Looking at picking one up for $2k tomorrow, 154k miles, talked to the guy over the phone, says theres nothing wrong with it

Barring any other major defects, should I do it?

ETA: owned a 96 grand cherokee before I enlisted, over everything else, had a lot of electrical problems, same story with the '00 time frame ones?

Unless it's absolutely beat to shit, that's a great price. I sold a '98 with 204k for $4500 two years ago.

Has it had the transmission replaced or rebuilt yet? That seems to be a common failure.

 

Only if it has the 4 liter and 4WD.

Haven't seen it in person, according to the owner it has both.

I wouldn't buy it if it didn't seeing as light off road capability is a major reason I'm looking for one in the first place.

Um, no.  I only know one person in real life that has a Grand Cherokee that hasn't had any real issues, my brother in law with a Commander.  Yes, Commander doesn't = Grand Cherokee but it's on a stretched GC platform.

Check....Here...for info on the G.C.

AFARR

We have had two Grand Cherokees.  A '98 and a '04.  Both were really dependable vehicles and performed well on and off road.  The '98 got traded off at 289,000 miles for the '04 which was totaled last winter after sliding on black ice and rolling down an embankment.    My wife walked away without a scratch.
 

I owned a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo V8

Before I traded it on a 2004 Honda Pilot, I had the following problems with it:

(2) right front shock failures
Front brake rotors turned 3 times in 46k miles
Driver's mirror pivot engagement broke
Center console fiber optics burnt out
Both electronic rear door actuators failed
Lift gate hydraulic was going bad
Driver's seat pan fractured and broke at the bolt point  its just 1/8" stamped galvanized sheet metal
Driver's electric seat would sometimes just lose its mind, come out to the rig and the driver's seat was reclined all the way back

That being said, I loved it.  Handled great (AWD), comfortable for long trips, never got a door ding or anything in it.  Just all the rest was crap.

Mine was a lemon. 3 steering columns, rear end went out, fuel pump, and many other things allaround less than 40K miles. It was a POS! It was a 2000 model.

Good advice here so far. Transmissions are definitely a problem but don't seem to be too expensive to rebuild or have swapped out. Definitely get a wiring diagram as they seem to eat various relays after 100k miles. Only other thing is for some reason Jeep sucks at engineering the little plastic clips that hold the windows into the mechanism that carries them up and down when you roll up or down the windows and break at the worst possible time. Keep a piece of clear plastic and a roll of duct tape in the vehicle at all times. Other than that, they're great vehicles, and of course awesome offroad.

I'm driving my second 2000 GC.  I totaled the first one and it saved my life.  Bought it for 5000 with 104k miles a few years ago.  Bought the current one after that for 4000 with 170k miles on it.  Sounds like you're getting a good deal.  I haven't had anything major go wrong, but have had to replace a few parts, etc, and I just replaced the radiator in the current Jeep at 185k miles.  

One thing I will say is that there can be annoying electrical problems.  Both Jeeps have had tail light malfunctions (which I notice on nearly every other '99-'04 model GC I drive behind) which can manifest as one or more brake lights going out, only to come back on randomly later, or a bad blinker light connection.  A mechanic told me that the only way he knows to fix it is to re-wire the back end at $200 per side.   No thanks.  I just learned to live with it, since I love every single other thing about it.  It always cranks, goes where I ask it to and blends in pretty much anywhere.

If you get the truck, I hope you love it.  Mine spans the gap well between daily driver, trip car, big trips to Lowe's and minor offroading (like on a bad dirt road).

ETA both were 6cyl 2WD Laredo models.

I drive a 2k WJ Laredo with a 4.0 and the 242 TC.  217k+ miles now with no major issues (bought it used with 40k on the clock).

I did have to replace the rear door lock actuators.  Takes 10 minutes per side.
I have replaced the water pump/fan clutch.
ETA: I also replaced the rear wiper motor.

That's pretty much it, and I abuse the vehicle with very little maintenance.

I've done a ton of optional stuff to it recently, but none of it was required as far as repairs.



2nd Edit, as I've now read the responses:

Tail lights:  It's a ground issue.  One sheet metal screw and you're GTG again.
Transmissions: NOT a regular issue with the WJ... unless it's been used to tow something really heavy (I tow a 2k+ lb boat regularly).
Glass/gate/hood lifts:  They all fail over time.  These vehicles are 7-11 years old.
Front rotors:  Warpage can be an issue with panic stops... as it can for most passenger vehicles.
Windows: Not a regular issue.
Various electrical:  Other than the door actuators and tail light ground, not regular issues.
"Blend" doors: An issue on Limiteds with CC, not on Laredos without.

A_R_C, if you don't buy it, shoot me an IM with the info.  2k is a damn good price.

I personally don't like the minivan look, but if that's your style, it sounds like a good deal.

Edit: I voted "Other", meaning that if you like it, then buy it. If you're not going to appreciate it, then don't even bother.

Update?