terrawombat

I thought all MJ Chief's came with black interior. WTF

Clever.

I tried to avoid short sales, too, but there's just too many of them around the area I'm looking that it became rather difficult. I have a clause in my contract that if I don't close by Jan. 30, 2012, I can walk. I did see one house where everything was approved for USDA RD, but it fell through at the last minute because the buyer got a raise at her job, pushing her out of the maximum salary requirement. That house was in no worse or better shape than the one I put an offer on, so there is some hope, however, I'm still anticipating that it will all fall through because the house isn't up to snuff, hence why I keep my eye on new homes popping up for sale on a daily basis...

I should be there pretty soon! Just passed over 191K last week and will be at 192.5K after the holidays. Once I finally get a place in MD and start moving my stuff from NJ to MD, it'll roll over 200K in no time. Unfortunately, without access to a shop or a place to work on my XJ, it's beginning to feel like a vehicle with 191K miles on it. I need to replace all of the front ball joints and tie rod ends, control arm bushings, and shocks. That should tighten up the front end to make it feel "newer" again.

Wow...that is interesting. There are so many rules and hoops to jump through any more. I can't believe what we are going through to be able to use my VA benefits. Oh yea - I've heard some horror stories of VA loans. Mostly the same stuff that happens with FHA and USDA RD loans. The "certified" FHA/VA/USDA RD (they're all the same) inspectors will nit-pick every little detail about the house during their required inspection prior to closing. They'll basically say that the home is approved for the loan if this list of 50 things is fixed with the house. The sellers and/or bank will generally fix some, but not all of the issues and the loan will fall through because of it. I'm pretty nervous about the inspection of the house I put an offer on, if it ever gets that far. There are definitely some obvious issues with the house - including an unfinished master bathroom (some drywall and paint is needed) and some hokey electrical wiring for some ceiling fans that were installed by the PO. I think they'll let me slide on the bathroom, but because the electrical wiring isn't up to code, they'll want the bank to fix it prior to closing. It has taken the bank over a month to respond back to my offer and I imagine it will be another month or longer before I hear back. I can't imagine how long it will take them to hire a certified electrical contractor to re-wire or remove the wiring (even though I intend to rip it all out anyway).

Nice house! Love the pool! Speaking of pools, I checked out an older farmhouse that had a large, detached shop and an in-ground pool. Wanted to put of offer on it, but turns out that in-ground pools are not allowed for USDA Rural Development loans. I guess low-to-medium income families and in-ground pools don't go together :yes:

Now everyone is going to ask you for your employee discount :D

I placed an offer on a home last month and it was approved by the owners within about five days. Unfortunately, it's a short sale, so I need the approval from the seller's bank(s). They like to take their time with this part, but if and when they approve my offer, I'm on their clock and have to get all of my loan paperwork to them in a certain timeframe (I believe it's two weeks, but need to double-check my contract to be certain). I've been working with my lending officer to make sure all of our ducks are in a row so that we're prepared to send them everything when the time comes. You would think the bank would want to get this house off the books for this fiscal year. I also thought they wouldn't want to spend the money to winterize the house, but I guess not. On to the house - it's a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom home that needs some TLC. It's on about 3/4 of an acre, which is a pretty good size lot for the area. Already hooked up to public sewer and well so no need to worry about septic or water issues (as long as I pay my quarterly water/sewage bill). No garage, but plenty of room to put up a moderately-sized shop. Also enough room to fence in the yard for the dogs to run around in. Biggest problem I see with the house is the lack of a central HVAC system. Still has window A/C units and baseboard electric heat. I'll be getting quotes on a full HVAC system as soon as I move in.

Thanks for the update. Don't sweat it - nothing you can really do since it's out of your hands. I'm sure you're beginning to see why these kinds of sales are few and far between :D Thanks again for being the point-man on this.

The compact truck market will be back and as long as the Ranger is being produced overseas, it will come back to the North American market, too. It's just not the "in" thing right now.

Guaranteed Xmas delivery? I kid. But an update would be cool :cheers:

I wish I could find the differences in the torque ratings for each case since that's what people go by when they claim the 231 is stronger than the 242. The difference is relatively small and 99% of the rigs on here don't even come close to the max torque capacity of either. I prefer the 242 because it has all the capabilities of the 231 off-road, plus it gives you more options for on-road traveling.

I was going to point out the same thing. I've had a '98, 2X '99, and an '01 XJ that all had the airbag module mounted under the center console. I'm guessing the recall was done to the '98 and '99s on mine. But, those pictures do explain that random bracket under the drivers seat! BTW, nice work with the seat studs. Never liked the idea of have seat bolts, especially the one on the back that goes through the floorpan and is completely exposed under the Jeep.

Ever stared at a road sign for a while trying to figure out if it's the right street that you need to turn down? Boom. You just took your eyes off the road and are just as hazardous as someone who looked down to glance at their phone. Ever eat in the car? Glance into your rear view mirror to make sure your son/daughter was buckled in tight? You can play the, "I don't ever even think about looking at my phone while driving, hence I'm a safer driver" game, but I can cite dozens of examples that make you just as much as a hazard as the cell phone glancers. So, hope you don't hurt anyone out there, too. Be safe.

One of my '88s gave me intermittent problems with the fuel pump and it was driving me nuts trying to troubleshoot and fix it. I eventually figured out that the pump wasn't getting a good ground at the connector. Apparently the common ground for the fuel pump is located behind the driver's tail light. Once I popped it off, I saw a bunch of ground wires tapped into the same crimp terminal screwed down to the sheet metal of the bed. It was very rusty, so I popped it off, cleaned it up with some emery cloth and reinstalled. No problems since.

I will occasionally read a text message while driving, never respond. I feel as though a quick glance at my cell phone is no more dangerous than looking at a GPS while driving. In fact, I would go as far as to say reading a text message is less dangerous than staring at a GPS screen trying to decipher which road I have to turn onto next. Regardless, with the amount of handheld technology in today's vehicles there are a lot more distractions introduced to the driver. Some people are capable of multi-tasking whereas others give their complete, undivided attention to one thing. Those are the types of drivers you need to be wary of.

I go through phases. I'm in my automatic phase right now, but I'm starting to tire of it and I want my manual MJ back. I always feel like I'm in better control of the vehicle with a manual, but I love the convenience of the auto.

I think I got my first personal cell phone when I was 15 or 16 in 2000. Used it to call my parents when I went out somewhere. I don't think any of my other friends had a phone at the time - I was one of the first. I could have it out and use it in high school whenever I wanted...heard they take the phone from you now if they see it.

Disagree entirely. There are many, many situations where all I need a yes/no answer from someone. Best part, I now have a written record of the response so if I forget a few hours in the future, I can just look it up. If I know the response is going to require a longer, lengthier answer, I will call.

That's one of the major things I wouldn't use it for. The only Haynes manual I've ever owned was for my YJ when I was in high school. There were some blatantly WRONG torque specs in there. Lots of credit to my auto shop teacher in high school for making me aware of it. They had a tendency to mix up in-lbs and ft-lbs on certain things. That's NOT a good mix-up.

Your swoosh seems like a more refined version of the one I was thinking of. Not as broken up and choppy like the one in the original post. Wasn't able to find the picture of my '92 with the decals on it, but I do remember a picture of my grandfathers '92 when he bought it new. Once that truck was hit on the drivers door, those decals didn't last very long after that since they were pretty hard to come by IIRC.

My '92 had them as well but the PO removed them. I'll see if I can find a pic. They were on the '92 Sport models. Commonly known around here as the "swoosh."

Yes, the viscous coupler is known to go bad and it cannot be repaired, it must be replaced. If I recall, there is a guy on e-bay selling them (new) for the cheapest price I've seen...and I think it's still around $265-$275 shipped. When the VC goes bad, the truck basically feels like it's in 4WD-Lo. Making tight turns and pulling into parking spaces gets interesting. It also feels like there is a constant drag on the vehicle - when you take your foot off the accelerator, it feels as if you've applied the brakes. It's also a great destroyer of gas mileage! I replaced the 249 in my '98ZJ with a 242 from a '98XJ. Had to cut the output shaft down about 3/4" since it was a bit long.

The paint on that truck looks remarkable for having so much rust. Looks identical to the one that popped up for sale by me literally two days after I picked up my white '92...minus all of the rust.

Those Canadians were never good at spelling. It's LITER! :jump: