Buying a YJ, advice wanted.

[Guest]

567000

Ok guys,
Until now, I was a racer. Now I want something that will drive over the car sI used to own. I am sleepless over the Jeep that I think I am going to buy. It is an '89 YJ. It has a new 4cyl. motor that has a 30,000 mile, two year warranty. It has American Racing Nitro Rims, the original steel wheels, new wheel bearings, new clutch, NO RUST!!, a soft top, brand new interior, TONS of chrome, a $1000 stero system. We agreed on $5200. It seems fair since it is in SPOTLESS condition and he has invested over $8000 (reciepts and all). What do you think??!!??

-Chris C.

 

[rsvpepper]

568000

Sounds like a good deal, but I would try to get him down to 4500 myself.

I have with it, But be ready to get addicted to it and remember.
J ust
E mpty
E very
P ocket.

 

[O IIIIII O]

569000

If the frame and body are in good shape who cares about the rest. It will all be swapped out in a few years anyways!

 

[wolfos]

1040298

definitely sounds worth it, i actually found it rather hard to buy a YJ for less then 6000 and they were all plain jane. I'd say go for it.
[addsig]

 

[jeepster3]

1040300

I have a 90 YJ Sahara no rust, motor had 7000 miles on it when I got it 258 motor in it 5speed I put 2 in body lift on it, stock rims and tires I payed 4500 for it, it runs real good. I kinda like the six cyl myself, but sounds pretty good.
[addsig]

 

[RAVEN13xxx]

1040307

If you don't buy it, gimme their namr and number and I will.

[addsig]

 

[Jizeep]

1040327

depends on how much money you have for mods, if you want to go 4-wheelin' you need a bigger engine, there won't be any power with a 4 banger....
[addsig]

 

[BEEFY88YJ]

I got my 88yj last year with 140,000 miles on it with no rust at all.I got it for $1300 because the guy couldnt get it to pass inspection.What a deal i got!!

 

[Tagg]

welcome to the family!!!

i think it's a great platform to start from ...remember there is always room for improvement...hope you buy it ... welcome to the family!!!!!

 

[Sparky-Watts]

if you want to go 4-wheelin' you need a bigger engine, there won't be any power with a 4 banger....
[addsig]

Oh, I have to disagree with that!!! You'll have plenty of power for wheelin' that YJ with a 4-banger. Wheeling isn't about power, it's about finesse and skill. There's not a thing my 4-banger YJ can't do that an equally built 6 cyl can do off road. I'm sure most anyone with either a 4 or 6 cyl Jeep will agree with me on that. The only time power comes into play is when you're back on the pavement headed home and have to get up them steep hills on the freeway before that semi behind you eats your lunch!!

 

[Craig]

Guess it depends on what you wanna do with it. If you're more into the chrome and how the jeep looks now then go for it. If your more into how it functions off road then I'd say get something with crappy bumpers that you're gonna replace anyway, crappy motor (chev 350 would be so much better....and more fun), stock suspension ect, ect. Basically if you plan on replacing everything to what you want then you can just get a real cheap beater.

 

[MuddinYJ88]

4 cylinder does great offroad

I have an 88YJ i paid $3250 for with a hardtop and 124k on it. The 4 cylinder does great offroad. ive had sixes that had trouble doing what i could. Its all about how good you are. Im running 33" xterrains and a 4" lift with stock 4.10's. Go for it, great deal. Welcome to the club, your gonna have a great time.

 

[TwistedCU]

I'd try to work him down on the price a bit, but I say go for it.

Don't be concerned about the 4 cyl's power... do a search and you'll find lots of ways to get the most out of it.

 

[joedirt]

The 4 banger off road not a problem do some gear changes sl,tires etc.Like everyone said before its all how you drive.Take a well built rig with someone who doesn't really now how to wheel and take someone in a 4 banger built that knows what they are doing and I can bet the 4banger is on top.You can get it for cheaper then that.Good luck

 

[Junkpile]

I ran a 2.5L YJ for years and I outran some sixes with it and a few V8s too, so I'm not bashing on them here, but..... To say power isn't important until back on the road is just so wrong. There is only so much you can do with gearing and you will see deminishing returns quickly if you overgear that narrow powerband four banger trying to keep up with the bigger engines. Torque is your friend offroad, and small displacement engines just don't produce like a bigger engine would. The factory made up for that lack of low rpm torque in the 2.5L by using deeper gears than the sixes. In low-range a 2.5L will almost walk over a factory geared six cylinder, but not once both rigs are setup accordingly. If it's going to stay relatively stock, then the four banger might actually be the better choice in a few instances, but a bigger engine makes a better starting point.

I'd get it if you're happy with the power and like the jeep.

 

[Wrangl3r93]

Yeah Sparky hit the nail on the head... i take my 4banger offroad all the time... never had a problem with power... i've even been in a few situations pulling a 6cyl out of the same mudhole i just went through 30 seconds before...

 

[Joopin]

If your gonna wheel it, I know where you can get some money to start buying the stuff needed for upgrades...

SELL ALL THE CHROME.
I bet there are no recievers or tow hooks on those nice chrome bumpers.

I would talk him down too. I paid 3800 for my 91 YJ... of course it had triple the miles on it.