psychobat

Been looking on Craigslist a bit for a replacement for my current 95 grand cherokee with some pretty terminal rust. Think I might have found a pretty good replacement.

Got a couple questions though. First off, do the xj cherokees use the same stock rim size as a grand cherokee? The rims on this are a bit rusty and the ones on my grand cherokee are nearly perfect.

Also, will a set of 235/75 tires work on this like it does the grand cherokee? Not fond of the walmart viva tires on it and I have a new set of nokians on my grand cherokee at the moment. Also speaking of walmart, do the zj and xj use the same battery size? Guy put in a neverstart battery and I would prefer to use the couple month old o'reilly super start battery in my grand cherokee.

Did take a look at it earlier today, doesn't look too exaggerated. There's a fair amount of surface rust forming underneath and the undercoating is practically gone, but no real rot yet (could use a good rustproofing). The interior isn't exaggerated though, interior looks brand new. Not even a spec of dirt in the carpet.

I'm a little put off though as it wasn't registered and it's inspection expired in 2016, so I couldn't give it a real test drive. Fluids looked good though and it looked safe from what I could tell (it was almost dark, only had a small flashlight). Considering offering $2500ish as I feel $3200 is high for it, even with a perfect interior. Opinions?

Martlor13

Looks pretty good. All your questions can be answered with a yes. As far as your offer, judging by his 2nd paragraph I doubt he's coming down on price.

RocketMouse

What did the owner give you as the reason he/she didn't have the vehicle registered for over a year?

We all know that some people's idea of great condition are in serious need of an accuracy adjustment.... but who knows, this one could be a deal.... but without being able to really test it out you would have to go on what the owner says on a lot of its current mechanical condition.
Just use the force and go with your gut. Initial instinct is usually right for most people.
good luck either way you choose

psychobat

He said it was originally owned by a 90 year old lady and she stopped driving last year. I do believe his story as I don't think too many other types of people could keep a car that clean after 22 years. It looks like it was detailed regularly and garaged.

I think I'm going to offer him $2400-2500 and see if he bites. I really don't think its worth $3200 not being able to test it at highway speeds.

Martlor13

He will probably counter with 2800 to 3000. Again, just judging by his post, he thinks it's a rare item haha

psychobat

He actually countered at $2500 actually from my offer of $2400. I'm happy enough at that price to take the risk. Going to get the bill of sale tomorrow and drive it home Tuesday.

elwoodblues

That thing has rust.

psychobat

Doesn't have any rot that I could see, was planning on taking a second walk around before I sign the bill of sale though as it was getting dark when I looked at it.

elwoodblues

Look at the 5th pic, inside the door opening on the rear passenger side it's rusted out. I don't know if it's an easy fix, but that tells me that it's got floor pan rust too. My 96 has a rust free body and it's floor pans were completely gone. Got it fixed.

I don't think that thing is as mint as they say it is. Worth a look, but I think they're overpriced. I wouldn't go over $2500, if that. Especially since it's base model. Tell them you'll pay $3200 if they'll fix the rust. FWIW I paid $2900 for my Country with 116k on it.

Martlor13

damn man good eye!! The rust blended in with the ground haha. I would check it over again man. Lift up the carpets of you can. I think you MIGHT find a mess there.

Morat

"Vintage Grand Cherokee"? I don't think that guy knows as much about it as he thinks he does.

psychobat

I didn't even notice that, I'll have to take a further look at it.

Also, he did come down to $2500, might use this as extra leverage to go lower if it's not too extensive.

elwoodblues

Just get under it and it'll be pretty obvious, since the carpet will be sagged out. The carpet might not feel soft from the inside, as the salt will harden it. The "floor" felt solid in mine from the inside bc of how crusty the carpet was from underneath. Best way to tell is from under. Check the front, back and cargo area.

The only saving grace on that one is the mileage but 87k isn't stupidly low and for an XJ, anything under 150k I think is "young".

psychobat

It has 131k, only 2k lower than my grand cherokee.

I did check underneath and it didn't look too bad. It's got some surface rust due to the original undercoating failing, but everything felt solid. Didn't look at the rear doorbell rust, but I'm going to investigate that area a little more before I buy.

As for the carpet, that didnt look or feel hardened at all. Carpet almost looks new. Still going to double check underneath since it'll be light out when I go over there tomorrow.

RocketMouse

yeah.. hard to tell from the pics...but as you said, a thorough check underneath especially in the known problem areas before you dole out the cash is a wise idea.
If it's just surface and nothing major then cool... you just don't want to be flintstoning it expected or unexpectedly. lol