I’m looking at a stock 1996 4.0 5 speed manual 4 door OBD 2 with 200k miles and electrical gremlins (dash doesn’t work, short somewhere killing the battery), passenger front fender/bumper pushed in, and a shot rear end (at least I think it’s the rear end, I hear a grinding/whirring noise from the back and it feels like something is slowing it down). The seller’s lowest is $1200. Only real perks I can think of are running 4.0, working manual (half the manuals around here grind the gears when you can actually find them), brakes serviced, and not much rust since they salt the roads. I feel like this should be $500, but I’ve been out of the loop for a while and that’s why I’m asking. I have a rusted out 1990 Renix 4.0 manual with broken AC that I was planning to upgrade from but now I’m not sure.

 

I'd offer 200. Keep looking.

 

I think your $500 is in the right ballpark, but it all depends on your neighborhood.

That grinding in the rear might just be brakes, but you have to assume the worst.

By the way, shorts don't cause drained batteries. They cause blown fuses and/or burned wires. If you are comfortable with electrical problems, that's one thing, but if you aren't, well.... There is a reason shops usually won't give estimates on electrical problems. It's a time issue. There is no way to diagnose an electrical problem without time-consuming work. No way to predict how much time it will take to solve a problem.

A manual that grinds might have a clutch problem, and no more.

If you want a project to work on over time, well, it's still a bit high. If you want a soon-to-be daily driver.... move on.

 

You like 500. Sellers lowest is 1200. Thats a hug gap. Keep looking.