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advice on 1999 Limited XJ

U

ultrasam

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Seattle
I'm looking at a 1999 Cherokee Limited with the Selec-Trac 4wd (full/part time) leather, all the options except sunroof...which I'm not even sure is a factory option. It drives great, everything seems to work, and the only issue that I can see is it will need new tires very soon. The dealer is asking $6,950.00 for it, which seems to be a reasonable price. I'm going to offer less of course. I have some questions for the wisdom of the XJ forums:

Q: I'm hoping to get it inspected by a 3rd party mechanic to inspect it before purchase. The small dealer who has the jeep doesn't want me to take it to a jeep dealership...but said I could take it to a local independent shop for an inspection. Do you guys recommend a 3rd party inspection? I'm hoping to have this done tomorrow and then buy the jeep tomorrow.

Q: When driving the jeep, I notice when I leave a stoplight, it feels like there is a small jolt in the drive line when initially giving it gas. I've spent the last 3 years driving a lowered VR6 Jetta with a manual transmission, so I'm not sure what to expect out of an automatic, is this normal?

Q: What is the reliability reputation of the Automatic trans in this Jeep?

Q: Any secret websites or spots for tires and/or mounting or balancing?

Thanks a ton in advance. I used to have a 1995 Cherokee Sport with a manual, and it was a pretty great rig, and I'm stoked to be getting back into Jeeps. Your advice and input is greatly appreciated!
 
ultrasam said:
:

Q: I'm hoping to get it inspected by a 3rd party mechanic to inspect it before purchase. The small dealer who has the jeep doesn't want me to take it to a jeep dealership...but said I could take it to a local independent shop for an inspection. Do you guys recommend a 3rd party inspection? I'm hoping to have this done tomorrow and then buy the jeep tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Yes, I would definitely take it to another shop and get a 3rd opinion. I have to wonder why they dont want you to take it to a Jeep dealer for an opinion however.

ultrasam said:
Q: What is the reliability reputation of the Automatic trans in this Jeep?
Click to expand...
Damn near bullet proof. The Automatic transmission behind the XJ with the 4.0 is known as the AW4, or the Aisin Warner 4 speed. Aisin's are typically found behind many Toyota's, and hardly ever break. You said you had a 95 with a manual tranny in the past, so I'm sure you know all about the 4.0 then.

ultrasam said:
Q: Any secret websites or spots for tires and/or mounting or balancing?
Click to expand...
Any competent tire shop should be able to mount and balance a tire....theres no real trick to it on an XJ vs. any other vehicle. Personally I use Costco as thats where I bought my tires....hard to beat lifetime roation and balancing. Discount tire also offers lifetime balance and roataion if you have one of those near you.

Good choice on a 99 too, great year! :)
 
They cant tell you who you can/can't take it too....to me, that says they are trying to hide something. I'd definitely take it somewhere to have it looked at, it cant hurt, and if you arent totally familiar with the 4.0L engine, someone who is can look for anything wrong. the 1999 has a good head (0630) and is a very solid engine. How many miles on it? I'd have them plug in an ODB-II scanner and see if there are any codes that have come up.

Jolt huh....check the transmission mount (bottom of the tranny, between the tranny and the cross-member. it might be worn out and causing the transmission to move/shift, giving you that jolt feeling. check the tranny fluid too, make sure its nice and bright red, not brown/black....smell it too, make sure it doesnt smell burnt.

the AW4 transmission is a very solid, reliable tranny - medium to slightly heavy duty, can handle anything you throw at it...

check out www.tirerack.com for lots of good info....i think that's what you mean...

If Washington has vehicle inspections, check the tread depth of the tires - if they are out of spec, the dealership has to replace the tires. but then again, its a good point for you to argue to get the price down.....

I'd try and get it for about $5000....if its very very clean and reasonable miles...and everything else checks out.
 
The Jeep has 91,xxx miles on it. I'll call the selling dealer in the morning and ask about taking it to a shop. I don't think I'll tell him where I'm taking it though...thanks for the input so far! You guys are a little friendlier than the VW forums
 
we're nice to those who deserve it :)

you came with legit questions....

you used good spelling and grammar....

and you didnt have a shitty attitude....

all that = polite, nice answers...lol
 
The seller not wanting you to go to a Jeep dealer is odd and the jolt in the tranny needs to be checked.

As for the reliability of the AW4, I have a '91 with 360,000 miles. The tranny has NOT been rebuilt nor has the engine. Make sure you tell whoever looks at it about the jolt.
 
JNickel101 said:
we're nice to those who deserve it :)

you came with legit questions....

you used good spelling and grammar....

and you didnt have a shitty attitude....

all that = polite, nice answers...lol
Click to expand...

well put! X2

I too would be a bit curious to see why the dealer does not want the Jeep dealership to inspect it...sounds a bit fishy.
 
As far as them not wanting you to take it to another Jeep dealer, everyone on here has said so far they think that's odd/strange or think they're trying to hiude something. I don't think they're trying to hide something at all! I would bet money that the reason behind it is that they don't want another Jeep dealer to lie about the condition of the Jeep, and then turn around and tell you they have one in a lot better shape that THEY can sell you....the dealer you're talking to right now just doesn't want to lose the sale to another dealer. I mean, how could the be acting like they have something to hide when they're more than willing to let you take it to a 3rd party shop?

I say go for it, sounds like a good deal. I got my 99 sport wiuth 54k miles on it 2 years ago for $7000
 
b/c a 3rd party shop doesnt specialize in jeep, and they might not find something wrong that's specific to jeeps....

I hardly ever see XJs at Jeep Dealerships....most wont deal with them b/c they are a discontinued model, or someone scoops them up real fast b/c they're so awesome!!! :)

EDIT - and before i get flamed, yes, i was actually told that by 2 jeep dealerships, that they wont keep XJs on their inventory b/c they are "too old"....

idiots, i know....
 
Having worked at a Jeep dealership before, I doubt your salesman is knowingly trying to hide something. Most salesman know little to nothing about the condition of the used inventory. So anything that is wrong with it you'll probably never find out from them.
 
I think the price is high. I bought a 99 with 79k almost two years ago and only paid $6400. It was in excellent shape too. Needs tires =$500 off the price. I wouldn't pay over $6500 OTD if I were you. This time of year car dealers NEED to sell cars so give them a low offer and see what they do.
Look for oil leaks at the valve cover gasket and the oil filter adapter.
Your driveline issue may be a bad ujoint.
Good luck, keep us posted.
 
okay, if you're looking for price comparisons....

paid $4500 for my 2000XJ (they were asking $8500 to start)...kept pointing out little things that I didnt like about it (scratches on bumper, which i knew i was gonna replace anyway...lol...and a missing spare tire....which by law, they are supposed to include). had about 95k miles on it, that was in Feb 2006.
 
keep0njeepin0n said:
I would bet money that the reason behind it is that they don't want another Jeep dealer to lie about the condition of the Jeep, and then turn around and tell you they have one in a lot better shape that THEY can sell you....the dealer you're talking to right now just doesn't want to lose the sale to another dealer. I mean, how could the be acting like they have something to hide when they're more than willing to let you take it to a 3rd party shop?
Click to expand...


thats pretty much what the small dealer said. I'm going to make an appointment for this afternoon to get it checked out. thanks guys!
 
So the shop that I had it inspected at was LBR automotive in Bellevue. They did a pretty thorough job of inspecting it, and came up with a bunch of issues.

Trans oil pan was leaking - needed new gasket
right inner and outer tie rods were worn out, and left outer tie rod worn out
all four 4 ball joints were worn out
and the front diff had "excessive play" ....the jolting feeling I felt when pulling away from a dead stop.

So I told the dealer, a guy named Roscoe Higgins (of Sterling Auto Sales & Leasing, in Bellevue) about the problems and he pretty much just asked me for the keys back, and said he was sorry it didn't work out, but he said it in a rude way. So basically he figured he could sell it to someone else who wouldn't bother with an inspection, instead of discount it so I would buy it. So I told him forget it.

I bought a 2000 XJ sport yesterday, with 95,000 on it for $5800. It's got good tires and only needs a couple small things. Much happier with this black one. Thanks for all the input guys!

-Sam
 
Ultra, I think you're well out of that. Unless the 99 had very high mileage, it seems a little fishy that all four ball joints and some steering parts were worn out. Maybe the previous owner just lived on a dirt road and pounded the front end more than usual, but the 2000 sounds like a better deal.
 
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