What are your thoughts on a 1993 Jeep Cherokee, 160,000 miles?

I love jeeps. I’ve always wanted one. But I hear they’re a pain to own and are always breaking down. But for that price I don’t think you’re gonna get a car that is absolutely perfect, and 160,000 miles isn’t bad for how old the car is. I vote yay.

Jeeps last forever. I don’t know the specifics, but it sounds like a good deal to me.

Edit: We had a jeep in our family for 17 years, with 225K miles and minimal problems. It was a Wrangler, not a Cherokee, but it still lasted quite a while with minor upkeep.

No. No way. Too many miles, Jeeps can have tons of problems. I’m better the car is already on it’s last leg. I wouldn’t put my children in it…even without specifics.

I recently was in the market for a used car, myself. I talked to friends who know a lot about cars and they said pretty much what @casheroo said. 160k miles is a lot, they can have lots of problems (especially at that point in the life of the car), and repairs can be expensive. My gut feeling, having looked extensively at cars around $5,000, is that there’s probably a reason the Jeep is so cheap (i.e. there is something wrong with it).

Personally, I would steer clear and get a Subaru, Honda, Toyota, or Hyundai, myself. Subarus are very reliable and very safe, especially the 1996+ models.

It does seem a little too old, and older cars tend to break down more often, or something just goes wrong, that contantly needs to be fixed. It also really depends how the owner took care of his car and made sure it was always in good shape, or maybe the owner just didn’t give a crap. You never know! It seems like your daughter is trying to save as much money as possible but what if she has to replace the tires soon for example (160,000 miles is a lot,) that can get pretty pricey…im not saying the owner has never changed the tires but its just an example. and thats the least of it. maybe she is saving money now but in the long run she could end up spending more.

@casheroo and @MissAnthrope, heck, @everybody
The bottom line, money IS an object. I mean…what can you expect to find for $1500? That’s the MOST she can spend. If you find a car 1996 or newer for $1500 you can BET it’s been wrecked or something. I’m going to do a car fax thinger on it as soon as my daughter gets the VIN.

@Val123 – I absolutely get that.. but you have to think about the future, too, and what she’ll end up possibly spending on repairs. There are some old BMWs and Mercedes that have nice, low prices.. but I could never afford to own one even if the asking price was right because the parts and repairs are so expensive.

@Val123 As you can see, there’s a mix of opinions here, but none of us know the exact specifics of the car, and situation in general. If you feel like your son is a car expert, I would trust his advice over any of ours. Good luck!

@Val123 Eh, we’ve been trying to sell out 2001 Ford Focus for only a thousand. It wasn’t wrecked, we just want to get rid of it. It has 99k on it, which is an okay amount for the year.
All I’m saying is, I’d keep shopping if I were her.

@casheroo I’m on my way!!!!! Where do you live??!!!! Seriously!

I’d look at an older Honda or Toyota. You can get really great deals on these. The older Civics with 125,000 miles with maybe a bad paint job would be better than the Jeep. there is a HUGE difference between a Wrangler and a Cherokee. Do some more searching and you will find what you need.

Too bad we just went through Cash for Clunkers. A lot of those cars were still very good cars that got destroyed. High mileage is not always a problem.

The Jeep was originally created to be a workhorse the early civilian versions were to a certain degree until the early 90’s !

The depreciation on Jeeps is much higher than other cars for a reason. I don’t think the mileage is unreasonable for the age of the car, and if the guy is the original owner and has all the service records, it could be okay. What starts to happen on vehicles that age is that anything rubber or plastic starts to deteriorate, and those repairs add up. If it has had all the hoses, gaskets, belts replaced recently, things should be okay.

You have to ask why is the guy selling it? This is a tight market, and people are hanging onto serviceable vehicles that are paid for.

@PandoraBoxx Good question…however, he is a dealer, bought it at auction.

@missingbite Our problem is, we’re 60 miles from Wichita, which is where you can really sit down and start looking…...

@Val123 You have the internet and a phone. You can accomplish anything with those two. I have bought my last two cars over the phone. Look up a used car dealer in Wichita that you trust and speak with a sells person. Explain what your circumstances are and ask if they can help. On second thought ask to speak with the used car manager. A lot of times people trade in cars that the dealer has no intention of selling on the lot because it is not worth their time. (Money wise) He or she may have just what you need that is about to go to auction. Good luck.

@missingbite I’ll look into it. I’ve printed off reams and reams of Craigslist listings but they’re all in Wichita, 60 miles away, or even further, and it would be a logistical nightmare to try and organize a test drive of all of those vehicles in one day.

Good luck. I found a Corolla at Wally’s auto sales asking 1500.00 with a 90 day warranty. Call 888–747-9631. It’s in Wichita but looks like a good car for that price. I found it at cars.com with a Wichita zip code.

@missingbite Dang! Thank you!!

@missingbite It’s an 89 tho. THANKS for the link! Book marked.
It’s tough. She’s been so long without a car, she can hardly stand to keep waiting….they’re bringing in the Cherokee tomorrow….maybe. It’s has snowed like a freakin’ banshee all day. Anyway, I called a new car dealer and spoke with someone, just asked him about the Jeep. He was pretty enthusiastic about it. He said if it has a “straight 6” in it, that engine is bullet proof. He has a friend who has 300,000 miles on his…...I’m waiting for the guy to get the VIN to my daughter so I can car fax it. Or whatever.