Good deal?

[wilky87]

Hey, guys. It's been a while since I've owned a cherokee and I have an opportunity to own one again. My first one was a 1990 2 door that I bought for $350. I had so much fun with that truck and miss it like crazy.

A buddy of mine offered to sell me his truck and I wanted to know if you think this is a good deal. He's asking for $3000

My friend lifted it and stopped driving it because other projects and life got in the way. He has driven it around his property just to keep it running and everything though.



1998 Cherokee Sport
128k miles 4x4 automatic
Supposedly no rust except for a tiny spot on the bottom of a door

It would need an alignment and tires. Im assuming 31's would be best and I'd probably want to get Cragar soft 8 wheels as well.
The AC isn't working at the moment. Could need a recharge, but may need a compressor.

Lift components
-Rubicon express 3.5" coils, full rear springs, & lower control arms
-IRO double shear track bar
-JKS quicker disconnects
-Zone 4.5 shocks
-IRO hack and tap SYE

-Marine quality 2 and 4 gauge battery cables
-8.25 rear
-231 transfer case
-new rear brakes and brake lines
-new bump stops
-Alpine radio with bluetooth and ipod
-new heater core and ac evaporator

Any opinions, advice on what to check, etc would be appreciated.
I'll most likely be checking it out this weekend.

I also got a set of used 31's to use temporarily. Would I be able to mount 31x 10.5x15 tires on those wheels? I'm tempted to just get a new set right off away instead of messing around with old tires though.

Thanks!

 

[wilky87]

Anyone?

 

[Talyn]

Its not a bad deal. Fairly low mileage 4.0, some good parts

Check general condition, look for rust, etc.

Fuel door looks dirty, which could be from sitting or state mandated gas station idiots, being in NJ.

 

[Red91Laredo]

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Low mileage, it has the better rear axle option, '98 is also a preferable year for a late model XJ because you don't have the high pinion front axle or multiple catalytic converters to deal with like the '00 and '01's do.

The lift components and SYE your friend installed are high quality parts. I'm running a very similar setup and have been very happy with it. Assuming he bought everything new; the RE lift runs about $600, the IRO track bar goes for just under $200, around $150 for the disconnects, probably about $150 for the shocks, about $100 for the SYE. So there's some good money already invested in aftermarket parts on it. 31's should fit perfectly. I don't know if you'll have any rubbing at full lock with the stock wheels, but if so it should be minimal. Lots of people run that setup.

I'd just approach it like any other used car and just look it over thoroughly to see if there are any maintenance issues that need to be dealt with. These XJ's are very durable and reliable but still require occasional maintenance like any other vehicle. The heater core & evaporator replacement is a big job, so it's nice that's done already as long as it was done properly. As long as your friend took fairly decent care of it, it should be a nice rig for many more miles.