• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Good Deal? Advice?

quivvy

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Chicago
I found a 1996 Black 2dr XJ with 148,000k miles 4.0L 4x4 w/ AC sitting on a used car lot. so far looks pretty clean. asking $2,600. Although im sketched by used car lots...

My total budget is going to be 5G. I want a good DD /work truck but also be able to have fun on the trails? My first question is... is this truck a good deal? or should i fork out some extra dough and get a newer/lower miles rig or get an older higher miles one and dump some cash into it?

Thanks for the input.
 
I'd say it's a bit high, but not totally out of line depending on what its condition is. At that age you need to look very carefully for rust. XJ's tend to rot at the floor above the exhaust system as well as elsewhere in the floor. Two-doors often seem to go along the lower quarter panels, and all XJ's rot at the rear ends of the rocker panels eventually. Also, if you're not familiar with 2-door XJ's, you should be aware that the door hinges are a weak spot, and look very carefully for flexing, tearing, etc. of the upper hinges, especially on the driver's side. The doors themselves can start to come apart, too. If you feel any tendency of the door to sag or close badly, look very carefully at the hinges, but also try lifting on the door while it's open, and check the leading edge of the door skin near the hinge area for movement. The hinges can be welded, but obviously a problem there should lower the price a little, and a cracked door will be very hard to fix well. For the rest, I imagine that if you have good used-car shopping skills, you can judge the condition well enough.
 
As Matthew said, if it's mechanically sound and little to no rust it doesn't sound like a bad deal.
At least in this part of the country, the 2dr version is more difficult to find & commands a higher price tag.
Also keep in mind that if you ever have to replace a door for any reason, it will be more expensive than a 4dr model!
 
i will deffinitely check for the usual leaks, rust, sounds, ratttles, and the like. im going to take a look at it today and see. if its in good mechanical shape and no/little rust i may try to do it, but ill haggle him down on price. thanks for all the advice. any more is much appreciated.
 
Sounds good to me if it aint trashed and runs good.
Come to where Iam at and just TRY to find one for that price.
Going price around here seems to be min. $3000 for JUNK.
 
i too havent been able to find a price this low, especially on a 2dr. plus KBB says its worth between 3100-3500 off my memory (i know it was in the 3s). ill take a look and post my response. tghanks again. keep it coming
 
$2600 sounds like a good price here in the midwest. Ill bet you can jew him down by a couple hundred. Suprisingly my '88 wasnt too rusty, I guess Jeep used good metal prep.
 
I should point out here that at least here in Vermont, prices are lower. Of course they're lower for a reason, because most of the XJ's we see of that age and mileage are getting pretty rotten. A good clean 96 would go higher, but there are a good many beaters out there too. I haven't noticed a real shortage of 2-doors here, and as a rule they seem to go cheaper than 4's up here.
 
well i just got back from driving it. doors were good, hinges were good. 4wheel drive worked. started right up, drove like a top. breaks were good. no leaks on the motor. no exterior rust. inside rather clean. no rips in seats, steering wheel a little worn through in a place - nothing a steering wheel cover wont fix. my only concerns are as follows....

-windshield has a chip in it - it will spider soon
-rear diff is leaking - looks like its coming from the drain plug - could have been overfilled and never cleaned off - it didnt look fresh - front diff too
-tcase looked like it was leaking out the drain plug - could have been the same thing....
-tranny pan had some stuff on it but i simply couldnt tell if it was leaking or just old greasy dirt. cuz it didnt look/smell fresh. only one spot of rust on undercairage.
-minor fender bender

i offered him 2G and hes calling me tomorow. it drove great though.

whats everyone think?
 
quivvy said:
what if he refuses and wants like 2500?
Then negotiate toward your $2000 bid but I still think that's a pretty fair price. Better than the same-price '89 in Arizona with 243k or some ridiculously high number... :wierd:
 
Yucca-Man said:
Then negotiate toward your $2000 bid but I still think that's a pretty fair price. Better than the same-price '89 in Arizona with 243k or some ridiculously high number... :wierd:
I feel the same way, still a GREAT price compaired to around here. From the sounds of it... that XJ would go for $5000 or better here.
 
Back
Top