Buying a 93 ZJ

[b1keme]

Hey, everyone i am new to this but figured I would give it a try. I am looking at a 93 Grand Cherokee Wagoneer. The guy I may buy it from is a mechanic whos wife drives the car back and forth to work. When I looked at it the engine looked clean and very little rust anywhere on the car. The only thing was the steering being a little bit loose. THe jeep had 160,000. I am 18 and have been saving up for my jeep for 3 years. Is buying a old jeep like this a big risk? I don't have much money for any big repairs and this jeep has a lot of miles. Also, how much would putting 32inch tires on this jeep reduce the gas milage. THe guage on the ceiling was reading 13.7mpg.

[Matt]

Welcome, Anyway 160k on the clock doesnt mean too much because the 4.0 is usually good for 250-300k if it is maintained.What causes low fuel mileage, is a) a heavy right foot. B) lifting it. C) Big agressive tires, and not regearing the axles. This will put more strain on the tranny too.If you want to go wheeling on any level there are many little gismos that you will need, and few are inexpensive.I'm not trying to turn you off from doing this, and no matter what 4x4 you end up with, its going to cost bucks to get it set up. ruly, lots of luck, take care

[b1keme]

I forgot to mention that the Jeep Grand Cherokee Wagoneer is a 5.2 V8. I don't know if the V8s are as strong as the inline 6. The guy is asking $4500 for this GC. Is this to much? KBB says $4300 but Edmunds says around $2500.

[Marlon_JBT]

Correction: The Jeep he's buying is a Grand Wagoneer.... it's the Grand Cherokee with the wood on the sides, am I right? AFAIK, the only engine in that particular Jeep is the Chrysler 5.2L V8. That explains why the Information Center was reporting 13.7MPG.

It's not a big risk, however, if that transmission hasn't been rebuilt by now, that may be coming up soon. The 5.2L V8 is very durable as well. It's got plenty of life left in it. As far as mileage... well, there's not much you can do to make it better, plenty to make it worse, and offroad equipment will definitely make it worse.

How much is it going for?

Wow, you just about answered all my questions in your post above... while I was typing it, lol. Um, If I was in your position, I'd actually look at buying a newer Cherokee. IMO, he's asking too much.

[Matt]

If you're looking at 4500, for a 93, start looking at cherokees. You should be able to find something in a 96-97.The Gc's are nice, but theres too much plastic that will come off when you dont want it to.The Cherokee is more spartan, but will get you where you want to go. Good luck

[gmbtj]

I would recommend at least talking him down at least 1 grand. It may have a lot of high way miles, but you can never be to sure. I looked at Ebay when I got my permit for a Jeep. (I am 17) Ebay can have some great deals if you look in the right places, and always buy a car pretty close to you so you can check it out and drive it. (If they wont let you drive it, I would prolly stay away from it bc they might be trying to cheat you)

[IndyXJ]

Don't pay that much for a first year GC. For $4500 you can get the desirable 97+ XJ(regular Cherokee) body style with less miles. Don't fall in love with one vehicle while looking. Not to mention, GC's sometimes have weird ALUMINUM housing rear diffs where the XJ's are normal. Get a NON-ABS Cherokee and you get the strong 8.25 rear axle. Get a 97, and it goes to a stronger 29 spline rear axle.
Let me point you to this site-- www.jeepforum.com (http://www.jeepforum.com) and they have stickys that give TONS of info on each model.
Good luck!!

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[BobA]

I paid 4700 for my 96 ZJ with 130k.If I did it again I'd buy a XJ.There are more aftermarket parts available and they are cheaper to modify.

[Fred]

If you consider an XJ also check out NAXJA.org they have too much info on XJ's!