Boilermaker Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 I have the chance to pick up a '91 eliminator. Red 5sp 4.0 HO, 4x2, 200,xxx miles (current owner put 70k of those on and has kept it garaged). I would be the third owner. Except for the mileage, its basically what i've been looking for and he only wants $800, KBB says its worth around $1000 or so. The problems...There is some drivers side damage from clipping the edge of a traffic barrier (pics below). Half dollar sized area of paint bubble on the bottom of the rear right quarter panel, but otherwise the owner claims the truck is free of rust. It needs a new muffler, which the owner has but hasn't installed. Because of work, i won't be back in the area until at least December; so i'd have to have a friend who is a fair shadetree mechanic look at it for me. If my work situation becomes permanent, i may need to have the truck shipped; another $700. front interior damaged side So is this one worth the trouble and expense? Also, on an 16 year old vehicle is it worth getting a carfax or autocheck history report? (i've entered the VIN on their sites, carfax reports 4 records, autocheck 10). Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 I wouldnt pay over 500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEThomas Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 Same your time on CarFax. It will show some but not all problems. I have had 2 trucks that I got CarFax reports on, and found both had been in accidents that did not show up on CarFax. The one had been a hard crash and should have been reported :cry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pingpong Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 You really can't go by Blue book with rigs this old... I have seen some sell cheap as hell and some fetch top dollar, it all depends on where you are at in the country how much money it is worth. You don't say where you are at.. or where you might be relocating... and I would do a search and see what else is out there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boilermaker Posted November 5, 2007 Author Share Posted November 5, 2007 I was kind of suspicious about carfax and how it can only have 4 records. My two year old KJ has more.... Mitch, i appreciate the input. What drives down the value the most, the miles or the damaged body panels? One of the projects i would like to do on any MJ i find is to add power windows and /door locks. If i understand correctly, the easiest way to do that is to find a complete door from a donor XJ. So i'm not as concerned about the damaged door as i am about the damage to the bed side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boilermaker Posted November 5, 2007 Author Share Posted November 5, 2007 You don't say where you are at.. or where you might be relocating... and I would do a search and see what else is out there I've been using a site called craig's little helper to search craig's lists in eastern texas, from Southern NJ to DC (where i used to work and live) and south Florida (where my parents are). In the past two months i've pretty much struck out . I probably need to be a little more patient since i'm being picky about year, engine and transmission. A couple of other things i do is oodle.com and autotrader.com. The asking prices there are nearly as bad or even sometimes worse than what people look for on ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whowey Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 CarFax is garbage..... I sold a truck to a couple, that came back a week later screaming about how I lied to them about the history of the truck..... They claimed CarFax showed a serious accident with the truck. They showed me the CarFax report to me. Their report showed an accident on the truck.... Problem is the truck was sitting in my Dad's barn waiting for me when the accident supposedly happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bacon Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 i've paid more for less. certainly looks like it is worth $800. check the floor boards, rockers, and rear wheel wells for rust. if there's no rot, it's definitely worth that cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jared Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 the carfax buy back only works if you buy it from a dealership anyway to my knowledge. and have a carfax from the dealership to begin with before buying the vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEThomas Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 The two times I got a carfax was from a dealer and they ran the carfax for me. But buy the time I found out they both had been in accidents it was to late to go back and do anything :mad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boilermaker Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 Kind of getting off topic, but that's ok...i'm surprised the info in a carfax report would be different if you get it thru a dealership. The MJs i've seen listed by dealerships are way more than i'm willing to pay, so it looks like a private party sale is my best bet. And from what i've read so far in this post, that would make a carfax report pretty useless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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