Very venty first post.
Prospective XJ owner. New to adult world. Wanting something that won't crap itself for two months while I can get used to it, make my own adjustments and minor repairs as needed with the help of more mechanically inclined friends. It also has to fit the standards of my family which are "looks nice, plays music, won't die," and can get us coast to coast.
Just investigated one for sale in my locale and am left feeling frustrated and lost, like I'm too late to the party. I've always heard tales of people getting these in drivable condition for <$1,000 and carrying it for 300k miles, it's the labor of their life, yadda yadda. I want that.
I got the seller down from 6k to 5k by just being nice. Then we go to investigate the car--

Things I'm not used to/wondering about:
NO BLIND SPOTS!!!! It felt AMAZING getting a fearless 360 through all the large windows.
Tighter turn radii than expected.
"Real" gas mileage. Google told me it was 13/26. Current daily is 25/36.
Insurance costs. Will the insurer see it's a cheap turd and go easy, or think I'm going to get it stuck in the desert?
Steering deadzone. I learned on a RWD manual truck when I was 13, but have only ever actually driven FWD commuter cars. Can't remember what RWD feels like. I couldn't feel the steering until the car went forward and actually started engaging the turn. Is that just how RWD/4WD is? It just felt really light, whereas I can feel the daily with my fingertips.
Accelerator travel. I couldn't deduce if my shoe was just hitting the footwell shield or if the accelerator had a lot of free travel, like a sloppy trigger on a firearm.
Didn't like the lack of a deadpedal, but no biggie.

The bad:
Seller didn't have a CarFax report, so we got one live with the help of a dealership friend. Came back as a salvage when it was marketed as clean. No mention of the (one) accident on record, was with previous owner (current's father, mechanic type guy). Front-end with another vehicle. Had no idea. Looks good as new apart from the paint upon scrutiny. Physical title in hand was clean.
1/2 roof lights busted.
2/4 of the doors are one-way operation with one of the interior panels off (but present).
Somehow gained 300 miles on the odometer within 8 days of the listing when owner said he was just getting burgers with it. 206000.
Paint is off-tone on the hood.
Sport redline paneling was gone on one side.
A/C needed a charge but came with a tank (not a can, a tank/canister) of refrigerant.
Original service manual missing.
Transmission clunked when going from Drive to Reverse and vice versa.
Unknown belt age. Did not get a better look at the condition of the belt itself.
Unknown hose conditions. Did not get a chance to physically squeeze the hoses to test softness.
Unknown death wobble. Did not take an opportunity to get it up to speed.
Seller claims top speed is 85 on flat. I prefer it a bit faster on the open road...
Seller didn't bother to refill wiper fluid. I feel like that's something you'd sort out if you were seriously selling a car.
Automatic.
Strange puddle under the driver footwell shield, but we're still under a hurricane. Did not smell like anything bad.

I personally didn't mind these things as long as I could haggle him lower, but my family was yapping my head off the entire time. I figure it's a 30 year old car designed to be cheap as heck, it's going to have some caveats, but that's what negotiating is for (and getting a more extensive test drive).

The good:
Extensive service records. Was seemingly in good hands. Tons of paint marker under the hood.
No rust. Lived in arid desert. Only a few square centimeters of it on the front doorwells.
No fluid leaks.
No evidence of strange products in the coolant tank or radiator (looking for sparkles in the fluids with a light).
Aftermarket stereo with aux. Driver side tweeter speaker was missing, but I didn't care, and I'm the only driver.
4.0 Inline-6 4x4 Sport. My preferred variant. Beautiful color. Not lifted-- I like how they look stock. 1993.
Various new parts and tires installed within the last 72 months.
Comes with a spare front diff, spare fuel/water pump, and that aforementioned refrigerant.

Everything else I could think of are things I thought are used car things in general.
Active registration. Had the title in hand.
No damage to the wheels from curbs.
Wiper blades OK.
Paint OK.
Panel gaps OK.
Windows OK. Manual.
No evidence of oil or other sludge out of the exhaust.
No strange noises from the A/C.
Seemingly did not veer while braking. Seemingly did not veer on flat with no input. Steering seemingly did not rest off-center. Needs another test drive to determine for sure.
No excessive bouncing.
No uneven tire wear.
All interior and exterior lights work.
Battery OK. No parasitic drain.
No mice/spiders/critters.
Oil OK. Was not gooey/black/shiny/metallic/milky/smells burnt/like gas.
No hisses, squeaks, ticks, or knocking anywhere.
Brakes OK but unknown date on last bleed.
Cranked in less than 1.5 seconds.

Overall, I loved it. Just loved it. Want it. Badly. Before it's even more too late. But not for 6k, and not for 5k. I offered 2.5 and he declined. I need your help determining what's the right move and value here. Totally blind here.

 

This is an amateur opinion, but over here in southern California some of these are listed much higher than that and the majority are automatics. Personally, I'm not convinced 2500 is reasonable based off your observations noted here. I would be surprised if you could get it below 4 now.

1. You love it and want it badly but at the same time you need something that "won't crap out for two months." The vehicle is 30 years old man with 206k on the meter, you can't confirm what you are getting into so this is an unreasonable ask.
2. Automatic-I get this is a personal preference but this alone would keep me looking.
3. Service manual? Wiper fluid? Really?.. C'mon man.

My advice? Decide if you are willing to to put the time in. Salvage or not, it is going to be a project. With enough patience and elbow grease, it can be great.

 

Thanks for replying! The need for it not dying is just because I don't want it to need excessive labor in my first moments of owning it. I got the impression it wouldn't. Love it, want it badly. Family and I have a whole year to get it into a well-loved condition. My friends advise me to stay away from automatic Chrysler products. I said the minor things don't bother me. I'm thinking about negotiating more heavily with the seller.

 

the xj,s are unibody that incoperates a frame therefore all the rockers and floor are important to check closely carpets and sound deading soak up moisture mines a 84 and i caught this just in time good luck gunner

 

Thread update: Actually bought one! Government surplus, well maintained, no wobble, no rust. Fluids, hoses, rubbers all checked out. Still had original information materials. Shifts smooth, rides smooth, everything checked out. So happy! 99 SE 4dr 4wd. $5,400, that's below the average cost of one here. Can't wait to make it live long.