Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Hey all, I'm pretty new around here so here's some background info on me

17 year old high school student in his last year, living in the lower mainland (not a lot of snow, but rains a lot). Originally I had planned to buy myself a 350z but I figured might as well give into the redneck in me and take the plunge and buy a WJ, because they're easier and cheaper to maintain, cheaper to buy (by a lot) and I am a pretty inexperienced driver, so if anything happens I won't cry for years and years because I just totaled a car I'm still making payments on.

Right now I'm looking at this Jeep, Canada Used Autos, Cars, Trucks, Boats, Motorcycles Online Classified Ads - AutoTrader.ca

I already got them down quite a bit just by haggling with them over the phone, so what do you think? I could have it for $8700 with taxes.


Also, the mods I want to do are pretty lame and generic, but I never go off roading (on purpose anyways) so here's what I was looking at, and need some insight on:

Air Intake - (I just want this mostly for the sound, not the performance, so a cheaper kit should suffice?)

Exhaust - Was looking at a flowmaster 40 series, is it decent and how much should it cost to get installed, and how is it installed? Bolt-on or welding? ( I want it to sound like this http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=mWC-XSxMI9Y and I assume the cold air intake will only enhance it, right?)



Tint - As dark as I can get it :)

Blacked out rear taillights - (Still having trouble finding a place to buy these)

Stereo - I'm a bit of a audio junkie so I'm thinking of something along the lines of a complete Digital Designs set up with a DD S4 amp powering the mids, and the possibility of dual 13 inch W7's in the back. Coupled with a nice pop out screen in the dash and a license plate frame backup camera.


Thoughts? It'll be my Daily Driver everyday for work (paying for all this myself), school (University next year, mostly highway driving), and other outings. I'm not an adventurous guy but I look like I'm in a clowncar when I sit inside of imports.

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Double Post

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Hi Pauler, the link you posted just takes you to the cover page for autotrader so not sure which one your looking at.
Flowmaster 40's sound good on the 4.0L, 70 if it has the 4.7
The air intake won't change the way it sounds, just lets it breath easier. (Have a K&N FIPK on mine)
The stereo system sounds like a nice setup, if you get the Jeep hope you have fun with it.

Dan

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Hello Pauler,
Well young man, let's get one thing straight from the beginning. Rednecks drive pick-me-up trucks. The most well informed, intelligent and genteel people drive Jeeps. The difference between a Jeep and a run of the mill vehicle is similar to the difference between eating corn on the cob with and without dentures. There Ain't no comparesin!
Don't be so hard on yourself, ANY mod's you do to your new vehicle which add to performance and/or comfort can hardly be called lame. I cannot comment on the air intake or exhaust questions (I will leave that to better minds) but I would strongly suggest you check with the local constabulary regarding your proposed window and taillight tints. As a young driver, you DON'T want to be calling too much attention to yourself from the local cops by sporting what may, in their minds, could be a questionable modification. You're going to be stopped enough times simply because of your age. Some juristictions have limits to how dark you can tint your windows for example. The preceeding is NOT meant as a criticism in any way.
I could not open the link either...give it another try please. I'm curious.
I am a new guy here myself but....welcome to the wonderful world of Jeeps.
Peter.

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Sorry the link didn't work, here's some print screens,

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/6840/jeep1nj7.jpg
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/1356/jeep2lp1.jpg

It's a 1999 but looks well maintained and has low clicks (116k for a 10 year old vehicle, only 16 thousand per year, pretty good considering in 5 years me and my family have put 110 on my 2004 honda, and 165k in 6 years on my civic).

The price seems high for the year, I've already got them down to 7.5 over the phone, I'll go in and waive some cash in their face. Going to be a bit awkward bullying a middle aged salesperson into giving a highschooler a deal, but I'll do it (With help from my dad obviously lol).

Thanks for the responses!

I did not know that the flowmaster 40 series was more oriented towards the 4.0 liter and that the 70 series was more for the 4.7 liter, so I'll definitely reconsider that. I assume I'll get a deeper richer sound with the 70 series flowmaster over the flowmaster 40. I've been driving a 2004 honda accord v6, and I've had enough of the not so thunderous sound at 7000 RPM (although it does accelerate quite nicely for a family car).

In my jurisdiction tint on the front windows is illegal however on the back it can be pitch black, in fact I've even seen some cars with paint on the windows so it is completely blocked out and still legal.

I realize gas will be a bit harsh on me but I don't care, if it gets real bad I'll just pick up a beater for a Daily Driver. I'm really worried about reliability, so if anyone has any insight please do share. I have heard the v8 is a bit more resilient to it's age than the v6, anyone vouch for this?

And, I've read the 4 wheel drive does screw up, so before I buy it I should obviously take the jeep into a tight cornering situation and see how it handles, and see if I can disengage the differential lock, right?

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Oh! And this is the one with black gauges so this OEM kit I found should easily fit it. It comes with a little knob so you can select your backlight color (Green blue, etc.) and puts carbon fiber as the background, OEM replacement gauges and sticky back "real" carbon fiber, seems like a decently priced add-on.

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Hey paulerr,

I'm pretty new to this forum but not to WJ's. First of all how much money do you make per week and how much driving do you do? Honestly I relly don't think a high school kid could even afford the gas this tank will require. And the parts....... you better have access to daddy's wallet! Don't get me wrong, this is the best suv I ever had. But realize your budget first. If you've already thought about it then go for it. I have an 02 HO and believe me i tried some regular v8's and if your looking into mods before you even bought the truck, stop right there. The reg v8's have like 235hp and 295lb when the Ho is 260hp and 330lb. So right off the back you could have 25 more hp by doing no mods. And a cai is a ok start but not worth the doe your gonna spend, a simple drop in is quite enough. And if you want more than just sound do it big, up the whole catback not just the muffler(it's just a noise maker). You should really concider that zed you wanted because it will go faster and cost less.

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Right now there's about ~$600-$900 a month being deposited into my savings after I deduct my gas money (3.0 liter V6), food, and booze (Random outings on the weekend). With that said, I have around $12,000 saved up, and would easily have enough money for the 350z by May/June however I don't want to have to take out a loan, and it's an impractical car for my needs (2 door, 2 seater). I realize the G35 is just slightly larger, but I find it ugly compared to the 350z, and I'd never be happy with it. The rest of the cars I could afford are much too common for my tastes, and I'd never be happy with them.

I'd be putting the most money into the gadget's I'll have installed, already I'm thinking of dual JL audio w6 13.5's, already have a brand new in box Pioneer DEH P7000UB headunit that was supposed to complete my dual kicker CVX set up in my honda, but I decided not to. The subwoofers should run me about $5-600 a piece, and another $500 for the amp I want, plus the cost of a custom box, wiring, labour and possibly even a re-worked alternator. So around $2000 just for the "boom", and I'd add 4 co-axials all around powered by a digital designs S4 amp (already have the DD amp, cost me $500 off craigslist, brand new too), I estimate the install and other parts I'll require will be an additional $500 or so ontop of what I already have, so all together I'll be putting $2500 already into the sound system, and another $200 for a yellow top optima, so $2700, and even still it wouldn't be complete. As soon as I got some more cash I'd swap out the head unit and put it in my car and put a 7 inch pop out LCD with a backup camera in, another $900 or so. So all together, just for my gadgets and whatnot, I'm looking at $3600, but I'm cool with that.


I'd need a nice two-way alarm system ontop of that, but I could just pick one up whenever, probably in the range of $200-250 installed. I already bought a valentine radar detector for my car (still in its box) and the first chance I got I'd get it hardwired into the Jeep.


So that'd be my interior all wrapped up neatly, I've had this idea in my head for ages now and am slowly collecting the parts whenever I see a good deal on craigslist, or sale at a store ( you can guess where I'll be at 6 am the day after christmas!!!).

And the exhaust and air intake would mostly just be for the sound, I love the sound of mustang GT's. That low rumble is music to my ears, I'm pretty sure the flowmaster 40/70 series would give me that (by looking at youtube videos posted by people). And with all that done, I'd be pretty happy. I don't really care about money, if I want something and I know i can afford it, I'll go for it. My dad was ready to buy me a car, and he tried to give me the family car and buy himself a beater to drive to and from work, but I rejected his offer because I felt horrible throwing my dad out of a car he bought for himself with his own money, and putting him into some $2000 crap mobile.


And trust me, the LAST thing a young driver needs is a fast car under his ass, I already get into enough trouble with a puny 250 horsepower V6 in my Honda.



So whattya think? Feasible? Look at the photos I posted, it seems to be in very good condition, but stealerships can detail the cars pretty good so who really knows.

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

yo,
Yeah so with all that said it sounds pretty good. It actually will be a nice truck just look out for those hating cops out there that won't love the sound, dark tints and smoked tail lights I don't recall if you said hids but really something to consider. Really important and you said it a 2way alarm compustar or viper always the best. When you get it and start doing the mods you should post progress pics
good luck hope you get it.

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Hello Pauler,
That is basically the same vehicle I am looking to purchase here in Ottawa (although mine is a '00). The dealership here started off @ 7.9K and thus far we're down to 7.3K so both you and me are in the same ballpark.
I'm sure you're aware that you should have YOUR mechanic go over the vehicle with a fine toothed comb. That being said, she looks good!
I am currently driving a '94 cherokee (4.0l) and the Grand' is like a limo/rocket. At my advanced age I'm not sure if I can take all the excitement....
Peter

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Peter, Paul, and Jeep... sounds like a 60's folk group.
Come on guy's buy them you know you wanna! Then we can do a cross Canada trail tour. :)

Pauler, the flowmaster 40 is a 2.5" system and the flowmaster 70 is 3", nice throaty sound with no "ricer" buzz in the mid rpm's.

Dan

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Hopefully it will turn out as I've planned, all blacked out. No idea what to do with rims though I've always had an unhealthy obsession with black rims with a fat lip but don't want to ruin the look of the jeep with gaudy rims.

I don't really know about HID's because cops can be pricks about those, especially if you're behind them and blinding them, and it's a SUV so the headlights would be hitting right in their eyes. I will try to post as many progress pics as possible, I will probably do the stereo myself but it's going to be a pretty complicated install so I may just hand it over to the guy who does all my car audio/alarm stuff, they charge a bit more than other places but finish most jobs on the same day and install it really nicely, don't see any wires under the hood or dash. I already get into enough trouble with the po-po driving a 04 honda lol.


You should offer him lower because you live in a harsher climate. 7.3k is a really good price in vancouver but in Ottawa aren't the roads salted like 6 months out of the year? I imagine that having adverse effects on the car and how it ages, however if kept in a garage and maintained regularly I don't see why you couldn't have it.

I'm trying to get the dealership to say ok to 6.5-7k because the color is dark grey and not the black I wanted. I'll see how it goes, if they say no I'll just wait a bit longer and get one around January or so, or whenever I see a nice cheap black jeep.






... hopefully I can stop worrying about bottoming out the suspension (like on my current car) when I go over small potholes, causing me to scrape the crap out of my front bumper and sides ... ahhh.. Jeeps :)

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Haha, ricer buzz, God how I hate those fart can mufflers! I'd get a lift kit if driving over cars with "XXTREME DOWNFORCE!" park benches as their rear spoilers were legal.

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Hello Pauler,
Hahahaha....bottoming out suspension...Be prepared to be amazed.
I am taking the potential new purchase to my mechanic tomorrow morning. Having lived in Ottawa for all of my life I am fully aware of the salt situation and will inspect accordingly. Rest assured Mr.04WJGuy, if she comes close to passing inspection I will be driving the "limo" by next Saturday.

This is a bad bunch on this site....now I'm thinking about headers, and performance parts...
Peter.

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

It's not us, it's the Jeep. It's a disease that you can't get rid of. :)

Just Empty Every Pocket ;)

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Haha, I got my dad on the hunt with me for my perfect jeep! He found me a newer trailblazer for cheap, but I'm not feeling its interior (feels a bit cheap).




I found a privately owned and for sale by owner jeep with 65000 KM on it, 2002, black with black interior, 4.7 liter v8 (yum!), In excellent condition with chrome rims for $8000. Only hitch here is that it is a rebuild. What do you guys think, any insight? It was bought from a dealership with a rebuild status, so I assume authentic jeep parts went into it during its repair. I will go look at it though, and look at the body lines, how the doors close, the fender/hood gap, etc. What do you guys think? Yay or Nay? I mean if it runs well, and it's been a couple years since the rebuild, problems that were present would of surfaced by now, no?



Or, I found a 2001 with 98000 KM today as well, black with grey leather interior (not my first choice), Has no accidents and has always had regular maintenance (with proof), Full power group and brand new tires (x4) and rotors and pads (x4) for $8500, what do you guys think? Both are the 4.7L V8, which would you get and why?

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

If it was me I would go with the 2001 for the simple fact that he can prove what has been done. If a person maintains the vehicle and can show it, it usually means that he's taken care of it and hasn't abused it much.
Price is pretty much the same, no accidents...

Dan

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

The 2001 is a Laredo, so it's all black with a grey-ish lower plastic running board (What he said over the phone). Only 95 clicks, and no accidents. Also, the guy even went through the trouble of getting the dealership to install leather seats for an additional $3000 after having the regular cloth laredo for only 2 weeks. And it's got brand new tires and brakes and rotors, all together valued at around $3000. He called me today and said he isn't looking to sell it for another few weeks, which is perfect because I was planning on waiting a few weeks. It's private too, hopefully I can get it, but it's not fully loaded and all black like I wanted, and has no sunroof (I don't think), which the one with only 65000 KM has, but it's a rebuilt. Bah :(

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

If the cladding is turning gray you can wash it really well with some TSP, and then repaint it with Krylon Satin Black. It will bond really well to the plastic and looks great, I'll post some pic's tonight so you can see.

Dan

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Thanks!

I'm not really feeling the grey running boards, still very tempted to snatch up the 65000 KM Grand Cherokee for $8k because it has a higher trim level. I'm just waiting for the guy to call me back so I can go see it in person and make an offer. Can't wait to black it out and throw some nice flowmasters on there.

Quick question, what price did you guys pay for your exhaust install and what kind of shop did you go to? A specialty shop or just any muffler shop, and I assume the muffler is welded in, into the place of the old one right? If the flowmaster 70 series is a 3 inch outlet/inlet, how will they make it fit to the existing exhaust?

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Ahh, Now I understand. Misunderstood there for a minute. I've never seen one with the running boards so don't know what they look like other than in a pic. But if your not going to be doing any heavy wheeling would it really matter if they were there? Here's some pics of fixing the cladding. 1st pic is the side done, F/R bumpers faded. pic# 2 is the front bumper done. This isn't my Jeep but I have done this on one of my old ones and I'll be doing it on my 04 in the next couple of weeks.

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Damn, that looks sick! Are those front lights aftermarket or regular Laredo's? Anyways, looks really sharp.

Are those wheels the regular rims with just larger notchier tires? Looks real aggressive.

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Hi Pauler, those are stock lights. There were 2 versions, one had a black background and the others were clear with a silver background.
The wheels are stock GC with larger tires BFG Maxxims 265/70-16's
If you like those lights how about some bling projectors? :)


Dan

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Greetings,
OOOOOOHHHHH.....4WJGUY that looks SWEEET!!!!... Bling aside, the black re-cover does look good. Thanks
Peter.

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

The Krylon works really well. Some of the guy's have had it on for over a year now and no fading.
The other nice thing is if you manage to scratch them up offroading you just have to get out the rattle can and your good to go again.

Dan

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

That's almost exactly as I envision my future Jeep! Right now one guy is out of town, and one isn't selling for a few weeks, but both are in really really good shape, just waiting for a call back :(


Here's what I'm aiming for, aesthetics wise:

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=QP3h5gUUxqM

Go to 39 seconds, that's almost exactly what I want! The rims ... are.. a bit too rap video for me lol.

This,

http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/9...gomgomgcb2.png

All blacked out with nice blacked out front projector style headlights, and for the back I'm envisioning blacked out Altezzas ... altezza's on their own are fugly though.

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Hey Pauler,
Too many decisions eh? Don't worry, whatever Jeep you buy it will be so far above any rice rocket you can think of that it will totaly freak you out ( to use a 70's/80's term). Been there, done that, trust me...I know rice rockets can scream but they lack the "guts" of a Jeep. OK, I'm getting a bit nostalgic, but there's NO substitute for "cubic inches"
I think your plans for the "sound" are great, I only wish I could still hear what you can.
Peter

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

I'm getting a bit nostalgic, but there's NO substitute for "cubic inches", I only wish I could still hear what you can.

You and me both Peter, lol

Pauler, is that one of the Jeep's your looking at or where you want to go with yours? Looks good but those Wheels...!!!! D**M!! They look like there about 22's.

Dan
Headlights are v.1 the pics I posted are v.3, the lower LED's would constantly burn out on the v.1's

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Double Post...Again

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

I feel ya, had my fair share of rice rockets. From a 1998 VTEC i4 honda prelude to a 2004 3.0L VTEC honda accord, rice rockets are fun, and in the higher RPM's they really scream but there's no low end torque. In my accord I get some nice low end torque, but that's just 'cause of the V6, and nothing compared to the trucks my family's owned. My dad's old S10 and Flareside F150 were the bomb. My brothers 300C rips the crap out of my Honda, and doesn't get half bad MPG. Muscle's come a long way :) Too bad it sucks in the corners :p

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

How do you know? lol, wanna give me a link or a site that you bought yours off? I was just browsing I may start buying up parts now and just install them later once I finally get the Jeep.

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Morning Pauler,
Have talked with quite a few people that bought them and the lower leds were the biggest complaint.
So since you asked :), v.1's no longer available (couldn't find a pic but look almost identical to v.2). v.2 led problem fixed but illegal in Canada since there was no amber side markers, v.3 they finally got it right. The led's in v.3 are still white/ blue but the bulb size is a 194 so your can just pull them and change them over to amber led's easily if you want.
You can order then through x3racing and if you look around on e-bay you'll find them there to.

Dan

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Sweet, they look badass! Hopefully I'll order 'em soon, just waiting for something to stick them onto first :p

Anyone else got any cool mods for the GC? Also, what kinda MPG do you guys get? How many kilometers per tank?

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Your buying a Jeep, mileage doesn't apply. Go sign up for a couple credit cards so you can get across town.
In my GC with the 4.0L, 4" lift, 32" tires and very light on the pedal I'll get 16-17 in town and around 22 on the highway.

Dan

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Mr. Pauler,
I agree with 04WJGUY. My 4.0l '94 Cherokee gets about 22 hwy and 16-18 city. If you're concerned about mileage, stick with your Honda. The sheer enjoyment of driving my Cherokee over the last 7 years totaly negates any gas consumption. It's a non issue. I expect slightly lower gas mileage with my "new" '00 GC but I don't care. It's the ride!!!!
I expect to get the new vehicle on Wed. of this week and I'm having kittens in anticipation. Yup, Jeep does have problems on all sorts of fronts BUT hey man, "It's the ride"....I'd never go back to mundane.....
Hey Pauler, have you ever considered a "Flame job"?
Peter.

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

I could live with 22 MPG. Several websites show the v8 and v6 getting the same mileage just in the city the V6 is slightly better. I mean, if I was really worried about fuel I wouldn't even be considering a truck, I would've bought a dinky little civic a long time ago. Only thing is, there is absolutely NOTHING masculine about a civic ... it sounds weak, looks weak, handles weak (we have an '03 and let's just say gravel + torque steer + rain + night time = almost going into oncoming traffic LOL). I hate it, it's just a no frills point A to point B car.

I will be using it in the city quite a bit, and not to say I drive like a douche or anything, but I'm just not one of those people you would find in the passing lane barely pushing 60 km/h.


This will be my first official car and theres so many cool things I want to do with it, and if I can find one for the right price, I'd like to install a police scanner just for shits and giggles (Although I'm sure it's highly illegal, I could befriend some people to help me do it), that coupled with a nice valentine radar detector I have still sitting in the box, would make this car awesome!


Has anyone ever attempted to move the second row seats further back? There is so much room in the trunk, and I'm sure they could've squeezed third row seating in there, so is there any way to push the existing 2nd row seats back? I realize it'd probably end up being a custom one-off job and expensive, ideas anyone?

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

Flame throwing exhaust tips or flames on the side? lol


I wouldn't mind having a small little 40 or 50 shot of nitrous though, I imagine with colder sparkplugs and a slight retardation of the timing you could run it quite reliably, and the purge looks effing sweet.

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

So .... my dad's finally agreed to go check it out! Hopefully he likes it and I can buy it. I'm still 17 so I still gotta listen to pops :p (That.. and he's kinda fronting me $8k because he doesn't want me dipping into my savings, but I'll still pay him back .. and I gotta get him to agree to put the insurance under his name, 43% discount, BOO YA!)

I'll show you guys pics later, it looks very similar to this

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...2/db2bdb66.jpg

gonna need bottom half painted :o

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

you still didnt get it???? wow man !

Re: Buying a Wj ... very soon perhaps.
 

No, no ... I bought it! lol

I've had it since the 2nd of january and I love it. The exhaust note is pretty sick stock. I just made another thread for some problems I have now, if you want to check it out and help me :)