Hi I'm very new to the forum and am contemplating purchasing a 2001 xj. They are asking 5k it had 126k original miles 5 inch lift and 35 inch tires. But it needs new tires immediately. I was going to come in with a 4200 dollar offer. Is that fair? Also needs an alignment and a tc drop

 

so 5k probably isn't to bad on that honestly. KBB is booked at 5500 in good "stock" condition. With him lifting it and it needing tires and a TC drop i think even offering him 4000 for it would be reasonable. Tires will run you about 800-1000, you could make a case drop for about $15-20. So just point out what you'll have to do to get it back "road worthy" so throw an offer to him. The worst thing he can say is NO. You could also take it to a shop and have the from end shaken down also to check for bad tie rods and ball joints. If those are bad you have more support for the 4k offer. just my .02

 

If it has a 5" lift, I would be careful and inspect everything as much as you can and scrutinize its driving characteristics. If they did a half-**** job on the lift, it could damage a lot of stuff and you would get stuck with it. That they lifted it 5" without doing something to the TC makes it a bit suspect....

 

35" tires cost a ton, too. You might be putting in an additional $1500 for new tires. If they drove hard on those 35's and haven't done a gear swap in he diffs, then there may be issues there too. Lots of stuff changes with big tires and lifts...

 

With a 5" lift it needs an SYE not a TC drop kit period and if it didn't have one I would question the entire quality of the lift itself. You didn't mention if it had gears and lockers in it and what kind they were, a must with large tires gears at the least.


You need to take it to a 4wd shop and have them check it out, a good shop. It might be worth that much or it could be worth $1500 all depends on how good a job was done on the lift.

 

Thank you guys for the input this is the vehicle. Not to many around nowadays so I feel like I need to jump on it. here it is

 

I wouldn't pay 5k for that. Maybe 3500 if it was in good mechanical condition. It looks a bit beat up which means they might not have cared much about it...

 

I personally don't think that it looks bad at all Crazy 8s has very valid points in which you should look into as well. As far as it looking "beat up" i would disagree. I feel like the current owner built it for what he wanted to do with it. My XJ has body damage and everything but don't think of it as "beat up". If it does have the gears thats a bonus, because gearing sucks a$$. if it is still on stock gears i wouldn't pay more than 4000 for it but, i personally like the look of that XJ has a lot of potential.

Just do a valid inspection and see what you getting into. Always remember that just because you can and want to buy it, doesn't mean you have to.

 

Keep in mind 00-01's are prone to cracked 0331 cylinder head castings. If you start having overheating issues this will be why. Nice looking XJ though.

 

One pic isnt enough to really tell, but it appears that the lower control arms need to be longer cus the front tire is real close to the rear of the fenderwell. It actually looks like the wheel has already smashed into the flare and crushed it a bit right there. There is a Rough Country sticker in the window, which means a cheap lift kit (most likely). There 5 solid dents on just the one side, and this might be the better looking side if this pic was in the sale ad. The wheels appear to be the cheap $60 d-window type, which isn't bad, but it reinforces the idea that they did the cheapest lift they could do.

If the OP is mechanically inclined and has time and tools, maybe it would work out. I personally wouldn't pay 4-5k for it... I'd rather get a stock XJ and build it out right.

my .03

 

...and totally this ^^^^

 

Gotta agree with crazy8s, someone who would do a 5" lift and do nothing at all with the TC wouldn't strike me as someone who would've done most things that a setup this big can't do without, like the lower arms, op didn't mention trackbar, tie rod and drag link, and with tires that big running stock gearing would be brutal especially if it's auto. All this adds up fast when you realize you need it, and if you have to pay a shop to do it, you'll either end up spending an extra $5k or end up with a jeep you can't drive past 35mph.

I can completely understand having the cash and wanting something now, but being impatient with this kind of stuff is never good, speaking from experience I can think of at least 3 vehicles I got stuck with because of this.

Just my .02 though, hope it works out.

 

I would find a clean 91-99 no rust virgin that runs and drives good.Later on add the mods and upgrades i want and do them right.Its cheaper to do it that way to buy one that needs a lot of work and end up spending a ton more.