Getting back into XJs - question on purchase

So I used to be very active here, on JU and AZVJC about 8-9 years ago and want to get back into the XJ world. I had a 91, 93 and 95 previously and built up the 95 pretty well with a 6" lift, gears, rear locker, SYE, 33" TSLs, and a bunch of other little things. I wheeled it all over AZ and CO throughout college, but sold it before I graduated college and I've been driving an X5 since then. It obviously can't pull much duty for offroad, so I've been looking at an inexpensive way to get back into it with a second/weekend vehicle.

I found a 2000 Classic with low miles <80k and a few good mods. It has the auto tranny, 4.0, D30/D35 and mechanically seems pretty strong. For mods, it has a front ARB bumper, nice custom rear bumper, good sliders, 32" Kumho muds that are pretty much new, 4.10 gears, "hardened axles" (still trying to confirm this one though), a Warn 9000i winch, a lock rite locker in the rear and an OX locker up front. It drives pretty straight and true, and I like it. It is from Chicago though and has a relatively significant amount of rust on the bumpers and the winch. I looked at it in the dark, so I'm not sure how serious it is underneath but it didn't look bad at all under the hood and where I could see using my phone as a flashlight under the body. Also, he was hit a while back in the front so the ARB isn't aligned very well on the driver side, and the ARB has a lot of rust. The winch and cable looks like it hasn't been used in probably 3+ years which definitely makes me concerned I'd have to rebuild it and at a minimum put a new line on it. It's also leaking from the diffs a little bit and needs an O2 sensor or two.

I'm very familiar with the platform and did every mod to the XJs I've had in the past, but mine have always been from AZ or CO and had little to no rust. Whenever I did encounter rust like on the rear upper shackle mount, I HATED life! haha I can remember how frustrating it was to bust out the torch and PB blaster and still break a bolt, so seeing how much surface rust there is on this one gives me pause. I would really like to get back into the game, but I'm not sure if I want to spend a ton of time repairing rust or blowing a weekend wrenching because I have to replace a ton of bolts. I think the guy is pretty flexible on price especially knowing what kind of shape it's in.

Two questions - roughly/ball park what do you think something like this is worth as it is? He's the original owner which is a plus, but the accident does show up on the carfax which is a minus. Also, do you think the trouble the rust might cause is worth the time I'm sure I'll have to invest?

Here's my last XJ in Spring Creek in Colorado and my old CJ5 in Sedona.

With all the previous work experience on XJ's.., lol, it would seem a few rusted fasteners would not stand in your way to drink a few beers. Me, I drink coffee so as to get the job done quickly. The rear upper shackle bolt is a cinch, i.e., just some special finesse. As per time spent nick-knacking the XJ.., well it is your time! I'd total up the aftermarket parts, i.e., the retail worth, divide that in two, and add that amount to whatever he said the price is, and balance that against whatever that year is going for in your area. If the price he wants in the neighborhood of: http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...0+2000+jeep+cherokee+classic+for+sale&ct=clnk you will have a starting point in your debate factor. Happy Trails

Alaskan89XJ said:

With all the previous work experience on XJ's.., lol, it would seem a few rusted fasteners would not stand in your way to drink a few beers. Me, I drink coffee so as to get the job done quickly. The rear upper shackle bolt is a cinch, i.e., just some special finesse. As per time spent nick-knacking the XJ.., well it is your time! I'd total up the aftermarket parts, i.e., the retail worth, divide that in two, and add that amount to whatever he said the price is, and balance that against whatever that year is going for in your area. If the price he wants in the neighborhood of: http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...0+2000+jeep+cherokee+classic+for+sale&ct=clnk you will have a starting point in your debate factor. Happy Trails

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Very true! I guess I've lost my ability to be patient from working on my X5 haha. I just replaced the entire rear air suspension to get the thing drivable again, and I about wanted to roll it off a cliff afterwards! In college I had a ton of buddies that would wrench with me, so it was actually a lot of fun. Now it's me solo in the garage constantly thinking that I should be paying someone to do lol. I would enjoy having something a little less complicated than the X to work on though!