im looking into buying my first car, i dont know that much about them, but my brother owns a 98 cherokee i was looking into buying the car in the link below and could use some advice as to what to look for when inspecting it

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/2495372905.html

 

Check for rust everywhere EVERYWHERE, look to see if any of the differentials are leaking, Oil pan, tranny etc, basically look for leaks. check the engine bay, see if ac works, make sure it starts fine, also another biggy is make sure you test drive it and can get it up to 60- 65 without it rattling. also turn it all the way to the left than right check for binding or weird noises, make sure theres no grinding or trouble in between gears, make sure the transfer case is fine when in 4x4

 

looks good, i would try to get him to bring the price down to 1700. but it looks great for that many miles

 

Lot of money for the miles.

 

any other advice?

 

test drive it for a while for sure lol, also talk him down on price, it may have 40k on the tranny but the engine will probably need rebuilding within 60kmiles, and make sure he has proof of the tranny rebuild or new one ,

 

check fer oil leak under the rig. see if it has been moved around alot (some do just to cover up a bad oil leak).

 

oh and make shure the 4x4 doesnt drop out like it did on my ma's jeep. then a week later the whole friggen back axle fell out as she was driving it.

 

how can i get them to come down on price, any negotiating techniques?

 

Just point out everything wrong and the high mileage

 

Check for overheating, make sure those trimmed fenders were done properly, check underneath for super cleanliness (some people try to cover up problems by cleaning right before you are to look at it) and as previously stated test drive. As far as the negotiating, use any flaws as a bargaining chip.

 

Looks good for the price, but the mileage is high! I live in Charlotte and I bought my 96 with 120k for $1,800, no rust, fair interior and exterior. 3 years later and I've had no real problems with it. If I were you, I'd look for something that is a few years older than that, with less miles (I wouldn't give anything over 160k the time of day, even for a Cherokee, unless the price is REALLY low).

You can always give the body and interior some TLC. You don't want to be stuck with a dead motor in a couple of months

 

If you are still looking. I wish my Civic was sold so I could go after it. It is 3 hrs from Charlotte though. http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2523049933.html

P.S. First post!

 

point out the bad stuff( Mileage and watever else u *** up with)
And act as if you are kinda interested but don't need it. Offer the guy lower than you WANa pay for it and when he tries to raise you, go for less than that. Example: you"will you take 1500?"
Guy" ehh how about 1950"
You" I'll give u 1750 cash right now take it or leave it"

And if the deal don't go through, there will be another one along the road.