2000 Cherokee - worth 10-11k?

[Charles R]

I know it’s harder to find clean cars back East. But it’s stuff like this that make it hard for me to justify that price. Although this one does have 100k more miles than the one you’re looking at, it looks like it’s been decently serviced.
(It’s a Facebook marketplace link. Hopefully it shows up for you)

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[BritKLR]

2000 and 2001 4.0l heads are known to crack between cyl 3&4 and allow coolant into the oil. This causes crank & cam bearing wear.

This. Test/inspect for it.

I bought my son a used 2000 Cherokee Sport, 2 door, 5spd, Upcountry package for his 16th B-day. It got him through high school, college and his first professional job. Tough and reliable little rig. He drove that thing from coast to coast. In the end it had over 280k on it and it suffered what we thought was the over heating, head gasket issue but turned out to be the cracked head issue. He sold it for $1500 and moved on to his first new car.
I still like em.

 

[TantoTrailers]

How do I check or test for the engine crack? Is it something I should be able to see without taking much apart?

I found 2 XJs with 200k miles on them near me with 0 rust or so the ad and seller claims.

First one is a 2000 for $5k lowest I could get him down. 3 inch lift kit, new general grabber tires, all seals and gaskets redone and replaced, maintenance done in fall, new AC compressor, new battery, new brakes, new belt, looks clean in the pics and I can’t spot any rust either...going to check this one out in the next few days it’s really close by. Pics below


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[TantoTrailers]

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[TantoTrailers]

The second one is a 2001 where the guy is asking $3500, I havnt tried talking him down as I wasn't fully committed yet. This one doesnt have any interior pics and the exterior pics are limited.
Claims to have no rust, 200k miles, from the ad: "Starts and drives good. Could use a tune up.Clean interior. All windows are working. No check engine light. Serious inquiries only. New brake line, fresh oil change, ac/heat works" The hood does latch, but for whatever reason he didnt have it fully latched for the pics...grill repair seems like an easy fix.

I could buy both of these for the price of the one with 147k miles...

 

[Charles R]

Symptoms of cracked head are often similar to a blown head gasket. Overheating, oil in the water, or water in the oil. I'm not familiar with the Jeep head specifically, so I don't know "the usual" spot they crack.

It's typically only once everything is apart that you find out it's not just a head gasket that's faulty.

 

[Todd780]

Personally I like the 2nd one. This color would be better for off roading. It will help hide dust, dirt, pinstripes etc..

 

[TantoTrailers]

Here is the 2000 XJ AutoCheck report - looks like 1 accident but there was no damage reported



I'm not sure what the duplicate title piece is all about. I will get the VIN for the 2nd one and do the same check.

 

[Bmb1878]

10k for a 21 year old XJ?! That's insane! I think the most expensive one I've bought was 5 grand and that was 15 years ago. You're better off with the higher mileage and less then half the price. Regardless of mileage, being over 20 years old means that you'll have to fix things. The best part about the XJ is how cheap the parts are. If there's oil around the drain plug or the rear of the pan you can bet it's a rear main seal leak which is a pain in the ass; not the end of the world, but make sure you add that to the negotiated price. If you aren't sure what your looking for (problem-wise) take it to a shop and have them check for head gasket and tranny issues. Everything else is "relatively" cheap.

 

[offroadite]

10k for a 21 year old XJ?! That's insane! I think the most expensive one I've bought was 5 grand and that was 15 years ago. You're better off with the higher mileage and less then half the price. Regardless of mileage, being over 20 years old means that you'll have to fix things. The best part about the XJ is how cheap the parts are. If there's oil around the drain plug or the rear of the pan you can bet it's a rear main seal leak which is a pain in the ass; not the end of the world, but make sure you add that to the negotiated price. If you aren't sure what your looking for (problem-wise) take it to a shop and have them check for head gasket and tranny issues. Everything else is "relatively" cheap.

No.The market has really moved on. Clean, average miles and true near zero rust and 10k on a nice XJ...Ill 1000% be fine at resale. As you say parts are cheap and they are simple. I guess my point is buyers can be kind of hard headed.

 

[old_CWO]

It's too much money. Period. Full Stop. The XJ was one of the best products Jeep ever produced in my opinion but that's just too much scratch. It is after all just an XJ - they made millions of them and they aren't terribly complicated or exotic. Markets for everything are crazy right now and one way to help get them back in check is to just say no. Something is only worth what someone is willing to pay, so don't be willing. It's not like this is necessary transportation to get you back and forth to work.

 

[zgfiredude]

I like #2.....clean, honest truck, nothing to wonder about being hidden. There is a machine shop out here in Colorado that sells nicely rebuilt 4.0 engines for under 2k and 4.6 strokers for not a whole lot more! I've secretly lusted after an XJ for a long time.....go for it!

 

[Christian P.]

If that was me I would take your cash (let's say you have $8000) and go put that down as a cash down on a new/newish 4Runner, and finance the difference.

The payment will be about the same amount of money you will need to spend to maintain this Cherokee, and you will be driving a brand new SUV that does not depreciate much. With proper A/C, air bags and windows that go up and down. And no leak.

 

[TantoTrailers]

Checking out the gold XJ (#2) today, hopefully this one is a winner but I feel more confident going into the test drive having driven 3 of these now for reference. Thanks for all of the responses this has been really helpful!

 

[FordGuy1]

Today, its a great price. Out here, we have Cherokees going for 15-20k with low mileage. 2006 LJ's are bringing 20kplus all day long.