Hey guys, I'm new here and I've been looking for a new car for a few weeks now and ran across this XJ which I am really interested in. It looks like a closet classic with low miles for the year. I called the seller and am wondering if there is anything specific I should be looking for other than rust and leaks with the inline 6? Here is a link to the ad:
1998 Jeep Cherokee 82K miles

Let me know what you think! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!


Dan

 

Wow that's clean. Even the first one I bought as a 98 from a dealer back in 2007 probably wasn't that clean, and it was a 2WD. I bought it from the dealer with somewhere over 100K for $5500.

It looks like it's never stepped foot off of the road. If I would have seen that back in 2012 when I was looking for one I would have bought it at whatever price the guy was asking. I had a lot saved up and money was no issue at all. Clean XJ's like that are pretty rare. I'd say snag it before someone else does, unless you intend to abuse it. Then let someone else have it.

 

Yeah I really want to jump on it but he isn't returning my phone calls. His ad says cash only, no checks, so Im thinking it might be a scam. Almost half the ads on craigslist are scams, especially in Miami for some reason. Last time I spoke with him he said he was selling it for his brother in law who is out of the country. He said he had the title and his bro in law signed it already so my BS meter went up a little bit then the ad expired so I figured it sold. Now it's back up with a different number from last time so it could someone who stole the pictures and reposted it in hopes someone will bite. It's unfortunate as those Cherokees don't come up too often. Last time I saw one similar it was in oregon. Mint condition with 60K miles. I just didn't want to spend 9 grand on it.

 

scam for sure, don't even waste anymore time.

 

You really think its a scam? Scammers normally dont know anything about XJs and this seller seems to have a pretty accurate and detailed description.

 

their getting more and more detailed man H ahah. Majority of the ads on my local Craigslist look just like that. Give super detailed info on items, and then the contact number is from who knows where. It's not local that's for sure....now there is a possibility that its not, but given that the op Says they don't call back, and reposted with another number seems sketchy to me..plus the story of selling for their brother seems too close to the scan texts You get saying they'll send you a check and arrange for shipping...come to think of it, sometimes I email or text an ad that looks legit and het a response that that they are selling for someone else and they can be reached at sketch email for more info haha

 

Could be an XJ'ite gone rogue, using their knowledge for evil

 

I don't think this is actually a scam, at least not in the way you folks are discussing it. I searched the phone number and started finding other vehicle-related ads, then located his Ebay account. Here's one of his recent auctions. Notice the similar language?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cherokee-Sp...690?rmvSB=true

From reading his Ebay feedback, this guy appears to be a curbstoner with a particular interest in XJs. I suspect the reason the title was not in his name is because he bought it from someone else and is trying to sell it forward with an open title without registering it and paying taxes on it. He probably hasn't returned the call because this is a side thing that he doesn't expend a lot of effort on and just hasn't gotten around to it.

 

Sounds like hes a wannabe xj car lot online.Honestly i would never buy a older car with super low miles.Its sat a long time and sitting is the worse thing to do to a car.You take that car and daily drive it things are gonna start going wrong in time.Other reason it could have been wrecked,The add does not say it has a clear title or not,Even if it does carfax it.Some states have loose title laws and you can transfer a car with a salvage title to another state and end up getting a clear title.

 

He's a curbstoner. He's a textbook example.

In most places used auto dealers are supposed to be licensed. The license gives them certain privileges (like using dealer tags and getting discounts on transfer fees), but it also costs money and red tape, with every vehicle they sell having to have title transferred and taxes paid. That tends to keep the small time dealers who just want to buy and sell a car or two at a time out of the business, since they can't make enough money selling on the side like this to make the license worth it.

A curbstoner is an unlicensed dealer who doesn't want to pay those taxes or deal with the red tape, so he buys the car from A and has A sign the title, then sells the car to B with an "open title" without ever actually taking legal ownership of the vehicle. As far as the state's title chain shows, A sold the car directly to B, and the curbstoner was never involved.

The name comes from the idea of a shady character standing on the curb trying to sell a car to the next guy who comes along. Just like with some guy selling on the street, the danger in these CL and Ebay curbstoner operations is that since you're not actually dealing with the legal owner of the vehicle, you can't be 100% certain that prior owner isn't going to come up later and report the vehicle stolen, or that someone hasn't placed a lien on it. You can do a VIN search, but that only protects you so far.

This guy has a long enough track record and enough positive feedback on Ebay that it would probably be okay to buy from him, but it's still a substantial risk. Before I bought anything from him, I'd run a VIN check through one of the services that checks for stolen vehicles and verify that the name on the title actually was the last name in the title chain.

If you really want to be safe, the right way to buy a car with an open title (in a state that allows this--some states don't) is to buy it on a bill of sale, buy a surety bond on the vehicle and transfer it to your ownership with a restricted title. The restricted titles usually convert to a regular title after a certain amount of time if nobody comes forward to report it stolen. Texas in particular makes this easy to do, and a lot of vehicles with impaired titles end up out in Texas for "rehabilitation."

 

It does sound possible for a scam.... this is one of the varieties of them that I've seen. The other one that pisses me off to no end is the one where they claim to be active US military. As someone who's served this country, to me that is the lowest of the low. No respect for what those who serve actually give and sometimes being the ultimate sacrifice.

On this one.... if you want to call their bluff to see if it really is a scam.... tell them that due to the fact that it's being listed FOR the owner and not BY the owner, you'll meet them at the DMV for verification for the sale. See if you get a response.

 

Not sure that would help. Majority of people wouldn't go, even if it is legit. Dmv is a half day thing haha. You may not feel comfortable, but sellers know there are thousands of sellers who could give two ****s and will believe the story and just want the jeep... maybe a carfax? Do they show owners names?

 

I think for privacy reasons... I don't believe Carfax shows the actual previous owner(s)'s names. But city and state it's registered/titled in - Yes.

And true.... scammers can usually sense a potential buyer that's sniffing a little too close for their comfort and will just ignore and move on to one that is a sucker.
I do get the wait at dmv...but there are also other places that can do VIN checks too. At least in CO there are. Kind of like a Carfax, only costs a few bucks, but when considering a vehicle purchase, definitely a few bucks well spent IMHO.

 

I don't know....with that missing antenna...Might've walked away...

Just kidding--That's mint. What a find. Good luck with it.

When those were new, thieves used to steal them and ship to Saudi Arabia to fill "orders" from overseas. That's a keeper.