Honest opinions please

I have a '88 xj with a salvage title and roughly 195k on the ODO.

It is costing me roughly 200-500 every other month for some issue.
This time it was a fuel pump, being fixed at T&C Jeep for 320ish.
Last time it was a overheating problem; bad thermostat, water pump, and old coolant hoses.

In essence I paid 1200 for the rig and put roughly 6000-8000 into it getting it to run, and I still need to put about 200-500 into it to maintain the vehicle.

I will be getting a large tax refund where I can put all of it to fix it so I don't have the maintenance cost or sell is for WAY less than paid and start fresh with a difference vehicle.

If the suggestions are leaning to sell and replace how much should i be asking for it?

The xj has;
-HPd30 out of a '92 auto with 3.55 gears roughly 125k
-chrysler 8.25 out of the same vehicle, open diff
-3.5" lift coils and no rear lift, previous owner never gave it to me and I haven't had time or money to replace it with leaf packs
-lifetime alignment at firestone that i believe is transferable
-new 31x10.5-15 mt tires, no name brand, less than 5000 miles
-does not ave the factory HD tow package
-no front bumper due to previous front end damage that the previous owner forgot to inform me about
-96 front grill and grill surround
-the front fenders are cut up, not pretty but makes it able to clear the bigger tires
-rear fenders are cut and bent up to clear the no-lift with bigger tires
-interior has a bunch of issues, drivers front window cant go all the way down (comes off the track), Driver's rear door handle doesn't open easily, passenger's front fender is not attached, the retaining bolt has been cut off?, the passenger front door's hinges are coming undone (weld is cracking)
-paint is messed up, dynalined on the bottom half of the trun under the main body line, olive drab on the upper portion, factory red on the roof and rear hatch
-hood has a hole in it due to a overheating issue that still hasn't been completely resolved
-etc, etc, etc...

thanks guys

any info/help would be great!!!:cheers:

few more details would be nice.

1. if u keep it what are your plans ? trail rig ? DD ? moderate wheelin ? hardcore ?
2. picture is worth a thousand words

without seeing it, and without knowing your plans ? if you have invested that much time and money. . . i'd say keep it. you know it inside and out now. u know whats good, whats bad, what needs done etc... it sounds like the rest of what needs fixin' is not to major and we all know you never get back what you've invested.

if it is going to be more of a DD, i'd consider getting something more mechanicaly sound and reliable to start with.

my $ 0.02

If you have already dropped all that coin in then I wouldnt let go so easy. Put in 8 grand and get back less than what you paid for it......doesnt make sense.

buy a reliable daily driver and keep this as a toy...

XJ_ranger said:

buy a reliable daily driver and keep this as a toy...

Click to expand...

X2
And quit taking it to a dealer for repairs. It's way too old to need a dealers attention. The forums here are full of diagnostic advise and there are lots of great independent shops in Portland who understand that you don't want to sink more money than the rig is worth into repairs.

If that 6000-8000 is not a typo then you asked way too late. Without seeing your rig, it sound like you couldn't get over 1500 for it. I'm sorry to say it, but all of the money you threw at it is gone. I have an 89 with 175k on it and know what you mean about the never ending problems. But I am a cheap bastard, and wouldn't dream of throwing that much money at my rig. U-Pull-It is your friend, and so is this board. Just about any problem you run into can be solved by someone on this board for pretty cheap with used or junkyard parts. I know it's a little late now, but if you need help it's only a post away. There are plenty of people in the PDX area to lend a hand.

What you need to decide now is whether or not you are emotionally attached to your current XJ. If you are looking at a healthy tax return, you should consider getting a more solid XJ to start with. It doesn't sound like you are too far into it with only a front 3.5 lift, tires and some cutting. Or you could keep your current rig and fix the problems for a few hundred dollars and some help. Whatever you do, don't pay anyone to work on your rig. Think of the tools you could have bought with the money they took. If you are not comfortable going it alone, that's what is for.

Ken

x3
"Honest opinions please"
How can you enjoy this insanely expensive hobby if you dont fix your own stuff? Honestly, I'm slightly nervous when I take my family deep into the woods for a trail run. But we hit the trail because I'm fairly certain: a) I've packed the correct spare parts in case of a breakdown, and b) I have the mechanical knowledge to fix the XJ and get my family back home, common sense aside.

Do you like working in the garage? If yes, start fixing your stuff and have even more fun. If no, sell the Jeep.

I don't wana sound like a dick...but if you really spent upwards of 6 grand on that cherokee...you're getting screwed. I'm with everyone else, you've already dropped a lot of coin, and now you know your rig (even if you didn't do the installs). If it's a DD though, it's hard to say...pictures make a difference in that catagory, IMO. It sounds like you would have better off getting a newer XJ with a lesser chance of things failing (less miles).

I have an '89 limited with over 200k and with all my mods (lift, BFG tires, armor, bumper, etc.) and all the work (new RM seal, timing chain, valve cover seal, fuel pump, water pump, TPS, CPS, O2 sensor, gas tank, brake lines, etc.) including the purchase price I probably have no more then 4 maybe 5 grand into it.

~Scott

1.buy a 91+ off craigslist for under $1500 (should be easy to find) and take another member with you to buy it. Look for good mechanical condition more than anything else.

2. Find some 4.10 JY axles and swap em in or pay to have your current axles regeared and locked.

3. Go to Costco, Sams club, etc and buy beer

4. Have a weekend work party with other members to transfer armor and Suspension equipment to new rig(maybe order some pizza too). Do it better(cleaner trimming etc) than last time.

5. Sell current rig as is with stock suspension from other rig.

6. end up with better rig and new friends.

7. go wheel

I went through the same thing last summer. My old 90 which I loved and still miss.. had become a problem child. I Missed NW fest, and several Camping trips because all of a sudden something would go wrong. Usually not something major, but enough to where it took me time to fix it and would delay the camping trip.

I sold it. Tires, custom bumpers and all. I had paid.. 1700 for it.. fixed it up got it running good, put many hours of labor and many pieces of knuckles into it. I sold it for 1500, with new tires, all the racks items I built for it. ALthough I did keep my rear bumper.

When gas prices rose up, I was able to get a super clean 98 with 160K miles on it for 2k. Its super clean, 1 owner (carfax), and I love it. No problems. I am working now to get it lifted and squared away. I am fending to go wheeling like a crack head.. but Its nice to have a great base to put money into. I didn't want to dump any more money into my 90.. it just seemed like it was not going to end..

The way the economy is right now there are jeeps everywhere for really awesome prices. My neighbor just got a nice 99 lifted with 32's super clean for 3500. I have another buddy that just got a 2000 for 2200 although it had a branded title. It is in awesome shape.
I would highly recomend, cutting your losses. Take anything you want to save or custom parts off. Purchases a new rig. Get a twelve pack and invite us over to help you build it up.

Really.. Why sink another 3k into a hole, when you can buy a new rig ~2k and build it up for another 3K and have a great ride that is rock solid.

I am sure I am not the only one who would help.

I voted on sell it.

Start with something fresh, you'll feel good about it.

GlueNTape said:

Get a twelve pack and invite us over to help you build it up.

Click to expand...

Yeah ! Say when. i'm game. i watched overhaulin' last night.
arty:

i have been in this predicament for a few weeks.. bought my rig for $1000, put $1000 into it, and now its in the forsale section for $500

i found another XJ that i feel is more suitable as a project

I just got word back from T&C Jeep that the rig needs more than just the fuel pump. (361 later and I'm no closer than when I had it towed in.

Any ideas to get it up and running long enough to selling it? Hasta

Strictly.Offroad said:

I just got word back from T&C Jeep that the rig needs more than just the fuel pump. (361 later and I'm no closer than when I had it towed in.

Any ideas to get it up and running long enough to selling it? Hasta

Click to expand...

What else does it need? Did they give you an estimate and diagnosis?

merge

They want to charge me an additional 91 for diagnosis. Lame sause.
As an answer to the want I want to do with it is to make it work long enough to mke it through buying my house we close on our condo on the 26th which is why I'm in need of selling a bunch of stuff out of my garage.
Would be willing to sell it all and go Toyota since they seem to be more reliable.

Re: merge

Strictly.Offroad said:

Would be willing to sell it all and go Toyota since they seem to be more reliable.

Click to expand...

:bs:

I think you just had a bad experience, don't let that discourage you. At the end of the day it's your decision, but Jeeps are strong runners when properly maintained. Just don't buy something that "looks" good, get something that runs well too.

~Scott

Yeah I agree. At thr time ibwas looking I just wanted a jrrp real baf.

Re: merge

Strictly.Offroad said:

They want to charge me an additional 91 for diagnosis. Lame sause.
As an answer to the want I want to do with it is to make it work long enough to mke it through buying my house we close on our condo on the 26th which is why I'm in need of selling a bunch of stuff out of my garage.
Would be willing to sell it all and go Toyota since they seem to be more reliable.

Click to expand...

So who diagnosed it as needing a fuel pump? If it was them and it didn't cure the problem it was brought in for then they should be providing additional diagnosis at a better rate ( free ??). If it was brought to them and they were told to replace the fuel pump without any diagnosis then this is what happens. If the pump solved some but not all of the problems you are into that nasty grey area. Either way You should post up your symptoms and get some ideas from the experience on these boards.

As to the Toyota vs. Jeep : both are actually very reliable and both have certain things that go wrong. All vehicles need maintance the only way to avoid dealing with it is to ride community transit.

I tested the fuel pressure and had none. clicked it into acc to see if the fuel pump kicked on and nothing. Had T&C replace the fuel pump after testing the ballist resister. $361 later and the jeep had a dead fuel pump but now it only starts up for a few seconds then shuts off on its own. I love my jeep but hate having to spend so much on fixing it all the dang time.

After I move into the new place I will be losing my garage and about 150sq. ft., so working on it my self is becoming more and more difficult.

Here is a list of what I have done to the jeep myself;
-2 rear ends, first was from a d30 with 3.55s to a 8.25 with 3.07s; second was from 8.25 with 3.07s to 3.55s
-1 front axle, broken u-joint
-swapped t-cases, original had no 4lo/4hi/2wd, only full time 4wd
-painted it OD
-duplicolored/truckbed coating the bottom half
-didn't like it, started to strip the paint off the front end
-and lots of misc to keep it running, wasting money.
-wasted more money figuring how to do it once, then doing it right the second time
-R&P for the 8.25 purchased from 4wheel parts, never installed it


Here is the list of things I've had done at a shop;
-alignment
-tires, mount balance,
-fuel pump, newest
-overheating issue diagnosed, didn't completely solve the problem

So maybe the 6000-8000 is an overshot but with the time ive wasted I could have been doing other things to it/ wheeling

A better estimate would be 3-4k. With an additional work needing to be done; lift kit, cooling issue, paint, brakes, has a crucial engine knock, transfer case linkage needs to be adjusted, interior needs serious work, rear hatch is broken and leaks like its not even there, power steering whines like a baby, etc...

I really do love the jeep cherokee and wranglers and their loyal following, this POS xj is making it difficult to make me want a second one.

I want a pretty, reliable, DD with enough balls to have fun with my family offroad.