Hello, I'm 17 and I'm looking at a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee on Marketplace, it is being sold by a private seller. It has 213,000 miles, it is an automatic I'm unsure of the transmission, I don't have a FB account, so I haven't asked yet. It claims to have a clean title, and to have only had two owners. I've done some research and I know 2011 isn't the best year for JGC's, I've been looking for months for a first car and this seems viable. It is also the Laredo trim with backup camera, tinted, leather interior, 18" wheels, 3.6L V6 and also has a "Tow Package". The guy wants $4500 for it, it only has two photos and doesn't show interior or underneath photos. It only shows the left and right side. I think this could work; it has a bunch of miles on it. I'm also from Maine so I'm unsure of the amount of rust underneath it, it claims to have, "No major rust underneath it". This is the type of thing you can tell when you look at it. But anyways, do you think this is something I should buy? I don't need a car yet and would just like to have my own vehicle.
Does anyone have any experience with the 2011 JGC's? Should I pull the trigger on this or keep looking? I'm open to suggestions for other first vehicles if anyone has any, the only big thing is it has to be 4x4, but worst case I would get something with AWD. I also don't want anything older than probably 2010 since anything older would probably be rusted pretty good. I would also like to stick with American, I know some foreign cars are really reliable, but I've never worked on anything before and don't want to torture myself right off the bat.
I would appreciate any answers or suggestions anyone may have. Thank you in advance!
Check out the website: carcomplaints.com and look up this vehicle. Not only is the 2011 not the best year for this model as you stated, it is the worst year. Certainly with some patience and diligent searching you can find a more reliable vehicle in which to invest $4500. I am sure that others here will have suggestions regarding 4x4 recommendations.
I know 2011 isn't the best year for JGC's
The guy wants $4500
doesn't show interior or underneath photos.
it claims to have, "No major rust underneath it"
do you think this is something I should buy?
I would also like to stick with American
Keep looking for one that’s not rusted (and lower mileage).
A good, post-2010, American 4x4 is a tough ask, particularly at your price point. And as @avalon04 points out, a 2011 Grand Cherokee is quite possibly the worst of them all.
If you go a couple years later, 2013 (which is what my wife drives), they have many of the bugs out. Still not a great car, but at least good. Only I don't know what you'll find in your price range... probably nothing.
By the way, before anyone pipes in and says "4runner", a 2010 or newer 4runner is going to start at about double your budget, and that's for a high-mile, thrashed one. A good one would be about 4x your budget. THey are WAY overpriced. Ditto for FJ Cruiser.
But having said that, you are probably gonna have to compromise somewhere. If I had a $5000 budget to buy a 4x4, I would look hard for an XJ Cherokee. They're older than you want, but parts are easy to get and they are super easy to work on. The inline 6 cylinder engine is solid and can go 250-300,000 miles.
You could also look at an older Xterra. Not as good as a 4runner, but a solid vehicle nonetheless and not nearly as overpriced as a 4runner. And though it's a Japanese maker, they were actually built in the US.
Other than that, your pickings are gonna be pretty slim.
Good luck, though, and welcome to the forum.
PS: even though you have a limited budget, set aside a little for a prepurchase inspection (look in the search bar above) and a little more for repairs. Remember, if someone is selling a used car, it's probably because of a problem they don't want you to know about.
