Late model XJ prices are obscene, or, I'm a cheapskate.
I got burnt on mine I believe. I'm finding nicer rigs than mine on craigslist with half the mileage for the same price as what I paid for my rust bucket.
The only thing mine had going for it was the engine had a top end rebuild and a tranny swap before I bought it.
After I drove it for a week or two I figured out the front brakes needed replaced pads/discs/calipers. It needed shocks all the way around (damn those rear shocks!) Had to replace the temp sensor and sending unit to fix the temp gauge. Found out water leaks in around the windshield. Summer hit and had to get a new water pump and fan clutch. Accidentally dumped a cooler full of water in the thing and figured out the floorboard was Swiss cheese. Had to pull the carpet and do some major patching and then made my own flooring out of this vinyl stuff. Overdrive stopped working. Then the blower motor cage spun off the shaft and had to find another motor. Winter hit and the alternator went bad. Winter snow wore out the axle u joints trying to deliver pizzas - had to get that fixed. Now I'm replacing the muffler and tail pipe because they are full of holes and it is ungodly loud.
I've replaced a handful of other things on it too. I haven't put all that much money into it but it has taken a lot of my time. The way I see it, I would have spent much more just on insurance for a newer vehicle than what I paid for and put into the XJ in the almost two years I've owned it.
It has only gotten 'stuck' once in the yard trying to get out to work in the snow. I just had to dig the back tires out. Things break or wear out but it always goes, always. I haven't called the tow truck for my XJ once. The 96 Ford Exploder with half the mileage of my XJ I owned for less than a year previously got towed six times. :shocked: That probably cost me more than all the work I've put into the XJ! Rollbacks for AWD vehicles are expensive!
Anyways, out of the many XJs I've looked at so far I like this one best.
2000 Sport 4.0 4WD Auto 132,000 miles - 3" lift on 33's - $4,000
https://tricities.craigslist.org/cto/5419182783.html
I think it would be worth it so long as it was in good shape.
It would be nice to find a good XJ that didn't have a ton of problems right out of the gate like mine did. Too bad I'm not a jobless welfare king with five kids or I'd own this thing with my tax return.
