Just wanted to introduce myself. I'm from NYC, everything here is expensive. So to cut costs when my lease was up on my new car, I decided to buy something used, easy to fix myself in case something broke (even though I have very minimal knowledge on cars, but I'm a plumber by trade so mechanically inclined) and fun to drive. I settled on a Jeep XJ. After looking on Craigslist and FB Marketplace, I found the one.


I bought a 95 Cherokee SE 2 door. 125k miles. Straight 6. I believe it has a 8.25 rear axle? 4? inch lift I think. Brand new tires.


It's got a couple of problems. Mostly cosmetic, some mechanical. The floor boards on both sides are soft and starting to go..rocker panels are Swiss cheese. Small rust hole on the unibody. Both seats hardware and brackets very rusty. No head liner or console lights. Drivers side door sags and was made worse when the last owned tried to Jerry rig it back to new. No heat or AC. Windshield wiper fluid pump doesn't work. Had a bad exhaust leak, temporarily plugged up thanks to JB weld. E brake cable is disconnected. Break lines rusted. Sway bar bushings dry as the Sahara. 1 sway bar link is currently sitting on the front passenger seat. I'm sure I'm forgetting some stuff.


Once I started noticing the problems I got that sick feeling in my stomach. What the heck did I get myself into? I got a good deal on it, maybe I can sell it and just make my money back?


Then I drove it in the snow and I was hooked. No way I'm selling this thing. So any tips on getting started on what feels like a colossal endeavor?

 

Here she is