GW Purchase Question - High Mileage?

[JohnNC]

Looking at an 87 with 191K miles (guy original said 91 but carfax pointed out the actual was 191). Question is whether this mileage should keep me from this purchase provided the vehicle checks out.

The vehicle drives great and the condition is way above par relative to others I have considered. No rust (frame or body), weathered paint on hood, all power items work, AC works well, tranny shift great during slow or fast accels.

Just wondering whether this mileage should send me the other way.

The guy is asking 2800.

[J10Mike]

go for it. my j10 had 197K on it when i bought it. and, i paid $2800 for it as well. it was in good shape and rust free. plus, it runs good.

[89grand]

The mileage should be obvious as these have the 6 digit odometer, in other words it will show 191k on it, they don't roll back to zero at 99,999.99 miles. If it runs great and looks good, I'd get it. It's not likely that it runs great now and then will suddenly turn to sheeit in a few miles. Mine has 149k on it and runs great, but some have had a little over 100k and needed a rebuild, you just never really know.

[klank]

My new 87 has 187,000 and I paid $2k for it.

[FSJ Thing]

If it's running good now I say go ahead and get it! Milage with these things isn't really relative to their condition. They were built to go forever if properly maintained, it's when they're not maintained that they die. If it's running good at 191k then it had been well maintained and should give you as many years of service that you want from it, so long as you maintain it too! :D Buy it!

[dandy]

Go for it. With proper oil changes a 360 will go close to 300,000 miles before a rebuild is needed , if it runs good now and shows no signs of oil leaks it will last for years.

[carrotman]

Offer him $1.8K. He'll probably jump at it.

[Matthew W. Woodruff]

Here's my contrarian $0.02:

Get that baby checked out head to toe by a genuinely competent mechanic . Check springs, ball joints, wheel bearings, brakes, power steering, transmission/engine mounts, sway bars, steering dampener, shocks, tires, etc.

How's the oil pressure? If it gets low when the engine warms up, you are looking at a new oil pump and timing cover ($500++) and even that won't help worn bearings.

If the PO has screwed around with the emissions equipment and you live in a smog inspection state, you are looking at serious bucks to get it back in order.

Even if you don't have to pass smog, an emissions test will point you to other problems like a blown power valve in the carb (all too common), bad vac advance on your distributor, exhaust leaks and more. All these are $$$ even if you can do the work yourself.

If the tailgate window doesn't go up and down real smoothly, you are looking at a rebuild sooner rather than later.

Does it leak oil or tranny fluid anywhere?

Is the wiring under the hood made up nice and neat? There are lots of idiotic "modifications" made by PO's (like me!)

Note that in some cases you have some studs and bolts that go through aluminum parts into the block. These can freeze bad and have to be drilled and tapped when you need to replace a water pump or something else that should be "easy." (Ask me how I know this.)

Pick out one or two cosmetic items that you might want to fix. Then call a dealer and find out how much the parts cost -- if you can get them.

A license plate lamp is $15.

I have said this before, but with a vehicle that old, most parts have reached the end of their service life and you are facing a cascading series of failures as you start replacing old parts with new.

They are fun trucks to drive but ... forwarned is forearmed.

[FSJ Thing]

Hey. We're not supposed to tell him that stuff until after he buys it. The Jeep gods are going to be after you now! tongue.gif :D

[JohnNC]

thanks for the advise. The rear window is a little slow and the drivers side rear window doesn't work at all. The oil pressure is solid at idle and there are no apparant oil leaks from the engine.

I realize from this board mainly that these vehicles are a little expensive to update, but I am pretty handy and do most of my own work on my BMW convertible.

I have looked at quite a few wagoneers and this one overall is in the best condition. Headliner is in great shape, AC blows cold, etc.

While we dont have emission requirements down here, I do know the wagoneer failed emissions in Durham in January.