I’m looking to buy my first car but I’m a broke student. I see this 1999 Jeep Wrangler with 238k miles for 2.3k, apparently it has a new battery, new front brakes and a new tail pipe and only has rust in “normal areas”. Owner is elderly and said he never abused the Jeep. Is this a good buy and how much life do you think it has left?
I really don’t have more than about 2.5k although I was offered a 2012 Chrysler 200 S with 100k miles for the same price.
You said you are broke, why do you want to buy an old high mileage car that certainly needs lots of work in near future. Do yourself a favor and buy a Toyota corolla or Honda civic.
the Jeep will need work soon...and its not cheap
It is living on borrowed time at that age, mileage, and described condition. PASS.
If it has the 4.0 inline six and Aisin-Warner automatic transmission that the same year Cherokee came with it can run just about forever if maintained. I've seen Cherokees with that engine going strong with well over 300,000 miles. It's the newer, post-4.0 Jeeps that have the most problems. Having said that it is over 20 years old so there will be some old-car type issues to deal with, have a good mechanic check it out, and check carefully for what those "normal rust" areas are. You don't want a rusted-out frame!
The Chrysler 200 is, as Scotty would say, a rolling pile of junk (if it's even rolling).
I meant to add some specific stuff to look for on the 4.0 six. It's a great engine but a couple of things you need to check...
The 4.0 has core plugs in the back of the cylinder head and the engine block. These cannot be accessed unless you drop the trans, take the engine out, or cut a hole in the firewall. Check for any sign of coolant between the engine and transmission.
In 1999 Chrysler designed a new cylinder head for the 4.0 called the "0331" head. The original 0331 design had a defect where it was prone to cracking. If it cracks, coolant leaks into the oil causing engine damage. This affects mainly Jeeps made starting in 2000 but it's possible some late 1999 models received this cylinder head. It can be identified by "0331" cast into it, here's some info on a Jeep forum:
https://www.wranglerforum.com/threads/4-0-cracked-head.165387/
You do not want a Jeep with the original 0331 head design. (The later ones stamped TUPY are OK.)
So there are some things to look out for. On the plus side, there is a very active community for old Jeeps, parts are plentiful, and there lots of tech forums and helpful videos out there for them..