used and abused? What do I look for in a used vehicle?

[69CamaroSS]

cleaver title eh? :brows:

 

anyways I'll probably be looking at a few new xjs at the end of the month. i was pretty stupid when i picked out my current xj cuz i would never be able to even get half back on what i payd for it. anyways i'm still not exactly sure at what to look for in a bad buy. not sure if this is technically suposed to be in tech section but w/e. any feed back would be great, i've never been good at looking at used cars. thanks in advanced :dunce:

[Pete M]

I tend to avoid things like; fresh paint, lifted 4x4s, altered drivelines, etc. In other words, the stocker the better. :thumbsup:

[wolfpackjeeper]

yea, I would look for a bone stock something. If the options are there such as good ac, pw, pdl, go for it. But i would rather start with a blank slate as far as the mods are concerned.

 

I bought a bone stock comanche. I changed out tune up stuff, changed rear brakes, did a u-joint at the yoke, and am getting new tires today. Now that I know I have a solid platform, I am gonna start my build plans.

[69CamaroSS]

Yeah i'm not looking for anything thats already tricked out i just mainly need a daily driver that i can depend on, and actually drive at highway speeds without getting a case of death wobbles :shake: .

What i mainly ment was, what do bad u-joints look like?

is there a way to tell if the suspension is bad just by looking at it? besides looking for a bone stock jeep what do you usually look at under the hood and under the body?

I'm the type of person that will go look at a car then get all excited that i might have a new toy and then forget to look at a few things :doh:

[Pete M]

Any XJ can get the DBs. It's curable. If that's what is wrong with your current rig, fixing it will likely be cheaper than trying to start over.

[69CamaroSS]

Any XJ can get the DBs. It's curable. If that's what is wrong with your current rig, fixing it will likely be cheaper than trying to start over.

Is it something thats fixable for a newbie like me to do without bringing it in? my xj is rusted everywhere, theres alot of little things wrong with it. it would take more work than I'm willing to invest in it, so i would rather just get something else thats in better condition

[Geonovast]

Any XJ can get the DBs. It's curable. If that's what is wrong with your current rig, fixing it will likely be cheaper than trying to start over.

Is it something thats fixable for a newbie like me to do without bringing it in? my xj is rusted everywhere, theres alot of little things wrong with it. it would take more work than I'm willing to invest in it, so i would rather just get something else thats in better condition

 

Depends. The root cause of it, usually, is tires. So you may have to get new tires. Shocks you should be able to do as well, but that generally isn't it.

 

I would check your control arm bushings, see if they're really cracked, have chunks missing, etc.

 

Also, jack up each wheel, hug the tire, and see if you can move it back and forth at all. That could show you a bad wheel bearing or ball joints. Junk U-joints can also cause it. Turn the wheel all the way so you can get in there, grab both shafts, and see if there's any play.

[FxRacing282]

bad u joints. basically if there is red all around the u joint then it needs replacing. if the caps are blown its obvious and to check them you just try to move them. if they move and nothing else then they need replacing. for suspension, look for rust check the tire wear. GO FOR A RIDE IN IT. stomp the brakes give it some gas and see if it chugs or stalls. pretty much every jeep ive seen all have leaking fluids. use that to talk the price down. leaky fluids can be checcked by spots that are darker. like on the bottom of a defferential or at the end of an axle tube on all over the ground under the truck. if you see any electrical tape then walk away. if you see any connectors that arent factory, walk away, unless they are hear shrink connectors. thats what i look for. if there is any rust holes then walk away.

[Pete M]

Depending on what the problem is, it can be fixed by an unseasoned repair man like yourself. But I know for sure that you'd be able to find the problem. Have someone rock the steering wheel back and forth while you watch and feel the steering components up front. check for slop and movement. Don't forget the track bar. Then jack up one side securely and see if you can wrestle any movement out of the tire. Put your hands at the top and bottom to check the ball joints, then at 9oclock and 3oclock to check the steering. Then do the other side. What is the condition of your lower control arm bushings? And you can rotate your tires to see if it makes any difference, but getting them rebalanced at Walmart is pretty darn cheap so you might want to just do that.

[69CamaroSS]

I FINALLY got around to rotating my tires. It actually solved the DW problem :clapping: . Thanks for the advise!

[mvusse]

In that case, take your rear wheels to a tire shop (even Wally World, although after my nightmare I will never again allow them near my vehicle) and have them rebalanced. One of them is most likely out of balance.

 

Then again, depending on how long it's been out of balance, it might be out of round now.