I own a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 132,000 miles. It is a wonderful and dependable vehicle!
I currently live in Colorado, but may be moving to Anchorage, AK this year. Will my Jeep survive the 3500 mile drive AND the wicked Alaskan winters? If so, what modifications are needed in order to survive Alaska? If not, PLEASE help me choose a more suitable SUV.
The climate in Anchorage isn’t actually that different from the climate in much of Colorado. It’s a lot further north, but Anchorage is basically at sea level and benefits from the marine climate. If your Jeep has been working fine for you in Colorado, I’m sure it’ll work fine in Alaska.
Agree; coastal Alaska is not all that cold. Your Jeep should be OK. I would make sure I had a block heater, since you will likely travel inland at some stage. Make sure you have the biggest, meanest battery that fits under the hood. Recommend 0W30 full synthetic oil such as Mobil 1.
For Akaska North slope, I have spec’d out some vehcles, and you need block heater, transmission heater (stick-on magnetic), spray the underside with foam, so that the cab at least stays warm. You need a winch, of course. An in-car warmer you plug into the wall. Best oil is 0W30 synthetic, as should all transmission fluids, power steering fluids be synthetic.
As you can see, there’s Alaska and Alaska.
What you have should be fine. If you later decide you want something different, I suggest buying there. After all the dealers there are going to have more experience with the local needs and will have stock of what is needed.Prices are higher in AK as dealer selection is pretty limited.
I would recommend the poster change over to synthetic for the winter months at least. If they find themselves somewhere else(travelling) they will be ill equipped for cold starts without a block heater. Synthetic works quite well.
Thanks for the info! You mentioned you knew of other vehicles that do well up there, what are those? (Just in case my mechanic says the Jeep won’t make it)
The ones I have experience with are Chevrolet Suburbans and the GMC versions; the smaller units should be OK as well.
As well, Toyota builds SUVs for the whole world, and a Highlander would do OK. If you want a real tough machine, the Toyota SR 5 is a truck based, high clearance machine that is almost standard equipment in the Australian Outback and other remote locations. It comes highly recommended, but in all cases, I would check if there is a dealership where you are going.
Winterizing your machine applies in all cases.