Tell me why I shouldn't buy this

"area man" (hurrburgring)
05/25/2016 at 14:27 • Filed to: None

Progress has been made on the savings front this year and I’ve talked my wife into kicking in, so I think I’m going to pull the trigger on a car by the fall. So I’m already browsing to get a feel for things, and I see this !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Seems awfully cheap for a relatively clean and low-mileage GC that allegedly runs strong. This is one of the cars I’m considering - I can’t actually buy this one right now because I’m going out of town for most of July and I’m planning on street parking whatever I get, but why shouldn’t I snap up the next one that looks this nice around this price? Do the early GCs fall apart at 120k?

DISCUSSION (27)

area man > area man
05/25/2016 at 14:32

Alternatively, tell me why I shouldn’t buy this or any other low-mid-100k mile e46: http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-3-Seri…

190octane > area man
05/25/2016 at 14:34

Because if (when) it breaks it’s probably going to cost a shit ton to fix it.

area man > 190octane
05/25/2016 at 14:36

I know, I’m asking about more specific notorious faults.

Party-vi > area man
05/25/2016 at 14:39

Because it’s dented and needs new tires. Get a WJ they look so much better. The only ZJ I’d buy (but I can’t afford it) is the 5.9L.

ETA: WJ, not WK. ew.

Dru > Party-vi
05/25/2016 at 14:41

Blasphemy! WJ MASTER RACE!!!!!

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > area man
05/25/2016 at 14:41

Because it’s not the AMC I6.

Dru > area man
05/25/2016 at 14:42

Get a WJ. IMHO they have aged much better and you should absolutely be able to find one for $2.5K. Pricing reeeeeaaaally varies by location though.

Party-vi > area man
05/25/2016 at 14:44

Because at 143,000 miles it needs the transmission flushed, the expansion tank replaced (why they didn’t do that with the water pump I’ll never know), probably the final stage resistor, new control arms F&R, the 325i is slow as balls, no sport suspension, and they spelled brakes “breaks”. They purchased it 4 months ago, did all this work, and now want to sell it? Red flag. New gas cap might mean there’s an emissions issue that they tried to fix but couldn’t with a new gas cap. “NO engine faults present” is also ominous.

area man > Party-vi
05/25/2016 at 14:44

I have heard very not good things about the WK - I mean, it’s a mid-aughts GM product.

CalzoneGolem > area man
05/25/2016 at 14:44

It kinda looks like it is currently falling apart.

area man > Dru
05/25/2016 at 14:46

If I can find one I will.

Party-vi > area man
05/25/2016 at 14:46

I was wrong - WJ, not WK.

area man > Party-vi
05/25/2016 at 14:47

Good to know.

area man > CalzoneGolem
05/25/2016 at 14:49

For $2500 I’m not looking for perfection.

Dru > area man
05/25/2016 at 14:50

Try to find as low mileage an example as you can afford. If you find any red flags, and I mean any, at first glance, run. I’ve had 60K roughly trouble free miles out of mine (knocks furiously on wood), but my dad had one and it was problem after problem. The latter was not as well cared for, also higher mileage at purchase. I would not recommend one with dual zone climate control unless the blend doors (at least) have already been replaced. They will fail eventually. On the upside there's a decent selection of lift kits for it, if you're into that. Good luck.

CalzoneGolem > area man
05/25/2016 at 14:50

Well good because you haven’t found it.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Party-vi
05/25/2016 at 14:51

They didn’t replace the expansion tank because they already needed to replace that twice, so there should be a few more weeks in it.

area man > Dru
05/25/2016 at 14:52

Thanks!

greasemonkey235097 > area man
05/25/2016 at 14:56

The automatic transmissions on the zjs were not known for reliability,if you do go for one,get the 4.0 6cyl, best symple engine.

Flyboy is FAA certified insane > area man
05/25/2016 at 15:09

Looks good. As long as there’s no major holes already rust shouldn’t be much of an issue. Only mechanical weak spot I know of on these is the transmission, but keep clean fluid in and it’ll be alright.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > area man
05/25/2016 at 15:29

If that is a 4.0 the rest of the car is going to turn to dust long before the engine refuses to start. Look for rocker panel rust. There’s also myriad interior quality issues to look out for like radios that fall back into the dash and headliners that don’t stay headlined. The tranfer cases tend to freeze into position if not used.

boredalways > area man
05/25/2016 at 15:33

had a ‘93 ZJ Laredo w/ 5.2 L.

loved it. the only issue I had with it was the front diff started grinding.

...and the poor fuel economy but that’s expected

MonkeePuzzle > area man
05/25/2016 at 15:38

because it does not have hood vents.

Chasaboo > area man
05/25/2016 at 15:40

Because Jeeps are mechanical disasters. But if you like fixing things with a hammer, by all means, make your purchase.

area man > MonkeePuzzle
05/25/2016 at 15:41

well sadly it’s not the 5.9

MonkeePuzzle > area man
05/25/2016 at 15:44

see, you already knew why you shouldnt buy it :P

Swayze Train GTi > area man
05/26/2016 at 03:34

Because it’s advertised as a “great running grans cherokee runs great with a warrantee”