zippinbye

Greetings to all from a new guy to the forum. I joined today for one reason: I saw an XJ that may have swayed me from my TJ hunt, and from lurking here before I know it's an awesome resource. Bottom line, I know I can get a lot more for the money in an XJ, and it will get me all the same places I envisioned in a TJ. My 4x4 background includes every full-size p/u you can imagine, CJs, and FJ40s and all gens of Broncos. Right now I have a Cummins-powered Gen 3 Dodge Ram with suspension mods and a Lexus GX 470 (Land Cruiser Prado) aside from street cars. While the GX is one of the most amazing off-road performers in stock trim, it's far too nice to take into risky and tight spots. One of my biggest attractions to the XJ is easy mods and modest investment, which should help me take it where I want to go without too much worry. So my first order of business is to get price opinions on the following 1999 Cherokee Classic. I viewed it today. Seems to be well-built. There's a bit of paint fade and a rocker dent about 6" in diameter. Otherwise, cosmetics are good in and out. The $7500 ask seesm ok on one hand given the aftermarket parts invested, but looking at classifieds here on a national basis, lots of XJs are going for pennies on the dollar considering total parts value. Maybe it's high? I don't know, so your opinions would be highly appreciated. This is a copy of the ad listing, which I'll let speak for itself:

1999 Jeep Cherokee Sport with $20k of add ons. I used this as a Rock Crawler & a 3rd vehicle when we had one in the shop. Automatic, 99,250 miles. It has: Teraflex "Low Range Kit", Teraflex 2WD Low Kit added, Teraflex Disc Brake Conversion kit (Drums to Disc), Front Steering Stabilizer, 35" Wrangler MTR's x 5, Staun Internal Bead Lock's x 5, ARB Front Locker w/4:56 Gears, ARB Rear Locker w/4:56 Gears, Custom Built Rear CV Driveshaft, Skid Row Engine/Transmission skid plate w/14" Cross member spacing,
Skid Row Transfer Case skid plate, Skid Row Gas Tank skid plate, Yukon Gear Dana 4:56 Reverse Ring & Pinion, Yukon Dana 30 Front gears, Roof Rack, Viair 450C 100% duty Air Compressor w/2.5 Gallon Air Tank, Kit Quick Air kit, 4 to 1 2WD Low Kit w/Short Shaft Kit, Rock Hard 4x4 Ultimate full Sports Cage, Midland CB radio, Tuffy rear storage Box, Tuffy equipment rack on top of storage box, 48" Hi-Lift Jack, Warn RC 9.0 Rock Crawling Winch w/50 ft Synthetic rope on portable mount (never been used), Warn Quick Connector kit for winch on front & back, Kilby 6" Long Air Manifold, K&N FIPK 4.0 Liter radiator, Bilstein 5100 Series lift front & Rear, Batter Shut off switch mounted interior, Extra Axle (for spare).

Problems are: 1) Power door locks in rear are intermittent (problem for all XJ's it appears. I just manually lock the rear's) 2) 2 of internal bead locks are not holding air. 3) Alignment or balancing needs done (only used for off road so not needed by me)

$7,500 cash. It would take over $25k to replace it.

Thanks for sharing any thoughts you may have about a target value on this rig.

- Rich

95Cherokee

Sounds like a lot of stuff on that Jeep, see if you can Jew him down a little.

Not sure if that smiley is a Rabbi, or Zorro.

MrSimon

That is a very well built Jeep with top shelf parts, that's for sure. For what it is, its a good price.

But, you could get a Jeep with less "branding" that is just as capable for a few thousand less.

zippinbye

Thanks for the opinion guys. A similarly-built 99 Wrangler would be 1.5 to 2 times as much around here. Obviously a Cherokee is a relative bargain stick or with tasteful mods. That's what caught my eye, because I'm seeking a 100% recreational rig that would also be a back-up household vehicle. It's easier to swallow in this price range for a trail ride that I don't "need" and will see some driveway time. I haven't had to,e to drive it. My one concern is the stated alignment issue. I've never seen a 4 x 4 with altered suspension where there isn't a bigger problem when someone says "needs alignment." I'll be checking it out soon.

salad

Pics? Rust is key. The name brand parts are a step in the right direction if they've been installed properly. The price seems reasonable so I'm assuming the guy did all the work himself and either actually drove his Jeep or he's trying to get out of debt and taking a loss lol. Either way probably not the kind that payed someone else to build it and never even took it off of asphalt.