Which Used Jeep Cherokee Is Right For You?

Jeep has always been the rugged, built to get you through any situation brand. While other car manufacturers have dropped the ball with “sport utility vehicles,” Jeep has maintained its pledge to produce SUVs that are fun to drive, comfortable to ride in, and yet still capable of handling just about every road condition thrown your way. Best of all, you don’t need to go brand new for such a vehicle. With plenty of used SUVs for sale at Rick Hendrick Buick GMC Duluth, you should consider a used Jeep Cherokee. The Cherokee has been around for years, and yet regardless of the model year, it continues to stand up and impress. When shopping for a used Jeep Cherokee, here’s what you need to know.

The Release of the Jeep Cherokee

The very first generation of the Jeep Cherokee came out of the gates in 1974. At the time, the Cherokee used the same frame as the Wagoneer but instead featured a two-door design with a longer rear. During the mid-1960s, Jeep released a Wagoneer version with this design body. It sold well enough that Jeep eventually decided to spin it out into its own model: the Cherokee. In many ways, it was a sporty station wagon.

Eventually, a four-door version of the Jeep Cherokee came out in 1977, but for the first three years of the Jeep’s existence, it was a two-door exclusive. And much like Cherokees (and all other Jeeps) of today, there were a number of trim offerings. These trims include the Sport, Chief, Golden Eagle, Golden Hawk, Limited, Classic, Sport, Pioneer, and the Laredo. Some of these trims are nothing more than paint variations (the Golden Eagle, for example, uses a brown and gold combination to replicate that of a golden eagle).

The Second Generation Jeep Cherokee

This is the generation you’ll begin seeing more of on the road. While you may, from time to time, see first-generation used Jeep Cherokees out and about, they are considered collector’s items now. The second generation, though, has a different design and is something you’ve likely come across.

The second generation did come out in 1984. It ditched the body-on-frame chassis design, and instead went with a unibody construction, which was the first major step in moving away from the first generation. The Jeep Grand Cherokee eventually went to spawn out of this particular generation. This was also the longest-lasting generation, as it ran from 1984 until 2001 (which is why you will see so many Jeep Cherokee models out there that have this kind of body design). A long generation does make it nice for any future replacement parts you might want. Whenever a generation lasts for years, it makes it that much easier to track down replacement parts. This is both true for new parts and, if your insurance company requires it, used parts. Either way, it will make repairing the vehicle easier down the road.

Third Generation Jeep Cherokee

The next several generations are rather interesting. While the Cherokee and the Jeep Grand Cherokee have returned to form and look very similar again, the next several generations went in slightly different directions. In fact, at the time of the third generation’s launch with the 2002 model year, it was struggling to differentiate the Cherokee and the Grand Cherokee. The company found buyers were getting a bit confused between the two because the branding was so similar. The Grand Cherokee had become one of the major flagships for Jeep (alongside the Wrangler). So, to help set it apart, Jeep renamed the Cherokee the Jeep Liberty. It did maintain the Cherokee name outside of North America, though.

The Liberty “Cherokee” used a 2.4L straight-4 engine that produced 150 horsepower. However, Jeep quickly swapped the engine out, and in 2006 came out with a 3.7L V6 that produced 210 horsepower. It even provided an independent front suspension, which was the first time Jeep had used such a feature since the original Wagoneer back in the early 1960s. However, it was only available on certain four-wheel drive models, and even then, it wasn’t used for long. So, if you find a Jeep Liberty 4×4, check to see if it has this feature.

The Fourth Generation Jeep Cherokee

Jeep maintained the Liberty name for the fourth generation. The Dodge Nitro is also a Dodge version of the fourth generation Cherokee, so if you want a Jeep design with some Dodge-designed parts, you may want to consider the Nitro (although the Nitro never made it past its first generation).

One of the reasons Jeep had sold the previous generation with a smaller engine was because people wanted fuel-efficient vehicles more than anything else at that time. To satisfy customers, Jeep came out with the Jeep Compass and the Jeep Patriot. With the smaller SUVs out, Jeep could return to form and put in a larger V6 back into the Liberty “Cherokee.” This included a new iron-block V6 that gave the Jeep 5,000 pounds of max towing.

The Fifth Generation Jeep Cherokee

The fifth-generation brings the Cherokee back to form. It fully dropped the “Liberty” name and returned to its original “Cherokee” name. It and the Grand Cherokee once again looked similar to one another as it was released in 2014.

If you’re looking for a Jeep Cherokee that puts up both solid engine numbers and is fuel-efficient, you will want to go with the fifth generation. This is because the first year of the fifth-gen SUV netted 31 MPG, which was nearly 50 percent more than what the last Liberty model was able to produce.

If you remember, there were some complaints about the front styling of the new Cherokee and Grand Cherokee. The headlights moved somewhat away from the classic circular headlight look. However, that was short-lived. It does maintain the vertical bar grille look, which has been around since the very first Cherokee.

The 2019 mid-gen facelift did help reduce some of the stark corners of the first several years of the generation, which has helped make it one of the most sold SUVs on the market. If you are looking for a newer used Jeep Cherokee, the 2019 edition comes with a 2.0L turbo engine that can produce 270 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. You’ll also find a smaller 2.4L I4 engine or a 3.2L V6 engine. Whatever you decide to go for, there are all kinds of Jeep Cherokees out there for you to check out.

Come Discover Your Next Used Jeep Cherokee At Rick Hendrick Buick GMC

When you want an SUV designed for all-weather and road conditions, you can’t go wrong with a Jeep. Just about every vehicle put out by the company is made to handle it all, and the Jeep Cherokee is no exception. Dating back to 1974, there are all kinds of models still on the road today, and while you’re more likely to find a new edition, you never know what you might find here in Duluth, GA. All you need to do is stop by the lot and check out our wide selection of used SUVs for sale at your convenience!