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Keep My 93' 2 Door Or Sell & Buy Another

Quarterwave

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Florida
Hey all,

I'm just weighing up the cost of fixing my current '93 2WD 2-Door, or using it as a donor car for another XJ with less miles/problems.... I use my XJ for a daily driver and do a lot of miles p/w - over 500 every week minimum.

Ok, here's a list of the problems (that I am aware of) that need fixing with my '93 :

CONS :

- Fuel Pump (very noisy like a bee hive)
- Engine & Trans Mounts (fan hit's radiator shroud when I accelerate)
- Leaking Rear Main Seal (drips a small puddle every time I park it)
- Shocks Need Replacement (very rough ride over bumps, rail road tracks etc)
- Over 168k Miles
- Leaking Interior (bad for Florida Hurricane Season)
- Fist-size Rust Holes Over Driver Side Roof Channel and Rear LHS Near Tailgate
- Cruise control not working
- Tires due soon
- Not 4X4 (bad for Hurricane Season)

PROS :

- Freezing A/C (great for Florida summer)
- Great Stereo
- Grant Woodrim Steering Wheel
- I've fixed stuff like TPS, O2 Sensor etc.... new plugs etc.... so it runs and idles smooth in Miami traffic and seemingly has plenty of "pull" left in the engine.
- Everything else works like a charm
- Lots of amazing experiences in the Jeep
- I OWN IT OUTRIGHT
- Low insurance
- Body is in overall tidy condition - few bumps but bearable (it IS a Jeep afterall)

I guess what I'm asking is, for the price of a new(er) XJ with less miles, would it just be cheaper to fix what I have, or just transplant the things that I like in my current XJ, into one with less miles etc (and still probably end up having to fix the stuff that I've already done with my current XJ).... b/c with the miles that I do everyday, I just wonder when/if I will be pushing it home.... touch wood....

FWIW, I'm not a mechanic, nor does my apartment complex let me work on the Jeep in my parking lot, but I do have a good mechanic that helps me with the stuff that I don't have the knowledge to do (rear main seal for example) out of his home workshop for about 1/4 of the rate of a shop mechanic (working on the weekends etc....)

Any input is appreciated....

Thx,
Quarterwave
 
Well I don't know about florida but alot of places up here won't touch a car that has rust on it when the person wants to do bodywork. They always say "it's gonna come back" and it will, and most people will blame the body shop when it does.

Not being able to work on it in the parking lot definately sucks, but that mechanic friend you have is definately a plus. Honestly, I think it comes down to how much you want to keep THIS jeep.

Do the pros outweigh the cons for YOU? I know my '91 2-dr 4x4 has it's share of problems, but I wouldn't get rid of mine. I have rust on the rockers and the floors, A/C doesn't work, makes a howling noise I have yet to figure out, has serious piston slap, needs front u-joints, mild vibrations from the lift, etc, etc. But, it has a pretty straight body (1 dent), new exhaust, new brakes, smooth running engine, smooth shifting tranny, perfect 4x4 (no noises), 8.25 rear end, and is a 2 door.

No Jeep out there is perfect, you just have to decide for yourself whether the pros outweigh the cons.
 
Not true if you get someone who knows how to deal with rust and if the spot is in the right area, most of the time body shops will just sand the rust away, which doesn't really do anything, if you cut atleast an inch beyond the rust and weld new sheet metal in the problem rust area should not come back, if all the work was done right

MoparManiac said:
Well I don't know about florida but alot of places up here won't touch a car that has rust on it when the person wants to do bodywork. They always say "it's gonna come back" and it will, and most people will blame the body shop when it does.
 
Oh well then disregard my comment. I just know that when we tried to repair the rusty rockers on my mom's 87 ramcharger, only one place in the couple towns we looked at even gave us an estimate.
 
yeah, most places around here won't touch rust and the ones that will will charge you an arm and leg, it almost not even worth it to have a shop do it, for the price you'd pay them, you could buy a welder, learn to weld, cut out the rusty metal and weld in new panels, as well as have it all painted and you'd probly still be cheaper than having a shop do all the work
MoparManiac said:
Oh well then disregard my comment. I just know that when we tried to repair the rusty rockers on my mom's 87 ramcharger, only one place in the couple towns we looked at even gave us an estimate.
 
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