1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited

P261GNA Dark Iris Pearl (blue-purple) 4.0L inline 6 Auto SORN

Vehicle

Year 1996

Variant Limited

Engine 4.0L inline 6

Gearbox Auto

Colour Dark Iris Pearl (blue-purple)

Interior Agate (black)

Status

SORN

MOT Jan 2022

Last miles 151,905

Owner

Ian

On the register

Added Jul 2026
5 photos
25 MOT records

History of this Jeep

On the road

30 years

first registered 1996

Recorded mileage

151,905

at MOT, Jan 2021

Miles per year

2,512

average since 2006

Last year

0 mi

Jan 2021 – Jan 2021

MOT record

14 of 25

tests passed since 2006

Time off road

2016–2018, 2019–2021

gap in MOT testing

V5C issued

Dec 2020

current keeper document

Historic status

2036

tax and MOT exempt, 10 years away

1 of 25

1996 Grand Cherokees still licensed in Britain, just 9% of the 293 first registered that year. Fewer than 200 ZJ-generation cars remain licensed at all.

Survival data: AutoCensus · DVLA 2025 census

Ownership

This was my third ZJ, after a diesel Limited and a petrol Laredo. Looking back, £900 for a 14-year-old ZJ was an absolute bargain.

During my ownership I covered 6,958 miles, running it from 130,415 up to 137,373 on the clock.

At the time I had a few vehicles on the go: this ZJ, a WJ, and a Honda Civic.

The snowy pictures are from a trip to Blyton near Gainsborough in early December 2010.

I didn't keep it that long in the end. Checking the MOT history now, it went on to cover another 20,000 miles or so over the next ten years, albeit with a fair few advisories along the way.

Gallery

Work log

3 entries · £355.00 recorded

01 Nov 2010 £185.00

Rear Diff Clutch Plate & Service

134,004 miles

14 Oct 2010 £70.00

MOT

132,399 miles

04 Jul 2010 Maintenance £100.00

New Rear Brakes

132,010 miles

MOT history

25 tests · 2006 to 2021

Tests passed 14

Passed with advisories 14

Tests failed 11

Pass rate 56%

Items advised 130

Items failed 41

2006 · 115,856 miles 2021 · 151,905 miles

Date	Result	Miles	Advisories
25 Jan 2021	PASS	151,905	2
Nearside Front Lower Suspension component ball joint has slight play (5.3.4 (a) (i)) front wings corroded on edges
23 Jan 2021	FAIL	151,905	2
Offside Rear Position lamp adversely affected by the operation of another lamp (4.2.3 (c)) Offside Rear Stop lamp(s) adversely affected by the operation of another lamp (4.3.3 (b)) Offside Rear Brake pipe excessively corroded (1.1.11 (c))
Nearside Front Lower Suspension component ball joint has slight play (5.3.4 (a) (i)) front wings corroded on edges
31 May 2019	PASS	150,925	10
Front Coil spring corroded Nearside and offside (5.3.1 (b) (i)) Rear Coil spring corroded Nearside and offside (5.3.1 (b) (i)) Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Nearside and offside (1.1.14 (a) (ii)) Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i)) Front steering damper leaking Rear Shock absorbers has slight external damage to the casing Nearside and offside (5.3.2 (b)) Rear Anti-roll bar corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i)) Nearside Rear Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened Upper and lower (5.3.3 (b) (i)) Offside Rear Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened Upper and lower (5.3.3 (b) (i)) Steering linkage ball joint has slight play Steering box (2.1.3 (b) (i))
20 May 2019	FAIL	150,897	12
Parking brake lever has excessive movement indicating incorrect adjustment (1.1.6 (c)) Brake pedal has insufficient reserve travel (1.1.2 (a)) Nearside Headlamp aim too low (4.1.2 (a)) Offside Headlamp aim too low (4.1.2 (a)) Offside Headlamp insecure (4.1.1 (c)) Nearside Front Position lamp not working (4.2.1 (a)) Nearside Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Outer sill (5.3.6 (a) (i)) Parking brake lever has excessive movement indicating incorrect adjustment (1.1.6 (c)) Parking brake efficiency below requirements (1.4.2 (a) (i))
Spare tyre defective Front Coil spring corroded Nearside and offside (5.3.1 (b) (i)) Rear Coil spring corroded Nearside and offside (5.3.1 (b) (i)) Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Nearside and offside (1.1.14 (a) (ii)) Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i)) Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i)) Front steering damper leaking Rear Shock absorbers has slight external damage to the casing Nearside and offside (5.3.2 (b)) Rear Anti-roll bar corroded but not seriously weakened (5.3.3 (b) (i)) Nearside Rear Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened Upper and lower (5.3.3 (b) (i)) Offside Rear Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened Upper and lower (5.3.3 (b) (i)) Steering linkage ball joint has slight play Steering box (2.1.3 (b) (i))
17 May 2018	FAIL	150,692	13
Rear registration plate faded but not likely to be misread (6.3.1d) Oil leak Engine Oil leak Gearbox Front coil spring corroded Nearside and offside (2.4.C.1b) Rear coil spring corroded Nearside and offside (2.4.C.1b) Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Nearside and offside (3.5.1i) Steering damper slight oil seepage (2.2.C.1f) Rear Brake pipe slightly corroded Above axle (3.6.B.2c) Rear Shock absorber has slight corrosion to the casing Nearside and offside (2.7.2a) Rear Anti-roll bar corroded but not seriously weakened (2.4.G.1) Nearside Rear Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened Upper and lower (2.4.G.1) Offside Rear Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened Upper and lower (2.4.G.1) Park brake efficiency just meets pass limit
17 May 2018	PASS	150,692	13
Rear registration plate faded but not likely to be misread (6.3.1d) Oil leak Engine Oil leak Gearbox Front coil spring corroded Nearside and offside (2.4.C.1b) Rear coil spring corroded Nearside and offside (2.4.C.1b) Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Nearside and offside (3.5.1i) Steering damper slight oil seepage (2.2.C.1f) Rear Brake pipe slightly corroded Above axle (3.6.B.2c) Rear Shock absorber has slight corrosion to the casing Nearside and offside (2.7.2a) Rear Anti-roll bar corroded but not seriously weakened (2.4.G.1) Nearside Rear Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened Upper and lower (2.4.G.1) Offside Rear Suspension arm corroded but not seriously weakened Upper and lower (2.4.G.1) Park brake efficiency just meets pass limit
09 Nov 2016	PASS	150,608	9
Rear registration plate deteriorated but not likely to be misread (6.3.1d) Oil leak engine Oil leak Gearbox Front coil spring corroded Nearside and offside (2.4.C.1b) Rear coil spring corroded Nearside and offside (2.4.C.1b) Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Nearside and offside (3.5.1i) Steering damper slight oil seepage (2.2.C.1f) Rear Brake pipe slightly corroded To joint above axle (3.6.B.2c) Rear Shock absorber has slight corrosion to the casing Nearside and offside (2.7.2a)
28 Oct 2016	FAIL	150,604	9
Offside Headlamp insecure (1.7.3) Offside Headlamp aim too low (1.8) Offside Front Brake pipe excessively corroded to brake hose (3.6.B.2c) Nearside Rear Brake pipe excessively corroded At Joint above rear axle (3.6.B.2c) Nearside rear brake binding (3.7.B.1) Offside rear brake binding (3.7.B.1)
Rear registration plate deteriorated but not likely to be misread (6.3.1d) Oil leak engine Oil leak Gearbox Front coil spring corroded Nearside and offside (2.4.C.1b) Rear coil spring corroded Nearside and offside (2.4.C.1b) Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Nearside and offside (3.5.1i) Steering damper slight oil seepage (2.2.C.1f) Rear Brake pipe slightly corroded To joint above axle (3.6.B.2c) Rear Shock absorber has slight corrosion to the casing Nearside and offside (2.7.2a)
29 Oct 2015	PASS	149,765	4
Oil leak Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Both (3.5.1i) Front coil spring corroded Both (2.4.C.1b) Rear Shock absorber has slight corrosion to the casing Both (2.7.2a)
23 Oct 2015	FAIL	149,765	4
Offside Headlamp insecure (1.7.3) Offside Headlamp aim too low (1.8) Nearside Front Seat belt anchorage prescribed area is excessively corroded (5.2.6) Offside Front Seat belt anchorage prescribed area is excessively corroded (5.2.6)
Oil leak Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Both (3.5.1i) Front coil spring corroded Both (2.4.C.1b) Rear Shock absorber has slight corrosion to the casing Both (2.7.2a)
23 Oct 2014	PASS	148,648	6
Steering column top bearing slightly worn (2.1.2c) Front coil spring corroded (2.4.C.1b) Rear coil spring corroded (2.4.C.1b) Rear Anti-roll bar corroded but not seriously weakened (2.4.G.1) Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i) Parking brake: parking brake efficiency only just met. It would appear that the braking system requires adjustment or repair. (3.7.B.7)
23 Oct 2013	PASS	148,067	3
Rear Anti-roll bar corroded but not seriously weakened (2.4.G.1) Steering column top bearing slightly worn (2.1.2c) Parking brake: parking brake efficiency only just met. It would appear that the braking system requires adjustment or repair. (3.7.B.7)
23 Oct 2013	FAIL	148,067	3
Rear Anti-roll bar corroded but not seriously weakened (2.4.G.1) Steering column top bearing slightly worn (2.1.2c) Parking brake: parking brake efficiency only just met. It would appear that the braking system requires adjustment or repair. (3.7.B.7)
29 Sep 2012	FAIL	143,649	5
Registration plate lamp not working (1.1.C.1d) Nearside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.1.E.1) Offside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.1.E.1)
Steering box has a slight oil leak (2.2.D.2e) Rear Anti-roll bar corroded but not seriously weakened (2.4.G.1) Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1) Offside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1) Exhaust system deteriorated
29 Sep 2012	PASS	143,651	3
Steering box has a slight oil leak (2.2.D.2e) Rear Anti-roll bar corroded but not seriously weakened (2.4.G.1) Exhaust system deteriorated
06 Oct 2011	PASS	139,700	2
Exhaust has part of the system slightly deteriorated (7.1.1a) Oil leak
01 Oct 2011	FAIL	139,691	3
Nearside Headlamp aim too high (1.8) Offside Headlamp aim too high (1.8) Offside Front Suspension arm corroded and seriously weakened (2.4.G.1) Nearside Rear Suspension arm corroded and seriously weakened (2.4.G.1) Offside Rear Suspension arm corroded and seriously weakened (2.4.G.1)
Exhaust has part of the system slightly deteriorated (7.1.1a) Front brake discs scored/worn Oil leak
01 Oct 2010	PASS	132,486	1
Nearside Front Front suspension has slight play in a lower suspension ball joint (2.5.B.1a)
25 Aug 2009	FAIL	126,773	4
Nearside Windscreen wiper blade insecure (8.2.2) Offside Windscreen wiper blade insecure (8.2.2) Front Tyre(s) incorrect because different size tyres are fitted on the same axle. (4.1.A.1a)
Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g) Nearside Front suspension has slight play in a upper suspension ball joint (2.5.B.1a) Nearside Front suspension has slight play in a lower suspension ball joint (2.5.B.1a) Parking brake: parking brake efficiency only just met. It would appear that the braking system requires adjustment or repair. (3.7.C.1b)
25 Aug 2009	PASS	126,773	3
Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g) Nearside Front suspension has slight play in a upper suspension ball joint (2.5.B.1a) Nearside Front suspension has slight play in a lower suspension ball joint (2.5.B.1a)
26 Aug 2008	PASS	123,900	1
high level brake light not working
19 Sep 2007	PASS	120,888	1
VT32 issued against test no.544986257291
13 Sep 2007	FAIL	120,888	6
Exhaust has a major leak of exhaust gases (7.1.2) Offside Registration plate lamp not working (1.1.C.1d) Centre Upper Stop lamp not working (1.2.1b) Nearside Front Front constant velocity joint gaiter split (2.5.C.1a)
Centre Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases (7.1.2) Offside Front Panhard rod has slight play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2) Offside Front Drag link end ball joint has slight play (2.2.B.1f) Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g) Oil leak Unable to fully test brake pipes where sheathed in metal spring tubing.
20 Sep 2006	PASS	115,888	1
existing advisory notice still applys
18 Sep 2006	FAIL	115,856	10
Offside Front Brake hose twisted (3.6.B.4c) Parking brake lever has no reserve travel (3.1.6b) Nearside Rear Registration plate lamp not working (1.1.C.1d) Parking brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.C.1b)
Nearside Rear Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c) Offside Rear Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c) Nearside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c) Offside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c) Nearside Rear brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i) Offside Rear brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i) Nearside Rear Trailing arm rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2) Offside Rear Trailing arm rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2) Nearside Front Trailing arm rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2) Offside Front Trailing arm rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)

Specification

Factory · 4.0 Limited Auto

Engine 4.0 AMC inline 6 petrol

Power 174 to 176 bhp

Torque 290 to 301 Nm

Gearbox 4 speed automatic

Transfer case Quadra-Trac NV249

Drive system Permanent or on demand four wheel drive

Front axle Dana 30 low pinion

Rear axle Dana 35

Axle ratio 3.55 standard, 3.73 possible

MPG urban 13

MPG extra urban 23.5

MPG combined 18.2

Braked towing 3,500 kg

Factory data for the UK 4.0 Limited Auto. Axle ratios and diffs vary per car and should be verified from the axle tag or build sheet.

members.jeepzj.co.uk Grand Cherokee ZJ · United Kingdom · 1996–1998 Not affiliated with Stellantis or Jeep