2000 Jeep Cherokee Classic Sport Utility 4-door 4.0l on 2040-cars

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Watch a Jeep CJ get disassembled and reassembled in minutes

Movie buffs! Remember the scene in the James Bond film 007: The Living Daylights where Timothy Dalton's character slices the floorpan off a police Lada using a laser, and when the driver hits the brakes the Lada's body simply jumps off its axles? That scene was immediately brought to mind as I watched this clip of eight Canadian mechanics disassembling a slightly modified Jeep in a matter of seconds. Having driven the Jeep to a complete stop, the technicians start unbolting it until the body lifts off the frame and the engine can be hauled away. It only took half a minute to turn the Jeep into just a chassis on wheels. As repair manuals say, refitting is the reversal of removal. Apparently the technicians have now honed their mechanical choreography to the point that the Jeep can be disassembled and reassembled in two minutes and 39 seconds; while I expect a great number of bolts having been removed beforehand and the likelihood of the Jeep falling to pieces with a sharp braking being significant, it is definitely impressive. It also reminds me of someone driving an old, dodgy car, having learned all its kinks to be able to keep it running. According to a Reddit thread, the pre-modified "Jifty Jeep" has been built (and taken apart, and rebuilt) by the School of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME) for exactly this purpose. The team travels all around Canada to practice their show, trying to shave seconds off their record. There are worse hobbies.

‘Star Trek’ actor's family settles with Fiat Chrysler over his death

LOS ANGELES — The family of late "Star Trek" actor Anton Yelchin has settled a wrongful death lawsuit with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV over the rollaway crash of a Jeep Grand Cherokee that killed the up-and-coming actor almost two years ago. Terms of the settlement, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, were not disclosed. The lawsuit filed by Yelchin's parents, celebrated Russian figure skaters Victor and Irina Yelchin, is believed to be the first wrongful death complaint filed over Fiat Chrysler's April 2016 recall of more than 1.1 million vehicles due to a rollaway risk. Yelchin, 27, best known for playing navigator Pavel Chekov in the "Star Trek" movie reboot, died in June 2016 when his 2015 Grand Cherokee rolled backward in the steep driveway of his Los Angeles home, pinning the actor against a brick wall and fence. Yelchin's final role was in the indie film "Thoroughbreds," which was released this month. In a statement, Fiat Chrysler said on Thursday the company is "pleased that we've reached an amicable resolution in this matter. ... We continue to extend our deepest sympathies to the Yelchin family for their tragic loss." Messages left with Yelchin family attorney Gary Dordick seeking comment were not immediately returned. The lawsuit also accused Fiat Chrysler of negligence, product liability and breach of warranty. Dordick said when he filed the lawsuit that Fiat Chrysler had mailed a recall letter to Yelchin that was received seven days after his death. Final recall notices were sent during that time, but interim notices had been mailed at least 17 days before Yelchin's accident, Fiat Chrysler said. At the time of Yelchin's death, the rollaway problem had been tied to at least 68 injuries, 266 crashes and 308 reports of property damage. Drivers complained they would exit vehicles with the engine running falsely believing the vehicle was in park. Fiat Chrysler furnished a software upgrade to the affected 2014-2015 model year Jeep Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicle as well as 2012-2014 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans.Reporting by Eric KelseyRelated Video:

2019 Jeep Cherokee base model costs less, but other prices jump

Jeep just recently revealed the revised 2019 Cherokee crossover with a milder nose and tail, and even a bit more cargo space. The redesign has also brought new pricing that presents a $300 discount for the base Latitude trim, but sees increases across most of the rest of the trim lines. The destination charge also increased from $1,095 to $1,195. Four-wheel-drive is now a flat $1,500 increase for all models, whereas it varied between trims on the 2018 model. At the base of the Cherokee lineup is the Latitude, which now gets a price of $25,190, and that $300 reduction from the 2018 model carries over to the four-wheel-drive version. Latitude Plus sees a slight jump in price by $300 for the two-wheel- and four-wheel-drive models, with the two-wheel-drive one starting at $27,690. The Limited trim is up by $680 with both drivetrains, with a base price of $31,570 for one with two-wheel-drive. The biggest price increases come on the Trailhawk and Overland models. The Trailhawk soars $2,425 higher than last year's model, for a base price of $34,515. The Overland two-wheel-drive model also sees a big increase of $2,280 to a starting price of $36,275. But if you want four-wheel-drive in your Overland, the difference is a much more reasonable $535, for a base total of $38,970. View 104 Photos The 2019 Jeep Cherokee will be arriving at dealers soon. In addition to front-wheel-drive and two kinds of four-wheel-drive drivetrains, one with a single gear range and another with low range, a selection of three engines will be available. The standard engine on all Latitude, Latitude Plus, and front-wheel-drive Limited is a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter engine with 180 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque. All of those trims can have the optional 3.2-liter naturally aspirated V6 making 271 horsepower and 239 pound-feet of torque. The aforementioned Latitude Plus and Limited trims also have the new turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder available as an option. That engine makes 270 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The four-wheel-drive Limited, and all Overland and Trailhawk trims have the V6 as a standard engine with the turbo four-cylinder as an option. All engines are coupled to a nine-speed automatic transmission. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Jeep Cherokee: Detroit 2018 View 21 Photos Image Credit: Drew Phillips, Jeep Jeep Car Buying Crossover SUV Off-Road Vehicles