1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee

5.9 Limited SUV

5.9 V8

Automatic

1J4GZ88Z4WC118222

Clear

Gasoline

Retired from an airline, sold the big house and downsized.....after all that was done my wife retired...One day she says, "Let's buy a motor home and see the USA!"I say, "You are crazy....we fly for free!"....but she is a smart woman and comes up with a winning argument...."But you can't see what's in between."So we bought a motorhome ( I included a picture to show how crazy I am).Now that we have the motorhome we need a car to pull behind it...I had one of these fantastic jeeps nearly 20 years ago so I began a country wide search for another that had not been abused and finally found this one.AFTER I fixed everything ( I will explain later), my wife says, " Maybe you should find another vehicle to tow that is a little less "sporty " and has a rear entertainment (DVD) system for our son when we go exploring the area where we park the motorhome." Our son is 34 and has Down Syndrome. He travels everywhere with us and can get bored with scenery. Now you know the why so here is the what. This 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited is the original high performance luxury muscle SUV pioneer. It is what you might call the "Grandfather" of the SRT-8. This edition was made only in 1998 and was limited to 14,286 units. The 5.9 had a hotter cam and electric fans for superior cooling. It was available in only three colors; Deep Slate, Stone White and Bright Platinum. This one is Bright Platinum with charcoal gray leather. It was the SUV car of the year in 1998This model was unsurpassed until 2006 when the Grand Cherokee came out with the SRT-8 sporting a 6.1 Hemi with 420 hp and then the 2012 with 470 hp. BUT>>> the 5.9 was only 1.7 seconds slower in the quarter mile and .3 seconds FASTER in the figure 8 at .71 g's !!!!!! It was only 1.9 seconds slower than the 470 hp in the 2012!!!My conclusion is that you will have to pay LOT more money to be a LITTLE faster and you're still not driving "classic" ( which is also cheaper to insure). Because it had more power and more torque (345 ft.lbs) Jeep gave it a new transmission ( a 46RE which is essentially a beefed up TorqueFlite transmission and a Dana 44A rear end with a 3.73 ratio. QuadraTrac 4 wheel drive and Trac-Loc rear differential. Disk brakes on all four corners greatly reduced the stopping distance. 60 mph to 0 mph in 126 feet! (dry pavement and good tires) To make this model unique, Jeep factory installed these features:Higher output alternatorLow profile roof rackInterior wood grain accentsFull calf leatherLarge chrome tailpipe and stainless exhaustUnique front grillUnique side rocker panelsFully functioning, heat extracting hood louversRear armrestHigher output (180 watts) Infinity stereo sound system with rear area speakers and speaker bar on ceiling near rear hatchLeather wrapped steering wheel and emergency brake handleUnique leather door inserts and console coverUnique 5 star wheels Now what I have done to it to prepare for extensive travel(I didn't want to chance breaking down in unfamiliar territory) : The rear end had the typical whine in it and it bothered me soI ended up replacing both axles and ALL the bearings. I had the rear end set up by a pro that does work for the NASCAR circuit ( it is all factory original specs).While it was up on the lift it got new front axles, brake pads, rotors and calipers as necessary, also changed all the fluids (both differentials, transmission, motor and cooling system). Saw a bad spot in the radiator and considered it a potential breakdown so I put a new radiator in it.When it was finally on the ground again I started on the interior. The sunroof motor was unresponsive so we took the headliner down and replaced the entire sunroof mechanism including the motor. Another friend installs new headliners for a living. He put in a new headliner for me ( looks like it just came from the factory). Some dash lights were out and the bulbs were no longer available so I converted most to LED (I have extras).New spark plugs and plug wires, distributor cap and rotor, air and oil filters.Last week the alternator quit putting out so I put in a brand new (not a remanufactured) 136 amp alternator. Synthetic oil since I (and the previous owner) owned it.Original owners manual and both original remotes (working).Everything works.Tires are good. It has a nick or two and a scratch or two (I tried to show in the pictures). I sank a lot of money in this vehicle because I had one before and loved it. It is a unique and rare vehicle. It does draw attention from the Jeep lovers who "know" what it is. The hood louvers identify it.There is even a club exclusively for the 1998 5.9 Limited Grand Cherokee. I have nearly 8000 in it. The plates expired 9/30/17 so I dropped the insurance and put it in controlled storage. I wanted to sell it before the plates expired but mostly so I would not be tied down. Now that it is in storage it is no longer a concern.