Piston Slap: Keep the Jeep, Change Your Name?

Sajeev Mehta
by Sajeev Mehta

John writes:

What sort of upgrades would you recommend for a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited? I bought it to replace my 300CE, which was the feature of a previous Piston Slap. I am planning on keeping this one for the foreseeable future. The only problems with it right now are broken fog lights, the rear window wiper is frozen, and God-awful gas mileage. Aside from the wiper and the fog lights, is there anything you would recommend?

Sajeev answers:

I need more info. What do you want to do with this Jeep? What engine, mileage, etc information should we know about it?

John answers:

Actually, it’s probably going to be my DD for the conceivable future. I don’t have a whole hell of a lot of disposable cash at the moment to buy something better for what I’m going to need it for. I’m going to have a nice 52 mile each way commute to college come September, and despite the high miles (220k) it was well taken care of for most of its life. Also, I can usually fix anything major myself. I am kind of concerned about everything wearing out all at once and putting it out of commission either before I can fix it or before I can afford something else to take me back and forth. Perhaps I should change the question: should I save up as much as I can (which, frankly, would not be a whole hell of a lot. Probably no more than $2,500) and buy something hopefully a little better on gas and hopefully with a little less mileage or just invest everything back into the Jeep and keep it going for probably a couple more years? It is a 1995 ZJ Limited with the 5.2, insanely comfortable leather seats, a lovely slow oil leak from the rear main seal that I have been meaning to fix for quite some time now, a new rattle developing every week, and my complete and utter affection despite its many faults.

Also, I should have mentioned that there is practically no rust, and the only off-roading I do is the occasional light trail work. And here is a picture of the Jeep in question:

Sajeev concludes:

You went from a 300E to a Jeep ZJ. But I must be losing my marbles, as I previously called you “Fabio” but am now speaking to someone named John. I think Fabio is a good name for that Benz, John is good for the Jeep. I need to get you in a Grand Marquis, then change your name to Mildred. Perhaps next time, that.

Almost any time someone with limited financial funds (and a non-European vehicle) such as yourself writes in, I say you need to stick with the problems you currently have. It could be a lot worse. Do not save your money for another hooptie, this Jeep sounds pretty much okay. Save your money far beyond your college tenure, for when you will have a better job and enough income to actually afford a good, late-model car.

Fix all the little things as needed. Buy the factory shop manuals and read up on the forums. Tackle small projects between classes, studying, work, etc. I know this plan is good, I did this for years with my 1988 Mercury Cougar during my BBA, my 1995 Lincoln Mark VIII during my MBA. Hey, I’ve seen dumber things!

With any luck, the Jeep will make that time go by very fast. And then you can dump these old cars and get something decent, trouble-free and somewhat entertaining. Or, when that time comes, get something very cheap and keep your old clunkers just for funzies. That’s how I roll and I’ve yet to regret it.

Keep the Jeep, but I like “Fabio” better.

Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry.
Sajeev Mehta
Sajeev Mehta

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  • Replica Replica on Jul 02, 2012

    Already own it outright? Keep on driving it! Those recommending getting a car payment/lease instead are insane. That's the worst advice in the universe. Do some cheap maintenance, then hit up a used record store for the finest tapes from the era and rock out in the Jeep.

  • Mopar4wd Mopar4wd on Jul 02, 2012

    Heres one for the subie and jeep people. No hate for either one. The guy bought a ZJ despite what people think these are cochroachs can't kill them. When I worked in insurance these were one of the few american cars I regularly wrote estimates on with well over 200k. A few owners even commented that they wanted to get rid of them but nothing major ever broke. The only real weak point on these were the auto transmission in certain years and certain options (i believe the part time vs full time 4wd had something to do with it.) I've owned a jeep XJ and not sure where the road rage over driving dynamics comes from I found jeep xj's and zj's to have the best road handling and ride of any vehicle with front and rear solid axles. In fact I currently drive a subaru outback 3.0 h6 and tell you the truth it's a toss up whether I would rather drive that or the jeep an my daily 60 mile commute (they even get about the same mpg)

  • Varezhka Of all the countries to complain about WTO rules violation, especially that related to battery business…
  • Carson D At 1:24 AM, the voyage data recorder (VDR) stopped recording the vessel’s system data, but it was able to continue taping audio. At 1:26 AM, the VDR resumed recording vessel system data. Three minutes later, the Dali collided with the bridge. Nothing suspicious at all. Let's go get some booster shots!
  • Darren Mertz Where's the heater control? Where's the Radio control? Where the bloody speedometer?? In a menu I suppose. How safe is that??? Volvo....
  • Lorenzo Are they calling it a K4? That's a mountain in the Himalayas! Stick with names!
  • MaintenanceCosts It's going to have to go downmarket a bit not to step on the Land Cruiser's toes.
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