Buying advice...00 Limited

Checked out an 00 Limited today at a small lot. 105K miles, asking price is $5000 Full Time 4x4 and Part TIme, so I assume the 242 TC.

This will NOT be a wheeling vehicle.

Test drove it, acted as expected since I've had 2 before.

PROBLEMS--Rear wiper doesn't work(just fluid), NO AC output(important)--could be leak or just recharge?, Front speaker not working, some condensation dripping from the muffler which means it's just old and needs replaced, still normal noise output. Most troubling was the oil drops coming off the bellhousing. I saw a silver dollar size spot there before I test drove it. I drove it for a while, parked, didn't see any active drops after that.

If rear main seal, how much is this to fix IF I took it somewhere?

What would you offer as a bottom line on this?

The guy said it may be the oil sending unit, but I have no experience with fixing rear mains or oil sending units.

Thanks for any advice,
Bill

Not sure what the going rates are for Xj's on your side of the country but I got my 2000 Sport with 104k on it and in excellent shape. No leaks, Obviously no rust being and AZ rig, nothing wrong with it for 4900...

that dead AC is almost certainly from a leaking evaporator cores. 97-01 have a tendancy to develop leaks.
my 00 XJ blew its evaporator at 65k miles.
major time to replace, or major $$$.

i'd not pay $5000 for a vehicle, with a $1000 AC repair bill already under the hood.

Are you sure it was engine oil leaking out? The rear main may not be leaking, could be the front seal on the transmission.

The speaker shouldn't be that big of a deal its prolly a cracked wire in the door. That happened to me and I had a audio store fix it when I replaced my speakers. The AC sounds like it could be a problem though... I would try to get the price down for that... other wise it would be a really good deal considering its a limited

$5k is probably a bit more than I would pay if everything worked and it was rust free. So with all the things wrong, I'd be offering somewhere in the $3200 - $3500 range. I just sold a 2001 that everthing worked on perfectly and it had no rust. Miles were a bit higher at 130k and I was pleased to get $4200.

Sounds like my xj 2000.the guy wanted $5200 It needed almost the same stuff I offered $4600 and he took it fast. It had small drip from bell housing,bad muffler, leaky yoke seal, both front speakers not working, NG rear brakes, some bad u joints in front drive shaft, A/C not to cold (did not fix A/C yet) and some other small repair stuff, 115,000 mi. I fixed most of it myself so I think it was worth it. Has very little rust. I would offer $4000 to start. Front Drive shaft was about $250 to have rebuilt.

Thanks all, it's definitely in contention. But, I'm not actively looking per se, it just fell in my lap and when I saw limited, I gave it a second look.

You just can't stay away from an XJ, can you?

Offer the full 5k IF he will fix the A/C (and not just recharge, full on diagnosis and repair if necessary). RMS depends on the shop, make some calls. Speakers and muffler are no biggie. Rear wiper is probably the motor, ~$90 for a reman at Advance, or $40-$60 at the JY.

The air conditioning is definitely the wildcard here. Use it to your advantage to leverage a lower price if you want to get in. Odds are that he won't want to fix it before selling so then the advantage should go to the SELLER on price negotiation. I definitely wouldn't pay any more than 4k and would probably start at 3500 first bid.