Thinking of buying an 87-92 Jeep Cherokee to restore/work on

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Bad idea. Get one car working atleast 80% before moving on to the next.

Why does everyone think my car is exploding all the time!?

I did all the standard maintenance fare and replaced my:
water pump
timing belt
valve cover gasket
cam seal & crank seal (both freshly replaced by previous owner so no problem there anytime soon)
all other engine bay belts
fresh power steering fluid
new bushings on the rack and pinion so it won't squeak when I turn the wheel
new light bulbs everywhere I could find them
new taillights and front blinkers
new window regulator
fixed my sagging rear wiper arm
replaced my one broken lock pull
put in a decent little $100 stereo (not necessary, but I wanted to hear something when I drive)

The only repairs I have left are:
New door seals as soon as possible (Discontinued and impossible to get unless I order them from Japan which means yay, expensive shipping)
Radiator flush and fill along with new radiator hoses and a thermostat
New wheel bearing for the right rear wheel

Repairs I want to do but aren't necessary:
Proper AC conversion and recharge
Have a shop buff out the acid rain spots on my side windows.

[gtmtnbiker]

I think you should listen to Hobie on this one, Modders. No offense at all but you've got more important things to put your money into - like college / vocational training so you can get a better job and have more money to buy the Jeep Cherokee's with. Also if you do not yet live on your own, this too should be a goal. The ladies like it.

I agree with Hobie & Flake on this one. Don't spend the little spare cash you have on another project car. If you're really serious about working on cars, I suggest taking some vocational training in this area. Put your money into improving your education (votech or college) and work towards getting a better job. Any money that is not going to those goals should be put into savings.

[fastbilly1]

Well you always talk about how it needs work. That and your sig until recently was about desperately needing car parts money. Still multiple cars before you are established is a bad idea: dual insurance payments and gas adds up quickly.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

For fuck's sake, my existing car isn't a project car!

I'm not interested in pursuing being a mechanic, I would be way too particular and OCD about it to where I'd get my ass fired. I've been putting time and effort into my education and have already begun the process of entering college. I'm going to be attending my local community college for at least two years to obtain an Associate's Degree in something.

Getting a better job is more of a case where I just need to get off my ass and go work somewhere else. It's more the fact that I'm complacent in being where I'm at for now because while I don't make as much as I could the free time I have to actually pursue dumb stuff like this is a nice trade-off.

[fastbilly1]

Just a piece of advice, dont be a dumbass like me and skip on any chance to get a cert or training during that time of your life. I slacked off then and it is hurting me now. I went in for my Net+ cert a couple years ago and was one of four over 20 in the class of thirty. But work at the time demanded it, the fact that I was about to take my CCNA did not count for some reason.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Well you always talk about how it needs work. That and your sig until recently was about desperately needing car parts money. Still multiple cars before you are established is a bad idea: dual insurance payments and gas adds up quickly.

True, although that was thanks in part to me just being way too lazy to change it and grossly overestimating the cost of parts and labor on a repair thanks to a shitty local shop. I made a new friend locally who helped show me how to change it all myself and it was surprisingly a lot easier than I thought.

I wouldn't pay for insurance or registration on the second car if I were to get it. It's not getting registered or insured unless it's being driven on the road which won't be for a bit if the engine isn't miraculously perfect and just needs some oil.

Just a piece of advice, dont be a dumbass like me and skip on any chance to get a cert or training during that time of your life. I slacked off then and it is hurting me now. I went in for my Net+ cert a couple years ago and was one of four over 20 in the class of thirty. But work at the time demanded it, the fact that I was about to take my CCNA did not count for some reason.

I actually want to get my A+ Cert ASAP. Me and a friend from work both picked up a few books on it and are chomping at the bit to get down to the nearest place that we can get it at.

I'm not trying to be a dumbass or skip out on education and a chance to further my career, I'm actively improving my situation and have actually made big leaps to fix my life and improve everything dramatically in the last few months. I just want to actually try things I've always wanted to do and have some fun as well. Up until recently I was always stuck inside and never socialized or really did anything aside from internet, Racketboy or gaming so it's been a lot nicer actually getting out of the house.

[noiseredux]

OK, well let me know when your PS1 collection gets down to crack-head prices. I'll gladly rip yo--- er, help you out with this jeep project.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Ok, went and checked it out.

It's an 87 Cherokee Chief with 270k on the clock and the engine was rebuilt about 27k mi ago. It isn't sitting but they only ever use it when they need to haul their lawnmower around so it's actually used about once or twice a week and then parked back where it's at. It turned over and ran nicely, but is carburated so not my area of expertise.

All in all it's a neat little car, but I can't afford it thanks to the fact that it's actually running and working well.

[Ziggy]

Without tools and a place to work on a vehicle. This is pointless. Not to mention you already have a "project". I'd do it anyways though

Yeah, I'm gonna agree with this. Unless you have a wide array of tools and a good place to work on a car, it wont be fun. I can't tell you how many one-off tools my brother acquired from working on his 93 Cherokee Sport. I like having a slide hammer in the garage, but when will that ever need to be used again? And I'm talking about in addition to that standard selection of tools one might have. We're tool junkies though.

But yeah, a good place to work on a car is a must. My crappy drive way makes just changing my oil a pain in the ass. Helping my brother slide the Jeep's transmission back in when he did the clutch, that was not fun.

edit: Just read your post above, MM. All the same you didn't get it.