[Bob-E]

I am looking at a 1998 TJ at a Jeep dealer (one-owner traded in) with a little over 138K miles. They want $6500 but told me he could sell it for $6000. It is a 4.0 5-speed with a newer Besttop soft top and alloy wheels. It is black with a grey top. I assume the interior is grey as well. I haven't gone to look at it as it is an hour drive away. But they told me the body is showing a little rust on the fenders with a few small holes. Also the a/c isn't working. They couldn't tell me what was wrong whether it just needed recharged, or needed hoses or a compressor. He said the interior is nice, and runs a drives good.

Do you think it's worth making the drive to see it? Or with the mileage, rust, and a/c problems, is the price a little too high? I think it's a little high...at least compared to the Kelly Blue Book which places the Private Party value at $6285 in "Excellent" condition. With the broken a/c and the rust holes in the fenders, I'd definitely not consider this "Excellent". But on the other hand, I've been looking for a few weeks and this seems to be a pretty good price compared to other ads.

Thanks!

[NovaTJ1]

I bought my '98 TJ Sport three years ago for $6000. 4.0L w/ a/c and 91k miles and no rust. Being a dealer, they have to ask for more than a private party would. Keep looking!

[2jhanna]

sounds hi to me. going to see it depends on what you are looking for. if you don't mind its "sub-par" condition, go see it and make a low offer.

me personally, would want a jeep in better condition. also if the body sheet metal is rusty, the frame is going to be rusty also. and don't relay on the interior being in good/clean condition.

if you don't mind the condition, have them e-mail pictures.

[Bob-E]

Well, I've got nothing better to do today. So I think I will go take a look at it. They are closed being Sunday. But I actually like that as far as checking the condition because I don't have a salesman hovering over me while I look at it closely. I won't feel rushed to talk to him about a deal. Like I said, I also think its a bit high. In fact, I already found another one...about 3 hours away...that is a year newer, less miles, for $5900. But I figured I'd check out this one just for comparison sake. Plus, this will really be the first one I've looked at. So I hope to maybe learn a little just looking at it. And if this one actually looks acceptable to me, perhaps I can print the add for the cheaper one and show him for leverage on a lower offer.

[BIGNUTT]

Rust and holes? LOL, I'd not even think about it, but you are up north.

[Bob-E]

Yeah, I went and looked at it. That guy must be smoking crack when he set the asking price. KBB rates the Private Party "Excellent" condition value at about $6285. Yeah I realize its a dealer and KBB places their value higher, but KBB also assumes retail vehicles are in "Excellent" condition. I would say this one was "Fair" at best, if not "Poor" condition. The frame had some rust on it around the back bumper mounts and at the body mounts. But it wasn't totally rotted out. The rust holes in the fenders were about the size of silver dollars, right over the tires. It was as if the previous owner drove on gravel roads all the time and the bottoms of the fenders got sand blasted, and then rusted through. For the most part the rest of the body was good though, including the floor and all I could see underneath. I noticed no major oil leaks. But I could see where the rear pinion shaft seal was seeping a bit. Plus, it looked like the oil pan was leaking a bit as well. This is probably typical for a 10 year old vehicle with 139000 miles. And there was also rust on the door hinges, also probably typical. Also, while he told me it was a new Bestop, it wasn't new. Yeah it was a Bestop, and yeah there were no holes, rips, or tears...it definitely wasn't new. I would guess it was at least a couple years old. But the real kicker was that, even after asking about the clutch and he told me it was good and that it ran and drove fine, right on the window sticker were the words "flywheel noise". Considering the air conditioning needs fixed, the rusted out fenders and rusting frame, and the fact that there is some problem with the flywheel that would probably require the transmission and/or the engine being pulled, I think it was worth about $3000 or so. I am walking away.

In comparison, he had a 2000 and a 2002 that were pretty nice. The 2000 had a hard top that was real nice. But I think it had been in an accident. You could tell the hood, grille, and right front fender had been repainted. And it looked like the grille had been shoved over a bit because the corner of the hood rubbed there. But underneath, it looked like brand new, front to back. There was absolutely no rust. However, it did have the wet rear pinion shaft seal like the other one. And the 2002 was like new all over. But for what he wanted for the ragged out 1998, I'd hate to see what he wanted for the much nicer 2000 and 2002 models.

[skyywelker]

From what I have seen looking at a bunch of Jeeps before I bought mine, if the price was consideribly lower than the others in your area, there is a reason for it. Now I know people have found great deals on vehicle driven by 'little old ladies', but that is the exception, not the rule. Anytime I saw one with a low price it either needed something that they didn't tell me about on the phone, it was a salvage title, or they just plain old did not take care of the thing. Now I would rather pay a little more for something nicer, than save some money on a vehicle that needs to be fixed up (unless your into that or it's a super good deal). Good luck, you'll find one eventually, just be patient

[Bob-E]

Originally Posted by skyywelker

From what I have seen looking at a bunch of Jeeps before I bought mine, if the price was consideribly lower than the others in your area, there is a reason for it.

Yeah, I agree. When I first decided I wanted to get into a Jeep, I actually started off thinking I'd get an older beater for cheap and fix it up as a project, even if it meant total disassembly. I actuallythink that would be pretty cool. I've already built a '80 Bronco, a '66 Mustang, and a '78 Chevy Pickup, all of which were purchased for under $1000 each. These were not professional jobs by any means, just backyard restorations. But it was fun. The problem is that when I started looking at Jeeps, anything that was cheap wasn't worth fixing. They were usually totally rusted out, which being here in PA with snow and salt, is probably pretty typical. The other thing is that even being totally rotted out, they still wanted $2000 or usually more for it. What I've found is that prices pretty much level off at $5000. Anything below that is generally trashed, rusted, hacked, or just plain beat. So I've tossed the idea of getting a total fixer-upper in favor of getting a nicer Jeep that maybe needs some minor stuff, but nothing major. So that's what I'm looking for...something decent in the $5000-$7000 range. I'll just keep looking.