XJ frustrations.. or.. expectations too high??

Gen0cide

Gen0cide

Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2015
Location
Kinston, NC
I have been wandering around backroads looking for "for sale" signs and hanging out on craigslist WAAAAAY too much in hopes of finding an xj to brighten the holidays around my house..

With the research and some advice from yous guys, as well as a couple people I know that "used to jeep" I've had a pretty good idea of what I'm looking for. My issue, however, seems to be that different people think HIGHLY differently on the price of one of these babies from 90 - 99... One person has a huge lifted 97/98 rock crawler with roof rack and all kinds of bells and whistles for 4k, the next wants 3.5k for a wrecked 95 2wd that has a laundry list of fixes to it.
At the moment I'm looking stock (or close). So the huge lifted (and awesome!) xj's just aren't in the cards yet since I need a daily driver. I don't mind a little lift... but still, daily driver. And I don't have the know how yet to give a diamond in the rough an overhaul. I was thinking something thats in decent condition, 4x4, stock around 97 to 99 or with small mods (like small lift, rack or something small) would be going around 2K .. give or take.. . and older ones a bit cheaper.. Am I Totally Off the Mark here?? Or just looking in the wrong places? And try not to poke at me too hard for what is possibly a completely dumb question for ya! :D
 
Good old fashion trader paper has some good deals on cars/trucks from time to time. Most people that use the trader papers still are the old school folks that aren't quite as internet savvy and will price things differently than say CL.
 
EugeneTheTJ said:
At 2k you are going to have to do repairs. For a 97-99 (I'd avoid 97) you could get a decent XJ for 3-4 but probably with high miles (around 200).
Click to expand...

Everything I'm seeing has at least 180 to 200k miles anyways.. I don't mind a few things to fix up, I want to learn to work on it all on my own anyway. I just didn't know if I was being unreasonable looking in that price range for an older model. Thanks!! :)
 
Good condition and basically stock or with the slight mods you're looking for will sell for more than built and beat...

Deals are out there, you just have to be patient to find them and then be the first person there with cash when they show up.
 
justjeepin86 said:
I'm not sure I would want to drive one on an hour commute every day, but to each his own. The mileage sucks in those things.
Click to expand...

Yeah, my current work commuter is a mitsibishi.. not my favorite thing, but it works and the gas is ok..
We hope to move to the mountains soon so the jeep would be the 4x4 we need that fits the whole family and would be the daily driver once we get there since my commute should cut in half by then. At this point it would be a daily driver for the hubs around town with the kids and weekend warrior for us.
 
In my opinion you need to be looking for a different vehicle if you plan to mod it in the future. Don't get me wrong I've had 5 xjs but all were under $900 and the most expensive was actual in great shape. I got them because they were cheap but when wheeling and making repairs the uni body brings the suck. If you plan to wheel later and plan to add a cage or anything that attaches to the frame a vehicle with a true frame is much easier to work with to me.
 
That's what's good about XJs, bought mine years ago for 4500 and could probably sell it to the right person for the same. An unmolested XJ is getting hard to find now days.
 
We found a 98 xj this year with only 127,000 on it, nothing wrong at all, looks like it isnt 5 yrs old,and a father son ownership. Went all the way to Greensboro to get it , had 3 in line to get it, I told him I had cash and ended up getting the Jeep. Nice xjs are very hard to find and they don't go cheap any more, not many left. Wife drives it every day and the fuel mileage seems pretty good. Cheap to fix and reliable.

We can sit here and rattle on about whatever jeep cost to much, simple fact is the nice ones will sell for more than what most here would pay.
 
I picked up a decent one in Rockingham a couple years ago for a steal that needed a little TLC. I still have less in it that I should and that keeps me from selling this one. A nice one will cost you $3500 at least. A junk one goes for $2500. You have to have the cash in hand, be quick and know that there are a few common problems that they all have to find a great one for $1500.
 
I personally don't like em but I bought one for my son.My biggest complaint is the unibody can be a pain to deal with and they are kinda small on the inside if you're a big-er person.
 
1-tonmudder said:
I personally don't like em but I bought one for my son.My biggest complaint is the unibody can be a pain to deal with and they are kinda small on the inside if you're a big-er person.
Click to expand...

They are small. I wouldn't count on putting a more than one person in the back of any XJ. Leg room sucks. Look for a low milage 4.0 WJ if you have any hopes on putting people in the back seat.
 
Jason W. said:
We found a 98 xj this year with only 127,000 on it, nothing wrong at all, looks like it isnt 5 yrs old,and a father son ownership. Went all the way to Greensboro to get it , had 3 in line to get it, I told him I had cash and ended up getting the Jeep. Nice xjs are very hard to find and they don't go cheap any more, not many left. Wife drives it every day and the fuel mileage seems pretty good. Cheap to fix and reliable.

We can sit here and rattle on about whatever jeep cost to much, simple fact is the nice ones will sell for more than what most here would pay.
Click to expand...


Maybe I'm simply not expanding my search far enough.... this is something that has not crossed my mind. I suppose if it's something worth getting, it's worth traveling for. This may change a few things. :)
 
There's a decent 96 model for sale at my FD, but not sure you want to drive this far. I believe he is asking $2k for it.
 
Once again, thank you to everyone responding. I'm getting some great feedback!
 
GotWood said:
There's a decent 96 model for sale at my FD, but not sure you want to drive this far. I believe he is asking $2k for it.
Click to expand...

I seem to remember having conversations with several people (on and off this board) that have mentioned electrical issues with Jeep and the year 96? (correct me if wrong!)
 
Have you thought about a YJ?
 
XJsavage said:
Have you thought about a YJ?
Click to expand...
LOOOVE the yj... problem is, I need 4 doors. and those are WAY too expensive.. that is something that will have to be saved up for and gotten down the road as "mommy's jeep" that I take out on the weekends when I'm trying to leave the rest of the fam at home!! :rockon:
 
Back
Top