I'm going to look at a 91 with 280,xxx miles. I'm told it will pass smog, they have the receipt to prove it, tags are good, it's been well maintained and its been in the same family since the original owner. It has a 3 inch lift over sized tires all for $1,900 if they have the smog receipt and pink, my only concern would be how many miles it has. Any tips would be great, like what to look out for besides the obvious like fluid levels, rust, etc

 

Speaking from experience, check the frame rails and floor boards for rust. Tap them with something metal to make sure you hear a "tink" and not a "dunk". Pay close attention to the leaf spring mounts and anywhere anything vital bolts on.
Check that all the lights work because if not there could be electrical issues. The connections can get corroded and it can be a pita to track them down. Not a deal breaker but a bargaining point.
Know that most Cherokees will require work. Parts are cheap and readily available though.
100% worth the time you put into them!

 

I figure I'm going to save a few bucks on the lift, if everything is still good, I can afford to throw some cash into a rebuild. Hopefully a little further down the road. Thanks for the tip!

 

My advice for a bargaining chip show some disappointment in the lift on it and that you really wanted it to be stock and wonder how much it will cost to make that way. Reason for this there are lift kits and then there are lift kits lots of difference from $150-$1500 them some plain junk unless you know the difference.


Rust is the main killer of XJ's the kind you don't see from just standing beside it, its all underneath.