At the end of my last post on my search for the perfect Jeep XJ, I teased a plot twist.
As you may or may not recall, my first listed reason for chasing an XJ was the fact that it was offered with a two-speed transfer case and a manual transmission. Whether I’m on- or off-road, I enjoy managing as much as possible what my Jeep is doing.
There are a few problems with my search, however. First, many affordable manual XJs have been thrashed and chopped and sound like an airplane because the cats and muffler are gone.
And there weren’t all that many manuals to begin with. I’ve seen estimates that only 2% of Cherokees were made with a stick, but I have no idea how accurate that is. Safe to say, though, that between the 4.0L engine I want, the stick shift I want, 4WD...the numbers aren’t great.
(Thanks, Cash for Clunkers. Of the 690,000 cars traded in, the third-most frequent vehicle was the Grand Cherokee, and number six on the list was the Cherokee.)
Anyway I’ve been on here bothering everyone long enough and frequently enough that someone who wasn’t even a contributor to Oppo reached out to suggest I shut up and buy something else entirely.
(Hi, BrokenMostWeeks.)
(Yes, he’s a contributor now, because I nagged him about it.)
So BMW (hey, I just figured that out) told me about his manual XJ to taunt me because he’s definitely not selling it, but also described a model and trim I’m not all that familiar with: an Overland Grand Cherokee.
Specifically, he told me about his 2003 Overland WJ, the second generation of Grand Cherokee.
Now you may be saying to yourself: Grand Cherokees don’t have a manual transmission. And you’d be mostly right, although as David Tracy expounded on FP the first generation ZJs were occasionally spotted with a stick.
So, JJ, you may ask: why is this relevant? Surely you’re not going to ... dramatic pause ... compromise?
Well, here’s the dealio. I was reminded this past Saturday evening on my way back from my latest wanderings that driving my LJ is exhausting. The NVH is off the charts, and XJs aren’t significantly better (and without a headliner can be much worse).
(Of course, my friend Randy was driving a much smaller, less comfortable truck than I was, but he’s also younger.)
Sometimes a little comfort isn’t a terrible thing. Maybe I could choose whether I’m prepared to lose a little more of my hearing on any given day, or whether I’d rather take something civilized out for a spin.
Maybe despite my advanced decrepitude I might want to date again someday.
So, I thought to myself: maybe owning two different vehicles that share many of the same negative characteristics isn’t, in fact, such a bright idea. Maybe this Grand Cherokee idea has merit.
So let’s return to my list o’ reasons why I wanted an XJ, and consider what happens to my dreams if I pick an Overland Grand Cherokee instead.
Control
Ok, so I’d give up the manual, and the GC doesn’t have selectable rear-wheel drive, but it does have a two-speed transfer case and a top-of-the-line four-wheel drive system. It even has limited slip differentials front and back, along with additional underbody protection, so it’s no slouch off-road.
And for the winter, full-time 4wd is a very nice feature. We don’t get many big snow storms to play in anymore (thanks climate change, grr) but we often have slushy, mixed conditions where it’s not ideal to use part-time 4WD.
(You don’t want to have four-wheel drive enabled on dry pavement, so while on a road with patches of slush or snow your best choice is typically to leave it in rear-wheel drive instead of repeatedly changing into and out of four-wheel drive.)
Aftermarket
The WJ is no XJ, but any Jeep still has healthy support from companies eager to take my money. On the downside, it’s not as easy to modify as an XJ, much less a Wrangler.
Familiarity
It’s a Jeep, but that’s about as much as I know about it. The only times in the past 30 years that I’ve driven an automatic have been rentals (and a briefly-owned Lincoln Continental), but admittedly I’ve spent a lot of time in rentals over the last few years as my LJ has been repeatedly in the shop.
Anyway, this is definitely a gap. I’m not at all familiar with the operations of this machine.
On the plus side, it would be my first vehicle ever with a V8. Zoom zoom.
Overland
Hey, it’s in the name.
Seriously, though, the WJ has lots of space. 72 cubic feet of cargo capacity with the rear seats folded down, about the same as the XJ with its seats removed. And it has a DC power outlet in the back, handy for adding a refrigerator.
Plus a 10-CD changer tucked in its own compartment back there, which I’m sure I could find some other use for. (The compartment with power, not the changer. I’m old but I’m not a Luddite.)
And it’s oh, so much more comfortable and quieter, nice for long trips like driving to Florida to see family, or hopefully someday exploring the U.P.
Beauty
The WJ is certainly an attractive vehicle, but it’s no boxy XJ. And no bright colors, either. The two I’m currently looking at are black and a very subtle green.
(I formerly misrepresented that as grey; my apologies to BrokenMostWeeks for the error!)
On the plus side, if I ever decide to take up a life of crime, a grey WJ is far less memorable than a bright yellow LJ. I’ve often assured strangers as I give them a ride to a gas station, or wherever else it is they need, that a yellow Wrangler with no top or doors is a terrible kidnap vehicle.
I’ve never understood why that doesn’t seem to make them feel better.
Jeep
Well, duh. I can still do a Jeep Jamboree, or the Toledo Jeep Fest parade, with a WJ.
Anyway, the jury’s still out, and I’m notoriously indecisive. I’ve only bought 5 vehicles in 30 years, if that gives you any idea of how long you might be waiting for me to pull the trigger on something.
I’m having a local Overland WJ inspected; it has an oil leak that would be better characterized as a gusher, so that’s probably no small effort to fix.
But other than that it’s remarkably clean, especially for this salty rusty hell called Indiana. The owner dearly loved it, kept it garaged and clean and there’s no rust underneath.
And BrokenMostWeeks is still deciding whether he wants to sell his lifted WJ; if the local one doesn’t pan out, there’s a good chance I’ll buy his.
So, despite all of the posts showing the XJs I so deeply desire, despite my paean to XJs I just authored, I’m probably going a different direction.
Unless I change my mind again.
And eventually I’ll probably buy an XJ anyway, once I can find a valid excuse to have three Jeeps for just me.
Regardless, I’ll be sure to bore/regale you with my ongoing Jeep adventures, both the wandering and shopping kind.