The $1000 Cherokee

Allright, here we go...

To those who have been following my posts, im in the process of purchasing a 95 XJ 4.0L 4x4 4-speed auto.

So the actual roll damage is more than i thought...its still road worthy, just...ugly...roof wise.

Also, here's my dilema (mispelled).

I noticed the rear diff. cover has a trail of differential fluid on it...caked on. Seems like an old leak. However, when the boyfriend drives the jeep, you can hear a slow rotation, of metal. Like a grinding. Its too slow to be a bearing. I personally think the rear differential has no fluid, and is eating itself to death. But you really cant tell that to an 18 year old boyfriend who thinks he's a certified Cherokee Mechanic.

So, out of $1000...im down to oweing $600. I told them the problem im concerned about. I just asked them that if they're going to use the jeep again, to please check the rear diff fluid before the go out, so they dont end up blowing up the pumpkin, and sell me a shit jeep with a blown rear end.

Of course, the boyfriend (of the girl, my friend, who owns the jeep) says "Its fine"

What would you do?

If the seller is honest, the tires have flat spots. If the seller is honest, let hm put new tires on it and then you'll buy it for $1000 or $600 plus the cost of the tires. Why should the risk be on your shoulders? I think this is a deal that is too good to be true. Walk away. If it is rolled, chances are you will be looking at leaks now or in the future around the hatch and elsewhere. Do the hatch and all the doors open and close properly and are they in proper alignment? Did the insurance company total it? Probably. You didn't say how many miles were on this Jeep but there are so many in-service, major problem-free XJ's out there that can be picked up for a song, why buy one that is rolled and may need to have major money (the pumpkin) put into it? This is just looking for trouble. Furthermore, this is the the perfect place to apply the addage "Money and friends do not mix." Am I trying to talk you out of this purchase?

To answer one of your other questions, XJ's are not problem free vehicles, but properly maintained, the engines will run forever. Mine is a relative pup at 149,000. You will see more failure issues here due to the fact that 1) there are alot of high mileage users on this site and 2) off-roaders put alot more stress on their XJ's than those that are used by soccer moms and dads who never leave the pavement. If you just need to have an XJ, buy one from a soccer mom or dad. If you have to have a rolled XJ, roll it yourself,... at least then you'll know what the damage is.

Dont walk away,RUN away from this major problem looking for a place to happen:laugh2:

I've got nearly 180k on my engine, and my mechanic buddy was very suprised to see how nicely it drove......he's driven his share of old vehicles and such. He was so happy with it he stated "Maybe I need a Jeep."

I wouldn't buy a rolled one, though.....and about the rear differential, just pull the drain plug and stick your finger inside. You should feel oil right below the drain plug.

I'm guessing that the differential isn't dry of fluid, or you'd hear more than a little scraping noise, but I'd look VERY carefully at that rear end to make sure nothing was bent by the rollover. It could be a lot of things. If it's a 95, you can check the fluid easily enough, because it' has a rubber plug in it. Pry off the plug and stick your index finger in the hole. Fluid should be near the point of running out of the hole, but if you can reach fluid with the tip of your finger, it's not so dry as to be dangerous.

If you're serious about the Jeep, it might be worth jacking up the rear wheels and spinning them to see what sort of noises and wobbles and warps you find.

I wouldn't say "never buy a rolled vehicle," but it's asking for trouble. I've done it. Expect surprises. Even a gentle rollover puts very unusual stresses on components.

Maybe Im missing something but, you want to pay a grand for a rolled xj with issues, and from a buyer that seems like he doesnt know or give a sh!t?

I would offer him less than half that, then turn and walk away.

Where/who has this thing. I would be interested in seeing it myself.... seriously.

Don't walk away, run away. A rolled cherokee is usually a poor source of parts, IMO, and you can buy cheaper toys for your boyfriend to fix. With a salvage title in hand you will never get out of it what you put into it if you ever decide to sell it. Listen to the experience talking to you in the above posts and heed it. It is not the last available cherokee, believe me.

you could get a non rolled cherokee for that kinda money, id stay away

i have a 88' with a 3" lift, RE track bar, confer rack with high lift jack mount points, fenders trimmed, vented hood, bumper mounted spare, camo interior, pioneer sound sys., spare d30 and d44 for the rear that is screeming buy me for $2500.00. but then this is'nt the for sale thread and this post may be moved.
kinda cold here in Great Falls, MT. I miss my jeep and won't part with it

Offroading does stress the engine more than soccer moms. The other major stress on an engine is when it's upside down the oil drains out. Gravity's tought to avoid. If they rolled it, hopefully they were smart enough to turn it off before the oil drained out and messed something up.

The Salvage title would be an easy out if you decide not to purchase the vehicle.

If you have already made an agreement to purchase the vehicle, why do they still have it? Have you made it clear that if anything happens to the vehicle (by anything I mean anything YOU feel is bad) you expect them to return all your money since you haven't used the vehicle? I'm not familiar with your posts so I'm coming in after the 1st inning. The way I have read so far is that they are holding the vehicle until you pay in full? But in my opinion they shouldn't have use of it.

If the boyfriend thinks he smells like roses, just explain you aren't putting your life in hands that are not ASE certified. That IS what you are doing if it has been rolled. If you have to ask the question, maybe you should take it to an ASE certified Mechanic to have them inspect it. Most will do an inspection for a small charge if you let them know its a vehicle you are thinking about buying.

I just bought a car from a neighbor and did so with the understanding "as is where is." So we both were on the same page. I got the title, 1 set of keys, and the XJ...he got cash.

TJ-Shocker said:

Offroading does stress the engine more than soccer moms.

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Not to mention the rest of the drivetrain, suspension mounts, unibody as a whole...

The other major stress on an engine is when it's upside down the oil drains out. Gravity's tought to avoid. If they rolled it, hopefully they were smart enough to turn it off before the oil drained out and messed something up.

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Point taken, but as long as it's been drained, refilled, pre-lubricated, and run on the bench (or in place in the vehicle with no rolling stress put on it) before being put back into service it shouldn't be an issue. Ditto the transmission, transfer case, differentials, etc.

The Salvage title would be an easy out if you decide not to purchase the vehicle.

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Or just politely tell them outright why it's not worth what they're asking for it and walk away. I've done this on more than one occasion, and have only ever once had a seller get irate with me over it. At that point, I explained to him that now I wouldn't be buying the car based on his attitude, and walked. Guy looked like he never expected anyone to say that to him

If you have already made an agreement to purchase the vehicle, why do they still have it? Have you made it clear that if anything happens to the vehicle (by anything I mean anything YOU feel is bad) you expect them to return all your money since you haven't used the vehicle? I'm not familiar with your posts so I'm coming in after the 1st inning. The way I have read so far is that they are holding the vehicle until you pay in full? But in my opinion they shouldn't have use of it.

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Depends - if the vehicle's being purchased on payments, the seller can still do with it (within reason) as they please until it's paid off. Of course, if the buyer turns up with the final payment and things have changed noticeably from when the contract was first entered into, there's room for either backing out entirely or negotiating a refund of part of the sale price. Dated photographs help a lot in this regard

If the boyfriend thinks he smells like roses, just explain you aren't putting your life in hands that are not ASE certified. That IS what you are doing if it has been rolled. If you have to ask the question, maybe you should take it to an ASE certified Mechanic to have them inspect it. Most will do an inspection for a small charge if you let them know its a vehicle you are thinking about buying.

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Having had supposedly-ASE-certified mechanics screw up things that shouldn't've been in the past (brakes spring to mind), I'd recommend taking it to a trusted mechanic or springing for a AAA inspection. Granted, either one may or may not be ASE-certified - all I'm saying here is that an ASE certification shouldn't be taken as the ultimate arbiter of a mechanic's competence in inspecting a vehicle, which is a somewhat different beast to repairing one.

In general, though, I'll say this: expect a $1000 XJ to be somewhat ropey. Not saying that there aren't bargains to be found out there, but having gone through this dance with two of my friends recently we found that XJs are no exception to the adage that says you pays your money and you takes your chances. In both cases it was better to hold off for slightly more expensive vehicles in better overall shape than to try to keep up in the longer term with undoing previous owners' neglect. And since you guys are looking at one that's been rolled, a thousand bucks gets you a lot of junkyard parts. Just a couple of things to keep in mind.

I only paid 350 for mine, and it runs pretty strong... the t-case is shot, and it appears to have been jumped really hard, or driven into a ditch at some point in its life, but for 350 bones who gives a crap... i personally wouldnt give that jeep a second glance ,if it is as bad as you say it is, unless it was well under 500 bones.

just my .02

I paid $750 for mine. Previous owner(s) were a lady and her teenage son. She was told it had frame damage and that it wasn't worth fixing. Hell the thing had a rebuilt engine in it. I have since put that much and more into it, and still plan to eventually wheel the piss out of it. I would reconsider the offer you have, I agree that if the truck was rolled, you may still have problems. Mine still has a few Gremlins and I still have put about 40k on it since buying it. It is actually a very maintenance free vehicle-just my $0.02 HTH

Jeff

I got my '86 for around 600 dollars, it ran, transmission was great, transfer case was good, and it was owned by a older fella who was a mechanic himself. I think you'd have much more luck taking a look around. There are plenty of Cherokees out there to buy, start with something that hasnt been abused already, i'd rather do my own mods than buy something that has been modified by someone else any day.

Bottom line I would NOT buy it the sellers are shady the jeep itself sounds poorly maintained, save more money and keep searching, there are jeeps everywhere

Sorry i havent been to responsive to my own post.

Without implying i was looking at backing out, i talked to her about the whole jeep story. Here's what happened...

Late one night, she took a turn too fast...ended up bumbly rolling it. I say this, because it kinda, rocked on its side, and then tipped back against the downslope of the ditch. I did see the scene a week after, and her story backs up. It kinda, cocked at an angle, then rolled back (There was a mountain of dirt higher than the ditch on the other side, it cradled her.

I did ask her how long the truck was running. She said as soon as it tumbled back, she shut it off instinctively, because it was in gear. She turned it till it stopped (engine off, ignition engaged), then remembered you need to have it in PARK to shut it off fully, she did so, and completely shut off and pulled the key out. Her main concern was that maybe she broke a fuel line, and was worried about it catching fire.

She got out. They pulled the Jeep out after 30 minutes later. Her father, who absolutly loved the Jeep he bought for his daughter, took it to a mechanic who completely overhauled it. There was no frame damage, he drained/changed the oil, checked all the fluids, made sure the thing was driveable.

I then asked to look at the bill for the repairs, so i could see what was done. Called her father, had it sent over a few days later. He indeed checked/added everything. He commented that "Rear Wheel Bearings Need Replacing Soon" This was about 6 months ago that the bill was written.

The Jeep DOES NOT...i repeat, DOES NOT have any form of salvage on it, since all repairs were paid in cash.

I talked with her father, because he seems to be the only level headed one. Long story short, her father does have cancer. He has since retired from Delphi, and indeed is no short of cash (Just purchased a new Silverado for "something to look at"...even though he cant drive it yet)

I sincerely asked him. I told him everything i was worried about, everything i was afraid of...

"Matt, im not gunna screw you out of money for her, i can always give her cash...but im telling you, that thing was totally overhauled. I wanted to make sure she was completely safe behind the wheel of that Jeep. The frame is solid...there's little rust (i can confirm this). Besides the small crinkling around the body, the entire drivetrain/tranny/engine is solid. The transfer case was overhauled before we put it on the road, it has a new alternator. Dont listen to Chris (boyfriend) about his "beating the piss" out of it...he says that to make himself sound cool. She wont let him drive the damn thing much less beat on it. Matt, im not gunna lie to you. You're a good guy and you've taken care of my daughter over the years. Its not like we're not going to see each other...you're prolly going to drive it down here alot with the roads being bad...i wouldnt sell it to you if i knew it was going to cause a college student problems when he's already broke"

In that respect, he's kinda right. I do seem them at least once a week, and i'd prolly be driving it down there, since my Silverado gets terrible gas mileage and is only 2wd.

And, not to make up excuses and such, but think about it. Lets say the entire axle is totally effed up-just for spite. I could just wait a little bit and slap a new one on from a junk yard. My plans were to get it home, and spend the year of 2007 completely overhauling it yet again to my standards.

Honestly, i have no interest in mudding, no interest in off roading. This vehicle's soul purpose in life, is that every time a Buffalo NY Winter Hits, i turn it over, slap it in 4-High, and drive to school/work.

Oh, and i also discussed a long issue her and i had over money. Many many many moons ago, i spent a week helping them move. I lost work from a second job because of it. So after a long talk, she agreed to knock off $200 for my help.

We're now down to $800 for a 95 Jeep Cherokee 4-Door Sport 4x4 with 4.0L and 4-Speed Auto....loaded.

HEY!! I was looking on google...this Jeep...bit for bit...item for item...crinkle by crinkle...EXACTLY matches the jeep in interested in. This jeep, and everything about it...color too...matches the Jeep!!!!!

Ok,thats much better,if you trust these people and for $800 go for it.We were saying run for it based on the first post,if you can email me a photo of the jeep,just curious you know:roll: