As the title says Barnfind '94 XJ sells for $21K.

Not a question, other than I cant find the link !

* edit..here is a link

https://barnfinds.com/23k-miles-1994...herokee-sport/

I saw it a week or so ago, a dark green unit, Stock, less than 20k miles

US $21,000 seems a pretty high price for an XJ ?

my experience with "classic" cars, is that totally original, unmolested units tend to hold value best

....and are definitely the ones to buy...if you can locate one

 

Gee $21k ..... I don't know if I would pay it ..... I paid $750 for my totally original, unmolested 96 a few years ago ...... owes me around $8k these days as everything broke ... still totally original, unmolested except for wheels and parts replaced no mods still worth $750 to the out side world ... priceless to me

 

The only way I can see it being worth $21K is to a collector, and then it would have to be pristine with ownership and maintenance records. Maybe to someone like Jay Leno!

 

Yes, I would say it was "pristine"

Basically looked brand new, it would have had records, pedigree, 1 owner probably, etc etc

"Barnfind" is some sort of website, not literal barn finds lol

 

My 67 SS Camaro cost me $3,695 when I bought it. Now you couldn't touch it for $10,000! I saw one similar go for $16,000 at auction. Mine was Starlight Blue with a BLACK nose stripe and a black vinyl top, rallye suspension, and the Special High Performance 350 in it with the Muncie wide ratio 4-speed and 4.10 12-bolt Posi rear. It was special ordered and I bought it as a repo less than a year old. The story I was told is the owner died and the wife wouldn't pay for it.

 

A friend of mine is always emailing me links to here:

https://bringatrailer.com/search/jeep+cherokee+sport/

I really don't get it. I have a good amount of money in mine. I think to think it is in pretty shape but.....
All the things I do are for me. Have no expectations of getting back anywhere near what I have in her.
I see what some of these vehicles are selling for and think people are nuts.
Don't get me wrong. Most of them appear to have really low miles, some optioned very nicely, and look to be in awesome shape.
But still........

 

I guess it all depends on how much you really want a nice XJ and how much money you want to spend. Around me, all you see on the road are JKUs and JKs or Grand Cherokees. You very seldom see XJs. Lots of Patriots, Compasses also.

 

1995 4cyl YJs are selling used for $15k with 100k miles around here. They originally sold for $12-14k. I blame the ridiculous pricing of new vehicles. Seriously, new Wranglers are starting at $32 and easily go up to $56k?

 

Maybe Nicholas Gage said it best in Gone In Sixty Seconds.
I believe I am paraphrasing a bit.
"To many self indulgent A-holes with too much bloody money."

 

So true

Honestly though, I saw it on Ebay, (the green 4 door one, right?) and it really did look fantastic. I think it was detailed to make it look tip top, but still a nice find. It's a collector vehicle for sure, not a barn find. Probably owned by an older person and garage kept.

I can easily see XJ's that are in good to really good original shape, no rust, that have not been lifted or fender trimmed going for a pretty penny. They are hard to find. And I know that if I were going to start working on one, i'd rather not get one that some idiot before me butchered.

 

I have a shiny, but fairly average 96 (black). Up-country clone, with 30" KO2s on it. Last weekend I was stopped no less than 3 times at gas stations and parking lots by somebody that wanted to talk about or mention how much they liked my Jeep. When I first got it 4 years ago (when it was even more shiny and the rust was hidden better) I got approached on about 1/2 of my stops at the gas station. In my area (rust belt) these are very rare in good condition. So as they become more rare in all of your various regions - you'll see more of what I am already seeing here.

My point...when a vehicle is striking that much nostalgia and good will, it is definitely on the track to becoming collectible, as the number of good examples dwindles.

I'm afraid to say that mine will never be collectible. Because I am actively using it for its intended purpose. 80 miles/day and lots of camping/fishing. So it is getting rougher each season. More scratches, more rust, more dings. But I'm having a lot of fun doing it.

 

I bought my '89 XJ Laredo a few months back for under $3k, and it is all original and in beautiful condition. No rust, original paint, original space saver spare that has never been used, everything. Heck, it still had the factory radio/cassette player and the infrared remote lock still works (though crappily, just like when it was new lol). Sure, it has 180k miles on it, but it was meticulously maintained and garage kept by the older couple I bought it from. Did I think it was worth way more than I paid for it? Oh, yeah. Was I thrilled to get it for that amount? You know I was. Would I pay over $20k for one? Um, no.

 

My 95 will never be considered "collectable" with the hacked TJ bumper on the front (in MA you can't pass inspection without a proper front bumper and the steel bar the P.O. welded to the front was not "proper"... I guess the flimsy plastic end caps are crucial safety features on the otherwise solid metal bumper...), visible bondo on the rockers and off color front right fender.
It drives awesome though and has been invaluable in transporting building materials for the home improvement projects and kids' bunk bed components the last few months.

When I was shopping for my 95 I came across an 88 Comanche, 4.0L, 4wd, 5-spd, all original, rust free, climate controlled garaged with 14k miles located somewhere in NY. They wanted something in the low $20k for it IIRC.

 

Found my 96 with 49k miles on it 4 years ago. I paid $5900. At the time...that was on the high side, but the sellers specialized in flipping XJs and would not budge. It is basically impossible to find good condition XJs in my region. For my particular XJ I would pay that price again. I've gotten $6k of value from it already (I have added about 70k miles in 4 years with no major problems). So everything from here on out is just icing on the cake.

 

Found one, but says 23k miles. https://barnfinds.com/23k-miles-1994...herokee-sport/

There is an ebay link in there also.

Would i pay that for an XJ? No. If it were a Wagoneer from the 70s in the same condition, definitely.