https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f59/ne...erokee-220077/

This maybe a dumb question but my brother brought up an interesting point.
If I was to find a donor XJ body, and drop in my '98 4.0 and tranny do you think that the force of the impact would damage anything with the engine or tranny?
She took quite a hit as you can see. (Hell the damned heater vents covers popped out because of the impact.) I would have to guess the person that hit her was doing at least 55mph and the Cherokee was stationary on the side of the road.
Any thoughts on this folks?

 

Personally I think you may be OKAY. If your rear axle got hit and jammed against everything, then Id say check some stuff. Yet your body took most of the brute. Jolting a unibody is different than jolting a connected part of the drivetrain. At most I would check your engine mounts rubber and see if they are okay. I assume the car still runs? Doesn't even look like your gas tank got hit.

 

The bumper just got grazed if even that. It seems to me that all the force of the impact went into the rear quarter panel.
Still makes me sick to look at the pictures.
I've got my eye on a 2000 with little body rust but its got runner boards on it. >_< And there's also a 97 but its got more rust on it though. At least that struggle will carry over from my '98 lol.

 

Take your insurance money and buy one that doesn't need a transplant. Part out the smashed one. Seems like way too much messing around when you have the option to find a decent one.

 

I've got several options but I can't set anything in stone till I get my settlement from the insurance company.....I have yet to receive my first offer. I have considered parting out the '98 after I get what I want off if it....

 

Just don't get into a hurry about anything yet to soon just wait till you see what the insurance comes up with. Tell them you want it replaced with a 98 or 99 ONLY none of the 00/01's more issues with them its all about condition.


Then if they can't find you one you shop for one that is close to yours all over the country on eBay or craigslist and print off 5-6 of the highest priced ones you can find then give them all of the ones you found and the prices and details of each.


I had a problem like this with my own insurance co. several years back with a Motor Home they could not find one like mine and lowballed me a little. I did the same thing and found one in FL. and 4 other states CA, AZ., NY. but all were 30-45,000 higher than they offered. In the end they paid an extra 40,000 for the one I found in FL.

 

I kinda figured that it was going to be one if those "well, here's your check....now **** off." For the one in Florida, did you have to get it or did they bring it to you? You seem to be somewhat well versed in this sort of thing....
I'm just worried that somehow I'm going to get screwed here. Sure I had problems with my XJ but I knew what they were though. I'm a father of 3 and I work around 50-70 hours a week and between work, kids, wife and what not I'm just too tired to make concrete decisions regarding this matter let alone find a reliable source of information.
I've gotten more information as to how I can protect myself from this forum than I really have anywhere else. But one thing that I did make clear from the beginning was that I wanted another Cherokee and that I was willing to fight too lol.

Why couldn't that ***** hit my wife's car instead? What's done is done I suppose.



Thank you folks for your support and answers to my questions.

 

Hey man good luck and i hope you work all this junk out.

 

Update:
Just got off the phone with the appraiser they want to offer me $3934.10 total including tax title and license fees and sales tax. I can buy back the jeep for $480.48 and they would deduct that from the total leaving me with $3453.62. Would you guys take it? I'm still waiting on the appraiser to email me his report too. Just to be clear, I did not accept this offer and told him that he would be hearing from me sometime in the near future.
Would it be fair to take the driver to court to recoup any other losses in you folks opinion?

 

Taking the guy to court might not net you much in the long run. If you lost wages from work then that would be different. Or you if you or a family member were injured. I would do what Fred was saying look around and find one that is comparable to the one that was wrecked and try to get your moneys worth out of the insurance company. And if the insurance will let you get it back for $480 then take it you can more then that off the parts that are still good.

 

any XJ with rust is not worth putting money into.