Buying Advice
 

Hello everyone,

I am considering joining the community in full, by purchasing an XJ; however I would appreciate some advice. I have read the before you post thread and noted that a 2001 head casting is at risk of cracking. And that mods can be difficult, but I probably won’t do much of that.

I’m military and one of our guys relocated overseas and left his vehicle at the unit. It’s been a while and he is looking to sell fairly quick. I can probably name my price here, within reason, but I don’t know what to offer. I live on post and will probably just drive to and from work here on post and to a trail on the weekend.

Jeep:
2001 Cherokee Sport, 169k miles, runs and drives good. 4WD works. Aftermarket radio with blue tooth. No body or frame rust. Small lift with aftermarket struts and steering.

I’ve looked it over and here are my observations

Cons:
- Been sitting for a couple of years but it I’ve driven a few times and nothing has popped up.
- Clear coat is peeling across the top (don’t care but resale consideration)
- Small transmission leak pan or rear seal($?)
- Rear differential is wet. Probably needs gasket/service, along with from diff. ($?)
- AC needs service/repair ($?) got compressor clutch to engage shortly during quick test.
- Needs fuel pump - hard start from fuel leaking back into tank (verified via return hose clamp test). Could still need injectors. ~$100 parts
- Very small exhaust leak from exhaust flange gasket at down pipe lower connection.
- Driver door electric window module needs replaced. Intermittent operation. $20 part
- Maintenance history is not available.
- Brakes have life but are mushy. I will flush on my own.
- Tires will probably need replaced in 5K-10k miles.

In conclusion, I’ll ask, what would you offer?

I’m not looking to spend a ton of money over time and can do most of the needed work on my own. I’ll drive it a few years and probably sell cheap to a young buck when I relocate, which is only a matter of time. Sorry for the limited pictures.

Thank you for reading and look forward to your replies!
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Cherokee value/ prices vary from place to place just like real estate. You two will have to figure out what's agreeable.

I'd buy it do the repairs myself and keep it for a couple hundred thousand miles.

The tricky part would be getting it at the price in the lower half of the sellers price bracket. That way there's a little extra to go towards getting the repairs and maintenance catch up.

I hope I am doing this right…
 

Makes sense and thank you for the sage advice! I’m on Fort Bragg, NC if that helps. KBB says around $2000 but knowing repairs and paint condition I’m inclined to offer substantially less.

If its truly rust free and actually runs good i don't think $2k is that bad a price based on everything noted condition wise. It's a vehicle that's sat and needs some attention - what else is new.

Im in the rust belt soo maintenance and some repairs aint no big deal. It's better then reconstructing a unibody, rocker panel and rear qtr panels repair.

Appreciate the insight! And, rust is a hard no for me, but I’m not from the rust belt.

My XJ became somewhat of a parade of issues after I bought it. O2 sensor went out, door speakers didn't work, starter went out, heater core leaked, CPS went out, fluid changes were long overdue, rear hatch release stopped working. All were low cost DIY fixes, but the point is that these vehicles are unpredictable. Something much worse could go wrong with the one you are considering.

And then there is baseline condition - rust, paint, interior. Sounds like paint is a goner. How about rust and interior?

Much of this doesn't matter if you plan to convert it into thrasher offroad rig, but if you intend to eventually sell it, keep these in mind.

So my thought is that with the poor condition of the paint, and the fact that the many aspects of the condition of the vehicle are unknown, I think $2-4K is a good price.

Let us know whether you will bought it or not?


If there's actually no rust AND THE OIL PRESSURE IS OK (you never mentioned that) I'd give him 2k in a second.

DONT BUY a 99+
I ignored my own advise and bought a 2000, now I hate myself.
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Mileage when the piston broke?

208K I think. I've only drove it 500...

No bueno
 

Man, that sucks! I ended up picking it up. Hopefully she holds on for a while…

I ended up buying it. The deal was too good to pass up in the end. I ran it by a mechanic too. Nothing major found. Hopefully it holds up.

1. Don't beat it like a rented mule.
2. Stick to the maintenance schedule like glue.
3. Replace the oil pump every 100,000 miles.
Done like that more than a couple Cherokees have gone 350,000 - 375,000 miles before needing an engine rebuild.

[QUOTE=ijeeep;3734574
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3. Replace the oil pump every 100,000 miles.
...[/QUOTE]

I don't think I"ve heard many people suggest this. If oil pressure is good with 10w-30, is there any point to replacing the oil pump?