My 97 Jeep Cherokee seems to be showing its age. Two of my electric windows do not open/close, and the back liftgate doesn’t unlatch so that I can open it. as far as running: it sputters, coughs and backfires when it gets warm and Now a vibration has developed when driving a normal city speeds. The question that I have is whether it is worth putting enough money into bringing this into good running condition again. The body is in decent shape and the engine/transmission seems to be ok other than what I mentioned above. What would it cost to bring this into good working order and what kind of repair work will need to be done? I am not a mechanic and I don’t have any friends that are so I really am concerned about being taken to the cleans (as it seems I already was when I purchase it a year ago). Any suggestions?
There are three possibilities.
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You fix your car and keep it.
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You fix your car and sell it.
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You junk the car.
#3 seems extreme and un necessary
#2 would be OK, but, why sell it if it is fixed?
#1 I suggest fixing it and keeping it. Cheapest in the long run.
Thank you for your response! My preference is also to repair and keep it. With what you know from what I have told you about what will need to be repaired, and the age of the vehicle, what would you say a good estimate for bringing the vehicle into good drivable condition would be? Problems: Sputtering when warm: (may be a problem with the oxygen sensor I’ve been told), window repairs, back hatch repair, blower fan switch only works on #4 setting, possibly catalytic converter replacement and finally, rearview mirror re-attched to the windsheild. I had the distributor replaced a few months ago and was told that the distributor on the vehicle was the original equipment. I don’t have any repair records so I don’t know exactly how committed to regular maintenance the previous owner(s) was/were.