Actually, we just traded in the minivan for a 96 Nissan Pathfinder. Wifey loves it and I wanted her to have the 4x4 capability for wintertime and trips up into the snow. I want an old jeep (I'm already calling it the 'junk jeep' even though I haven't picked it up yet) so I can garage the Mustang in shitty winter weather and also haul around stuff like camping gear, guns, and dead, tasty venison and such in the winter highlands of Idaho. My upper price limit on the Jeep is about 3-4 grand. I'm aiming for one that has already been 'round the block, so to speak. Something to keep my ass out of the ditch in the snow and some 4x4 for those backass Idaho mountain roads where a man goes to be alone with his firearms.
I still think your best bet is a 94'-95' Wrangler. Make sure it is a 6 cyl, instead of the 4 they offered. Great fun, cheap to own and maintain.
Took the plunge: 2000 Cherokee Sport 4WD I picked up for cheep! She's got a few issues: drips a couple drops of oil every time she's shut off, the turn signal timer clicks constantly (without the turn signals being turned on), AC is inop (probably needs freon), back hatch is currently stuck shut (a somewhat common problem from what I've researched), and the gas gage is broke-dick. I'll tackle these one at a time as the mood strikes me, but none of them were showstoppers for the money I was putting out. I did have a mechanic check it out and the engine, tranny, and brakes are in good shape. The engine is the 4.0L IL6. 167k miles. Good enough for snowy roads in the winter time and packing the gunz and camping shit around the mountains. It's also a vehicle I can dump at the FBO out at the airport for a week at a time and not worry about it while I'm gone. Despite the good rep on that engine, I'll never drive it out of town without a 'get home bag' in the back, though!!
Hate to burst your bubble, but that's part of the generation of 4.0's that has the screwed up heads, IIRC correctly. They're not bad, they're just not as good as the previous gen. Is the oil seeping out the rear main? Oil pan? Valve covers? Crank seal?
Look up thread. There is a link to a guy that restores em. Thats where I want my next vehicle to come from
I bet it's the valve cover and/or the rear main. Practically guaranteed once those I-6s get up in the miles. Marso: Manual or Auto?
Well, it took two screwdrivers, a pair of pliers, and some WD-40 (after the fact) but I got the back end taken apart and got the latch adjusted so that the back hatch will open again. Took a few minutes of fiddle-fucking around with it to figure out the latch mechanism but after that it was easy to see where the problem was and fixit. Only took about a half hour from start to finish and I managed not to break any of the trim getting it off the inside. One problem down, and truthfully that was the most annoying one to me. The gas gage I'm starting to wonder about. I'm assuming they need to be calibrated, especially if its a capacitance-type deal versus some kind of float sensor. I've noticed that my needle is moving towards E as it uses gas, but I'm not sure if that's a calibration thing or an "AC lies, DC dies" sort of power thing. If it's an AC powered gage it will wander if it's not getting power. Maybe I just need to fill the damn thing with gas myself and see what happens. (It got a fillup at the dealer. Or did it? ) My problem is that all my knowledge about this stuff is really as it pertains to airplanes and not autos. I don't know jack (other than in the most general way) about how the various gages and sensors are wired up on a car.
My gas gauge is also unreliable. It fluctuates randomly between nearly-accurate and about a quarter tank below what's actually in there. I just learned to keep track of my range. *edit* And the only thing that pisses me off about that state of affairs is that one of the first things I had to replace was my gas tank. From the looks of things, my TJ was hit on the left rear corner some time before I bought it. That happens to be where the gas cap is located. Being a plastic gas tank, this cracked it at the neck, and although the dude had it sealed up with some kind of goop that only let go after I bought it, it eventually started leaving a puddle of gas wherever I parked it. No bueno. So, I took it to the dealership and and both the tank and the gauge sending unit replaced. That was six or seven years ago now, so I can't remember if the gauge worked properly before that.
I'm looking to unload my wife's '98 Grand Cherokee Laredo with the straight six. Wish I would have seen this thread awhile ago.
Turns out my gas gage is fine and the dealership lied about filling it up. My wife, who was no part of this deal, was beyond pissed when I told her. She asked me if I was going to write a letter or anything. I said no, but we wouldn't ever be going car shopping at that dealership again.
I have to agree. You'd have to go through way more heartburn than it would be worth for a tank of fucking gas.
