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Looking at a '96 XJ tomorrow.... =]

brtb

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Orlando, FL
I'll be looking at a '96 XJ SE tomorrow. 2 door, 4.0L, AW4, 4wd (TC type unknown), ~100k miles, stock suspension/etc. I got the VIN and requested a buildsheet from Jeep ( :paperwork ) so I'll know exactly what it's made of, but that probably won't be in until Monday. Carfax said it was originally in West Virginia and then in Chicago for a little bit before it settled down here in Orlando... think winter-rust would be a factor?

I got lucky with the '88 I have now, knew virtually nothing about these things at the time. I'm probably a better judge of mechanical worthiness now, but anything I should be looking at/asking about in particular?

Oh, almost forgot: linky
 
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look at the fluids to see how well it has been maintained. 96 is a dacent year. drive it and listen for unusual noises or ride characteristics. it should have about the same ride as the 88. not many changes were made except the computer system, which in 96 is much more reliable.
 
Yeah, the usual used-car checkout will be done, and I'll grab pics of the important stuff so I can have other people look. While on the chat, Glenn suggested I look for body cracks and the infamous broken door-hinge welds.

RE: the computer system, was the '96 all OBD-II or was that the swing year and the earlier ones were OBD-I?
 
brtb said:
the infamous broken door-hinge welds.

didnt know it was so infamous, completely off topic- i was getting into my jeep after school my junior year of HS and the door came off in my hand, one of top ten probably on the most embarrasing moments

now back to your regular scheduled posting
 
brtb said:
Carfax said it was originally in West Virginia and then in Chicago for a little bit before it settled down here in Orlando... think winter-rust would be a factor?

Being an SE model, likely Command-Trac, probably no ABS, looks like it has front hooks.

If rust is a factor I'm sure it won't be bad at all. Flip the rear seat and check the floor in the jack area (Right Rear). Look for damp carpet and pull it back if you can. If the floor is rusted anywhere, it will be here, the pan plug above the muffler.

Other notable areas:
Inside the uniframe - poke up through the frame with 6" screwdriver, there are a bunch of access points you can check.

Under the gas pedal and near the front leaf bolts - tap the floor from underneath with the screwdriver handle and listen.. tin sound=good, dull thud=bad, snap,crackle,pop=run away.

Front and rear footwells - From underneath, push up with your hand. There should be no flex or noise.

Roof rack leakage - look for damp headliner or stains. Check for corrosion around fuse panal (I think it's it the right kick panal on a '96, under the left dash on my '92)

Good luck, looks like a nice deal from the picture and ad.
-Brian
 
I think it's Jp magazine that thinks the '96 & '99 are the best bets in XJs. I bought mine two months ago on eBay (only because it was just 1 1/2 hrs. away & I could check it out beforehand). It's spent its entire 8 years here in Maine & the only rust on it was several screws on the sill covers (which I finally managed to remove & replace w/the help of this forum) because it was meticulously washed all winter to remove road salt. So good maintenance can go a long way toward counteracting the Rust Belt.

I'd offer $3500. Depending on what the service records show you has been replaced (the 90,000 mi. scheduled maintenance is a biggie & if it wasn't done you'll spend some money pretty quickly), I believe you should be able to buy an SE from a private party for $4000 or less--at least in Maine where prices tend to be a bit below the national average. Pardon me if I'm telling you what you already know, but check all the web price guides, esp. NADA, & average them out. You can also check eBay auctions, both current & completed, for average real-world selling prices; though--with some crazy exceptions--they tend to be lower due to the risks involved & often travel expenses to pick the cars up.

Mine is the Classic pkg. bought w/just over 90,000 miles, 4 dr/4WD/tilt/AC/roof rack/sunroof/cruise/rear def & washer/new Kenwood 10 CD audio/new (5K mi) Michelin XCT/APT 30X9.5 tires/new battery/good heavy-duty tray-type winter floor mats incl. cargo deck.

And it's immaculate: not one tiny ding or scratch inside or out, owner's manual like new in its orig. case, paint looks brand new, trim/gaskets/bumpers like new, not a spot/stain/tear on seats or headliner, the summer floor mats (& carpet under them) are pristine, the spare has never been used, everything works down to the cigar lighter, it never towed anything & mileage was largely hwy since it was a wife's commuting car. It has all the same features as yours except ABS (which is just fine w/me; I'm too old to learn a new braking system).

I paid $4500, the asking price. I might have bought it for $4000 but I thought the seller deserved it for the good care he'd given it, not to mention over $600 in new tires. Most belts & seals had been replaced in the last year, AC serviced/recharged last summer. In spite of this I had to do a tuneup, new plugs/wires/cap/roter/air filter/tranny fluid flushed, and a new cat/02 sensor/muffler for $353 (cat broke the 3rd day after I bought it); which means I put another almost $700 into it almost immediately (incl.a Mako console-mounted dbl.cupholder I love. Bought that on eBay too).

So you can see how important the maintenance records/receipts can be in determining what your true cost is--or is going to be very shortly.

It's still one heck of a car for $5200. I've put about 2000 miles on it & I'm crazy about it. Good luck.
.
 
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How do you go about ordering a build sheet for your Jeep, is it a link or does someone have a phone #? How much is it?

Thanks in advance..
 
Best of luck! I bought a 97 XJ Sport(just turning 100K) in November '03. It's pretty cool. It's stock except for 23575R15 size trail tires which were put on in January. Since then I hooked up with a local 4X4 Jeep club and have taken it through small creeks, streams and way to much mud...I like when it's filthy. It has ran like a champ. Sold on the "Jeep" thing. Just hope I can afford this addiction :)
 
I GOT PICS, MODEMS BEWARE! Re: Looking at a '96 XJ tomorrow.... =]

Okay... just got back from the first look.
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Good thing I took pictures, it's a pretty far drive out there. Turns out it was a Sport model, not an SE...
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Standard part-time 4WD...
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pretty good condition, little more rust than I was expecting on the underside. This was one of the better spots, I didn't get a pic of the bad one since it was too far underneath.
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But when you open the door the first thing you notice is the smoker smell. :( I'm guessing that's not exactly easy to get rid of.

Other questionable bits include lots of yellow-ish stuff on the window rubber inside and clearcoat coming off in several places.
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Yeah, I know I'm being picky... too picky? maybe... oh well. So, for now, probably still on the hunt.

Thanks for all the good info, everybody... I'll find my 4wd/dk blue/'96/<100Kmi eventually. =]
 
brtb, you might do an eBay search for XJs w/in your area, save it to your eBay page & request notification when new ones are up for auction. Even if you don't find one there, it keeps you abreast of what they're going for.

And don't worry about whether or not a car's been smoked in. If the smoker was kind enough to not burn anything, the difficulty of getting rid of the smell is highly overdramatized. Any good cleaner (Simple Green, Formula 409, Mr. Clean) followed by Armorall or whatever on the hard surfaces & Blue Coral Dri-Clean on upholstery/carpet/headliner will take care of it. And I've heard that an open container of ammonia placed in a closed car overnight works wonders in hard cases.

What I'm still trying to get rid of is the stench of the so-called "Air Freshener" the well-meaning seller saturated my car with between the time I test-drove it (& it had no odor of any kind) & the day I picked it up & had to hang my head out the window all the way home & for weeks thereafter. Give me good old cigar smoke any day.

What you avoid at all costs is cars a male cat has sprayed. One got in our garage in Dallas & let go all over my husband's Mercedes convertible. He spent hundreds of dollars trying to have it professionally removed & never could. Finally sold it to someone who must have had a bad headcold that day.
 
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