$10k over 5 years for a daily driver? Not bad. Now you're looking to spend another $10k, I'm assuming on something trouble-tree? You can lease a new Nissan Versa for $150/month. That's only $9k over 5 years! I just saved you a grand*!

*minus down payment, taxes, fees, mileage overage, etc...

 

I'd have to go look at the receipt. But I agree that place was charging too much. I'm done going there lol.

I'll look into DIY for the compressor. They said i need an accumulator as well. I've had BMWs for a long time and none of them ever required as much maintenance which is why I guess the Jeep occasionally gets me wondering why it needs so much work.

Thanks, heard great things about Yukons. i may look into them. What year?

 

nah has to be a truck with 4 doors. My buddy picked up a F150 cab for about 15k a couple years ago and it's solid

 

Solid...for now. What year? Soon it too will require maintenance, shocks, tires, brakes, plugs. Plugs, is it a Triton motor? Google "Triton spark plugs", see if that looks tempting.

 

I've had people ask me if I was joking when I give them estimates to replace the plugs on the Tritons. Price depends on how many break in the heads...

 

Exactly. Everything will require maintenance. The way I see it, the OP should have a damn near new XJ with all the money that's been thrown at it. I'd keep it, better than taking a gamble with someone else's old news.

 

So what I can surmise from these prices is that "American Tire" has been giving you a royal hosing.

Don't know what fix locks is but sounds like I could have did it myself for way less.

Exhaust leak check, if I don't pass out unconscious when driving my XJ then the exhaust is fine.

 

A lot of factors there, could be the PO flogged the crap out of it/didn't maintain it. Not every XJ is gonna go the distance, but they'll all require work. The BMWs you had have also left you with a skewed outlook on "average" used cars.

My '96 328is had over 350K miles on it when I traded it, and it was still one of the most reliable cars I'd ever owned. Other than tune ups, all I ever had to replace was the PS pump & the cam sensor. Cold AC, all the power goodies still worked perfect, and it would boil the tires right off the wheels.

Awesome car, but a 2dr Bimmer & 3 kids? Had to let her go.

 

I could never afford to have my Jeep if a shop did the work... I currently have two XJS. Mine which I have about 2x-3x into as you do (Due to someone else building the engine and doing my axle work) and a stock one I bought for 1000$. I use the stock one when mine is down for repairs.

Labor costs are ridiculous. Sure there is overhead and all but come on... Those guys doing the work certainly are not making that much... Trust me, I know! I feel bad knowing that myself, as a steel worker, running a CNC machine and not doing all that much work (Almost everything is too heavy to lift by hand) am costing someone 85$ an hour. Then again, we are employee owned so.. not really

Got off on a tangent there... My point is, if you do love your Jeep, buy another one for cheap as a spare (or any cheap car.) Do the work yourself and not only will it cost you 1/6th of the cost, but you gain the experience. Just don't tell your friends or you will be pestered constantly. 99% of it can be done with very cheap tools. I still need to learn how to do gears... would save me money everytime something breaks.

 

I don't know what your initial cost for your XJ was, but in repairs you're shelling out $166 a month over 5 years or $209 a month over 4 years. I'm not sure what your insurance costs are either.

Now if you buy something else will you be making payments? If you're making payments you'll need full coverage insurance, so insurance is likely to go up. So at $10k you'll have invested the repair costs of your XJ into a vehicle you don't have any history on. So really you have no idea if you'll be throwing more money at your next vehicle either.

I tell my customers this all the time, you know what you have and what you've put into your current vehicle. You don't know what you're going to get in a used car and what issues you might be dealing with. I trust used car lots about as far as I can toss an elephant, and this is coming from someone from within the industry. However, I also trust private sellers about the same as used car dealers.

 

The sad thing is if you are going to unload it. you will probably not get more than 3k for it, 4k if it is clean enough. Then you will be rolling the dice if you replace it with another used vehicle.

 

A/c compressors are like 230 bucks at my work auto zone. Then u need to get the system vacumed out which most shops will do that for 100 bucks and theyll put refrigerant in too. Oh dont forget compresser oil too.

 

Lolz, you're in Jersey bro! Fak ac. Ya got another rig you can drive on the hot days. Just roll with it and turn the ac into OBA.