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Should I dood it or not?

P

PuddinHead

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Virginia
:us: This is a two part question ok so first:
Local used car lot has a 1998 xj for sale, it looks good, but has nearly 200k on the clock and he's asking 2000.00 The car has all the amenities, but is he asking a fair price with the car having all those miles?

And part two, what are any common weaknesses in this model year XJ? It has the 4.0 with an auto tranny (AW4?).

Your input is desired. Thanks ahead of time.
 
Your going to have to look for ways to talk him down in price, good deal or not, it is how the game is played. Having said that, I would suspect it's close to reasonable. Here are some things to consider when you negotiate price with him:

Crawl under it and inpect the junction of engine to transmission in order to determine if the rea main seal is leaking. A valuable talk down point as a non-do-it-yourselfer would spend big to replace that. Also put it into reverse and check to see that the reverse lights come on. NSS needs cleaned. Don't tell him that, just explain that it is high dollar to buy and install a new one. Check the AC for cold air. Chances are it has a bad part and that would be the most expensive repair in the group so far.

If all is well in these areas then 1500 would be a fair offer to him I suspect. Other than that shop around and see what others of that year are fetching today.

Best of luck,
Mike
 
if you have a scan tool take that along and see if there are any codes that haven't been erased that are possible once in a while codes... mine had three stored that would only flash once in awhile (of course never during my test drives...) that i finally just got cleared up after three months... just a thought!
 
muddyrocks said:
Your going to have to look for ways to talk him down in price, good deal or not, it is how the game is played. Having said that, I would suspect it's close to reasonable. Here are some things to consider when you negotiate price with him:

Crawl under it and inpect the junction of engine to transmission in order to determine if the rea main seal is leaking. A valuable talk down point as a non-do-it-yourselfer would spend big to replace that. Also put it into reverse and check to see that the reverse lights come on. NSS needs cleaned. Don't tell him that, just explain that it is high dollar to buy and install a new one. Check the AC for cold air. Chances are it has a bad part and that would be the most expensive repair in the group so far.

If all is well in these areas then 1500 would be a fair offer to him I suspect. Other than that shop around and see what others of that year are fetching today.

Best of luck,
Mike
Click to expand...




I haven't taken a look underneath yet, but I called him this evening and he dropped the price to 1750.00 There is oil all over the engine on top which troubles me. I'll look tomorrow to see if it's coming from the intake. He said it was a loose valve cover which I find hard to believe, but I'm no mechanic. Could this engine oil be a serious problem???

I'll take it on a test drive and take a look underneath tomorrow. I really am a sucker for these XJs. :laugh3:
 
a leaky valve cover will cover the engine and tranny in a short period of time. if someone left the oil cap off at some time, that can spray a lot of oil around. 4.0 have the reputation of running a long time(300,000+). what are you planning on using the jeep for? if daily driver, i would pass. weekend trail rig, go for it if he'll take $1500 or less.

zedpapa
 
98 is one of the best years. The best head, the high pinion front dif. Even though XJ's have reputation to go forever, don't go overboard on that idea. Drive it and see if other problems come up. Warm it up and drive it. Floor it and run it through the gears to see if it pulls and shifts smoothly. Hit the brakes hard from speed and see if they pull down smoothly and straight. After it is hot and idling, take the oil fill cap off and see if it has a lot of blowby. This shows worn rings and high oil consumption.
 
zedpapa said:
a leaky valve cover will cover the engine and tranny in a short period of time. if someone left the oil cap off at some time, that can spray a lot of oil around. 4.0 have the reputation of running a long time(300,000+). what are you planning on using the jeep for? if daily driver, i would pass. weekend trail rig, go for it if he'll take $1500 or less.

zedpapa
Click to expand...

I'm going to use it for a weekend trail rig. After I check it out better (hopefully latter today if it doesn't rain) and think the thing is reasonablly okay, I'll offer $1500.00 and no more.

If there is oil in the air filter, is this caused by bad rings?

Just to give you guys an idea of the local market, an individual has an '88 with the 2.8 GM engine for sale, and refuses anything less than $1500.00 It has sat for the better part of three years. Inside is okay and the tires are new, but the paint is bad and the rockers are rusted!!
I told him a good price for him would be $1000.00 and for me $750.00. He said he would part it out first. One of the vent windows is made of plexiglass.:paperwork
 
You have the power as the buyer. If he does not agree to your price, you can just move on to the next one. Don't waste your time with people like the guy with the 2.8. That's why it has been sitting for 3 years. 3 years from now, it will still be there and he will end up selling to the JY for $50.
 
ehall said:
not necessarily but it's certainly not a good sign

listen to yourself, the thing is spewing oil all over the place and you are bouncing around big numbers. if it needs a new engine it's not worth more than $500
Click to expand...


You're absolutely right. I looked at it today and didn't even bother to crawl underneath. The check engine light is on, I spotted some home-made wiring on the passenger fender (going to an exposed terminal block) and the inside of the intake duct leading to the t-body is thick with grease. The throttle body itself heavy with oil. I'll offer $500 and tell him why. :rtm: I'll keep looking.
 
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