what about a jeep GC? looking up info I see 98 is the only yr for a 5.9 limited in the GC line. about 15,000 made.

15,000 GC limited 5.9 seems to be a low # for all the jeep GC made in 98.

would this make it worth keeping for the long haul as a collector item someday 30-40 yrs from now?

I know it could be worth very little $ but maybe being only 15,000 out of 250,000+ would make it worth keeping for the long haul and be worth a few $.

sold as the worlds fastest SUV in 98 with 0-60 mph in about 7 seconds. supposed to be something special about the ABS system also that yr.

the sales add said 245 HP with 345 foot pounds of torque which is a little hotter than a ram truck 5.9.

is that just sales hype?

I do know I have whooped 2-5.0 mustangs already and 1 ram 1500 5.9 with it. that jeep GC with a HEMI let me ride behind for the distance.

my idea when I got this jeep was to yank the 360 for my 85 truck and junk the rest but only 15,000 made I may be better off keeping it all stock for the long haul.

what you think? worth keeping or just another jeep?

having read around the forums, the jeep guys consider them a holy grail of jeepdom. Probably could advertise it nationally and make some money off it. Right guy at the right time- especially if its rust free. All the stuff here in the northeast is rusted to the roofline.

As for the engine, its tough to know for sure, but from what I understand:
-it was the first year of the new cam, which had more lift than the pathetic cam used in 93-97. Duration about the same, but lift went from like .410 to .432. For example, mopar action in their scatdak project didn't even bother changing the cam on their 2001 360. (even though apparently a cam change is the best bang for the buck with the 5.9 magnums)
-had some unique computer parameters
Bottom line is that any 2000 or later (maybe 1999) 5.9 is the same engine

I guess I would at least try selling it before parting it out?

If it is complete, I would try selling it complete, but ZJ guys are notoriously cheap, and no one else wants them yet.

If you have to part it out, the interior, wheels, grille, body cladding and hood vents are all 'niner specific, and I have sold most of those parts for good money on the 'bay.

Personally I'd keep it and not part it out.

Predicting which vehicles collectors will desire can be difficult if not impossible. Sometimes vehicle which seem like a natural choice receive little attention on the collector market, while other seemingly mundane cars are popular.

In general, investing in cars is risky. The reason is that cars must be maintained, insured, etc. These ongoing, yearly costs will offset much of the annual appreciation. The other factor to consider is that part of the appreciation that antiques, such as old cars, experience is due to inflation. The costs of ownership plus inflation means owners of old cars frequently do not make much money from their collection.

In the past, most Jeeps have obtained at least some interest on the collector market. The older CJ models are not ultra expensive, but are popular and sought out. These are often restored and most parts are available. The older full size Grand Wagoneers are popular now. This has surprised me.

The Grand Cherokee replaced the Grand Wagoneer, so down the road there may be some folks who collect Grand Cherokees. If the Grand Cherokees receive collector interest, the 5.9 limited would seem like the most desirable Grand Cherokee.

Some folks have speculated the XJ Cherokees will be collectible. It was, to a large degree, the SUV the made the SUV's popular. Only time will tell!

My rule of thumb: keep a vehicle only if you like it or it is useful to you. Then, regardless of whether or not it goes up in value, owning it will either make you happy or improve your life.

The Grand Wagoneer has always had a strong following since new. The well-to-do loved them in the late eighties.

The ZJ? Not so much.

[My rule of thumb: keep a vehicle only if you like it or it is useful to you. Then, regardless of whether or not it goes up in value, owning it will either make you happy or improve your life.
[/quote]

that is some good advice I plan to follow. thanks.

its something different for me and fun at the same time. fixing some of the neglect on it is a little challenging.

I go to the tire shop and had 650$ lug nuts/tires mounted up and it blew the lower seal on the steering box.

found another used box for 65$ also found a part time xfer case for 75$ rear wiper motor 35$

this weekend I am replacing the 2 motor mounts and a trans mount then cutting the choked down muff off and replacing with a dynomax replacement muff for the 5.9GC.

I guess I will be doing the steer box this weekend too. LOL!

if I could only find out how to get the mirrors set so they don't move every time you unlock with the key fob???

seems I can get the seat set but not the side mirrors.

would that be in an owners manual? I need to find one me thinks.

Sounds sweet! Where's the pics?

I see about getting pics.

glad I cut the small cheapy muff off, some goober had 3 different size pipes 4" long stacked inside each other to make a bushing? I think so they could weld the 2" muff outlet to the 3" tailpipe. same thing at the converter end of muff but 2 pipes inside each other.

the engine mounts look easy when up on the lift looking at them, but working around/over the front axle is a pain @ 1hr each. trans mount took 15 mins.

3 saw blades to remove the old muff and clean up the cuts for welding.

I picked up a nice stainless steel MagnaFlow 2.5 in/out with 2 reducers. welded them to the muff and was able to weld the 2"x2.5 reducer right to the cat and butt weld the 2.5x3" reducer to the 3" tail pipe making it the perfect 24" length I cut out.

nice purr at idle with a nice rumble when stepping on it. breaths enough to feel the difference with no restrictions in the exhaust flow now.

got the steering box changed and it drives like it should now with out the leak and jerkiness of the bad/stiff box.

I will get pics up of the muff.. makes you wounder about a shop that would do something like that.

now that the mounts are good it really launches from a stop in traffic.

The owner's manual will tell you how to set the seat/mirrors/radio/etc. memory but that might not be your problem. IIRC those mirrors have little sensors inside to determine position. They get dirty. Move the mirror through it's full range of motion (up,down,side to side) a couple times and see if that helps. If not, pull the door panel and unplug the wiring going to the memory switch. I fought this for a year on my '97.

thanks for that tip Cheeto. I am looking for a owners manual for it. just have not run up on one yet.

when you say unplug the memory switch... do I just uplug it for a while or leave it unplugged?? plug it back up?

I will try moving the mirrors through the full range of movement to see if that clears it up. the mirror pocket/shells do look dirty back behind the glass.

Mirror shmirror! Where's the dang pics!

Unplug it and leave it unplugged. You'll lose the memory functions but you won't have to re-adjust the mirrors every time you get in.

I checked my parts rig but no owner's manual. Sorry.

yea red I am a workin on pics for ya.

Cheeto thanks for checking your parts stash. I think I am good with un-plugging the memory switch.

one of the problems I am having is the inside lights will stay on. I have figured out what 2 relays to pull. seems I can play with the relay and it will unstick for a few days then will stick keeping the lights on.

1 relay works the door lights and locks, the other relay does the overhead lights.

I found a trace of rust on the relay and looks like it might have been wet at some time. so I will be scratching some spares up from the JY.

I also found a relay missing and ASSume it is why the lights/horn does not blink/chirp when locking it. it might be the horn relay.

I cant find any info on the fuse blocks that tell me what the relays are which.

all the mini fuses are there and all good. I pulled them all to check.

this weekend it gets a set of plugs,wires,cap,rotor for a tune up. the coil is rusty and the laminate is gone with the plates separating along the edges. I have a new Accell coil for a magnum for it.

sway bar bushings/end links with shocks on the hit list next.

What might be a good addition would be the Hughes Edelbrock AirGap intake. It knocks down the low end torque due to the shorter runner length but it really helps the top end apparently. Since your jeep isn't that heavy and having decent gears, the lost low end probably wouldn't be missed but the added top end would be welcomed. Only problem is they're pricey