What would you pay for my XJ?

[srmitchell]

This is a hard decision, but my dad is offering me his 80,000 mile 2004 WJ Overland for way less than its worth. I can't keep two jeeps, I already have a 2015 Dart with a payment as my dd.

Just wondering what you guys think would be fair, I haven't truly decided if i want to do this yet, but it really comes down to what I could get for it. The WJ is cherry, has the 4.7 High Output, and I personally built it up a bit with jk take offs and a 3 inch lift. It drives awesome, and has everything I want. (better mpg, power, low miles.)

My xj- 2001,
Drivetrain-
4.0, aw4. 195,000 miles on the body, engine/trans. Both run great.
-New Flowmaster 40, new cat, and a new pipe/hanger, cost me 700 bucks 9 months ago.
-4 hole injectors
-Bored TB
-HP D30 swap- rebuilt with new gears, bearings, ball joints, lca skids, gofer it flip kit, all about 20,000 miles ago.
-C8.25- Totally rebuilt about 15,000 ago. Detroit locker, all new gears, bearings. 4.56 gearing f+r.
-60,000 mile tcase, 231, swapped in about 20,000 ago, PORC sye kit.
-Tow woods HD shafts f+r.
-2013+ Rubicon Wheels, synergy adapters. Goodyear MTRk's, 5 of them, 285/70/17.
-All new calipers, (4) EBC dimpled/slotted rotors and green stuff pads. ZJ rear disks, all these parts replaced 500 miles ago.

Suspension
-Currie HD steering
-RE 3.5 spring, bigger shackles out back. OME Nitro Sports, new about 8,000 miles ago.
-Rough Country Long arms... all new joints in the last 10k.
-Currie Anti-rock sway bar, JK end links. 6,000 ago.

Body
-Rigidco FBg, custom fabbed with a winch mount, inset to the grill like Ericsxj- XRC 8,000 synthetic line
-JCR Vangaurd Bumper, tirecarrier combo, with sideplates, cost me 1600 with powder.
-JY swapped tank skid
-HD offroad frame stiffeners, middle
-Aj's offroad sliders
-Napier Flares
-Rock Hard 4x4 Cage.
-RaDesigns Rail shifter.
-Arb onboard air.
-new Headunit, bluetooth.
-Limited xj tweeters and OHC swapped in
-Will have a new headliner before a sale

This is a quick list, I'm sure I forgot something. Just looking for input.

Thanks!
Xj by Sean Mitchell, on Flickr

Xj by Sean Mitchell, on Flickr
New Years Adventures by Sean Mitchell, on Flickr

 

[blondejoncherokee]

Id say its an easy 4500$-5500$ because its pretty clean . No 4:1, no atlas, and stock axles with a regear and one locker.

 

[srmitchell]

Yikes. Is that all they go for these days? Should I part it out? lol
I paid 5500 for it in 2007.

 

[831_xj]

Aim high, I've seen people paying more lately. Worth a shot to start around 7200 or so

 

[blondejoncherokee]

i was saying an easy 4500-5500. if you wanted it to sell within a few months, the 4500-5500 would get you there. If you want more, expect it to sit longer.

Nothing wrong with stretching for 7500$, just might not be a fast sale, or you might not get it, it might sit for months . There are more dynamics at play than just price, for example, desired speed of sale timeline is another - which will be tied to actual Demand on craigslist, forums, whether its an OK deal or a Great Deal , or just a normal expected price.

 

[blondejoncherokee]

Yikes. Is that all they go for these days? Should I part it out? lol
I paid 5500 for it in 2007.

you probably overpaid but if it had low miles back then, maybe just by 1000$ -1500$ .

Plus consider depreciation over the period of the last 9 years, 2007 was a long time ago, it was newer, lower miles, now it has 195K on it, not the lower mileage you bought it with.

by adding on what you added on, you helped retain value over the years so it did not drop to 2000$ total value.

 

[moparmansfield]

Your XJ is clean and set up very well. It does have highish miles though, which will scare off a lot of buyers since they don't realize how tough these things are. I just went through the buying process with my buddy who ended up buying a bone stock 98 XJ for $6,000 with 106,000 miles(took about a year).. The demand for cherokees is pretty high right now, so you might be able to get a good amount. I've gotten 2 offers around 5,500 for my XJ but turned them down as I'm not ready to sell yet. Yours is much cleaner and better set up than mine with only 25k more miles. I would post it at 7k and work it from there. You will definitely have more potential buyers in the Bay Area and So Cal as well.

Definitely write a thorough add as if you were explaining everything you did to someone that doesn't know jeeps. Also, if you have a buddy that's a tech at a dealership/shop, have him give it a full inspection and put it in writing. Most guys out there looking for a Jeep don't know much about cars so giving a detailed explanation of everything will definitely help. Your XJ has pretty much everything done to it and still looks nice, there will definitely be interest. You just have to be a good salesman.

 

[srmitchell]

Your XJ is clean and set up very well. It does have highish miles though, which will scare off a lot of buyers since they don't realize how tough these things are. I just went through the buying process with my buddy who ended up buying a bone stock 98 XJ for $6,000 with 106,000 miles(took about a year).. The demand for cherokees is pretty high right now, so you might be able to get a good amount. I've gotten 2 offers around 5,500 for my XJ but turned them down as I'm not ready to sell yet. Yours is much cleaner and better set up than mine with only 25k more miles. I would post it at 7k and work it from there. You will definitely have more potential buyers in the Bay Area and So Cal as well.

Definitely write a thorough add as if you were explaining everything you did to someone that doesn't know jeeps. Also, if you have a buddy that's a tech at a dealership/shop, have him give it a full inspection and put it in writing. Most guys out there looking for a Jeep don't know much about cars so giving a detailed explanation of everything will definitely help. Your XJ has pretty much everything done to it and still looks nice, there will definitely be interest. You just have to be a good salesman.

Funny you say that, I have been a mopar tech for 3 years. I rebuilt the 8.25 myself and I've done all the work myself otherwise.
I can certainly take my time selling it if I have to, my dad is in no rush. Lesson learned though, aftermarket parts do very little for resale value!

 

[Phil]

I was imagining $5k also.

And you can self-certify all day long, but it won't have the same level of credit as having another tech look it over and give it a full inspection and write-up.

 

[srmitchell]

I was imagining $5k also.

And you can self-certify all day long, but it won't have the same level of credit as having another tech look it over and give it a full inspection and write-up.

Forsure man, yeah I'm not claiming to be the end-all authority. I have a few co-workers that could give me an inspection like that, one of them has been a jeep tech since the eagle days.

Thanks for the input, I now see why so many people just keep their older xj's as trail rigs. I've got probably $15,000 over the years into this jeep and I'll never see it again.

 

[blondejoncherokee]

Forsure man, yeah I'm not claiming to be the end-all authority. I have a few co-workers that could give me an inspection like that, one of them has been a jeep tech since the eagle days.

Thanks for the input, I now see why so many people just keep their older xj's as trail rigs. I've got probably $15,000 over the years into this jeep and I'll never see it again.

remember, Depreciation is real , lack the nostalgia for the average person compared to a wrangler is real, lack of demand is real , and the customer base is often a cheaper, willing to pay less not more customer base is real . You dont own a TJ, you own a XJ. You get basically 2000$ for the stock rig plus about 40-50% of the value of the parts , priced as used (since they are used) , not new. SO price out your parts as you would all used parts, add that up, divide by 2, add 2000$ for the cost of a stock XJ (I've seen plenty of clean 97-01 lately selling on CL for 2000$, but they sell fast, good deals sell fast, and they dont stay posted for more than a day or two... ) You cannot include labor costs in these calculations, labor is Zero'd out.

Thinking because you put all that money into the rig that every single dollar that goes in, adds incremental exact value back , especially over a 9 year time horizon of depreciation , is just not realistic. Cars depreciate, the introduction of cheaper substitutes drives the market price down as well.

Did you see how freakin built 330licious rig was? A naxja member who tried to sell his super clean, super built late model , I think it was a 2001 ? Late model with 80K original miles, atlas, currie hi9s, long arms, quality long arms not rough country, tons of other parts , and he sold it for like 8-9.5k, and that thing was legit low miles and legit parts. He probably had 30k+ in that rig easy. you're at 200k with stock axles and a regear with one locker - you have to be realistic. It still took him over a month to sell at that price with that amazing build.


We would all love it , if the market naturally increased the value of our rigs instead of deprecated them, but thats just not the way things naturally flow. I track hundreds of jeeps in excel and actually put data behind this, not just making shit up like some people, i literally track all of these jeeps values and selling prices , value of parts, selling price of the jeep, and I have been for 10-12 years.


If you want a Dishonest opinion based on emotion , and not hard data and facts , id say its worth 8K. If you wanted an honest opinion based on hard data and facts, id say 4500-5500$ if you want to sell it within 1-2 months, with the holidays coming, probably 3 months. that 4500-550 selling price assumes a 6200$ asking price. Don't shoot the messenger, I just understand the market dynamics and still check out every jeep cherokee selling on Craigslist and Facebook about 10-15 times a day , for about 12 years straight. I dont really think a lot of people do that to keep their gauge on the market.

One thing is for sure, long run Asking price trends for XJs have gone up... Selling price trends have not gone up by the same degree, good deals still sell cheap and fast and bad deals sit for weeks or months, but i have noticed a upward trend in at least asking prices.

Don't forget, asking price is a function of time. If you want to sell it within the next 2-3 weeks, then a asking price of 4500$ for a selling price of 2.9 -4.1 K for a faster sale.

 

[srmitchell]

remember, Depreciation is real , lack the nostalgia for the average person compared to a wrangler is real, lack of demand is real , and the customer base is often a cheaper, willing to pay less not more customer base is real . You dont own a TJ, you own a XJ. You get basically 2000$ for the stock rig plus about 40-50% of the value of the parts , priced as used (since they are used) , not new. SO price out your parts as you would all used parts, add that up, divide by 2, add 2000$ for the cost of a stock XJ (I've seen plenty of clean 97-01 lately selling on CL for 2000$, but they sell fast, good deals sell fast, and they dont stay posted for more than a day or two... ) You cannot include labor costs in these calculations, labor is Zero'd out.

Thinking because you put all that money into the rig that every single dollar that goes in, adds incremental exact value back , especially over a 9 year time horizon of depreciation , is just not realistic. Cars depreciate, the introduction of cheaper substitutes drives the market price down as well.

Did you see how freakin built 330licious rig was? A naxja member who tried to sell his super clean, super built late model , I think it was a 2001 ? Late model with 80K original miles, atlas, currie hi9s, long arms, quality long arms not rough country, tons of other parts , and he sold it for like 8-9.5k, and that thing was legit low miles and legit parts. He probably had 30k+ in that rig easy. you're at 200k with stock axles and a regear with one locker - you have to be realistic. It still took him over a month to sell at that price with that amazing build.


We would all love it , if the market naturally increased the value of our rigs instead of deprecated them, but thats just not the way things naturally flow. I track hundreds of jeeps in excel and actually put data behind this, not just making shit up like some people, i literally track all of these jeeps values and selling prices , value of parts, selling price of the jeep, and I have been for 10-12 years.


If you want a Dishonest opinion based on emotion , and not hard data and facts , id say its worth 8K. If you wanted an honest opinion based on hard data and facts, id say 4500-5500$ if you want to sell it within 1-2 months, with the holidays coming, probably 3 months. that 4500-550 selling price assumes a 6200$ asking price. Don't shoot the messenger, I just understand the market dynamics and still check out every jeep cherokee selling on Craigslist and Facebook about 10-15 times a day , for about 12 years straight. I dont really think a lot of people do that to keep their gauge on the market.

One thing is for sure, long run Asking price trends for XJs have gone up... Selling price trends have not gone up by the same degree, good deals still sell cheap and fast and bad deals sit for weeks or months, but i have noticed a upward trend in at least asking prices.

Don't forget, asking price is a function of time. If you want to sell it within the next 2-3 weeks, then a asking price of 4500$ for a selling price of 2.9 -4.1 K for a faster sale.

I 100% agree with everything you've said. I know that labor, price of parts etc doesn't mean shit. I do a ton of used car work here at the dealership so I know what a headache buying a modified rig can be anyway.
And I really appreciate the input. This is exactly why I asked you guys, and I knew you would chime in Jon, because you have bought and sold more xj's than I ever will.

If I do sell it, it will not be up here. Most people want pile of shit to run into the ground, or a toyota pick up.

I would love to get 6K for it, but we'll have to just see where the market is within the next year.

 

[blondejoncherokee]

I would say post it for 8K to start and see what happens.

 

[Ivan]

Since you have the Dart as your daily driver, and I assume you want either Jeep as your trail rig........

Which of the two Jeeps is better set up for that specific purpose, and which of the two would you cry the least if you rolled it or badly damaged the body?

 

[330LICIOUS]

someone mention my name? haha. I sold mine for $9500 within a week, but I just didn't want to deal with holding on for months, otherwise I might have listed it a little higher. Nah I didn't have $30K into it, but I'd say low-20's easily. (or maybe mid 20)

Sean - good luck with everything to a fellow blue xj.

 

[blondejoncherokee]

Haha . Your rig was built ! And super low miles!

 

[XJensen]

I would say post it for 8K to start and see what happens.

I agree your rig is super clean. You might get it

 

[srmitchell]

Since you have the Dart as your daily driver, and I assume you want either Jeep as your trail rig........

Which of the two Jeeps is better set up for that specific purpose, and which of the two would you cry the least if you rolled it or badly damaged the body?

The XJ is by far better set up for crawling, the wj is better for overlanding.

The WJ has something I just like way better, Quadradrive (killer for snow and overlanding.)- The 4.7HO motor makes 330lb/ft torque and 270HP, way better than my weak 4.0. And the WJ is 110,000 miles newer.

Thanks for the input guys, I think if I was able to rockcrawl more, I would enjoy the xj here, but in Humboldt County you have to drive so far for even minor trails, so having better mpg and a more road-worthy rig would be great for me.

 

[rocknxj]

I only got 9300 for my '99 and I had just added the LA lift, rebuilt diff's with ARB and Grizzly lockers and a ton of other upgrades. Add up your parts and figure 40 to 50% of that value. You'll likely never be happy but if its time to move on, don't look back. Good luck.

 

[Ben H]

I bet you could get $7-8k for it. Just dont market it to jeep forums. Market it to highschool kids.