Anyone have a commander?
- Thread starter kojackJKU
- Start date
We have an '07. Lots of room, 3rd row seating with fold down passenger seats. Has a high roof inside with the moon light glass and sunroof. It is an AWD with 4lo 4wd. The Engine is a 4.7 v8 with 16 spark plugs. Full power and leather. At around 75000 miles now.
The door window switches are tempermental, the starter was replaced last week. We change the oil regularly and have not had any problems. being a Jeep it has been prone to water leaks, This summer I plan to pull carpet and bedline the interior. Ours has been a good vehicle so far. I think for overlanding, space comfort and AWD it is a great travel vehicle. I wouldn't take it places My Wrangler goes but it, I wouldn't be afraid to work it if I had to.
It is my wife's DD car mainly, we use it for vacations, groceries and hauling kids and friends around We can get 8 people comfortably (some being children of course). The motor is very strong. She loves it in the snow, and at times when I worry, she has never once complained about the handling. We have no plans to ever trade it. Down the road I would love to lift it and add some meat to the wheels. Nothing crazy tho. I have seen some Commander forums on the net you can google.
The door window switches are tempermental, the starter was replaced last week. We change the oil regularly and have not had any problems. being a Jeep it has been prone to water leaks, This summer I plan to pull carpet and bedline the interior. Ours has been a good vehicle so far. I think for overlanding, space comfort and AWD it is a great travel vehicle. I wouldn't take it places My Wrangler goes but it, I wouldn't be afraid to work it if I had to.
It is my wife's DD car mainly, we use it for vacations, groceries and hauling kids and friends around We can get 8 people comfortably (some being children of course). The motor is very strong. She loves it in the snow, and at times when I worry, she has never once complained about the handling. We have no plans to ever trade it. Down the road I would love to lift it and add some meat to the wheels. Nothing crazy tho. I have seen some Commander forums on the net you can google.
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Jim K in PA
Adventurer
We have an '07 with the 5.7 Hemi and have put over 110k miles on it. It has been fantastic. Starters are weak, so expect to replace them every 3-4 years. Drain line for the main sunroof clogs, so be aware of that. But otherwise it hauls, crawls, and kicks ***. We towed a camper and 6 people from PA to Wyoming and back in 2010. We won't be getting rid of it anytime soon. Understand that it is mechanically almost identical to a Grand Cherokee, but with more room.
Jim K in PA
Adventurer
Also, be aware of a recall campaign going on that may cause more trouble than it is worth: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/121669-2006-2010-GC-amp-XK-N23-factory-recall
We bought an 06 Commander with a Hemi last summer. 95,000 miles when we bought it. It had 24" wheels and very thin rubberband tires. It immediately got a OME 2.5 Heavy Duty lift and 265/70/17 All Terrains on new wheels with less back spacing.
So far we have 102000 on it and it runs great. The battery and starter went bad two weeks into owning it, no big deal. At the price we paid, I expected some work.
I need to do all the fluids, replace a few more suspension parts, install the factory hitch and wiring I bought (sold with no trailer wiring). I will also add a Diablo tuner, CAI, and replace the exhaust form the cats back. Main reason for the CAI is sound, and engine access. Plus, I have found that a K&N with a dust sock pre-filter not only does a good job filtering, but is easy to keep clean, we drive in lots of dust. Also, the CAI will make checking things like the belt, of looking for leaks and other issues way easier. I only rust on it seems to be the exhaust, which is proportionately rusty, so something like a Magna flow will replace it.
We bought this because my JKUR doesn't like to tow our camper, and the more I do to it, the less at hauling stuff it is. My wife sells rural real estate and this thing really does well on rough, muddy, snowy, dirt roads that most of our area is connected with. We will also use it on trips over the pass to Seattle and towing our camper/toy hauler.
Over mountain passes, the Hemi rules. On slick roads, this thing sticks like glue. 4 low is impressive, the interior is right up there with Range Rover comfort, the 6th and 7th seats are small, but kids or adults on sort rides will be fine. Folded down, the rear has more room than my JK with the seats folded down, but you still can seat 5 adults. Separate heat/AC for the third row too, dogs will be cool and happy this summer.
With the tires and lift, I averaged 15 MPG over a 3 hour drive on rural highways and over 2 passes. I floored it several times too. I could have probably gotten almost 20 had I not wanted to play with the Hemi.
D.
So far we have 102000 on it and it runs great. The battery and starter went bad two weeks into owning it, no big deal. At the price we paid, I expected some work.
I need to do all the fluids, replace a few more suspension parts, install the factory hitch and wiring I bought (sold with no trailer wiring). I will also add a Diablo tuner, CAI, and replace the exhaust form the cats back. Main reason for the CAI is sound, and engine access. Plus, I have found that a K&N with a dust sock pre-filter not only does a good job filtering, but is easy to keep clean, we drive in lots of dust. Also, the CAI will make checking things like the belt, of looking for leaks and other issues way easier. I only rust on it seems to be the exhaust, which is proportionately rusty, so something like a Magna flow will replace it.
We bought this because my JKUR doesn't like to tow our camper, and the more I do to it, the less at hauling stuff it is. My wife sells rural real estate and this thing really does well on rough, muddy, snowy, dirt roads that most of our area is connected with. We will also use it on trips over the pass to Seattle and towing our camper/toy hauler.
Over mountain passes, the Hemi rules. On slick roads, this thing sticks like glue. 4 low is impressive, the interior is right up there with Range Rover comfort, the 6th and 7th seats are small, but kids or adults on sort rides will be fine. Folded down, the rear has more room than my JK with the seats folded down, but you still can seat 5 adults. Separate heat/AC for the third row too, dogs will be cool and happy this summer.
With the tires and lift, I averaged 15 MPG over a 3 hour drive on rural highways and over 2 passes. I floored it several times too. I could have probably gotten almost 20 had I not wanted to play with the Hemi.
D.
