I'm moving from the Toyota forum to the jeep forum

After 2 blown head gaskets I think its time. Ive looked at a few around town and pretty much narrowed it down to one and I would like all ya'lls opinion.

Its a 99 with 84k. The guy has had it since 15k. He claims he hasen't had to do ANY work to it(other than oil changes/flushes) so NO preventitive maintance has been done (plugs/breaks/etc) Its also in need of tires. It was owned by an older couple who own another jeep so at least i know it wasent beat on. the body is in KILLER shape, no rust, and the interior is extremely clean as well. The car has been driven about once a week for quite some time, and im nervous that if i turn it into a daily driver, im gonna be stuck with a bunch of repairs..

The only thing i noticed when driving in is a slight whining noise when i turned the wheel, do most jeeps do that? im assuming its power steering related.

And more importantly the timing chain hasent been done yet. Is that a standard every 60k deal? and do jeeps have interfearance or non interfearance engines?

He is asking 5600/obo. He said he accepted a previous offer of 5200, but the guy wanted to pay with a personal check and he wasent cool with that. All in all it seems like a straight up deal. what do you guys think?

Outside of 84K and $5600 you havn't told us much about the Jeep.. Is it a hardtop? Full doors? 6 cylinder? Automatic?
Air conditioning?
A true 84K Jeep wouldn't need anything except driving.. The whineing noise could be the PS pump.. Not too much of a problem in any event.
Depending on the equepment $5600 ($5200) is a good price.
I wouldn't purchase a 4 banger.. I'd be looking for a fully equepted 6 cylinder..
Big Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

ya, my bad. Its the 4.0, auto, fully equipped (temp gauge/compass/est mpg gauge). i think its the top of the line jeep cherokee for the time. fully equipped!

what about the timing chain though?

Matt

The chains are unassisted and last the lifetime of the engine.. It is a rare post that talks about a bad chain..
Big JIm <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

eyyy.....I didn't even specify that its a cherokee..not a wrangler..sorry!

i take it the chain is the same in the cherokee. it makes me very happy that it should run sound. Im gonna install new distributor/plugs/wires, front calipers/pads/rotors, and rear drums. and tires. hopefully that should keep me safe for somet time to come.

I wouldn't even mess with those parts until it NEEDS them.. Drive it a while and see what it does badly..
Yes the chains are the same..
Big JIm <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

A couple of months ago my son just bought a 99 Cherokee sport, Really good deal $3000.00 with 128,000 Miles on it.
It came from a car lot and looked like it had not been taken care of at all! I at first tried to talk him out of it, we took it for a ride and every thing seemd tight lots of go, He's taken it on a couple of 600 mile round trips and every day to work knock on wood not a single issue. Doesn't even leak oil. Burns about a 1/2 quart of oil every 300 miles or so, I think there good quality trucks.

Personally, I wouldn't even consider a Cherokee for an offroad vehicle. However, you mentioned using the Cherokee as a DD. IMO, if the overall plan is to build for moderate or difficult trails, consider the Wrangler instead of the Cherokee.

The best recommendation I can give to anybody who is conidering a used 4x4 vehicle is to not only drive it, but have your 4x4 mechanic who is an active four wheeler have a look at the vehicle.

Im not intrested in "building" a jeep. I live in bozeman and i need something to get me into the mountains during the winter
every spring we head twords utah and off road a little to get to the good camping spots.
and every once in a while find a trail around town to beat on with the guys.

Welcome. I too spent waaaay too much money rebuilding my 3VZE after blown HG every 3-4 years.

Bought my first XJ afew years back and can only wish I did it sooner. Bought a second one shortly after the first.

My 91 Cherokee has over 300,000 miles on the origional motor and transmission. Other than the normal wear in tear items like brake pads, alternators and mufflers it's never needed any major repairs.

The 98 XJ is pretty much the same. annual coolant flush and fluids swap seem to keep them both running like tops.

You'll hear people say the XJ isn't that good for wheeling. I disagree. Even with 5 people and a bunch of camping gear in the back they never fail to get us there and back wether it's 104 or 14 degrees outside. even stock I find the XJ's to be quite capable of taking what you dish out without braking down.