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Acquired this Abandoned 1989 limited XJ
only paid $250.
socal desert life. No rust.
4x4. Auto
been sitting for 17 years.
Rats living in engine bay.
I was able to vacuum and pressure wash the bay clean. So nasty.
only 173k miles.
Blasted a rod through the pan so I’ll need another motor.
Never wrecked. All original. No dents.
Who knows what else it will need.
just wondering if it’s worth saving?
needs motor. Gas tank. Missing one of the fans. Leather is super dry. Dash is cracked. Needs a new ignition. Switch and other small items. I put a battery in there and things worked. Lights seats. Fan.
ive never seen so much rat poo. It was like a carpet on top of the engine.
Is it worth it? Anyone know of an engine I can get for cheap?
thanks
is it gunna be worth it?
Last edited by stubble88; Jan 27, 2021 at 08:09 PM.
yes, good score. these jeeps are prone to rust, so anything with no rust is worth fixing, no matter what it needs. a motor is a half day job. well worth it. you can either buy a factory reman, or a junkyard motor, and it would be worth so much more. a good clean, running XJ with low miles can bring in up to 7k, for the right specimen. this one can get to that with a few replacement parts, and some elbow grease.
i would get some leather restorer on the leather, it will soften it up, and look great. maybe replace carpet and headliner as well as dash and armrest lid, if the rats found their way inside. otherwise, just a good deep clean should suffice.
fix er up, she deserves it. and you will get lots of compliments and enjoyment out of it. they truly are the best "SUV" ever produced.
As for as engines, a U pull yard will be the cheapest. You might have to work through a plague of electrical demons so refresh your grounds as you go!
Good Luck!
Abandoned XJ
