Sleek, Fast, and Rare: The 90s SUV That’s Turning Heads In 2025

It is getting laborious to discover a mass-market automobile equipped with a manual transmission, and V8s are a dying breed, too. Nowadays, if yow will discover a automobile with eight cylinders and a stick shift, you are liable to purchase it on these factors alone. So, we would keep in mind the twentieth Century as a golden age for V8 manuals, however the fact is that we have been already effectively on our option to an all-automatic market effectively earlier than the tip of the 90s.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ, as an example, was provided with a V8 and a handbook transmission, however the overwhelming majority of those SUVs have been outfitted with a four-speed computerized, with the five-speed handbook transmissions solely making their manner into 1,500 Grand Cherokees. Add to that, the SUV’s strongest engine, the 5.9-liter Magnum V8, was by no means formally paired with the handbook. Any first-gen Grand Cherokee is a hell of a discover, however the 5.9 Restricted, with simply 14,286 models having been produced, is value nearly regardless of the vendor is asking. Here is why…

The next is predicated on data printed by Jeep, in addition to analysis into the used automotive market. Any opinions provided thereupon are these of the writer until in any other case attributed.

What Makes A First-Gen Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9L Restricted So Particular?

Jeep debuted the Grand Cherokee for 1993 with cutting-edge (for the time) options like an Digital Car Data Middle, which may detect issues with, as an example, the oil and coolant ranges. You additionally had a mileage estimator, and keyless entry. These options are nothing value writing house about in 2025, however they have been fairly novel for 1993. So any model of this SUV is a discover.

The actual draw for an SUV like this might, after all, be the efficiency specs. The bottom engine within the 1993 Grand Cherokee was a 4.0-liter inline-six, delivering a decent 190 horsepower. Or, you might improve to a 5.2-liter Magnum V8 for 220 hp. No matter engine you went with, you have been getting customary four-wheel drive. The transmission was restricted to a single four-speed computerized early on.

The 5.9 Restricted Was A Late-Stage Addition To The First Era Grand Cherokee

What we think about to be the crown jewel of the Grand Cherokee’s first-generation run, the Grand Cherokee 5.9 Restricted, would not launch till the 1998 mannequin yr.

Examine the 0–60 time. That is not a typo, and we double-checked that with a couple of sources. The 5.9 had a curb weight of 4,217 lbs, however it was hitting 60 mph a couple of half second behind the Mustang GT from this period. This might make the 5.9 Restricted the quickest SUV on the earth for a full decade, remaining undefeated till the discharge of the 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, with a 4.8-second takeoff.

All the pieces We Love About The 5.9

The centerpiece of the 5.9 Restricted is, clearly, the 245-hp 5.9-liter Magnum V8 underneath the hood. However this mannequin included a lot of upgrades to make it, for our cash, the perfect Grand Cherokee ever mass-produced, together with…

• Beauty upgrades like chrome exhaust ideas and a singular entrance grille.
• A smooth, luxury-oriented inside with leather-based upholstery and wood-grain accents.
• Distinctive “five-star” wheels, unique to the 5.9 Restricted.
• 3.73 differential gearing with rear Trac-Lock (the anti-spin system utilized by Jeep and Ford).

So, to begin with, it is uncommon. Secondly, it held a 10-year file because the world’s quickest SUV. Lastly, it is decked out with creature comforts and beautiful fashion. That is a dream automobile in our guide.

Did The 5.9 Restricted Pack A Guide Transmission?

Formally, the 5.9 Restricted was by no means paired with a handbook transmission. However, we have seen custom-builds aiming to make the dream a actuality. A person posting to JeepForum in 2019 reported swapping a 1993 Grand Cherokee’s five-speed into the 5.9 Restricted, solely to expertise laborious shifts and plenty of resistance within the clutch, and ultimately being pressured to scrap the SUV and salvage the engine.

The truth that the venture construct was even drivable conjures up one with hope {that a} handbook 5.9 may very well be constructed by a set of very expert fingers, however it’s definitely not a weekend gig for a first-time customizer.

What Will A 5.9 Restricted Price You In 2025?

Based on Kelley Blue Guide, a 1998 Grand Cherokee 5.9 Restricted ought to run you about $2,416. That is the Truthful Buy Value common, with KBB assuming round 15,000 miles yearly, relying on components like location. That is principally what an excellent situation 5.9 Restricted would price you “in concept” with just a little over 400,000 miles on the odometer.

We’re gonna go forward and say that it would be value it at that value, with these miles. These SUVs aren’t simple to search out. However, the smarter transfer is to spend just a little extra on one thing with a lot decrease mileage. At 400,000 miles, you’ve got bought a ample off-road beater, however you will be happier for those who can put all those miles onto the SUV your self.

Checking the public sale web sites, we have been capable of flip up the next listings on Deliver a Trailer:

• A 75,000-mile model promoting for $16,500 in 2023.
• A 76,000-mile model promoting for $15,750 in 2024.
• A 56,000-mile model promoting for $25,500 in 2021.
• A 45,000-mile model promoting for $14,750 in 2023.

These fashions all offered for his or her respective costs. We additionally turned up a 53,000-mile mannequin which achieved a prime bid of $9,200 in 2023, however which didn’t promote, having failed to fulfill the proprietor’s reserve value.

Primarily based on these numbers, we might counsel budgeting round $20,000 for those who’re searching for one thing with underneath 100,000 miles on the odometer.

What Are The Odds Of Really Discovering A 5.9 Restricted For Sale?

Keep in mind, the Restricted was a part of the ultimate mannequin yr for the primary technology Grand Cherokee, and Jeep made fewer than 15,000 models. At that manufacturing quantity, it isn’t fairly as uncommon because the early handbook transmission fashions, however it’s scarce sufficient that any vendor goes to know precisely what they’re sitting on, and they will know that your decisions are to both pay what they’re asking, or wait months for an additional one to hit the market.

The newest Deliver a Trailer public sale we may flip up closed in March 2024. On Craigslist, we have been capable of flip up a 166,000-mile mannequin going for $6,300 in Sarasota, Florida, which would not be a nasty deal, besides that this one has been modified with all types of devices and add-ons like a raise equipment, efficiency brakes, aftermarket lights, and a {custom} glass pack exhaust. Moreover the truth that you usually do not need to purchase someone else’s project car to start with, we might argue that the 5.9 Restricted is ideal as is. Until you realize a magician who can set up a five-speed handbook, we might say to go away it alone.

Our recommendation can be to control Deliver a Trailer, control your native Craigslist, and hold some spending cash helpful. Inventory 5.9s do pop up infrequently, however they do not keep available on the market for lengthy.