Thank you


My plan was to find a decent cherokee to restore and have a nice daily driver / capable light trail truck. Something I can drive to Utah and cruise the parks, plus explore my local trails (Central Valley in CA).

That's why I threw out a high number, figured I need a few thousand in repair parts for now, but was considering getting an engine swap and upgrading the rear end for increased reliability.

 

I'd like to stick around here, and I realize now I posted this in the wrong subforum.

I'll work and get up to speed quickly to figure all this stuff out.

 

Welcome! Just as an idea. Mine was probably in worse shape than yours. Replaced a lot of stuff. Cooling replacement (highly recommended), exhaust manifold and cat, o2, tps and iac, motor mounts, front brakes, rear brakes, tune up, various fluid changes, OE cps, rear seals and bearings. Oh and countless hours because I'm still a newb mechanic but couldn't afford to have someone else do the work. Only $1500 in parts and I haven't touched the suspension yet. Got most of my stuff from Rock Auto. No problems to report

 

Just going to reinforce this. Brakes, complete fluid change, and tune up are all great things to start with. Also, i buy everything from rock auto. Super cheap, fast delivery, and you pick the quality you want/need.

Good looking jeep for 280k miles honestly.. I've seen much worse. I'd definitely pay $800 for it!

 

Great advice, I really appreciate the reinforcement that it appears in decent shape.

I'll definitely start with the basics and get that maintenance done. The Rock Auto site is very good, I'm already getting a parts list going to do my own work.

Fingers crossed that I can pass the SMOG test and get it registered, then I'm going to troubleshoot and fix the stability issue by checking the track bar, bushings, ball joints, and control arm.

I can tell this is going to be an obsessive hobby lol

 

Start saving up now... You're about to waste every penny

 

To say the least! It's been my whole summer hobby haha

 

Well I'm in good company here!

It's funny because I have a nice reliable car in my garage, but that Jeep gives me a big stupid grin just sitting in my drive way.

 

Mine looks awful but I still turn and look at it every time I walk away.

 

It's not a Just Empty Every Pocket for nothing lol.

 

For 800 you got a steal.. Up here in ohio you would be lucky to find one in that shape under 1500 or so.. Honestly, im not sure your plans for it but if its going to be a toy and you decide to get a lift and invest big money on upgrades then do it. You can always transfer to a new XJ if that one gets destroyed to the point of you not wanting to fix it Looks really clean and the things it needs are minor. IMO good job, looks like a nice start! good job on the 5spd, I have a 2 door with the ax15 and love it! Well.. sometimes

 

very clean. id rather have a 300k mile chassis with my work and investment in it (rebuilt everything) vs a 120k mile chassis with someone else's. meaning if I had to turn every nut and bolt on that high mileage jeep myself at least I'd know it was right and I'd know exactly what I had.

I bought a service jeep that had relatively "low" miles (129k) but needed some attention. 3.5 years and 75k miles later i simply refuse to sell it. it saw the worst winters Indiana had to offer in 100 years...and couldn't care less. mines a pavement princess but definitely looks the part. I put 22k+ miles a year on it, lifts and big tires etc do not appeal to me, so I can't say much about that.

good luck with your endeavors. this is an information rich website offering a lot of direct advice, very helpful.

 

Yes, exactly! I have been hunting for a decent starter rig in Northern Ohio, and I can't touch anything that clean for under $2k. Yes, high mileage, but the bones are together. In Ohio my main concern is rockers and floor boards. All the Cherokees in my price range look like they went down with the Titanic.

 

Thanks again everyone!

It passed SMOG today so now I can register it and start working.