Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Jeep is photographed appropriately enough against a snowy backdrop, intimating its rough-going nature. Let’s see if a rare diesel under the hood means its asking price is just as natural.
While debate may be had, many consider the 1964 Pontiac GTO to be the first factory-backed muscle car. With its 400-horsepower V8 and a six-speed stick, the 2005 fifth-generation GTO we looked at yesterday proved a fitting swan song for the model. The same couldn’t be said about its $17,988 asking price, apparently, as many of you deemed that too high, giving the car a 54 percent No Dice loss.
Yesterday’s GTO was the result of some international wonder-twinning between corporate divisions, making available an Aussie car to American buyers. There’s a similar story behind today’s 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. The basic wagon is about as Jeep, and hence as America, as you can get, but it’s powered by a 3.0-liter turbocharged diesel engine sourced from Daimler-Benz as this truck was built under the auspices of Chrysler’s one-time German occupation.
That engine is an OM642 V6 common rail diesel with an aluminum block and 24-valve aluminum heads. It has a weird 72° angle separating the vee but uses a balance shaft in that valley to counter any unpleasantries caused by the oddball angle. With its variable-schnoz Garrett turbo, the engine makes 215 horsepower and a meaty 376 lb-ft of torque. A BlueTec pee injector helps keep lung cancers at bay.
Jeep offered the 3.0 diesel in the WK Grand Cherokee from the get-go in Europe, but it took two years before Americans could experience the joys of fueling up with the green pump. Behind the smoker is a five-speed automatic, standard on all WKs, and Jeep’s handy-dandy Quadra-Drive II AWD system.
With the diesel, the Grand Cherokee can manage around 16 mpg in town or while towing and a surprising 22 to 23 mpg on the highway, barring headwinds. That’s a substantial increase over either of the gas V8s, the only engines offering similar torque numbers. Also, with its 20-gallon tank, the diesel can do over 400 miles between fill-ups, almost double what the gas-engine wagons will do.
According to the ad, this Laredo (the bottom trim level) has just 123,000 miles on the clock and has a clean title. On the outside, things look reasonably tidy and free of any road rot. The only issues on the exterior are a few scrapes on the back bumper and some chipped paint on the tow hitch receiver. The 17-inch alloys all look to be in good condition and are wearing what look to be all-season tires with plenty of tread.
In the cabin, there’s two-tone leather upholstery, and that seems to have held up amazingly well. All the overly plasticky interior trim has also made it this far without major complaint. The same can’t be said for the driver’s side rubber floor mat, though, as that looks dangerously ill-fitting in the footwell. Above that is an aftermarket trailer brake controller, which, along with the diesel and the hitch receiver, means this Laredo is set up for towing. It also should prove pretty comfortable. This may be a lower-level model, but it’s outfitted with power windows and locks, cruise and climate control, and even adjustable pedals. Swank!
The ad claims the Jeep is in excellent condition, both inside and out (I guess the seller didn’t notice that back bumper). It says it will come with two keys and fobs. It also has a $9,800 asking price, which we will now need to consider.
What do you think of this diesel-swilling WK and that $9,800 asking? Given this Jeep’s specs and presentation in the ad, does that feel fair? Or is that too much to ask for a mutt of a truck?
You decide!
Denver, Colorado, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Don R. for the hookup!
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