Just looking for some advice I understand this forum is mainly for Cherokees but thought maybe I could get some help on here as time is of the essence. I really know nothing about car repairs or frame repairs but I’m considering buying a 1996 Grand Cherokee with only 70,000 miles on it. Have not seen it in person yet but am planning on checking it out this weekend. One of the photos posted shows some rust. I’ve been trying to look up pics of a clean undercarriage to identify the part but having no luck. I know that Jeeps are uni-frame so not sure if rust would have a worse impact given that fact, also I know that to get a good idea I’ll have to look at the whole vehicle but was wondering if by this one picture someone could tell me if it’s even worth driving the 50 miles to the dealer to closer inspect. Thanks for any help..

 

A dealer is selling that? That looks pretty heavily crusted. If it's really cheap then the engine and trans are probably worth the cost but depends how much they're asking. If the price is anywhere near what others are going for then I'd keep looking or get the price down. The bottom line is this one is rusted, anything can be fixed if you get it for a good enough price and you're willing to pay for the repairs.

 

I woulsnt even consider going to look at it unless I was looking for a cheap vehicle.

 

Is that the best part or the worst part?

Either way it probably a mess. Be careful

 

Walk, NO RUN!!!!!!!!!!! Why even waste your time unless it is a parts vehicle and you need the engine/trans???

Wait, this is the XJ Forum, spray some POR 15 on it and send it!

Seriously, no way I would waste my time on that but it is entirely your call.

 

So basically it would be a want not a need. I have a brand new Jeep and have always loved the look of the older ones and always wanted one for my own. So I found this online near me from a used dealer, the interior is extremely clean and it has low miles for a 96 Jeep, I probably could get them down to 2700$, so even if it was 1500$ to fix the rust, I personally feel like it would be an okay deal to walk away from all that with a low mileage Jeep that are growing more valuable. But my fear is that it is so bad that it will be unable to fix, I haven’t seen it in person yet so this is all I have from the dealer regarding the rust

 

unfortunately this is the only picture I have of the rust so far and have not seen it yet in person to judge for myself. Obviously rust would be something to worry about on any one that’s this old my fear is that it would be so bad it would be beyond repair or the repair would someone require all the interior being ripped up with the main reason I’m buying it is the nice interior.

 

It is a unibody so you cannot even swap out to a better frame. No way. For that money you would be better off with one with twice the miles but little to no rust. They are out there.

 

thanks for the advice, after reading this stuff probably going to steer clear of it. Thought it was odd it was priced so low looking so nice but I guess that’s why no ones bought it yet. Do you know what years have less issues with rust? I live in the northeast so we get our asses kicked with the salt and crap in the winter months

 

Last year was '01 so keep in mind you are looking at a 19+ year old vehicle and they all rust. You will need to be prepared to fly-n-drive or have it shipped from outside the rust belt. Maybe you will be the one who finds that one sitting in the barn, never driven in rain/snow and pay $3k for it. I hope there are some in your area but realistically, I doubt it. They will be all rusted out, hacksawed and pieced together. Buyer Beware.

 

If the dealer is showing that much rust then there's much more he's not showing. Run away.

 

$2700 you said? HA! Ridiculous. That would be $500 tops all day long even up here in the rust belt. You can find better deals than that one, go to Marketplace on FB and have a look!
That being said, I have in the past had some major frame issues (as in. broke in half) on my zj, which proved to be fixable and gave me some experience with 3" x1/4 plate and a stick welder. Half inch bolts, and stitch welds. That's toward the rear of the vehicle, though, and what you're showing is toward the cross member, which oddly enough is in fair shape on mine. So hit and miss I guess.