I've always looked for an XJ in the winter since Chicago has some significant snowfall. I found this guy local, got him to come down $150, and picked it up for $900.

The good:
New hoses
New radiator
New ball joint (one of them)
No engine/trans/rear issues
Drives straight
doesn't overheat
Overall great vehicle, but for $900 it's a GREAT catch IMO.

The bad:
Power seats won't move
Power window don't work
cruise doesn't work
someone mounted the rear-view mirror too high on the windshield
drivers seat sucks
broken console lid
only class 1 or 2 hitch
only moderate heat
AC not sure, haven't tried
passenger side impact (needs fender, maybe door)
UGLY wheels

Overall simple fixes, so I can't complain about the Jeep. I can complain about the $225 I just spent at the DMV though......

Any input on those issues would be great since I haven't dug into anything yet.

 

wow wow great buy how many miles? 900 bucks you can'tgo wrong!!!

 

Oh yeah I forgot, it's got 159,XXX. Of course We get 4" of snow the day after I buy it!

 

That's god throwing confetti for such a great purchase.
When someone *****es about the weather, I always jokingly say - All weather is Jeep weather. Rain, shine, snow, etc...

 

Nice, and the receipts I got with it are crazy..........valve cover gasket, ball joint, radiator hoses - $600!?!? Maybe I'm out of touch because I've never had to take a vehicle to anyone but myself, but wow that's a lot of money. All from Merlins 200K shop. wow.

 

Full size spare too.

 

Good deal, not bad looking.

 

WHAT full size SPARE!? thats INCREDIBLEjk. Congrats on the jeep, you scored pretty dam good on that 1!

 

Welcome to the site, congrats on your new Jeep. Put a lift in it with a set of black steelies and it'll start to look awesome.

 

Worked on the 'just warm, not hot' heat issue this weekend.

Replaced a cracked heater core return hose, replaced thermostat, replaced belt, flushed heater core with some CLR then water, checked bypass valve and vacuum (good vacuum when HVAC controls are on cold) Temp gauge never breaks 185*.....

Still the interior heat temp only mildly improved. Still not actually hot, but a little warmer than before.......Not sure what else to check. I still want to raise the front-end with a jack and try to bleed any air out, but that's all I can think of.

Also, my transfer case is a ***** to shift and, there seems to be some sort of drag on the drivetrain. The 'check antilock' light is on so I need to investigate that too. The drag might be rear brake related because I did notice that the brakes are a little TOO good. What I mean is that the brakes engage immediately when you touch the pedal which tells me somethings bound up with the rear drums. (I've done that before with rear drums so I know it can happen)

And after what I found while changing the belt and thermostat, I think anythings possible on this Jeep. Merlins 200K shop did **** POOR work on this XJ before I owned it. Loose wires everywhere, air cleaner loose with the bolts bouncing around in the bottom, elec fan loose and bouncing around, tensioner broken..........wtf