We kind of covered this, but these XJ's are next to impossible to come by now. At least within a 250mi radius of the Cincinatti area. Not sure how long ago you guys purchased yours, but I have been looking for a month solid in every source I could find. They are either junk with 170k or they want $8K + for them.

For me to finance it would needs to be under 100K miles and under Nada value which averages around $6,800.

Need a dependable daily driver first and foremost. Unfortunately I am in a time crunch now as I have to turn my car over this week.

 

Ok I have decided against the black XJ for $6,400. I called my credit union and they will do full Nada on a vehicle with up to 125K miles, but only for 24mo. This is OK as payments will still fall ~$125 less than my Mazda payments were. This opens up the possibilities slightly.

Say I find a Jeep with around 120K on it. What can I expect will need replaced in the next 25K miles? I know every vehicle is different, but on average what is going to start failing?

 

Do u have to finance? Do u have like $2000. Or can u get a sig loan for around that?

 

I ask because i looked for awhile and found my rig 15 miles from my house (right next to church i pastor) and bought it for $500. 170,000 miles, solid as a rock. Dont put yourself in a bind where "u have to have an xj today". U will probably make an emotional/rash decision that u will regret. See if u can use a friends vehicle or something for now and look. Half the fun of owning an xj is the hunt!

 

All,

Thanks for the input. I found and purchased an XJ on craiglist.

1999 XJ Classic
1 owner
Black, Auto, 4.0l
101K miles
$5,400

I still feel like I paid about 1K too much, but with the time constraints I was working with I think I did OK.

The good:
$1,500 cheaper than the dealership XJ
Headliner and interior in great shape
JVC ipod head unit

The bad:
-Rear hatch struts (installing new tonight)
-Front Speakers do not work (orderd all 4 new 6.5" Kickers)
-Power door locks are hit or miss (purchased new relays for the PDM, hopefully this fixes it) with 2 small kids this is seriously a must.
-Dark gray Ecco's make the XJ look rough (Looking for 16" Moabs will settle for Canyons)
-4wd indicator light on dash does not work
-Pulls slightly to the right. Needs alligned.
-Has the dash rattle at idle (Is this common)
-Paint is very dull (needs a hardcore buff and wax)
-2 good sized door dings on driver and front passenger doors (I will have the door panels off for speaker and PDM install. Is it possible to get these door dings by pushing them out from the inside?)

 

good to hear you got an xj bud!


the problems you mentioned are all pretty typical with 10 year old cars, especially xjs. i purchased my 2001 xj several months ago and had just about every problem you mentioned. what i did was drop it off at my local shop and had then do a complete look over and they told me everything that was wrong with it, it might have been expensive, but it was worth it in the long run.

good luck with your jeep, and dont worry worry about the door dings or scratches.... remember, its a jeep. not a porsche lol

 

Door speakers & power lock issue is probably in the wiring between the door & body. Loosen and push the rubber boot into the door and check for broken wires.

 

Thanks for the advice. That is what I am tackeling today. I am taking off the front door panels to get ready for new speakers. WHile I am in there I am going to run new speaker wire and troubleshoot the power door locks.

I am also going to try and work out the door dings. I know I know its a Jeep, but for some reason these door dings are driving me nuts. I have decided not to spend money fixing them, but if I can work them out a little bit while I am in there its worth it to me.

 

First mods are complete Hatch struts replaced and clear turn signal and markers installed. You gotta start somewhere right.

Not sure if this is common or not, but while I was in and out of the Jeep testing turn signals etc the pin popped out of the door and the door swung way wide open. I was able to pop it back in. Do you guys use somethging other than that little crappy pin in your doors?