ok well im gonna pick up my first xj some time this week.. im super excited to jump into and tear it all apart, clean, rebuild and put it on the road and in the trails, here is the ad that was listed with it, ill also try and figure out how to add photos so yal can tell me what yal think about my new ride. oh and the vision im having with this is a DD with 3-4" lift,some 30-31" tires maybe, not a huge deal on flex to me but gonna go ahead and wack fenders while im tearing it down and before i do body work and paint it. im defiantly doing bed liner on inside floor and then probally install carpet back, also thinking of doing a two tone paint job. any thoughts on colors would be awesome. anyway heres my new toy

(((Mechanics Special - I HAVE TITLE in hand...PROJECT VEHICLE for Father & son or Jeep Enthusiast. Parts for your jeep? Put new Engine in it? I am not a mechanic so I cannot part it out - AS IS
It is running and I have been driving this daily but local at the beach only -- NOT recommended for highway or Long Distance driving as is now... .
It could go for parts or with some $ & TLC of a mechanic could extend the life.
I've only had it since MARCH OF 2010 with 268K miles on it. Miles NOW 283K
Battery new, tires newer good tread bought used within past 6 months. original spare & spare cover in trunk.
New Oil Sending unit.
,Tranny good,
body good -one dent in driver door easy pull out.,
battery & radio & headlights hot wired into battery. Is what it is.
Interior worn, driver door handle needs a screw coming off - tilt wheel good - electric windows & locks but BACK doors don't respond must manually unlock. I have a vinyl mat in trunk. hatch interior missing cosmetic panel prob when speaker were put in - was this way when I got it. I didn't care cosmetic only.
Oil leak from valve cover gasket, Engine runs hot need radiator flush-
something is going on with suspension. Don't know what but def not great noise from rear when tires were rotated. I do NOT know what this noise is.
needs brakes but rotors ok. missing catalytic converter - its a straight pipe welded & tight. .
A/C except the flap behind the dash to direct the flow of air is stuck on position of windshield only.
Radio only face plate is removable
THIS IS AN OLD JEEP. DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU ARE BUYING IT FOR WILL DETERMINE BUYER..))))

any input welcome

 

The first thing I'd do is check the coolant system. He says it runs hot, and needs to be flushed... but lord knows how long he's been running it hot. I've got some severe head gasket paranoia, so I automatically run away from any ads that say anything about overheating, or that mention that the car has a new radiator, water pump and thermostat (because those things are usually only replaced after said overheating). But I would definitely check that before anything else.

I'd also check the rear end. The description mentions a "not great noise" from the rear end. He doesn't know what the noise is, but I'd look at either wheel bearings or the differential.

Other than that... good luck with it! I don't know if it sounds like daily driver material (lots of miles, and the guy seems to be thinking that it won't last very long), but if you put the time and effort into it, anything is possible.

 

first thing im gonna do is yank the motor and tear it apart and rebuild it,deck the head,and valve job , flush radiator while ive got it apart. O and the rear end noise is the back breaks they are completely shot!! its not gonna be a DD anytime soon but i got it for 500$ so i figure its a good cheap place to start and give me a new project. im tired of fixing up f250 diesels.. thanks for the input btw

 

How south GA are you? for 500 id say you got a good deal man

 

im in douglas GA map it and thanks ive been looking for a while now and this has been about the cheapest (running) one i could find. its a starting place anyway. im very excited

 

Oh ok Im way up in Carrollton but i went down to Cumberland island about 3 months ago... Yeah it should be a really good starting point cause the money you didnt spend on it can go into fixing it. Are you gonna re build the whole engine if it still looks good inside?

 

@94xjsport94 i just mapped it and you are 4hrs and 21 mins from me, how are the trails and places up in the A

 

Not a whole lot in metro ATL... A few up in north ga, alabama, and the carolinas but your best best would be anything local and your closer to FL where there is some stuff

 

I don't know I can't decide what I'm gonna do with the motor yet, stroker is outta the question right now seeing as how I was just blessed with a kid. So Probally pull motor all new gaskets, defiantly gonna have head checked and valves redone, check all the cylinders and depending on how they look will determine if I pull them all and have it honed and rering it :/ still up in the air at this point. Just ready to get it home and tear it all apart and get it cleaned up for sure