Jeep value. Need opinions to make a decision on the route to take.
 

Thanks in advance to anyone that has valuable insight here. I have a 1999 Jeep Cherokee XJ Sport with 138K on it. I got it for my son who just turned 16 and we've had it about 9 months. Long story short we recently had an overheating issue and after a process with 2 different mechanic shops (wanted a second opinion), I know I have an issue with my head or my gasket, maybe more. I am not mechanically inclined enough to do any of this work myself, so I'm at the mercy of having a reputable shop fix this. Bottom line it's expensive! My question here revolves around what is a Jeep worth with these kind of problems if my decision is to just punt on this Jeep all together? The body is in good shape with no rust and there are no electrical issues. I know my question carries a lot of variability in it, but if you've had any experience there or know the marketplace to have an opinion, please share. Thanks!

hmmm....a 16 year old with a 23 year old Jeep.....
Good possibility that it will need many more repairs...some because of the 16 year old, some because of the 23 year old.
The question really isn't the value of the Jeep, it is how much you are willing to put in it over the next few years to keep it running..
Especially that you have to put it in the shop to have work done.
At this point, you are already at the doorway of diminishing returns so the choice is entirely a choice of convenience and affordability.

hope this helps

Given the age of the vehicle and the driver , the fact that in an earlier post it sounded like it's just intended for street use, and the fact that you need to pay for all the work it's going to need I would suggest it's the wrong vehicle. I can't imagine paying for the work I do on mine and it's a good one.

As far as value in the shape it's in. I live in a somewhat low income rural area with a ton of xj's around. A wild guess for a rust free 99 without any issues would be maybe 5-6 k tops right now for a nice stock one. In your case subtract what it would cost to fix it.....a couple of k at least...or do what some people do and put 4 cans of stop leak in it and 50 wt oil , don't tell them about the problems and hope the buyer doesn't burn your house down.

I bought a used 96 XJ as a first vehicle for my son in 2007, I think. He had it less then a year when another vehicle failed to yield ROW and my son struck the passenger side of a S10. Both vehicles were totaled, but the bigger thing was that both were unhurt! I think I made a good choice of a first vehicle and it paid off even though it was totaled. In the OP's case, if you are willing to learn and have the time you could get someone near to help. Or just watch a bunch of Utube videos. That would be the only way this vehicle will be a cost effective vehicle. Otherwise, I would look at selling and getting something else. Just be forewarned the used car market is crazy! :brickwall:

a starting point is what you paid for it, and the current advertised price for one in your current market

then you have to consider you are at the mercy of the buyer with a faulty or non-goer vehicle

there are many guys that buy such vehicles to repair for themselves or on sell

They will not overpay

for instance, i bought my XJs for $2k as goers, and one for $600 as a non goer, but just need a fuel pump and something else, I forget

people such as myself will not overpay for a vehicle that needs repairs

They always need a front end rebuild, plus whatever else...and yours needs head work ( my estimate ~ $1-2K)

therefore imo, your vehicle is worth the going market price in your area, minus 2K min for head repairs minus "non- goer" discount ( to an interested buyer who fixes things himself, I would lowball you fairly hard sorry)

My son had a similar issue and elected to sell his ~$3k vehicle, got $900

Maybe use it as a father/son learning project and time together? Just about everything you'll be doing is on you tube or someone here knows. But I guess your son has got to be wanting to do it also.