rnmcguire

Man I loved my old 89 XJ and decided to buy another last fall so I bought a 2000 Sport. I looked at it like a reliable vehicle that would get me out of the car payment cycle but today I added up all the receipts for work I've done and parts I've replaced and it seems I've spent about $5000 since November 1st of last year! This is on top of the purchase price. 90% of this work I've done myself. I almost feel that I have a new Jeep because nearly all wear items have been replaced but man it's crazy to think of the money I've spent. The Jeep looks great and I get compliments all the time and it is nice driving something older with character unlike most newer vehicles. Needless to say I feel like I've done a restoration on this old XJ and I'll probably keep her forever. Anyone else feel this way?

aroundincircles

My $500 budget car is quickly exceeding 3000 bucks and I haven't modded a single thing besides tires.

rgr4475

$5000? Wow. What were the more expensive parts you bought?

884x4

This belongs in Cherokee chat.
However. I'll play:
Bought my 88 Cherokee 1 and 1/2 years ago for 1 k.
Added my receipts up and I've put a little over 10k into it.
Did all my own work too besides rebuilding the trans and t case.
It has a new 4.0, rebuilt trans and t case, New axles with 4.88gears locked in the front, New steering, seats lights, bumpers, winch, snorkel, windshield, suspension, wheels and 35s

rnmcguire

The most expensive work was done by a shop. I had them pull the motor and replace all oil seals, head gasket, water pump, oil pump, timing chain/set ($1600). Next would be new tires I guess ($700). I've done everything to include brakes, shocks, entire cooling system replaced, alternator, starter, wiper motor, muffler, all fluids replaced, front door hinge brackets/pins, drivers door check, headlights (1 was original?!?), rear bumper & a whole bunch of other odds and ends. I did also install a new hitch and front recovery hooks. I guess I could of kept driving the Jeep without fixing some of this stuff but I'm a little meticulous when it comes to my vehicles. I can't stand oil leaks!

stitch702

Well I'm in the same boat. I refuse to look at my receipts. The way I justify it is I still saved a bunch of money instead of buying a jku rubicon. I just ordered a remanufactured durango steering box, bosch fuel pump assembly, tune up kit, and some rock sliders....this isn't my daily driver so it doesn't get beat up too bad

Comanche1987

I've done...

Wiper transmission $10
Use wipers $4 (Stainless steel trico vintage style)
drivers seat $10
headlight $2
license plate bulb $free
rear hatch strut $9
tires/wheels $40
exhaust $160 (ripped off on install)
battery $90
battery side post to top post adapter $5
upper/lower coolant hose $16
heater hose $10
waterpump $25
thermostat housing and thermostat $18
fan clutch $30
tachometer gauge cluster $15
temperature sending unit $15
ecu temperature sensor $15
power steering hose $12
center console $10
97 mirrors $20
spark plug wires and plugs $25
msd coil $free
crank position sensor $12
transmission syncromesh $50
transfer case tranny fluid $10
oil change $24
greased all steering components& u joints $18 (grease gun+grease)
chrome grill/headlight assembly $35
pcv hose $8
pioneer speakers $5
injector o rings $9

All work done myself. $400 purchase price and $712 parts so far. I need a $120 fuel pump&filter and a $100+ radiator that will be added to that list.

salad

Good for you rnmcguire! That's really the only way to look at these things - an investment. It's exactly like you say it is... You basically built a brand new Jeep! Every time I see someone write or say something similar it frequently ends with "Too expensive to repair now so I sold it." I shake my head in disbelief - they just lost all that value they poured into it, just to start the same process over again.

I still maintain that the only thing that kills these is rust, and I'm fighting every step if the way lol

Comanche1987

Well that all depends on what kind of vehicle they are going or coming from.

My 1999 Honda civic has 226,000, I bought it from the original owner, so far it has had very basic general maintenance.

Distributor o ring, vtec solenoid gasket, ignition module. Those are the only non maintenance parts that have been changed. The "Change plugs at 30,000 miles" NGK's have made 100k the first time around and now again to 115k (done at 215k), it had a misfire, the factory gap was like .035 and it was so worn down it had over .090s, still running. The terrible roads in Pa has finally taken its tole on the tie rod ends and they are a little loose now. The 100k timing belt has 125k and I'll be doing it soon with the original water pump/tensioner ($80 from rock auto). The crank seal is also seeping a little, I'll be doing that and the cam seal just to be safe.

If you compare that to my Jeep the civic is a soldier. A lot of people don't understand why Honda's are so great until you own a good one. That being said if I could find a SFA that can provide 20mpg highway, tow 5k lbs, 5 speed manual capable, 4 doors for under $3,000 I'd buy it. The only thing that came close was my 1993 Pathfinder 3.0 V6 but it didn't tow as well as the 4.0. If gas was cheap I'd have a Landcruiser.

rwp

This is a universal situation among car guys, whether Jeeps, Mustangs, or BMWs. Older cars require more maintenance, but are generally much cheaper in total expenses than buying a new one. A couple of points re above posts:

1) Hondas are great cars, as are many of today's small cars.

2) Jeeps are more complex assuming 4wd and have more wear parts.

3) Jeeps are generally used for recreation, off-roading, etc. This creates wear. There are lots of Grand Cherokees used today as soccer-mom-mobiles that rack up trouble free miles.

4) Disregarding modifications for your own pleasure, e.g. lift kits, off road tires, etc.maintaining an older Jeep is still probably less expensive than buying a new one.

We're all suckers for older cars.

Epk5150

Wow this thread is perfect for me. I bought my cherokee in March with a total of $7,000 budget. I bought the Jeep for $2600 (paid way too much) and have gone well over the budget already. The lift, wheels, and tires took up the majority of the budget. I replaced the windshield, carpet, front seats, water pump, thermostat, radiator cap, upper & lower radiator hoses, fan clutch, oil pan gasket, valve cover gasket, headlights (still not bright enough), t-case drop, plugs, wires, distributor cap, all new fluids, installed aux fan switch, removed crappy tint, bed lined the bumpers, track bar, lower control arms, upper control arms, drag link, tie rod bar and ends, wheel brake cylinder and brake shoes, crappily patched in sheet metal to cover rusty passenger floor pan, neon injectors, and Im sure there is some more. Its a shame how much I spent on repairs/preventative maintenance and not on the fun stuff.

rnmcguire

Well it's good to see that I'm not alone in this labor of love. Since posting this I've dropped several hundred dollars more. I've replaced the alternator, starter, crank position sensor, radiator, coolant, fan clutch, thermostat, coolant bottle, & radiator hoses. Will it ever end, lol.

Kalali

I know I'm going to jinx the Jeep but I've owned the 2000 XJ bought brand new 5/2000 and now with 183K miles. Aside from regular maintenance, the only real repair was replacing the cracked 0331 head along with replacing some of the cooling system components. This was done two years ago. Total cost was $700 and I did all the work. Oh, the alternator was also replaced a few years ago. It's been one of the most reliable cars we've ever owned. No rust whatsoever.

jamurrin

I have owned a JEEP for a lot of years now, and I like that I can do some of the basic work myself, I think it really does save me some money.

I think, if you compare what you have put into your JEEP with a new car payment, you might be surprised. Of course, you'd have to NOT add in the basic maintenace (brakes, fluids, mufflers, wipers, headlights, etc) because you would need to spend that money on ANY new car.

Just as a quick comparison, a new JEEP Cherokee ($30K) with a 4% car loan will be or $550 for a 5 year loan. Your $5000 over 9 months is about the same $550 per month...but you included a lot of basic maintenance in that.

DieselD

I have a 91 that I paid $1600 (on payments lol) from a car lot. I put maybe $400 in repairs prior to lifting, things like gaskets and cooling system, brakes and blower motor. Then I lifted it, kit was $700, wheels/tires (used) $250. $2950 so far. Then it was totaled. $300 to buy it back, about $250 repairing it, then put about $1700 in upgrades on it. $4200 total so far and counting lol.

My 99 I bought for $1300 when the 91 got totaled, about $200 in maintenance so far. A few upgrades, $250, suspension I have been buying to put on $350, ICON wheels $200. $2250 so far. That will definitely go up.

So $6450 and counting for two XJs that will be far from stock when finished. One to beat on and one to DD. I have friends who have spent that on a down payment for a vehicle. This is over the course of about 6 years now. So, $6450÷72 months, ~$90/month. Not bad. Lol. Plus I actually OWN them.