Hey guys,

First post. I've been getting into XJ's and finally have the funds to jump in and buy. Im looking at a 2000 sport, owner is a mechanic that buys jeeps, fixes them up and sells them. Spoke with him a decent amount and seems like a good dude.
Refreshed Trans: flushed and internally cleaned, new oil/filter and pan gasket. Several new parts including: ALL Fresh fluids
complete front brakes
shocks links bushings. Hub/bearing
water pump
thermostat
Radiator
new engine head, not junk yard head
All gaskets
tires
sensors, working fog lights.
Has small exhaust leak from muffler.

Body is pretty clean, no rot. $1800
What do you guys think?

Pictures help. Have you verified that he actually change all these parts? Or you going off what he's saying?

Just what he said for now, going to see it later this week.

check the head. the 331 head is prone to crack. mine is still ok at 169000 in a 2000.
i paid 1200 and put ?300 in it since oct, still have 331 head. if your head is new id say youre good.
pull up carpet to check rusted floors, probably need work..

Ok thanks, I'll make sure to check under carpets.

Generally speaking (and I mean very generally) that is a very attractive price for the vehicle if it is mechanically sound.

However, you can sometimes get a feel for things by looking at what has been messed with, and the following:

water pump
thermostat
Radiator
new engine head, not junk yard head
All gaskets

Get my attention. Someone struggled with an over-heating problem and likely a cracked head or blown head gasket situation. Now if it has a new non-331 head on it, great. However, what I would worry about is that the motor has been "baked" a few times, and you'll end up having to work on it. Not the end of the world, but there is more to the motor than just the head.

I would definitely want to do an extended test drive, where I got it fully up to temperature and put a few miles on it in varying terrain (hills, flats, etc.) to help flush out any problems that show up only when it has been running for a bit. I would also want to do a coolant exhaust gas test (they can be bought cheap and done on the spot).

But, if after doing as much due diligence as you can, and making sure it is not falling apart due to rust underneath, you think it is in good working order. The price is definitely fair. Keeping in mind that many people here got their XJs super cheap a few years ago, but a decent condition XJ is becoming harder to find these days, so their prices are slowly creeping up. $1800 is pretty hard to find unless now days unless it is in pretty rough shape. A good condition, high mileage (150k+) around here will run about $3500 (low end) right now.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

Thanks for the info Jordan, I'll def look into the tests.

looks like the PO replaced the head. Could have been retarded though and replaced the head with another defective one.

Some would just grab any head replace it and sell it,I would make sure what head it has on it 100% before i bought it.

Question this.

There are trans flushes that use high pressure to flush out crud, and they can ruin a transmission by breaking stuff loose that then clogs passages.

There is also a low-pressure flush that uses the transmission's own pump to circulate fresh fluid through the system. This is a good thing.

Then there's a manual flush. Details in my sig.


Which did he do?

Uh, don't go ask him something like, "Did you do the high power flush that's really bad? Or the low power flush that is good?"

What do you think his answer would be?