front axel serves no purpose , 90% of people arnt doing rock crawling , and the solid rear axel with independent front suspension rides 100 times better . And “Prodical overland has done like 20 some odd jeep badge of honor trails in his trailhawk WK2 , and has never broke anything but rear and front bumper skirts ( covers ).. so i agree on the price point thing performance for dollar but definitely not on the performance part a new jeep will go places your jeep will not go.. i have seen it in person jeeps like yours teedering on a obstical and a 06 first gen liberty with traction control and brake lock diffs goes right over it and the wk could not make it and had to be towed at Rauch Creek offroad park.. just sayin ..

Unfortunately it's ugly as sin. The XJ is way better. The ZJ isn't too bad.

99-04