want to buy 1990 jeep, what to look out for?

hi, new to the forums here. I currently have a 1992 toyota pickup, and am looking for a truck with more room for people/stuff. One of my buddie's friend's sellnig a 1990 Jeep cherokee laredo with the 4.0 V6. Ive looked at it and it seems to be a half decent suv. Is there anything in particular that i should look for if i go and look at it. (might be tomorrow) It has a 5in. BDS lift and 32" super swamper tires. He goes to my school and he drives it almost every day, until a few weeks ago when he put it for sale. Hes asking $2,000/offer for it. I looked under it, and it doesnt seem too badly beat from the few times he took it offroad, no rust on frame or body, and well kept interior. We called him and he said all it needs is a windshield (cracked) and wheel balancing. Im just worried about motor/trans stuff and what i should look out for. it has 165,000 miles on it. My mom thinks jeeps are junk, (but loves toyotas), so i have mixed thoughts. Im 16 and would need this to last awhile until i can afford something better. i bought my 92' toyota last fall hoping to have it ready until i get my liscense, (this coming oct.), but now that i have my permit, it just seems like a 2 people maximum truck doesnt have the room for all my junk. (and less power) Any help would be appreciated.

-Adam-

I have a 91 2dr Cherokee sport with the I6. it has close to 200k on it and is still going very strong I talked to an editor from a jeep magazine he said that he had a friend that had an XJ with over 300k on it. Cherokee's while sometimes fustrating are awsome. they are great and easy to work on. They are a dime a dozen so parts are easy to come by when needed. I love my jeep :2cents:

First off, don't let the milage scare you, there are Xj's running around with well over 200K(I have one). Next,the biggest killer of all XJ's is overheating. I would make sure that the cooling system works and the engine temp doesn't pass 195-210 witht he A/C on and engine idling. One test is remove the rad cap and look at the underside of it, if there is allot of crude, brownish deposits, or if the fluid smells "heated / burnt", figure on doing a little work(rad. replacement). I think that the 90' XJ had the "open" system( rad. has a cap on it, "closed" has an expansion tank on the PS firewall) "open" is better. Also check the U-joints inthe driveshafts, with a 5" lift they could be a little worn. Next, how does the engine sound, any "knocking" noise? Should be quiet, does it idle smoothly, and respond to acceleration crisply? Even the one I have (218K) still responds great. These are just a couple points to check. XJ's, if taken care fo, will last a long time,if beat and not taken care of, then a short life. Does it have an auto or manuel tranny? Hope this helps alittle.

If you are just starting driving, go for a stock truck. That Jeep is a miserable roll-over special. Trust me, a non - lifted Jeep will be much nicer, faster, stop better and be better handling.

Toyotas are more reliable than Jeeps. Ask anyone with an older Jeep. We all know how to work and fix Jeeps because we have to do it so often. So, unless you really want a crash (pun intended) course in Jeep mechanics, start with a more stock, reliable truck.

BTW I have a lifted Cherokee and a CJ 8, as well as lots of other vehicles. I like Jeeps, but I know what they are challanging to own and keep running.

auto trans. I think it was taken care of ok. My buddy has a 94 cherokee that has 140k, and it still runs great. Me and him might take a ride over tomorrow afternoon and see if he can run it for us. Ill compare the sound of my buddie's to the sound of ryans jeep (the one for sale) if we get time. My parents are still telling me not to buy it. THey say the transmissions are bad in them, and any excuse they can find to say. i showed them your posts, but i guess they just dont understand.
ill tell you my findings tomorrow if we get over there and check it out. and yea its an automatic trans.

-adam-

Where are your parents getting thier info from. The decission is up to you, no one can tell you that nothing will go wrong with your rig. But there are a lot of us out there that are very pleased with our XJ's. Just know that if you do buy it and something goes wrong you have this fine group of XJ owners to assist you in anyway possible :grinyes:

ok, thanks for the help. If we get over there today, i will now know what to look for in it. Im not sure where my parents come up with their thoughts of jeeps = junk. (theyve never even owned a jeep) they claim the trannies are bad in all jeeps. I think they just dont want me spending $2,000 on something so it can sit in our yard until i sell my toyota. (not much room for cars here), but its not a problem for me because i know i could sell my truck fairly quickly, and i think its a steal at that price if it runs as well as it looks. I think i could handle the lifted jeep even though im underexperienced. My toyota has a 3in lift with 31's on, and i have no trouble with that. I love it, but its underpowered, and no room in it as ive said before. The only thing that scares me now is that some of you are saying that they have alot of little things that go wrong. If id buy it, id like to actually drive it w/o worries of it dying. (my brother had a truck like that. itd die out in the middle of intersections for no reason :eek: ) ill keep you posted on it later today.

-Adam-

As far as your parents thinking on the tranny issue, the AW4 tranny (which is more tahn likely what it has)and the 4.0 liter are what some call a "bulletproof" combination. I have 2 XJ's, a 2000 with 112K and an 88' with 218K, both trannies are in great shape. If everything checks out, than I would get it. But I would defiantely drive it first, take it out on paved roads, see how it handles(steers, does it pull to one side?) than take it over a dirt road(ruff terain) listen for any pops, cracks, clunks. Also another is leaks, is it dry underneath? If you can get some digital photos and post them here for us to help you make the best dicision possible. (photos of, engine bay, underside, steering linkage) Good luck!

I have two 88 Cherokees and no problems with the motor. Only problem I had with the transmission was a leaky line.

Basically because of the options there are lots of extra parts on a Cherokee. I loved Toyotas before as well and they break less often because they are a more basic vehicle. Not sure what model you have...

I find most of the problems with the older Cherokees are all the extra little sensors etc. many times it doesn't die just runs poorly until you figure out what it is.

Mine has never stranded me for something that I didn't know about and as the previous post said, if you look after your vehicle it will run for a long time

i currently have a 92 pickup. I unfortunately was not able to get another look at the cherokee today, but maybe sunday ill give him a call. We talked to his mom the other day when we stopped, and she said there is supposed to be a lady coming to buy it this soming wednesday, but we'll see about that. :evillol: :) Id like to get him down to $1500, but he may want to wait and see if he can get more from that lady thats supposed to be coming. Ill also try getting pics when i look at it.

-Adam-