Think I'm finally at the point; love my Jeep, but as you can see, I think it's pretty evident the frame is done, - as a newbie here, need help on how this works and a sanity check:
1) Chrysler discontinued the 01 frames, correct? So I need to go the salvage yard/auto recycler route to replace one? Is there any centralized/efficient sourcing method to find a part like this, or is it just clicking on CL, ebay, and individual salvage sites looking for one?
2) If i do find one, am I correct in assuming that I will need to go inspect it (if local), or find a local garage to pay a few bucks to go give it a look to make sure its good enough if out of market?
3) I was told labor for a frame swap is in the low 20s in terms of labor hours - have been told to set aside $4K-5K for labor, add the cost of the frame, and buffer in another grand for the usual other parts that probably need to be replaced. So $6-7K was a ballpark from one place. Is this in the right ballpark?
4) The big question: Is it worth it? Only has 130K miles, I love driving it especially in SD, I don't know what a sale value for it would be if i did the work and sold it, a few people have said especially in this market, if you can justify the cost of repairs being < 50% of a sale price, its defensible. I really don't think this is the right time to be shopping in the new/used car market (maybe 8-12 months from now it will look a lot different), and given I love the car, I'm partial to swallowing the cost if its in that ballpark.
I'm sure I'm asking dumb questions, but looking for other opinions, sanity check, and calling me nuts for pondering not scrapping the car. Appreciate any help.
1) Chrysler discontinued the 01 frames, correct? So I need to go the salvage yard/auto recycler route to replace one? Is there any centralized/efficient sourcing method to find a part like this, or is it just clicking on CL, ebay, and individual salvage sites looking for one?
2) If i do find one, am I correct in assuming that I will need to go inspect it (if local), or find a local garage to pay a few bucks to go give it a look to make sure its good enough if out of market?
3) I was told labor for a frame swap is in the low 20s in terms of labor hours - have been told to set aside $4K-5K for labor, add the cost of the frame, and buffer in another grand for the usual other parts that probably need to be replaced. So $6-7K was a ballpark from one place. Is this in the right ballpark?
4) The big question: Is it worth it? Only has 130K miles, I love driving it especially in SD, I don't know what a sale value for it would be if i did the work and sold it, a few people have said especially in this market, if you can justify the cost of repairs being < 50% of a sale price, its defensible. I really don't think this is the right time to be shopping in the new/used car market (maybe 8-12 months from now it will look a lot different), and given I love the car, I'm partial to swallowing the cost if its in that ballpark.
I'm sure I'm asking dumb questions, but looking for other opinions, sanity check, and calling me nuts for pondering not scrapping the car. Appreciate any help.
