Opinions on buying a Jeep Cherokee?

[Dojo2000]

Being the idiot that I am, I sold the '95 Grand Cherokee 4WD that got from my mother's estate last year. I didn't really need it because I lived in town and walked to campus from my apartment. Now I rent a house outside of town in the country at the end of a gravel road. I could really use a Jeep now [img]redface.gif[/img]

I have a chance to buy a '91 Jeep Cherokee Laredo 4WD for $700. It has 4.0L, auto, power windows/locks, 140k miles. It's supposedly in good condition, though I won't be able to look at till Friday. KBB puts the value at around $1800, while Edmunds estimates the value around $900.

From the pic it looks to well cared for
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y98...p/DCP_5658.jpg

Does this sound like a good deal?
Anyone know much about Cherokee's in general?

[PewterBird]

Jump On it. If it is well taken care of those things will last 250K plus.

Check out NAXJA

I want to get one as a off road rig when I can afford it.

[Dojo2000]

Well, I'm not exactly sure the engine is in good condition. Like I said, I haven't looked at it yet, but the guy told me last time he took it to his mechanic he said there was "a leak in the engine," and that it "could die in a month or in 10 years." He's not exactly sure what that meant. I won't know what's up until I inspect it up close.

EDIT: Turns out the leak is the common 4.0L problem with oil blowby from the crankcase breather. It's not serious at all.

Anyone that knows where Boone is will know why I should really have a jeep. Think Appalachian Ski Mtn, Sugar Mtn, Beech, etc.

[ September 30, 2005, 09:10 PM: Message edited by: Dojo2000 ]

[jc Kyle]

no

[JusFlyinBy]

Edit: Ohhhh, yea, I just read your last post. Hmm, thats pretty iffy. I don't like the sounds of that. If that werent the case, id snatch the truck up right from under your nose.

[MTMike]

Up here the rig could be rusted through and the engine smoking, but just because it's a 4wd it'll sell for $1k-$1500

The picture looks really good, if it's even in "just ok" mechanical shape, I'd say go for it!

[shenanigans]

Just a thought...

remember gas... my experience has been jeep/dodges esp 4wd are pretty ****ty on fuel.

[Dojo2000]

Originally posted by MTMike:
Up here the rig could be rusted through and the engine smoking, but just because it's a 4wd it'll sell for $1k-$1500

The picture looks really good, if it's even in "just ok" mechanical shape, I'd say go for it!

This is a college town, and he hasn't been up here all that long. Before he was living on the coast, and so he said he washed/waxed it regularly because of saltwater in the air. That's a big plus because most local stuff is pretty rusted up.

Originally posted by shenanigans:
Just a thought...

remember gas... my experience has been jeep/dodges esp 4wd are pretty ****ty on fuel.

I definetly know that. My mother's Grand Cherokee got 15MPG and that's one of the biggest reasons I sold it. I'll basically just be using it to drive 8mi to campus and back when the weather starts to get bad.

[asdf1234]

I personally like Jeeps, so it seems like a killer deal to me. I'd have a mechanic check it out before you do anything though.

[SpeedingFirebird]

140K is a bit steep for those 4.0s. Personally, I love Jeeps.

[Dojo2000]

I'm going to look at it this afternoon. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Anythink in particular I should look for, besides leaks, rust, etc?

[Dojo2000]

Turns out the leak is the common 4.0L problem with oil blowby from the crankcase breather. It's not serious at all. Fix is to replace breather and lines.

http://www.off-road.com/jeep/cheroke...ltr/blowby.htm

I'm having everything looked over tomorrow by a mechanic. Then I'll make my final decision.

[ September 30, 2005, 09:28 PM: Message edited by: Dojo2000 ]