'04 Jeep Grand Cherokee or '98 Durango?

[Ginevive]

Well, here it is; time for me to get my first vehicle. Yes, I am 26, but finally, financially and mentally, we are ready. My fiancee and I checked out a lot nearby that we are confident in; it was Easter, so it was kind of nice to walk around without people bugging us, you know how that can be..
The choices I have narrowed down to, are in the post title. The Durango is in immaculate shape, red, 4x4, loaded with leather interior. It is true, it is older than the Jeep, but it is also slightly larger; I definately need a 4x4 truck for our driveway. Thy ask 5,999.00. I am a tad bit nervous about its size, but I drive our larger pickup fine.. kinda makes me feel a bit safer though, but gas would be a killer..
The Jeep is a Grand Cherokee Laredo; loaded also. No leather interior, but that's no problem to me. It is smaller and sleeker, newer too, but almost double the cost for the Durango at 9k. It also has 100k miles on it, but its condition is also flawless. And hell, it is only three years old for that price!! High mileage definately is the reason for that. Navy Blue
The other choices are a yellow Jeep Wrangler '00 for 9k, and a CUTE purple '98 Blazer two-door for 5k; all are 4x4 automatic. Again, I need 4x4, but I also like the last choices because they are smaller and well, I don't kave nor want kids and will only really use it for the 30 minute round trip from work to home.. but I also haul large amounts of horse feed regularly, and may even use it for towing an ATV. Your Thoughts??

[CeraDigital]

Personally I'd go with the wrangler. I own one myself...just needs fixed, but they're awesome offroaders! Definitely worth the cash! I have an 8" lift on mine with larger tires, a pushbar, and a winch. Wranglers are definitely something to look into

[Sausage]

My stepbrother has a Cherokee just like that one and it has been nothing but trouble. He's probably spent 9k+ on repairs and replacements. Fabric interiors get stained and stinky one way or another- especially if you have dogs.

I'm just kind of wary about older Cherokees after what I've heard from friends/family. Especially if it has that many miles on it.

Wranglers are cool, but if you're hauling feed, it's not practical. The soft top is a pain, but if you get a hard top, that's cool(and expensive.)

I'd go with the Durango. It has trunk capacity, leather interior, and it's RED!

[Bama]

Blazer.

[PJ FF]

I love the durango. I have a 2000 durango and never had any problems with it. Mine is also 4x4 and all that works great also.

[Ginevive]

I think that I am just going to have to testdrive each one to know.. the wrangler might be out of the question b/c it is at a different dealership that no one we know of has ever dealt with before.. but we shall see..

[juddb]

I have a 2001 Jeep grand cherokee, worst decision i ever made... Its a good car but the gas mileage is killing me... Just so you know....

[JLC]

You'll definitely want to test drive those babies. I had a Grand Cherokee as a rental for awhile while my car was being repaired...and I hated it. It looked really nice and ran just fine...but it was such a poor fit for me. VERY uncomfortable to drive. It might fit you perfectly...but you won't know until you sit in it and drive it around for awhile.

[Ginevive]

I hate it.. I know that anything I get will be a gas guzzler. I really feel safer in a truck though, as opposed to a car.. argh. The plus is, my daily drive will not be that far. We also have a veyr long driveway that will eat cars and even trucks without 4x4, whether it be in the snow or mud seasons.. another factor for me is maneuverability.. we have a pretty tight area to turn around in at the base of the drive..

[TekWarren]

Just to add my buddy got a grand cherokee last year I think it was...used but in great shape. He was just telling a couple weeks ago he had to drop like $300 in repairs and it was something fairly simple like re-flashing the computer module. I like Dodge's we own a 2000 Dakota (wifes) and a 2002 Stratus. I personally like the previous body style front end over the new square/boxy front ends on their trucks/suv's.