I found an XJ for sale for $500, with 190k miles on the 4.0 and auto trans. It's a Laredo with 4wd. The truck is white, but has red fenders on both sides in the front. We couldn't find any evidence of a front impact, so we suspect rust. The lady who owns it says it was like that when she bought it. She said it has a weird knock in the engine. We got there and it seems like it's the knock that comes from the loose torque converter bolts (my brother helped a friend diagnose and fix the problem already). The gas tank is also dented, looks like someone backed into something low.

Now, all of that isn't a big thing. The only thing that makes me hesitate is that it has a "rebuilt" title because it was in an accident in 2003. It was hit in the rear end, totalled, given a salvage title, then rebuilt and sold again. The carfax says the accident caused minor rear damage and the truck was still functional. I'm thinking it may be ok, because I doubt it would take all that much cosmetic damage for a 12 year old vehicle to be totalled. We're going to go back to look at it again on sunday, and give the frame a good look to make sure it looks ok. If it does I think I'm going to get it. Anyone have any reason I shouldn't, or anything I should look for in particular on it?

 

look at the subframes and see if they are bent there is no regular frame.. is it a 96?

 

Where do the subframes run? They're still more or less under the truck, correct?

I forgot to mention the year, it's a 1991.

 

you will see there are 2 long ones kinda look like a frame but the cherokee is unibody..

 

Yeah, that's what I meant. I just didn't really know what to call them besides frame rails. We plan to check those on sunday when we go back, and if they look ok, I think I may get it. Besides the noise from the trans, it seemed to run pretty well.

 

well look at everthing you can.. look for replaced parts under the jeep like parts that look new and ask them why they got those new parts.. if it was totalled it couldve messed alot of things up .. give it a good look over

 

$500 for a running, driveable XJ is pretty darned reasonable, at least compared to where I live....around NorCal, we have people trying to sell XJ's with blown-up engines for $1500.

 

It's gonna be hard to tell. The accident and rebuilding were back around 2003. According to Carfax it's been bought and sold several times since then. We'll look and see what we can, but that kind of stuff will be hard to pick out. The lady who has it says she hasn't done all that much to it beyond regular maintenance.

 

I wouldn't buy it Salvage titles are a no go IMO unless your goning chop it and make a trail only rig you'll never get you money back

 

It's a rebuilt title at this point, not salvage. I was talking it over with my brother, and the way we were thinking, if it does end up being structurally and mechanically sound then I can drive it for a while, maybe have a little fun off road with it. If it does take a giant dump on me or something, I'm only out $500. Besides, we're pretty mechanically inclined, so fixing any major problems it might have wouldn't be out of the question, or expensive beyond parts.

 

BUUYYYY IIIIIITTTTT!! i got mine off craigslist for 500 with 206,000 on it and almost no floors what so ever... couple of street signs and weld fixed that quick. best vehicle ive ever owned. anyways.. whats the worst that can happen... you lift it up, throw some big *** tires on it, have a blast and then total it yourself. makes sense to me

 

be careful, $500 is a great deal, but once you get started on a jeep (especially a fixer upper) you can get in over your head in spending real fast just to keep it going, not to mention all the mods you'll want to do. I got a "great deal" on a 96 xj for $1400 last november. Since then I've put about $2000 in it, and still not done. But I'd do it all over again. I love working on my jeep and playing with it off road. Just know that it probably won't cost "only $500." You'd be kidding yourself.

 

Depending on how much you want to spend you could by my friends:http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/1146207600.html

 

Thats just a little more than 500 bucks.... lol Nice jeep beside the bogger tires. my .02

 

hahhahaahahahhaa seriously?