2 general jeep questions

[tfenchel]

I bought an 89' Jeep Laredo last spring with 115,000 miles on it. After just over a year...I love it! It now has 130,000.

Here are my questions...and keep in mind I am not a big "car/truck guy", so I dont know my way around a vehicle that well...anyway.

The paint job is in bad shape. Is it worth putting $$ into a paint job this late in the jeep's life? How much would the cheapest paint job cost and what would you recommend??

If I take care of this baby, what kind of life expectancy can I expect?
180,000? 200,000+

I know that you cant kill these engines...what do I need to do to keep the body from dying before the engine.

Thanks for any help.

"Novice who needs info"

PS. - Why did they put such S%&tty seats in these things?

[CHVYPWR]

Keep the fluids changed on a regular basis and the driveline will last well into the 200K+ range! As for the body, sure, throw a new paint job on it. Also, keep the underside clean, especialy if you go offroad with it. Keep the rust from starting, because these jeeps will rust FAST!

[arne_b04]

Im guessing in your laredo you have a 4.0 I6, seeing as how that was the standard, if the engine is running fine now all you need to do to keep it going in the 200k club is fluid changes on a regular basis as chvypwr pointed out. I also agree with his rust advice, i have an 86 pioneer and the thing just started rusting, but once it stars it goes fast because of its body makeup which for the most part is steel. The cheapest paintjob isn't necessarily a good way to go either, even if your runnign a tight budget, if oyu go cheap, make sure you know the work is good, if its not, it can turn more expensive than a run of the mill paint job which normally doesn't exceed 3 hundred bucks. I can't tell you anything about the seats, my pioneer has what they call rocker seats, basicall its a bucket position, similar to what electric seats have, only they're manual, i love em.

[bulletpc]

My 89 cherokee pioneer 4.0l has almost 300k on it runs like a dream when well takin care of they are the best!!

[tblack]

[quote=bulletpc]My 89 cherokee pioneer 4.0l has almost 300k on it runs like a dream when well takin care of they are the best!!QUOTE]

I agree, my '94 is still lasting for the new owner and I sold it over six years ago and it had 130k miles. My 2000 is rock-solid. I would invest in a good paint job and body work. Where I live it would run at least a couple of thousand, but is probably less in other regions. Paint it the same color and get the correct Chrysler coded match. This way when you open the door and the hood you won't see a different original color than the new paint job. All the advice above is good and do not forget the cooling system. Drain, flush and re-fill with new anti-freeze every year.

tb