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i am wondering if i got a good deal on this jeep. i had to rush to buy a replacement vehicle for my totals 98 grand Cherokee and would really have liked to look around longer but time was running out on the rental and then i'd have no vehicle for anything. i guess i had a great timing for my weekend off work to be able to do work on it.
its got flaws no doubt i could not expect anything less from an older vehicle but i based getting it on the price and what i expected to put into it. it am at that point and havn't even bought all the stuff yet but i think this is going to last me for a while.
just for comparison i had put almost 2900 into my 98 grand cherokee over the last couple of years (one repair job started my membership to this forum) i put about 1100 into it about a year or so ago for ac work, exhaust manifold work, new rotors on the front and pads. that price included the 600 for parts (new compressor, accumulator, orifice tube, in addition to the other stuff). i had previously purchased shocks with lifetime warranties a new battery, back lift rods or sticks, new headlight lens kit to replace the old yellow ones and i had life time alignment from firestone.
as of the time of the accident the jeep has 181k miles on it, the ac still needed one major part under the dash replaced, a new headliner to be installed and possibly a paint job sooner or later. i was expecting to put another grand into this coming tax refund to get everything but the painting done. i expected 5-7 hundred just for the ac part like 250 for the part and the rest in labor for tearing out the dash.
new jeep
1996 grand cherokee limited
131k miles
working ac system
fine headliner
engine sounds good
tranny seems solid
paid $1,300 for it
another 180 for the title transfer and taxes
today i purshased $500 in parts to start fixing things i had already fixed on the other jeep. all these recommendations came from a firestone inspection i paid for.
new shocks
new rotors and pads
new radiator hoses and radiator flush and refill
oil change
things yet to get
power lock issue(posted another thread on this)
rear view mirror
back list gates for both the hatch and window
new front seats maybe powered maybe not, haven't decided
replacement headlight set and possibly the rears as well
new life time alignment when on sale
trim
paint job
obviously some stuff is more important than others and some will wait till later. after i get this important fixes done i am looking at another cheap vehicle hopefully an astro/safari or an cargo van. if for nothing more than a backup vehicle so i can feel safe tackling more time intensive problems.
and here is a picture of the beast and as you can see the jeep is in it too.
i hope so. i have about 2 grand into it right now in total. but i hope with the stuff i am doing to it tomorrow that its goign to last me 5-10 years with nothing major happening. thats what i was hoping for my other jeep.
its engine at 131k miles is just broken in.
with i knew if a tranny flush had been done in it but i could always ask them.
everyone wanted me to get a newer vehicle with payments. i learned to like my old jeep and this one is close to it.
i hope so. i have about 2 grand into it right now in total. but i hope with the stuff i am doing to it tomorrow that its goign to last me 5-10 years with nothing major happening. thats what i was hoping for my other jeep. its engine at 131k miles is just broken in. with i knew if a tranny flush had been done in it but i could always ask them. everyone wanted me to get a newer vehicle with payments. i learned to like my old jeep and this one is close to it.
I'd flush all the fluids that way you know it's fresh. Also, I agree fully. I'm driving a 95 XJ and I would rather drive it than the new JK's! I love older stuff
no major rust that i can see. there appears to be some on the roof but its all looking like surface rust
bottom of the vehicle don't look bad either i've. not really much different than my old one.
i hope the brakes get better.
did a lot of work it to including replacing every rotor, pads, and even emergency shoes.
while it already feels 3 times better than it was, my jeep was still stronger on the peddle. does that make sense. it feel stronger and stiffer when pressing the brake peddle but not like my grandfathers ltd which had a hard trigger brake peddle.
i've not tested it on the road yet, just got done took a shower now need to get food and sleep.
i'll be tested tomorrow. hopefully there's not the problem i had when the stuff was done on my jeep by a mechanic..
its a bonding time doing repairs for me and my new jeep.
Still believe I got a pretty good deal on this vehicle, especially after some of the recent test drives i've done, while I put some good money into the jeep and have more to go, I kinda know what I was doing, some of my recent test drives scared me with possible hidden costs.
I test drove a conversion van. they had it cheap and it looked ok but when test driving the trans slipped twice, not sure if that was a failing transmission or just becasue its not driven much, oil leak from the oil pan which obviously was not correct and needed to be replaced but they said it, I was unsure about the total cost to get it done or if it was something i could have done but then there was major rust at spots where the body and frame met that bothered me so I passed on it.
So anyways I am looking for a spare back up vehicle partially so I can fix some of the stuff on the jeep left to do and that's been found since I bought it.
Been so busy since the accident and such I've really gotten behind on stuff.
Stuff still needing to do on the jeep
oil change (and on the soul as well)
radiator flush
replace headlights on the front
replace hatch lifters
figure out door lock master switch issue or whatever the issue is
bleeding the brakes
new things since I bought it.
It appears there still is a small oil leak. Perhaps its the adapter still that the guy said he fixed. I think when i do the oil change I'll remove the adapter and clean it all up and see what happens. Its a bigger oil leak than my old jeep had but still not bad. The oil on the dip stick has not gone down very much in the last month and a half and I've put almost 1300 miles on it since purchasing it. I saw it drip the other day at the doctors office but when i got underneath it I could not figure out where it was coming from. I see oil on the starter (i believe its the starter) and it goes down and is also on or right behind the oil pan. So not sure where the oil is actually leaking from.
Think the blower motor is not working to its full potential or is going bad, while its blowing i don't think its blowing nearly as hard as it should at least not compared to my last jeep also it still cools down the vehicle with the ac. I also possibility have a clogged condensation line (not sure if that would effect the ac from working at full blast). My passenger floor is soaked with water, took a dip the other day while over there. Kinda worried about taking a drill to the jeep like in the videos to clear it out.
It also appears the light switch is failing. Noticed this about two weeks after having the vehicle at night the lights on the dashboard and gear selector kept blinking on and off. It works fine for days then has this issue for a day or two and then goes to working fine again. So it appears that switch needs to be replaced, I wish my trim was better though so much of it its broken and can't find any cheap replacement alternatives most are stickers that go over the stuff which is no good when the parts themselves are busted.
I am sure I'll be doing more posts little by little for anything I need help/advice on.
Thinking about a Transmission flush/filter replacement but the jeep is working good and shifting without problems but I do not know if it had been done recently or not.
Anyways this was an update, maybe the next update in a month or so will have more or most of this stuff taken care of.
01-31-2015, 06:42 PM
did i get a good deal in this jeep
