MuddySnow

Hi all,

My dad apparently still has the family 87 Laredo, the 4L with the five speed manual. It's a great car, you know, for an AMC build. But it has great sentimental value, as I learned to drive on the thing. The engine has less than 90k on it, it lived in a heated garage its whole life, but it suffered many of the odd, XJ issues (clutch master cylinder trapping air, squealing rear differential, terrible wiring, and detached motor mounts, among others). It has also not been driven in at least the past fifteen years, though I'm told it has been started and moved around the garage. It needed a new interior in 2004, so let's just write that whole area off.

My question is, if I were to try to get this thing road-worthy again, which would include replacing some of the drivetrain, possibly axles and almost certainly bearings, would I be throwing good money after bad? Or is it a worthwhile project, perhaps with an eye towards replacing the engine down the line with a crate motor and maybe putting a small lift in?

Let's assume for the sake of argument that there's little to no rust on the frame; the body is pristine, except for a small dent I put in the rear bumper back in the day (sorry, dad).

Thoughts?

Martlor13

Sounds like a solid base to me.

MuddySnow

Worst case scenario, how much do you think it should cost to get this beast up and running again? (I know that's highly speculative; just asking what would likely need to be replaced, and how much, on an XJ similar to this one.)

Martlor13

having no idea what it really needs, just what you are assuming, maybe $500? If you do the work.

Suprmn

If the jeep has 90K on it there is a lot of life there. I have a buddy with 320K on the original engine.

Turbo X_J

Nobody parks a usable vehicle, I'll vote basket case, $3,500.

Martlor13

it happens quite often, at least where I am. Older peeps have older vehicles that they just park and don't want to get rid of. You should see what's in some of the garages around my neighborhood not being used. 2 houses down from me an older man has a 1999 Ford 3/4 ton with like 60k miles haha. Rarely ever uses it at all, maybe a couple times a year at most.

s346k

i disagree. i know several families with useable vehicles sitting in garages and pole barns.

to the op: if it were me i would budget $1,500 for immediate repairs and plan on more as vehicle use increases. at the very least it will need new tires and a full on tune up, brakes, fluids etc.

XJlimitedx99

I also was thinking about $1,500-2,000 if it is in the condition you claim. Its an old vehicle. Things are broken/will break. You should definitely be looking at this as more of a project than anything.