italianjeremy

hey guys... ive been trolling for about 3 months now, and figured its a good time since we all need money and snow season is almost over and its time for people to get rid of there SUVs for hippy cars ! good for me , not for them!

anyways, here are the two cars im gonna check out tomorrow.

the black one is a 1999 sport with 139k on it . i havent talked to him yet, but its also a small wholesaler . seems like its in nice shape. cruise as well as the other one. it also has a moon roof! this one i can get for 2900-3000$ .

the white one(bottom 2 pics) is a 2000 with 140k miles . it is in exc condition , with only one rust bubble underneath the rear gate when you close it. you cant see if from the outside.
he doesnt know about the rocker panels... hell find out tomorrow.
tires are 75% and the interior is good . i can probably get it for $3200 total incl tax/title. it has a tow receiver too

i am going to use this a fair amount to tow my bass boat as well as haul firewood with it in my trailer. i like how the white one has a hitch , but i DONT LIKE that someone could have abused it for towing (ie towing too much , suspension sag, etc) . but it would save me 150$ for the hitch and my labor to put it in . i like the black color better. . . but again , need to talk to him first( you can tell a lot when you talk to these swindlers)

what you think?

winston427

The 99 has the high pinion front axle, the 00 has the low pinion. If you plan on lifting it then I would go for the 99. It will have better ground clearence at the front differential and the driveline angle won't be as steep as the 00. Other than that, they both look like good investments.

BreakOut

I would go for that black one if i were you. Spend the extra money and put the tow hitch on it and walah!

Sorry for the hijack but how do you know if you have a high pinion or a low pinion?

italianjeremy

high pinion or low? huh ? i like how both are right at kelly blue book FAIR condition, though both seem to be good/excellent .

winston427

Up until 99 Jeep used the Dana 30 with the reverse cut ring and pinion. This place the driveshaft above the centerline of the differetial. In 00-01 they switched to the standard Dana 30 that was also being used in the Wrangler, it places the driveshaft below the centerline of the diff. The one on the left is low, the right is high pinion.

Wilbur2001XJ

i would stay away from the white one. when i was looking at cherokee's whenever there was one with a tow hitch they never offered me a warranty. when it has a hitch you never know how much towing that person did with it. that can put a lot of strain on the vehicle. if you plan on towing anyway just go for the black one and spend a few extra bucks on a new hitch. it will save you in the long run because your jeep will probably last a little longer!

italianjeremy

i was told to look at the differential ( pumpkin ball) to make sure the bottom of it is flat and not oval. and thats the good axle to get. am i right?

winston427

Flat bottom is the Chrysler 8.25, it is stronger than the Dana 35 (round center). The D35 is commonly referred to as the turd.

italianjeremy

well ill call them in an hour when they open with the black one. any other sugg? i know to look at rocker panels, and rear differential leaks... anything else?

GTPstarter

Crawl under her and check the floor pan for any rust. From what I've read on this site and viewing my own jeep the bigest problem for rust is near the rear fender wells. The point where the floor pan mates with the wheel wells at all four corners of the jeep. I would take an awl with me to use as a poker, the same thing a shop would do to it for inspection.

italianjeremy

ok guys. talked to the black jeep owner. its about 45miles from me so i wanted to wait till i talked to him on the phone before jumping the gun and going there. i called when they opened and his assistant said there were 3 people waiting for the jeep when he opened. no big deal. the owner called me back in 30 minutes. he said they didnt buy it, thats when i knew something was wrong with this black jeep .

he said it wasnt perfect blah blah , but said the front hood seemed like it was pushed up and them flattened back down. and the drivers door seems like it was taken off the car and repainted awhile ago . he said it was fine, and seemed quite honest, but that enough for me to say ... ehh i dont think so .

the guy who owns the white one is gonna call me back at 2 when he gets to the car to take a ton of pics. you guys got me worried about the towing package already installed. its a class 3 hitch ... did cherokees with TOWING PACKAGES from the factory have class 3 hitches? my thinking is that maybe the original owner bought it with the hitch installed and never used it for anything. . was wondering if i could tell if the hitch has been used or if theres a factory jeep brand hitch ?
getting it for 3200$ out the door is a good good deal . thats the kelly blue book price for FAIR condition.
i rerally dont need the XJ right now, and have a 94 camry right now thats leaking oil by the timing belt, but just found out itll only cost 300 for water pump , timing belt, and gasket to stop oil leak. thats not too bad. then that would bide me time till i find an even better XJ deal.. . what ya think? thanks guys !!!!

funkle95xj

Honestly, if the 2000 doesn't turn out to be "the one" I would fix the Camry and hold out and keep saving till the right XJ comes along. There's no sense in rushing into getting a Jeep if you already have a means of transportation. It's always better to bide you time and give yourself extra time to try to find that gem we all dream about, and know is out there...

winston427

Walk away from them if you have any doubt at all. It is better to keep looking until you are sure than to be full of regret every time you look at it.

cherokee4meplz

the black one looks like it was kept up pretty good in pics. pics can lie though.

Laredoman2011

i have to agree with winston427. i sort of jumped into getting my jeep. i got it for around 1300 but ended up putting around 400 after and i'm sure it will need more. but its mine and i enjoy working on it. but like they say, good things come to those who wait.