so i’m purchasing this 98 XJ tomorrow and it was recently in a small accident, i have questions on if this damage in the front is reparable

is this fixable ?

 

A good body shop can do wonderful things but that is bent pretty bad for a "small accident". You can see the radiator is out of position and the ac condenser is also wonky. the whole thing is bent down and in. That is going to be pricey to fix. I think I would take it to a body shop before I bought it unless you are buying it for parts for some other project.

 

Walk away.

Unless you are getting it for parts, for a few hundred bucks, walk away.


EDIT TO ADD:

There's more damage there than you realize. That was a hard hit, and you have no idea what else might be broken. When that thing stopped suddenly, the rest of the vehicle wanted to keep going. That includes the engine and transmission, and there may have been enough force to damage them in ways that you can't see right now.

Unless you want the parts, walk away.

 

You could fix that easy by buying another Jeep and moving over what ever parts the other one does not have that you want from this one. $300 parts roller.

 

I agree, that was much more than a small fender bender. I'm guessing you're not planning to repair this yourself, if you're asking the question. A body shop is going to charge you more than bluebook to fix that. Just looking at the picture, the ends of both rails are mushed in and folded over. The lower pass control arm mount is bent and looks like the tie rod is bent too, so I would suspect the axle could be bent as well. The radiator is sitting crooked, and it might just be the perspective but it looks like the plastic end is crooked.

 

Sometimes a small accident can cause major damage. And sellers will usually play it off like it's no big deal.

That vehicle is good for 2 things. Parts or offroad only. It might not even be good for offroading if everything is smashed up into the engine. It might not even run

 

Is that $1500 written on the windshield? The damage alone will probably cost more than that. Parts, labor, supplies. It adds up quick. Some body shops have no issues with frame work, but will need to see the vehicle or pics to get an idea of what they are in for. Some body shops will not touch that with a 10ft pole.

At first glance it might not look that bad, but you will not get the full picture until you start pulling parts off of it, which i doubt the seller is willing to do. You might get lucky and the front frame rails need a slight pull, if at all to square them up. But what about the radiator, ac condensor, fans, or inner fenders? Even the framerail where the steering box mounts. That can crack. It has happened. How are the door gaps, etc.? Do all of them, including the liftgate, open and close properly? Have the airbags gone off? And does it even run? What condition are the floors in?

Lots to consider here. If it were me, i would pass.

 

I would not pay 1500 for it.
But if it is rust FREE,, I would pay $500-800 depending on millage.

"Judging by the picture",, worst case is pull engine/trans,,
Go to JY and cut off front core support,
drill out spot welds and pull old core support,
clean/straighten fram rail and weld stiffiners on IF needed.
weld on JY core support, clean, prime, paint,
re-install engine.
Weekend project

 

Weekend project for some of us. For someone who asks if this looks minor it's more like a six month rebuild. If they are in for learning and doing, then great. If they are just a driver then this is a pass.

 

If you want to see what all the pieces look like behind the grill, there are quite a few in my fender apron rebuild thread: https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/reb...-apron-226647/. There will definitely be some pulling needed to get the passenger side bumper mount back to usable and the passenger side frame parallel with the drivers side.