ksnoob

I am considering buying a 2003 Grand Cherokee 4 litre , part time 4wd with 120k. A couple years ago, the engine got hot and resultantly, the head was removed and machined. The transmission was also replaced a couple years ago. The price is 4k

After driving it today, I noticed that it was slightly out of alignment, running a bit rough (idling low) but driving nicely down the highway.

The engine light was on, I took it to an auto parts store and it was throwing a random misfire, cylinder misfires in 1-5, a small evaporative leak, and a heater circuit error.

My wife was with me and I did not have an opportunity to check the spark plugs, I am going back tomorrow and check to see if they are fouled.

Any opinions here?

ksnoob

the codes were p0300 (random misfire) and 0301 thru 0305 (cylinders 1 thru 5 misfire).

I made an appt with a local dealerships and am going to pay them a bit of coin to determine what the problem is. hopefully, they can give me a good idea. just thought that might be a good way to go about it. I'll post what they find in this thread, just in case it might be of use to someone someday.

Hymie

Because you have spelt ‘Litre’ correctly, I’m guessing you are in the UK.

At 4k for a 2003 model (with noted issues), I’d say it was slightly overpriced.

A quick check on Auto-Trader shows a 2003 - 4.7L V8 with 87k miles, with fsh for £3,495.

Therefore if I were to part with £4k for the vehicle you are proposing to purchase – I would want all the issues sorted, and a years MOT.

Before parting with the cash, check out the insurance costs, which will be exorbitant if you are under 30, and don’t forget the road tax at over £400.

ksnoob

I'm in the U.S. and the $4k is in dollars

So...the jeep is an hour away from me. I drove to a local Chrysler dealership this morning for an 8am appt. At the outset, I told them I was concerned with the misfire codes and wanted them diagnosed/estimate for repair given.

I was told "in order to really diagnose the problem and give you a fair estimate, it's going to take some shop time. We'll do a diagnostic for $95 and afterward, we'll be able to tell you what the cost of repair will be." That seemed fair to me and seemed like a good price. I don't mind paying (for what seemed to me to be an estimate) since it obviously takes time.

The service shop calls me two hours later with a list of error codes and inform me that it will be another $200 if I want the exact cause of the misfire codes diagnosed.

At this point, I went back to the shop and spoke with the manager who agreed to have his tech diagnose the misfire codes without incurring further cost to me. They apparently reset the codes and drove the jeep. The error codes did not come back (engine light did not come back on). They are going to keep it overnight, drive it in the AM, and see if the codes come back.

ksnoob

also, I talked to the owner of the vehicle and he has reduced his price to $3500.

this jeep is a 2003 Grand Cherokee Laredo with the Selec-Trak part time 4wd system. it does have 120k miles. the interior is in good shape, the exterior is not perfect. I don't see any apparent rust but there are a couple scrapes. the transmission has been replaced (at about 70k mileage) and the head has been machined (same time).

ksnoob

still in the same spot, apparently the misfire codes have not come back. they are going to drive it again this afternoon and once more Mon AM to see if the codes return.

the engine light did come back on. there is a small evaporitive leak code as well as a heater circuit code, but the misfire code has not reappeared.

Hymie

My price becomes $5.6k in American money, which would suggest $4k is more than reasonable. I believe that the resale value in the US for such vehicles can be better than here in the UK since we are paying around $8.50 for a gallon of gas, and the annual road tax is over $650 (for such vehicles).

Should you decide to purchase the vehicle, I would strongly recommend you purchase one of these or something similar – it will pay for itself within a few uses (although this listing is from ebay’s UK site).

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CAR-DIAGNOSTIC...item256465879f

ksnoob

That is good advice, thank you1 Ended up buying the jeep for $3500. After the error codes were reset, the misfire errors have not reappeared (I've put about 200 miles on it).

The diagnostic computer would be nice to have. However, there are several auto parts stores that will let you use theirs in the parking lot for free if you leave a driver's license at the counter. I'm very cheap