Cubey

I'm debating possibly buying a 91 Cherokee (Laredo) 4x2 for $2000 from a friend of mine. She bought it from her friend for $500 and put an engine in it (dunno if it was new or used.. cost her $1000).

The odometer has pretty high miles... 186,xxx right now. But.. the speedometer isn't working at the moment so I wonder if it's actually higher than that if the odometer relies on a working speedometer in order to count?

She says the tachometer does work and that's how you have to watch your speed. Although, a cheap GPS with a large speedometer display would also work. The other gauges seem like they may be working properly.. maybe.

I cranked it up and they adjusted themselves accordingly. Prior to that, they looked broken. ie: the temp gauge said 200, the battery said it was dead, etc. I think I did see the tachometer go up but I can't remember for sure.

3 out of 4 tires are pretty worn down but not totally bald yet. It has noticeable exhaust leak odor. Also, the horn isn't working right now. I don't know the cause of that. That is the extent of non-working functions it has that I know of right now.

My state lacks any kind of inspections so I won't have any problem registering it if I get it. But of course I would like to get all of these major problems fixed on it promptly if I purchase it ... assuming it doesn't cost an arm a leg to fix them. I am pretty handy with easy to moderate repair tasks so if they aren't too in depth, I may be able to fix the problems myself with the aid of a Haynes manual and/or online resources.

It has no body damage and the paint is in very good condition compared to my Corolla of the same age. One piece of trim has fallen off of the passenger side front door but that's about the extend to the exterior damage it has besides some chipped off paint from the front bumper. She thinks the fallen off trim is stored in the vehicle someplace but we haven't yet looked for it.

I haven't yet test driven it though. if I buy it, it will be to replace my '91 corolla which got totalled a couple weeks ago by a careless 18 year old girl who t-boned it in the wal-mart parking lot. I am a bit too broke at this point in time to shell out much more than $2000 since I'll be lucky to get $1500 for the corolla probably... but I'm gonna try to squeeze $2000 out of her insurance company anyway. The insurance adjuster is coming to look at it tomorrow ..... wish me luck!

Anyhow, does this sound like it might be a good deal? Also, is there anything else bad I should look out for that may be hidden on these vehicles?

dans01classic

Dood, before you buy that truck you need to shop. Of course we arent the same person but I would not buy that truck. Sounds like its a money pit. I bought my 2001 4x4 classic for 2700 bucks and it doesnt have any major issues. There's no way I would pay 2000 bucks for a 2 wheel drive cherokee. You can get a much nicer cherokee for that amount of money. Shop Before you buy anything. Check craigslist

Cubey

Yes, of course. I have been checking craigslist since the wreck happened. It's hard to find anything decent for $2000 around here unfortunately. And yes, I am also thinking it's a money pit. 95% of craigslist ads (even from private sellers) are grossly overpriced for any kind of vehicle.

Over in Dallas, ~3 hours away, there are some good deals but that's a long way to go just to look at a car or two.

But as I said, I can't really afford more than $2000 most likely on anything. If I could spare another $500-$1000, I could probably get something decent. But I doubt I'm going to be able to get more than $1500 out of that girl's crappy insurance company (Viking/Sentry/Dairyland .. it seems to go by any/all of those 3 names on the document they sent me).

jiffy

$2000 is a bit much for an asking price for a 2x4. the engine that was put on there was prob a re-manufactured engine. with that said, you should be able to negotiate the asking price down considering the other problems you mentioned: horn not working & tach/speedo not working properly. as for the tires, you can find used ones on craigslist at a reasonable cost. as for your asking price, you should try for $900 or less. post pics if you have any.

Cubey

Hmm.... I just found an ad on CL for a '98 Laredo (non-4x4 since they don't mention it) for $1500 with 189k miles. If they still have it in a few more days or whenever I get my check from her insurance co, I may to check it out. If there's one thing I'm not, I'm not the kind to go rushing into buying a vehicle without checking it out closely. No pics of it on the ad so I'd just have to go see it in person about 20 miles away, not too bad.

But.. at the rate her lousy insurance co has been going, it'll be another 2 weeks before I get a check after they look at it though. It's been over 2 weeks since the wreck and they are just now looking at it. On Friday they told me they were sending me a check for $2850 based on my repair quote. I was nearly giddy with excitement at that.. I should have known better! Today the guy woke me up at 7:30am calling to tell me he had to look at it tomorrow.

jiffy

good luck and let us know how the inspection goes.

tuxfan212

2k seems a bit high but I am looking for one as well. I know my dads is worth about 750 in decent condition with 240k miles on it. That thing looks like a clunker if you ask me. I would check Kelly Blue Book value even though I think its very innacurate.

Cubey

KBB isn't very accurate for real world prices, especially on pickups and SUVs down here in the south. Add $500-1000 to KBB prices and you end up with real world prices people are asking/getting for trucks down here. But yes I agree, $2000 does seem too high for all that is wrong with it.

Rmart30

Id pass....... if the engine was a $1000 install its gotta be a JY motor.

I picked up my GF's 2000 2wd with 160k on it in perfect shape for under $2000.
Picked up a 99 4wd with 180k on it needing a windshield for $1400

Cubey

Thanks all. I had pretty much decided to pass on it but needed that little bit of a boost to help me decide for sure. If it didn't have all these problems then it might.. just might.. have been worth it.

tuxfan212

I said it wasnt very accurate but just to get a ball park figure. I usually go through and find all the listings that are very similiar to whatever I am looking at and avaerage the asking prices. Even then its not that accurate because it just gives you an average asking price. I typically say between KBB and average asking is usually not a bad starting point.

jeepdavetj

2wd Cherokee? 186,000 miles? Not in museum condition? About $350- $600 around here.