Howdy,

Looking on facebook marketplace I found an 88 Cherokee Limited for $2,700. After asking some questions and getting a few more pictures this thing is amazing.

-All original with the exception of the radio (some old aftermarket, I think)
-4WD
-No dents, dings, scrapes, or cracks of any kind
-No chipped or peeling paint except a spot on the undercarriage
-Interior is clean leather, no stains of any kind or rips
-Headliner is clean, but has some sagging
-No engine problems to speak of, runs just fine
-Only 180K miles

So here are my questions:

Is this a good buy/worth it?

What are problems I should be on the lookout for?

And just anything else anyone thinks to add.

This will also be my first Jeep, and one I plan to keep a hold of for a long time if it proves to be as good as it sounds.

Thanks!

 

Get under it with a flashlight and check out the frame rails, suspension parts, floor pans, and literally everything else. Look for rust/rust holes/missing or broken parts.

 

I'll have to give it a good look over when I see it sunday. Also, being as old as it is, does it have a plug for one of those diagnostic readouts under the dash?

 

It does not, it is a renix operating system. I'd look over cruisers mostly renix tips (if you type that into google it should pop up with the website). There is a guy nickintimefilms that makes an "REM" renix engine monitor which can read the outputs of sensors for help you diagnose, but there are no check engine lights or codes.

 

Old thread and I'm not sure if they will resurrect but here goes. My last (and only) XJ I had was an '88. It looked just like the one in my avatar though that pic isn't actually mine. Were the older ones simpler to maintain and work on?

Part of my desire to buy another XJ is because I remember my '88 being easy to maintain/repair. As of today I am limiting my search to '95-99 as I have read that those are the "best" years to buy.

This will be a long term purchase with plans that it will be my "retirement" vehicle. I will get it restored during the next 5-8 years I have left in the workforce while I still have a fairly good income stream and then in retirement have a dependable fun vehicle to drive.

I am thinking that over the next few years I will be going through most everything on whatever I buy. If I'm going to rebuild it all, does it matter what year I buy? Or is it even more important I buy the "best" year if I'm going to put all that work into it?

Thanks.