heres my issue... I have the chance to buy a 97 Sahara with a 4.0 5 speed, hard top, a/c, body and interior is in emaculate condition. It has 76,500 original miles. Seller is asking 7700. I have driven it and it has surface rust and a bad body mount. Clutch feels tired but holds. Needs a new fuel tank skid. My current tj is running good at 220xxx miles. I am undecided if I should get it. What is the thoughts out there. My concern is frame rust. The frame is sold but has the usual spots, mostly surface rust. Need help deciding if the price seems fair to you guys. I have no pictures sorry.
Need help on decision?????
- Thread starter Jeep9748
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Check underneath it. If there's serious frame rust on it it's not worth anything at all (IMHO) unless you want a large project.
Chris gave great advice on double-checking underneath for signs of rust damage. A friend of mine here in the San Diego area bought a nice looking Jeep but he ended up selling it a month later due to all the rust he didn't check for when buying it. When he brought it over to show me, we crawled underneath it and it was heavily rusted, pretty well all the hardware was completely rusted. It turns out the Jeep had been imported from one of the states in the salt belt which is nearly a sure thing it's going to be rusted badly.
Ahoragi
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I bought my 99 with 81k for about that price. Very good condition with detailed maintenance history except some rot on the skid and middle body mounts. Pretty similar except mine was a 4 cyl.
The gas tank skids on these years need replaced anyways because they are weaker than the new models and rust cleanly across the bottom. Mine's just about to drop the tank due to the rust. You can find the newer skids on Amazon for around $100-$130. Their price fluctuates so watch and snatch one up when it's around $100.
Check the fenders (underneath) because I'm betting they are starting to rot as well. Mine were quite bad after two winters post-purchase. I had to cut a chunk of it out so it would stop rusting.
Ahoragi
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Get some fluid film and spray it on heavy to stop it from rotting any further until you can do something about it.
Here are the pics I have of the Sahara. I haven't taken ownership yet, stupid forms take forever...
Wow, yeah those tires are about a G alone, is there a matching spare?
Everything looks pretty clean man, I would say solid buy even if there is surface rust!
Everything looks pretty clean man, I would say solid buy even if there is surface rust!
Yes at 77000 original miles I figured for my world its the holy grail. it will become my DD. The tires are brand new. I talked with the guy who is selling it. He works for the High end Lexus dealership and it was traded in at MAG of Ohio. so guessing on the level of cars sold at both, this is an excellent set up. The only thing I saw replaced was the water pump. As I said I will be replacing the steering stabilizer, shocks and the fuel tank skid mount. The best part is it still has 30 day tags from where he bought it to use as a four wheeler for his farm.
So so so happy the wife found this Jeep.
So so so happy the wife found this Jeep.
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