NewJerseyXJ609

Anyone have any cherokee purchases that turned into a major unseen headache?? I'm interested to hear the stories! Because....

I have one! About a year ago I purchased a 99 cherokee with 137k miles. It was clean too. Forest green and unmodified. It had a fender flare that was scuffed up and the passenger front window didn't work. In the ad they mentioned a new thermostat.( This will come back to bite me) When I checked the jeep out everything seemed good. No leaks steering was tight and no unwanted noises. I let the jeep idle for about 20 minutes with no issues while I haggled on the price. I got the fellow down to 1300 and was on my way! With my girlfriend following behind I was happy as can be in my new cherokee. Until disaster struck... I get about 3 miles down the turnpike and the temp guage peaked, shooting coolant and white smoke out everywhere. Could I have gotten ripped off? I added some coolant let it cool down and fired her up. Sure enough another 2 miles and it overheated again. I definitely knew I got ripped off. The jeep had a bad head gasket. To make a long story short (but still kind of long) after an hour or so of yelling and arguing I brought the jeep back. Where the guy.. Or a-hole at this point handed me 1200. So I basically got to rent a cherokee for an hour for 100 bucks. Not bad! I definitely learned my lesson... Never buy an xj that has a new thermostat. Lol

I thought the jeep scene was like a brotherhood. No jeeper gets left behind.. We help each other.... Well this guy must have drove a Toyota or something. I've never met such a horrible person as this fellow. But.. You know what they say about karma.

MHoude36

I wouldn't say that i necessarely got ripped off but after i bought my 01 xj a little over a year ago for $1500, still a pretty good deal, the little gremlins started to appear. I bought it with a new cps and cam pos sensor, and a set of mismatched tires. Got it home, next day new tires...Check, well go to get it inspected and was told i had no mil being commanded, puzzled i dug into it. Come to find out the PO drilled a hole in the dash bezel and painted over the CEL and was hiding the dreaded P0301 and p0303 codes upon further inspection of my XJ they also had changed the shocks and busted the bolts and subsequently drilled through the floor also my tailgate wouldn't open, though the fix was easy still a pain non the less and to cap it all off the window lock switch was also malfunctioned... well jumped that circuit right out! but i still feel your pain..... sucks gettin burmed

motorcharge

Meh, ****ty of him not to tell you, but it's also not his fault you didn't even test drive it enough to get it to operating temp.

My current XJ had a chunk of the head snap off when putting a new tstat in a couple days after I bought it. Royally pissed me off for a couple days, but it was just a ****ty freak thing so it wasn't a huge deal in the end. Even after the fix I was under $500 for the Jeep and a new head on the motor.

Derision

I kind of did, right before I got the XJ. I was looking at a '90 Caprice Classic. It didn't have plates on it, but the guy lived at the end of a cul-de-sac, and I drove the thing around the circle a couple of times. Everything seemed solid, and I bought it for $1000.

Came back to get it the next day, and when I put plates on it and started driving it down the street, I noticed something didn't seem right. Well, the steering was obliterated. Didn't notice it when I drove it around the circle because with the wheels turned, it was unnoticeable... once I straightened out, it was obvious that the driver's side wheel was stuck in that position.

I figured, hey, the guy probably didn't know about it, and I obviously didn't see it, so I figured that I'd ask for $700 of the $1000 back and let him keep $300 for the inconvenience. When I called him and explained things, he said to me:

"Well, now knowing this about the car... I'm willing to buy back the car for 100 of your dollars."

Er, yeah. That wasn't happening, so I met him back at his house (where the Caprice was still sitting) and had some words, eventually got my $1000 back. Took that, and put it towards my XJ about a week later.

NickH

I did but it is my fault for not knowing my ****. I paid an awful lot for a Jeep I thought was done that turned out to be redneck engineered all to hell. Basically I had to replace the front axle and all the steering components. And now knowing a lot more about what XJ's are worth...I paid way more then I ever should have. It is what it is. And it is just sitting in the garage for something else that is wrong...lol. Oh well, I do have a pretty sweet jeep now.

NewJerseyXJ609

On the contrary sir! I test drove it and let it idle for about 20 mins. We all know how Cherokees love to idle in the summer. It only overheated once I got it down the road a mile or so.. But I still should have known better...

NewJerseyXJ609

That is dedication there... That's like some used care salesman stuff... I've never been so angry before in my life honestly. Both embarrassing and completely frustrating. But you live and learn... It won't happen to me again.. I hope! Lol

NewJerseyXJ609

This is exactly how the guy was with me. As if in my 25 minutes of ownership I blew the head gasket. I call and tell him I'm broke down and he was adamant that the jeep had never overheated before. BS! He wasn't willing to give me my money and we all know that type of deal is "as-is"... So I had no choice but to bribe the guy with 100 bucks. That's even after explaining that I'm 21 (at the time) and don't have a ton of money. I saved and saved to buy another jeep but some people could care less if they screw you. I would never even have the heart to do that to someone. My conscious would eat me alive lol,

KCXJKID

I bought a 99 classic about 2 years ago. The guy I was purchasing it from was in the process of installing a (used) radiator. He got it all put back together. Started it and let it idle for over 30 mins I checked everything over. Checked out good. Took it on a test drive etc and ended up buying it. 2 days later the tranny starts slipping. Pop the hood and checked everything and it turned out to be a bad radiator (cracked in the inside) where the tranny fluid flows thru to be cooled. Tranny fluid in coolant....and coolant in tranny fluid. I was beyond pissed but couldnt really blame it on the guy because he picked up a used radiator that he had no idea had a cracked tranny cooler. Long story short. BUY A NEW RADIATOR and save yourself alot of time and hassle!!!

NewJerseyXJ609

Good point. I rarely buy used parts unless it's certain things that can't really be bad.. I'd much rather pay the extra money for something like a rad.. But if he knew he was going to sell it he probably didn't want to spend money on it.

While in the middle of showing my 96 xj to a would be buyer the battery died.. Did I go the cheap route and get a junkyard battery? Nope.. I bought a brand new $80 battery for the jeep 2 days before I sold it because that's just how I am. But not everyone is like you and I...

studmuffin

Op, i wouldnt necessarily call the jeep owner an ******* I mean it is a rule of thumb that once the hand shakes and money is transfered the deal is done. I do agree however that it was wrong of him to not discuss hidden issues with you but that is always the risk of buying a used vehicle. My 2 cents.

BlvdKreeper

When I bought my 2001 xj the check engine light came on a week later. Just needed a tune up and had a large evap leak on the intake manifold. I eventually fixed It tho. Did take me about about two weeks or so to find the leak. I think he reset the ecu just before I bought it so the check engine wouldn't be on. I guess I wasn't screwed as bad. It's driving strong now.

NewJerseyXJ609

If you knowingly rip someone off by lying about the vehicle is say your a jerk. There are plenty of ads stating bad head gaskets. And they go for a lot cheaper. Why state the truth when you can lie and try and rip someone off. I'd say that's being a jerk.

NewJerseyXJ609

Always, always bring a scanner or borrow one from a friend. You never know what the po is hiding from you. It's hard to find honest sellers. That's why I bought my 00 from an 87 yr old man. Lol

MHoude36

Yea seams he went the extra mile to get rid of it, should have offered him less! But hey i still have a strong running XJ, better then driving the wifes CRV anyday!