to trade or not?

A friend of mine just offered me a compelling trade

I just bought a '93 Cherokee 4x4, 4.0, 5spd, 180k in pretty good shape aside from a falling headliner and a little rust in the drivers door. Oh, and a rod through the block. I paid $400 for it and I'll probably have at least another $300 in it to get it drivable.

A good friend just offered me a trade for his 110k mile, '87 YJ, 4x4, 4.2, 5spd, with new chrome tube bumpers, 3 inch lift, and half ass carter carb conversion, that's a little rusty (although it's covered up well by a bedliner paint job) and needs brakes, with a brand new top and bikini top, for the Cherokee assuming I get a junkyard motor or something to get it running. He paid $2700 for that jeep last spring, though he wants to keep the nice rims and half+ worn 31's that are on it.

Now, I have to think that any running, cool looking wrangler is worth more than a comparable XJ, and would be a lot more fun to kick around in for the summer. Aside from sorting the brakes and getting a decent set of rims/tires, I think I could come out ahead on this deal. What say you, oh car swapping GRM peeps? He needs something to stick his new kid in and I, well, I just sort of like wranglers even though they drive like tractors. I've also got a new kid, but my GTI is impractical enough, and two impractical cars makes one that sort of makes sense, right?

On the surface it sounds like a better deal for you to trade. I had been looking for a used Wrangler/Cherokee for a while and ended up going with a Cherokee........and I am glad I did. Fits my needs better but I think the Wrangler is probably cooler and well.....it is running.

I'd keep the cherokee, its gonna be cheaper for you in the long run for sure. Have you compared junk yard prices between the two? The cherokee parts are much easier to find and cheaper as well. While with the YJ, your lucky if 1 in 3 yards you goto have a half stripped frame in the yard.

Bottom line the cherokee is the way to go, you can upgrade it via the junk yard/u pull it and have a nice looking and driving car. The 5 speed versions are sorta sought after as well, they didn't make many, and they hold their value. I bet you could get $4k if/when you eventually sell it.

Andrew

digdug18 wrote: I'd keep the cherokee, its gonna be cheaper for you in the long run for sure. Have you compared junk yard prices between the two? The cherokee parts are much easier to find and cheaper as well. While with the YJ, your lucky if 1 in 3 yards you goto have a half stripped frame in the yard. Bottom line the cherokee is the way to go, you can upgrade it via the junk yard/u pull it and have a nice looking and driving car. The 5 speed versions are sorta sought after as well, they didn't make many, and they hold their value. I bet you could get $4k if/when you eventually sell it. Andrew

Good point. I was just at the junk yard this morning and there had to be 20+ Cherokees there, all with some good stuff still on them. Wranglers......none. Of course some parts will fit both. Glad I got a Cherokee

Yeah, and with the cash for clunkers program, their are even more parts out there. It was one of the popular vehicles out there, behind the explorer.

Andrew

i just bought a 91 cherokee, 4.0 ltr 6cyl, 5 spd, a/c, cruise from california, zero rust, i paid 1600, had to put a tailpipe on to pass a safety its going to replace my wifes leased mazda (when it goes back) i figured it would be way easier to maintain and it has no payments my 2 cents is, stick with the cherokee

As has been mentioned before..........the Cherokee is quickly becoming (or already is) the Miata of the SUV world. Hard to beat the prices and parts availability.

FYI: According to the Jeep forum, 2,884,172 Cherokees (XJ) were sold between 1984 and 2001.

the Cherokee is quickly becoming (or already is) the Miata of the SUV world

I wish it wasnt. I hate when anything i like goes 'mainstream' among enthusiasts. More competition

Id go for the wrangler in this case by far. Honestly, you could get a running cherokee like yours for less then it would cost to fix yours, if you look hard enough, and there's no reason you cant turn around and re-trade the wrangler for TWO running cherokees.

I would trade it in a New York minute.

Any running Wrangler is worth $1500+.

At the dealer wholesale auctions I go to, I routinely see rusty old Wranglers selling for no less than $1000.

I think I'm gonna do the trade. The Cherokee wasn't going to be my daily driver by any means, it would mostly be used for hauling around muddy dogs and a canoe every now and then. A wrangler can certainly do those things and has the added benefit of not having a roof, a feature I've not had in a car for a while. The wrangler makes more sense to me as a toy as well, and would be a great platform to experament with a megasqirt install and whatnot.

skruffy wrote: I think I'm gonna do the trade. The Cherokee wasn't going to be my daily driver by any means, it would mostly be used for hauling around muddy dogs and a canoe every now and then. A wrangler can certainly do those things and has the added benefit of not having a roof, a feature I've not had in a car for a while. The wrangler makes more sense to me as a toy as well, and would be a great platform to experament with a megasqirt install and whatnot.

I think that's exactly it. The Wrangler is probably a better toy where as the Cherokee is probably a better work/daily vehicle. Not that the they can't do each of course.