'98 Grand Cherokee Ltd. 5.9L

pure_boost

New Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
It's been awhile since I've posted on here. I used to have a 31k '87 GN and sold it last year. Then I bought a Grand Cherokee to use as a daily driver and found that it was becoming my GN; reincarnated. Obsessive washing/waxing, won't let anyone eat in it, planning to buy a "winter" car so that the jeep can sit in the garage all winter, too many mods planned for the spring, ect... I just don't need this again as it's time to find a house.

On to the jeep:

There is no rust on it and the interior is like new. It's fully loaded including a sunroof and the tow package. I'm asking $8,300 OBO for it. NADA shows an average retail of 9k after the mileage adjustment. I can be emailed at: dboostw@yahoo.com I am only able to check it a few times per week, so please be patient with me. Below is some information I found on the internet concerning this special edition:

________________________________________________________________
What's the Difference
Between the 98 5.2 & 5.9 GC's
By: Scott Mueller

This article is to detail the facts and figures on the 5.9 Limited, especially in comparison to the standard 5.2 Limited. It all started when somebody wrote online:

>"The 5.9 has a little more engine but it doesn't make a $5000 worth of difference over the 5.2L"<

This confirmed to me that there is a BIG misconception about the pricing for the 5.9 Limited "Plus" Grand Cherokee. When new, the 5.9 Limited cost only about $2K more than the 5.2 Limited! Read on and you'll see the true pricing and feature differences.

Let me dispel any myths about the 5.9 and what it cost. Here is the actual invoice and sticker pricing for a 1998 5.2 Limited and a 1998 5.9 Limited with as equal an option configuration as is possible. For example since the 2_K and anti-spin differential options are included with the 5.9, I also specified them for comparison on the 5.2 model. Note that you can't configure them exactly equal, since besides the larger engine the 5.9 package includes many more items not available at all on the standard 5.2 Limited.

1998 Jeep Cherokee, 4dr Limited 4WD:
Selected Options Invoice Retail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Base Price $30,533.00 $33,890.00
Shipping 525.00 525.00
- 5.2L (318) SMPI V8 ENGINE 748.00 880.00
- 2_K LIMITED QUICK-ORDER PKG-inc:
AM/FM CD/cassette w/8 Infinity
speakers, dual front heated seats,
pwr sunroof w/mini-overhead console 1097.00 1290.00
- 2_K QUICK-ORDER PKG SAVINGS -425.00 -500.00
- REAR ANTI-SPIN DIFFERENTIAL 242.00 285.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comparison price Subtotal: $32,720.00 $36,370.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additional Options Invoice Retail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ENGINE BLOCK HEATER 34.00 40.00
- SKID PLATE/TOW HOOK GROUP-inc:
transfer case/front suspension/
fuel tank skid plates, 2 front/1 rear
tow hooks (rear tow hook deleted
w/trailer tow group) 170.00 200.00
- TRAILER TOW GROUP IV-inc:
max engine cooling, synthetic rear axle
fluid, high-temp power steering system,
frame-mounted equalizer hitch,
7-wire outlet 208.00 245.00
================================================== ========================
Total: $33,132.00 $36,855.00



1998 Jeep Cherokee, 4dr Limited 4WD 5.9:

Selected Options Invoice Retail
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Base Price $34,392.00 $38,275.00
Shipping 525.00 525.00
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comparison price Subtotal: $34,917.00 $38,800.00
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additional Options Invoice Retail
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ENGINE BLOCK HEATER 34.00 40.00
- SKID PLATE/TOW HOOK GROUP-inc:
transfer case/front suspension/
fuel tank skid plates, 2 front/1 rear
tow hooks (rear tow hook deleted
w/trailer tow group) 170.00 200.00
- TRAILER TOW GROUP IV-inc:
max engine cooling, synthetic rear axle
fluid, high-temp power steering system,
frame-mounted equalizer hitch,
7-wire outlet 208.00 245.00
================================================== ========================
Total: $35,329.00 $39,285.00

5.9/5.2 comparison price differential: $2,197.00 $2,430.00

Note that when new one would normally would have paid close to if not exactly straight invoice (and not sticker) price. Note that the 5.9 Limited includes all of the extra cost options shown above for the regular Limited, which is why they were included for comparison. Now if you think $2K is a lot JUST for the 5.9 engine, you should know that for the extra $2 grand you get many more things than just that engine! Here is a summary of all the differences between the 5.2 Limited and the 5.9 Limited:

Mechanical Differences:

-The 245 HP 345 lb-ft 5.9L (360) engine, of course!
-150amp high output alternator (others get only 138amp or 117amp)
-Electric 2-speed engine cooling fan (saves ~20HP)
-Extra Heavy Duty 46RE auto transmission
-High strength front driveshaft
-2.75" low restriction stainless exhaust w/3" chrome rolled oval tip

Interior Differences:

-10 speaker sound system with rear upper sound bar
-180-watt stereo amplifier (vs. 120-watt max. in Limited)
-Full 100% leather (not just leather trimmed) seats
-Leather center console cover
-Leather shifter handle
-Leather parking brake handle
-Leather transfer case handle
-Leather door panels
-Fold down rear seat center armrest (leather)
-Wood trim around the shifter handle
-All wood trim is birdseye maple

Exterior Differences:

-Unique 5-spoke Ultrastar 16" wheels
-Pinstripe delete
-Unique hood with functional cooling louvers
-Unique chrome exterior badging
-Unique low restriction wire mesh grille for more engine cooling
-Unique moulded lower rocker panels
-Special new design low profile roof rack (doesn't rattle!)

All of the above items are only available with and are in fact STANDARD on the 5.9 Limited. Personally I think the 5.9 Limited is a BARGAIN at only $2K more than the standard 5.2 Limited.

Performance:

The 5.9 Limited was advertised as the "Worlds fastest sport utility vehicle" in advertisements that Jeep ran during 1998, and that was borne out by testing. A 1998 press release by Chrysler stated the following:

The following is a summary of changes to Chrysler's engines for 1998:

In the 5.9L V-8 engine (Grand Cherokee, Dakota and Ram pick-up, and Ram van), a new camshaft adds up to 15 bhp and the torque curve is widened to provide more responsive performance in the normal driving range for all models. In addition, specific to the Grand Cherokee, 15 degrees more spark advance (which requires premium fuel) and a 25 percent reduction in backpressure makes a total increase of 25 bhp over the current 5.2L engine. The cooling fan motor is now electric, eliminating a power drain of up to 20 bhp.

The performance increases of the greater spark advance and electric fan are some of the main reasons the 5.9 Limited performed so much better than the other Chrysler trucks with 5.9L engines. The magazine test results were impressive:

1998 Jeep 5.9 Limited (Motor Trend Jan/98):
0-50 - 4.90 sec.
0-60 - 6.80 sec.
0-70 - 9.20 sec.
60-0 Braking - 126.00 ft.
1/4 Mile - 15.20 sec.
Slalom - 58.40 mph
Skidpad - 0.74 g

For comparison, here is what a standard 5.2L Grand Cherokee would do:

1995 Orvis 5.2L (Motor Trend Jun/95):
0-60 - 8.30 sec.
60-0 Braking - 126.00 ft.
1/4 Mile - 16.40 sec.
Slalom - 54.90 mph
Skidpad - 0.75 g

Even newer SUVs like the BMW X5 and Mercedes AMG ML55 have had problems bettering the performance mark set by the 5.9 Limited:

2000 AMG ML55 5.5L (Car & Driver Dec/99):
0-50 - 5.20 sec.
0-60 - 6.80 sec.
0-70 - 8.90 sec.
70-0 Braking - 181.00 ft.
1/4 Mile - 15.30 sec.
Skidpad - 0.74 g

2000 BMW X5 4.4i (Motor Trend Jan/00):
0-60 - 7.50
1/4 Mile - 15.80

As you can see, the 5.9 Limited can still hold claim to being among the fastest SUVs in the world, if not THE fastest. It is also quite rare.
 
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