Car Spot: 2000 Jeep Cherokee

American Motors hit a home run …

While the passenger car side of AMC wasn’t exactly putting the world on fire in the mid-eighties with its Renault Alliance/Encore and Eagles, the Jeep side was humming and the purchase of it in 1970 was paying off dividends. Its modernization of the full-size Jeep (SJ) Cherokee and Grand Wagoneer were still selling well AMC brass saw new opportunities and in 1984 introduced a new, smaller Cherokee like this cherry 2000 example as this week’s spot. Disclaimer: I’m a huge Jeep guy and have been driving them for over 40 years beginning with a 77 Cherokee Chief so this spot is special. My love affair began when my dad worked at American Motors so we had plenty of Jeeps in the driveway growing up until he left the company in 1987.

Jeep introduced a new Jeep in 1984. Smaller and more nimble than the SJ, the XJ was an instant hit. Instead of the traditional body-on-frame chassis, this Cherokee featured a lightweight unibody design. The automotive press loved it. One reason the XJ Cherokee became so popular was that it was ahead of its time. It was one of the first modern, compact sport utility vehicles that fused all-terrain capability, practicality, and more comfortable on-road manners. It dropped about 1,000 pounds of curb weight versus the SJ while keeping most of the same interior volume. It was available with several engine options but the most popular was AMC’s venerable in-line six. When Chrysler acquired Jeep from AMC in 1987, it added a fuel-injection system, and the result has been legendary. That 4.0-liter produced formidable power and torque for the time: 190 horsepower and 225 lb-ft. It was way ahead of its time replacing the station wagon for many families. It became the first compact 4-door SUV.

This version of the Cherokee’s story came to an end when Chrysler was bought by Daimler. Remember “The merger of equals”? A new CEO was in charge and one of the first things he did was kill the XJ. While it was aging, it had sold over 3 million copies in its six-year run. It made several returns, the first morphing into the Liberty (KJ) in 2002, one of the worst Jeeps made in my opinion, and designed mostly by Daimler. I owned one. An updated KK came in 2008, and the most recent KL that came from Jeep’s newest owner, Stellantis North America ended production at the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere, Illinois, on 28 February 2023. OK, that might be the worst. None were as successful as the XJ. Supposedly it will come back but no word in what form.

What are they worth now? You can pick up ones for well under 10 grand. This one, for a bit more and well-preserved ones in the upper 20’s. Not bad for a great SUV with tons of available replacement parts and upgrades available.

RELATED Spot: And yes, there was a pickup.

Thanks for stopping by and reading about this spot. I’ll have another one next week along with some it its history. Have a great weekend and if you have some extra time, check out some of my other spots.