I've been lurking on CF for quite some time, reading lots but not really commenting. I'm going to look @ a '99 XJ tonight or tomorrow and I'm looking for any helpful comments as to specific things I should check or look out for.



Supposedly it always gets Mobil1 Full-Syntetic and has no mechanical issues. It looks like there is some surface rust along the drip rails and front of the hood. Front left hood corner and right tail light look out of whack. The front right wheel and tire doesn't match the rear. Clear coat on hood looks like it's peeling. It's been used as a work truck so I'm guessing the interior is pretty beat as well. They're asking $2300 and it has 150k. How's the price? Obviously I'll know a lot more once I can see it in person.

Any help is appreciated! Thanks.

 

Is it my eyes, or is that right side tail light pushed in?

check for rust on the floor pans. stock brakes?

a bit pricey.

 

2xs that but idk about pricey. I replaced all my brakes and found to be pretty cheap. check all the fluids,axle ,tranny ,motor ,so on and the tie rods ,ball joints,suspension, u-joints, brakes.You get the idea. I take it home for a few hours and go over it. If they wont let me then I dont buy it.

 

Thanks guys. I'm not sure what to think about the price. Kelly Blue Book lists private party sale @ $1950 'fair' to $2400 'good' condition. I'd say this rig is definitely more towards being 'fair'.

What would you be willing to pay?

 

haha oops, guess i didnt read your description well enough. You did mention that tail light looking out of wack.

Pricey as in, if there is rust and that many miles, you shouldnt really have to pay over 2 grand for it. talk em down some.

As troy mentioned, check all the fluids. try out the 4 wheel drive to see that the transfer case works alright.

 

Definitely check the floor boards. When I checked out mine I even crawled under and everything looks like a little surface rust. I took it muddin once, bottomed out on a couple of whoops, and now half the floorboard fell out on the drivers side. Just give it a push to see if it's sturdy. I'm just gonna weld some sheet metal over it and call it a day.

 

I just went through this not even a month ago. I'll share what my brother in law told me who's been a Jeep tech at a dealership for longer than he's been my brother in law! Things that he usually see's with XJ's

Look at the:
Brakes for wear
Coolant color to see if there's been any contamination
Noisey U-joints and/or differentials
floor boards for rust
check the oil for - level, consistancy, and smell
exhaust for cracks in the manifold or rusted out exhaust
air conditioning - make sure it blows cold.

Don't get to excited about it and overlook things thinking they're no big deal. Absolutely try and beat the person down on their price. Remember every dollar you save in the transaction is a dollar towards some goodies. I was afraid that the guy I bought my Jeep off of wasn't going to budge because he saw I brought a trailer. I made sure he knew I was looking at a couple in his area and was going to buy one with cash that day! I was able to knock off $450

Hope this helps - Good luck.

 

First I would see what the title calls it. It looks to me it's a sport with a classic door or decal added. The classic had body color plastic mouldings all the way around. The second is the wheels, they look like the sport kind, mis match of course.

I would look really good at the fitment of the hood and fenders with the hood open to see if any of the inner sheetmetal got tweeked.

Double on the floor, I had a '98 and the windshield leaked and there was an inch of water on the floor and it was there long enough to rust out the whole floor.

See how it shifts into drive and reverse, ujoints are common.

that's all I can think of, they are reliable trucks.

 

I just bought my 98. Things I discovered that seem to be common to XJ's were the following: Heater would only blow luke warm air (heater core); power window/lock switched didn't all work (driver's side master switch), popping noise where trac bar attaches to the frame on the driver's side (needed to replace trac bar), rear window washer doesn't squirt anymore.

Ask about whether it has ever had the "death wobble" and make sure you get it up to highway speeds to check for any unusual vibrations or poor handling. Check every light, button, and switch to see if they are working properly. Make sure the 4wd works properly. Check for straight frame and proper alignment of the doors, hood, etc. Any deviations could be an indication of previous accidents. Carefully inspect for oil leaks throughout the engine and drivetrain and check the transmission and engine oil dipsticks for quality.

Sorry if I have stated too much of the obvious. Even if the problems you find are fixable, they can at least help you to negotiate a lower price.

 

That wheel being different suggests it was in an accident. ask me how I know. I'd be very careful and look for signs of any body/frame damage that suggests an accident.

 

Lots more good info. Thanks again everyone.

I checked it out last night but it was dark and windy and below zero. I wasn't able to check it over very well so I told the owner that I'd stop back sometime today while it's still light out. She has someone looking at it around noon today and I was tempeted to try to beat them there to make an offer but like some of you said I don't want to get excited and pay too much or buy a pile of junk because I'm worried someone else will get it first. Another weird thing ... I discovered that the owner is my girlfriends cousin! Now I somewhat feel like I can't totally low-ball them.

The owner said the tires were newer and I noticed there was no spare. She had the spare in the garage somewhere so I'm wondering if the spare is on the truck for some reason and the other alloy wheel is in the garage.

Here's what I was able to find in -10 degrees in the dark ...

The Good:

• 1999
• Black/Grey Int
• Newer Tires
• Clean Interior
• Driver's side has no rust or dents
• Rockers seem to have no rust
• I can actually afford it

The Bad:

• Rust on roof above passenger door
• Rust on lower passenger door
• Hood doesn't open/close right
• Grill/Header panel cracked & pushed back slightly (hence the hood issues)
• Drivers interior door panel loose and catches on door jamb when the door is opened.
• Back doors wouldn't latch when closed - even after slamming them. I eventually got them to stay. Is this a jeep issue or could it have been ice in the latch mechanism since it was recently washed?
• Small dent in passenger door
• Horn doesn't work (has been disabled because it would go off when one of the doors was opened)
• Drivers door key cylinder can fall out (previous break-in damage)
• Cracked windshield
• Passenger Taillight is duct taped in place/falling off
• Clear coat peeling off the hood
• 154k
• Squeeling noise when I turned on the defrost. Would this be A/C compressor or just a belt or ???

Like I said they're asking $2300. I definitely wouldn't pay more than $2k but I'm starting to think even that would be a bit much. I especially don't like the idea of the rust.

 

Wow, and I thought my XJ was in bad condition when I bought it, I would keep looking if I were you, just sayin.

 

thats not a bad price,, im sure with all those :bad" things listed you can be able to talk him down a bit

its 150k not 150miles,,, big difference

 

Well I got a call from the owner saying she sold it for $2200. I wouldn't have felt right paying over $2000 so I guess it wasn't meant to be.

I got a line on a 2001 black sport w/ 44k for $5800... maybe I need to take out a loan from the bank of Dad and work on that. It is 100% better than the '99. Just some fading on the bumpers / trim and the interior needs to be cleaned. I'd really prefer a classic or limited over the sport model though.

 

I think it was good that you didn't get it. In that short of time to find that much wrong is not good. A ton of stuff would've come up later. Rust on body panels means hella rust elsewhere.

Another thing to look for that shocked me when I got my jeep is the motor mounts. Mines had a vibration the seller told me was "due to the 3" lift, needs a longer DS". Well turned out the motor mount on the pass side broke off shearing all 3 bolts w/it. WHAT A MAJOR PITA TO FIX!! It was a lot of work, and I was afraid if I screwed it up, I'd have to get a new engine. Well it's been holding since June, and I'm still crossing my fingers.

Good luck to you.