Behind the Wheel of the Baddest Two-Door Jeep Ever

Before there was the Grand Cherokee

Transcript

00:00 (upbeat music)

00:02 Hi, I'm Christian Hazel,

00:07 editor of Peterson's 4Wheeling Off-Road,

00:09 and we are gonna take you behind the wheel

00:10 of this '78 Cherokee Chief,

00:12 quite possibly the worst vehicle

00:14 to ever roll off an assembly line.

00:16 I've owned this 1978 Cherokee Chief

00:25 for about 10 years, I think, give or take.

00:29 I paid $500 for it,

00:31 and this one's got a four-inch suspension lift,

00:34 got 33-inch tires on real beadlocks,

00:37 and it's got a big old slab, a shiny aluminum grill,

00:40 and chrome bumpers, and a lot of metal,

00:44 and you can lay on the hood and watch the stars.

00:46 You can sleep in the back if you're camping,

00:50 and you got a roof rack to put stuff on.

00:53 I actually love this vehicle.

00:55 It's like one of the family,

00:58 but that said, this is pretty much

01:01 the least reliable vehicle I've ever owned.

01:04 Basically, every factory part on it has failed.

01:08 It's got a new headliner, the original one failed.

01:13 It needs a wiper motor, because the original one failed.

01:17 It's got a new differential in the front,

01:18 'cause the original one failed.

01:20 All new cooling system, because, say it with me,

01:23 the original one failed.

01:26 Yeah, they don't build 'em like they used to.

01:29 Oh, it's coming apart!

01:34 The front differential has been rebuilt.

01:39 The front wheel bearings had to be replaced.

01:42 The front axle shaft V-joints had to be replaced.

01:46 The whole fuel system I had to replace.

01:49 The whole brake system I had to replace twice.

01:55 Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment,

01:57 or maybe I can just appreciate a really cool old Jeep

02:01 for my own one, but that's my 1978 Cherokee Chief.

02:04 Thanks for watching.

02:06 Your hunting dog gets old,

02:11 you don't just take it out back behind the barn and...