newbie going to buy a Cherokee

spacecadetz26 · 07-16-2004, 08:43 PM

Hi, all!

I'm from Chicago and I'm looking at buying my first Jeep, a 1990 Cherokee Limited 2 door 4x4...

What all should I look for as far as mechanical problems they commonly have?

I have really fallen in love with this truck! It has 65k miles on it. NICE grey Leather interior, pwr everything windows, locks, mirrors, Jensen sound system. Its seems to be some sort of dark blue/purple color not quite sure... It does have rust but its not really all that bad, atleast nothing I can't deal with. I can get it for under $1000...
I test drove it for a short while and it seems to have some sort of scraping/clunking noise when you make a left hand turn. almost like the U joint is bad, I hope thats not a bad sign. The engine runs great and the trans shifts smoothly. I have some service records for it as well.

help me out here to make my decision...

**cfkingfish** · 07-16-2004, 10:34 PM

BUY IT! With only 65K and it being a Limited, that is a steal. If the front U-joints are bad, you can either fix them yourself, or get a place to do it - shouldnt cost more than $350. As long as the engine/transmission shift and run fine, you have yourself a deal.

88Chief · 07-17-2004, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spacecadetz26

Hi, all!

I'm from Chicago and I'm looking at buying my first Jeep, a 1990 Cherokee Limited 2 door 4x4...

What all should I look for as far as mechanical problems they commonly have?

I can get it for under $1000...

I agree that you're getting a great deal, probably because no one wants to deal with rust.

You have a closed cooling system. Do a search and read up on the problems. My experience is that radiators last about 50K miles. Standard priced shocks last about 30K miles.

However, for that year of Jeep, most of the major problems will have turned up and been fixed already. The rest won't show up until around 90K.

And of course before you buy, get a competant mechanic to check it out for you. Even if you know what you're doing, a second set of eyes won't hurt. And look for signs that it was in a wreck.

blackblueman · 07-17-2004, 12:46 AM

That sounds like really nice deal. Gotta love older XJs with low miles! But, of course, get it checked out by a mechanic. Theres no use in guessing what a noise is - enough mistakes are made by people really trying to figure a noise out, and many more by people guessing :-)

And, of course, be sure to bring up such problems in your bargining.

Happy XJ hunting!

spacecadetz26 · 07-18-2004, 04:06 PM

welp....

bad news, I didnt mention that its in the junkyard holding lot getting ready to be put in. It was towed for having a blown tire off the highway, the owner never claimed it and left the keys and title in the glove box. I was hoping to rescue it but it now has a junk title and will never be able to be used on the road again.... It has a brand new radiator, fan and fuel pump in it TOO!!!

I'm sad, but I'm still going to find me a nice Cherokee Limited or Wrangler to tool around in. If I was able to get that other one the owner of the yard said I could have bought it for $800. I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled for another one... So be on the look out for a nice 2 dr for ME! I dont like 4 doors

ChiTown'01XJ · 07-18-2004, 04:47 PM

Go back and buy it before it's stripped apart!!!

In Illinois you can get the title changed over to your name and it will say "salvage" on the title. I have an old honda that I totalled and decided to rebuild and the insurance company junked it, gave me cash and i bought it back from the junkyard and had salvage put on the title. I drove it on the road legally and insured for 3 years after that.

Where are you at in Chicago? I can give you some recommendations for dealerships and used car lots that I know won't screw you on buying a new car.

spacecadetz26 · 07-18-2004, 10:40 PM

I live in Skokie.

I was planning on Title-ing it in Wisconsin at my parents house to lose those crappy emissions standards that Chicago has.
I talked to the manager of the yard and he said its more trouble than its worth to pay to have it inspected/etc... I think another reason for the "junk" title is because the police tow vehicles could be stolen/not recovered or something else crazy. The yard has a policy against selling the towed vehicles. I have thought this through and decided I should sell my current daily driver before I buy another one... I believe my neighbors would REALLY love me if I parked another POS looking vehicle on the street, I currently have 7 cars to steal all their free parking spots.

If anyone is interested I have a 96 Beretta Z26 for sale

here is a pic of the Jeep

more pics can be seen here:

http://www.mindspring.com/~ebayerich/jeep

ChiTown'01XJ · 07-18-2004, 11:10 PM

If you're looking for a good deal check out auto auctions. that and check out dealers on the west side of chicago. say around cicero and fullerton. when i was looking for my XJ that's where i started to get an idea of what i wanted because it was close to where i live. the dealers are pretty ghetto but you may be able to find something, almost every one of them had a wrangler or XJ. If you want a wrangler, there are a ton of used car lots in elmhurst/lombard/villa park that have them cheap and often have one in stock.

07-16-2004, 10:34 PM	#2
cfkingfish Web Wheeler Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Venice, Florida Posts: 1,127 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	BUY IT! With only 65K and it being a Limited, that is a steal. If the front U-joints are bad, you can either fix them yourself, or get a place to do it - shouldnt cost more than $350. As long as the engine/transmission shift and run fine, you have yourself a deal. __________________ Christian 89 XJ 4.0 AW4 K&N 6x9 cone filter setup Converted to TJ axles - 5-297 U-joints Optima Red Top Custom exhaust www.ishopfaulkner.com

07-17-2004, 12:46 AM	#4
blackblueman Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 22 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	That sounds like really nice deal. Gotta love older XJs with low miles! But, of course, get it checked out by a mechanic. Theres no use in guessing what a noise is - enough mistakes are made by people really trying to figure a noise out, and many more by people guessing :-) And, of course, be sure to bring up such problems in your bargining. Happy XJ hunting! __________________ 1996 White XJ 4 door 4x4, 4.0 I6 2" BB, 30x9.50 Bridgestone Dueler Revos Daystar Four Real Steel front bumper w/ two walmart lights

07-18-2004, 04:06 PM	#5
spacecadetz26 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 3 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	welp.... bad news, I didnt mention that its in the junkyard holding lot getting ready to be put in. It was towed for having a blown tire off the highway, the owner never claimed it and left the keys and title in the glove box. I was hoping to rescue it but it now has a junk title and will never be able to be used on the road again.... It has a brand new radiator, fan and fuel pump in it TOO!!! I'm sad, but I'm still going to find me a nice Cherokee Limited or Wrangler to tool around in. If I was able to get that other one the owner of the yard said I could have bought it for $800. I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled for another one... So be on the look out for a nice 2 dr for ME! I dont like 4 doors __________________ Stephanie Looking to buy a Cherokee/Wrangler Limited 4.0 4x4

07-18-2004, 04:47 PM	#6
ChiTown'01XJ Registered User Join Date: May 2004 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 517 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	Go back and buy it before it's stripped apart!!! In Illinois you can get the title changed over to your name and it will say "salvage" on the title. I have an old honda that I totalled and decided to rebuild and the insurance company junked it, gave me cash and i bought it back from the junkyard and had salvage put on the title. I drove it on the road legally and insured for 3 years after that. Where are you at in Chicago? I can give you some recommendations for dealerships and used car lots that I know won't screw you on buying a new car. __________________ [COLOR=blue]Blue Jeep Club Member #73[/COLOR] '01 XJ Sport 235/75/15 BFG All Terrain T/A KO, C4X4 tow hooks, rear hitch, 2 x 55 Bosch Lights, Cobra 19+ (waiting on antenna) [B]"Let's do it in the dirt"[/B]

07-18-2004, 10:40 PM	#7
spacecadetz26 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 3 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	I live in Skokie. I was planning on Title-ing it in Wisconsin at my parents house to lose those crappy emissions standards that Chicago has. I talked to the manager of the yard and he said its more trouble than its worth to pay to have it inspected/etc... I think another reason for the "junk" title is because the police tow vehicles could be stolen/not recovered or something else crazy. The yard has a policy against selling the towed vehicles. I have thought this through and decided I should sell my current daily driver before I buy another one... I believe my neighbors would REALLY love me if I parked another POS looking vehicle on the street, I currently have 7 cars to steal all their free parking spots. If anyone is interested I have a 96 Beretta Z26 for sale here is a pic of the Jeep more pics can be seen here: http://www.mindspring.com/~ebayerich/jeep __________________ Stephanie Looking to buy a Cherokee/Wrangler Limited 4.0 4x4 Last edited by spacecadetz26; 07-18-2004 at 10:45 PM..

07-18-2004, 11:10 PM	#8
ChiTown'01XJ Registered User Join Date: May 2004 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 517 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	If you're looking for a good deal check out auto auctions. that and check out dealers on the west side of chicago. say around cicero and fullerton. when i was looking for my XJ that's where i started to get an idea of what i wanted because it was close to where i live. the dealers are pretty ghetto but you may be able to find something, almost every one of them had a wrangler or XJ. If you want a wrangler, there are a ton of used car lots in elmhurst/lombard/villa park that have them cheap and often have one in stock. __________________ [COLOR=blue]Blue Jeep Club Member #73[/COLOR] '01 XJ Sport 235/75/15 BFG All Terrain T/A KO, C4X4 tow hooks, rear hitch, 2 x 55 Bosch Lights, Cobra 19+ (waiting on antenna) [B]"Let's do it in the dirt"[/B]