In early August 2008 I drove by the Ramstein AB Auto Recycling Center and spotted a 1991 Jeep Cherokee. The wife and I had been in the market for on since the TJ is just to small for me, the wife, the child and groceries. I inquired about the Cherokee and was told that it was not for sale but I could place a sealed bid on it since it was in a part of the monthly auction of vehicles that were abandoned/left at the auto recyling yard. I went ahead and placed a bid for the Cherokee for $750 dollars. I couldnt get into the Jeep but was free to look it all over...except under the hood. The underside had a good coating of mud. Beyond that there was a note that the Cherokee would need to have the following things fixed before it could be registered and tagged. It needed a new rear view mirror, the passenger side windshield wiper wasnt working, two of the front tires were completely bald, the spare was flat and both rear tires were almost bald. There was a note that it needed brakes...but it didnt say front or rear. It also said that it needed exhaust work. I went ahead and placed my bid and was told that if I won I would recieve a call in 2 weeks. When the call didnt come I was kind of crushed. About a week later I did get a call that while I didnt win the Cherokee, the winner never showed up to pick it up. It was up to me. I went to the ATM and withdrew $750 dollars cash and went and paid for it. Add to that a $70 fee to have it flat towed on the back of a truck to my house. Thats when the work began and the visits to quadratec began.
Here is the Cherokee as it sat in the lot. Notice the marker/blinker lights above the wheel wells. Those lights are the only outside indication that this is an import to Germany. Thats right this Cherokee was made in America and then exported to Germany.
Here is a shot of the gauge cluster. Its nice to have the numbers on the speedo to be primarily in Kmph. You never know how nice this is until you have to drive on the roads at Kmph vs Mph. 211,846 KM is about 127K Miles. Not too bad for a 1991.
Here is a quick shot of the interior from the rear hatch area. Suprisingly enough the interior while dirty is actually in pretty good shape. The leather is a little worn in places but not torn or squashed out.
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