Characteristics of structure damage

Hey guys,

I've cruised the forums for a while, but never really posted. I'm looking at a 00 XJ limited. The Carfax says:

09/28/2006 Virginia Damage Report Accident reported Involving front impact It hit a sign or traffic signal

04/28/2007 Virginia Damage Report Accident reported Involving right side impact
It hit a motor vehicle

I didn't know that before taking it for a test drive. On the drive it seemed ok (mechanically) it did have what seemed to be a driveline vibe once I got on the freeway (roughly 60). I did some research and apparently the drive shaft can vibe even at stock heights. Pulling back into the dealership the oil pressure gauge dropped to zero, I wasn't worried about this either since I know they are a common problem on XJ's. But once I parked it to pop the hood and look into the engine compartment the passenger side hood release was stuck (the side with the reported collisions). Again, having not known it was in an accident before, I researched and found hood releases are fairly common and typically the passenger side is affected.

My question is how would characteristics of unibody damage manifest themselves while driving? Should I be concerned? or is it more likely that all the problems are indeed just the typical XJ issues...it does have 180k on it.

My reason for not just passing over this particular one is because my 99 has pretty significant unibody rust (from MN) so while I'm stationed in NC I'd like to get a clean one; and this one is VERY clean.

check the front "frame" horns for any signs of the paint being cracked, creases, any sort of damage. It's the weakest area of the unitbody, people get cracks and torn off steering boxes without crashing them.

When I was searching for the wife there were ton's of XJs down that way, so if it feels sketchy, wait, another will pop up.

While driving you may or may not notice any issues caused by a major collision. If you buy the Cherokee make sure the price is discounted to reflect previous damages. Depending on who fixed it, such as Bubba out front of his trailer, or a top rated auto body shop, it may be as good as new, or it may be stuck together with Bondo and duct tape.

An inspection for proper and correct collision repairs may be a good idea.

Skip this one, too many red flags. Personally I'd stay away from any 00-01 and look for a 99. Good luck.

The only thing I'm really worried about is structure damage. I will be transfering my 231/SYE Tcase, as well as HP30, and 44. Like I said before the only reason I'm still looking at it is because it looks brand new underneath. Plus an added benefit is it has an auto, cruise, and the interior is in very good shape also. I'll check out the front "frame" area though. I was planning on taking it to a body shop.

Any thoughts if I should go to the jeep dealership to have them look at it or rather just a independent body shop?

Locate an independent auto body shop with a good reputation. Ask if they have a frame machine.

I've worked on a few vehicles that I would classify as "majorly damaged, poorly rebuilt" and it's not always that obvious on a test drive or initial lookover. You really need someone who has "seen it all" kind of experience to look at the rig and tell you if things have been fixed right, I'd say an independent body shop would be a good place to take it. You might have to toss one of the body guys a 50 to look it over and give you an opinion, but for something you're going to buy and put a lot of money/parts into, it's worth it.

Al S said:

Skip this one, too many red flags. Personally I'd stay away from any 00-01 and look for a 99. Good luck.

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