How do you know if it's worth buying?

[CoffinD]

So i'm looking to buy and most of the Cherokees i'm finding at what seems to be a reasonable price are in the 150k-200k mileage range. I'm curious as to what I want to look for at those ranges and how to rule them out before buying.

A friend of mine tells me to be wary of power loss, failing joints, failing seals/oil pumps, oil leaks, cracked oil sensor, frame cracks, and to check 4H and 4L. I've kind of got the idea how to check most of these but how can I check the joints? Also, for power loss, I've never really driven a Cherokee so I don't have a reference point for power loss to gauge it.

Anyway, what would you look for and how would you check it before you buy?
Tomorrow evening I'll be looking at a 2001 Cherokee Sport with about 180K miles on it going for $2200.

[prerunner1982]

On the 2001 I would pull the dipstick and check the color of the oil. If its got any milky look to it then I would pass. The 2000-2001s are known for having a head that is prone to cracking (casting 0331).

Other than that I would look for rusted floor boards and check the upper door hinges for the front doors as they like to pull away from the body. There are other things I am missing I am sure, just can't recall what.

Take it for a good test drive, get it up to 45-50+ mph and see if it has any wobble in the front suspension/steering. If it does and makes you think you are going to die, this is death wobble and is a common problem. It is fixable, though may drive you crazy.

[slipinkramer]

Speaking of "is it worth it", a buddy of mine sent me this pic and offered me his Cherokee for $500. It's a 2001 and has 265,000 miles. He is the original owner. There is no rust and its running and driving well. It's bone stock.

It WILL NOT pass California smog and so he can't register it. His mechanic seems to be confused about what the problem is and says its must be either the MAF, the MAP or the catalytic converter. He said this after replacing the O2 sensor, which did not help. I guess his mechanic hasn't heard of an OBDII scanner... :bang:

I'm certain I could replace the cat myself and then hopefully it would pass. My 15 year old daughter will be driving very soon and this XJ seems like it could make a nice safe, reliable piece of American Iron for her first vehicle.

I'd have to go a few hundred miles to get it. Do you think it's worth the 500 bones?

[prerunner1982]

YEP...

[4.3LXJ]

Excellent deal. If you don't buy it, please pass it on to me

[cpttuna]

sometimes its the look. The XJ will look like it has been taken care of. Other times, the third brake light is out , the rear view mirror wobbles and the left front tire looks almost flat. I have looked at so many. Stay away if you hear," well, I was going to fix this or I was going to fix that.

[CoffinD]

So....In other words. If everything happens to check out...I should buy the hell out of it. Just checking cause here is the Cherokee i was talking about:

https://usaa.zagusedcars.com/car/Jeep-Cherokee-2001/1J4FF48SX1L597321

Figured what the hell. My bank offered a service to help buy cars and came across this one and it intrigued me and thus wanted to get some experienced opinions.

[Brasscatz]

Yep, do it

[CoffinD]

SO checked it out. Went and check it out aaaaannnnnddd..... 4H doesn't exist. I spent about 30 minutes running all the checks recommended to me and found 4H gets no power at all. 4L worked and obviously 2H. One of the other, higher up associates or possibly manager didn't believe me. Caliming he was an old jeep fan and knew jeeps etc. He spent about over an hour messing with it trying to prove to me that 4H does in fact exist and he can engage it. We spent a lot of time in 4L, 2H, reving the engine in the non-engaging 4H, and him trying to ram the transfercase in the 4H while in gear. If i weren't hungry at the time i think i'd have found it more amusing.

[bluedragon436]

Speaking of "is it worth it", a buddy of mine sent me this pic and offered me his Cherokee for $500. It's a 2001 and has 265,000 miles. He is the original owner. There is no rust and its running and driving well. It's bone stock.

It WILL NOT pass California smog and so he can't register it. His mechanic seems to be confused about what the problem is and says its must be either the MAF, the MAP or the catalytic converter. He said this after replacing the O2 sensor, which did not help. I guess his mechanic hasn't heard of an OBDII scanner... :bang:

I'm certain I could replace the cat myself and then hopefully it would pass. My 15 year old daughter will be driving very soon and this XJ seems like it could make a nice safe, reliable piece of American Iron for her first vehicle.

I'd have to go a few hundred miles to get it. Do you think it's worth the 500 bones?

I'd say pick it up for sure.. if nothing else you could always part it out or use it for parts on another XJ if you are able to find another to pickup to setup for your daughter.. I picked up a CAT from AutoZone for fairly cheap, and the CA approved one wasn't too much more.. and it didn't take me too long to replace at all.. especially if you got a little bit of patience and ingenuity.. You know you can't leave it stock for her though.. Just saying!!

[slipinkramer]

What about the 1330 cylinder head issue? Do I need to be concerned?

[4.3LXJ]

Just don't overheat it and it will be fine

[ArmyGuy45]

Are 2001 only worth about 3k now? If so, ouch. I paid 10k for it in 2009 and KBB puts me at 8k.