[salcedo57]

So I am looking into buying myself a hunting rig, and my first Jeep. The guy has a 1995 Sahara posted for 9k, I offered 8k and he met me in the middle at 8.5, it is the 4.0L inline 6 has 185k, just want to know if this is worth the money or if I should keep looking around. Thanks

 

[Got it at last]

Welcome to the forum.

Looks good with some decent, but not molested mods. What isn't shown are pics of the undercarriage (Frame ,steering and Tub) and whether or not there is any rust going on in key areas.
Given that YJ values are currently on the upswing $8500 is a decent price.

 

[salcedo57]

Welcome to the forum.

Looks good with some decent, but not molested mods. What isn't shown are pics of the undercarriage (Frame ,steering and Tub) and whether or not there is any rust going on in key areas.
Given that YJ values are currently on the upswing $8500 is a decent price.

He told me he would get me some pictures today

 

[The Good Twin]

You'll want to upgrade the gears to at least 4.56's or maybe even 4.88's. Also, find out if the speedo gear was changed to the correct tooth count for the 33" tires.

 

[salcedo57]

There’s also another 94 Sahara, with 86k miles, but mostly stock listed for 10k. Am I better off with that and making it my own?

Also I don’t know why I want a Sahara trim, but does it add anything or is it really just a sticker?

 

[Luckymac]

It seems like a decent price according to the ad. What would be a dealbreaker is rust. Some surface rust on the tub or frame is no big deal, but any flaking rust is a concern. Rot holes are a dealbreaker at that price. Lift the carpets and check the passenger and drivers floorboards. While the carpets are pulled back, look at the inside bottom of the hinge pillar. Look at the rear of the frame on each side where the rear spring shackled are attached. Look in the middle of the frame where the skid plate is mounted. Look on the drivers side frame where the steering box mounts.

I agree with @The Good Twin that the Jeep needs different gears. Rather than spending all the dough to regear, you can spend less money and buy 31" tires. Sell the 33s to someone with deeper gears. Then replace the 2" body lift with a 1"- 1½" body lift. Try to back the Jeep up with your hand off the shifter. Due to the angle of the shifter, when a tub is lifted, the shifter can hit the rear edge of the shifter opening and pop out of gear. The gears affected are second, fourth and reverse. Mostly reverse.
Ask the seller if it's OK to take the Jeep to your mechanic to have him look it over. The sellers reaction will be a tell. If you're unsure about what to look for, you can hire an inspection service to inspect the vehicle. Cost won't be less than $100.00 and could hit $300.00. If it saves you from buying a money pit, it's good insurance.

I'd be inclined to take a good look at the '94 and see what kind of a price you can negotiate. That might be a better deal. The hard top is worth a quick grand. If the '94 doesn't have a hard top with full doors, $10K is a lot to ask.

Let us know how it goes.

Good Luck, L.M.

 

[salcedo57]

It seems like a decent price according to the ad. What would be a dealbreaker is rust. Some surface rust on the tub or frame is no big deal, but any flaking rust is a concern. Rot holes are a dealbreaker at that price. Lift the carpets and check the passenger and drivers floorboards. While the carpets are pulled back, look at the inside bottom of the hinge pillar. Look at the rear of the frame on each side where the rear spring shackled are attached. Look in the middle of the frame where the skid plate is mounted. Look on the drivers side frame where the steering box mounts.

I agree with @The Good Twin that the Jeep needs different gears. Rather than spending all the dough to regear, you can spend less money and buy 31" tires. Sell the 33s to someone with deeper gears. Then replace the 2" body lift with a 1"- 1½" body lift. Try to back the Jeep up with your hand off the shifter. Due to the angle of the shifter, when a tub is lifted, the shifter can hit the rear edge of the shifter opening and pop out of gear. The gears affected are second, fourth and reverse. Mostly reverse.
Ask the seller if it's OK to take the Jeep to your mechanic to have him look it over. The sellers reaction will be a tell. If you're unsure about what to look for, you can hire an inspection service to inspect the vehicle. Cost won't be less than $100.00 and could hit $300.00. If it saves you from buying a money pit, it's good insurance.

I'd be inclined to take a good look at the '94 and see what kind of a price you can negotiate. That might be a better deal. The hard top is worth a quick grand. If the '94 doesn't have a hard top with full doors, $10K is a lot to ask.

Let us know how it goes.

Good Luck, L.M.

sorry to just bombarding you with questions, there’s also one more Jeep I was looking at. It’s an 88 with 201k for 7,7k. It is a 4.2 Howell FI. With a 1 in. Body lift as well as 1.5 spring lift. No rust on either side of the floorboards, and little no none rust on the frame.

But he did mention that there is a “periodic hesitation under acceleration”, any idea what this could be?

I wanted your opinion to see if it’s worth buying and just rebuilding the engine/tranny.

 

[DuckNut]

You are asking if the agreed upon price is a good deal after making a deal? And ow you are asking about another one? Are you buying both or going to back out of the deal you already committed too?

I'm a simple minded person but you have me confused.

 

[salcedo57]

.

 

[salcedo57]

You are asking if the agreed upon price is a good deal after making a deal? And ow you are asking about another one? Are you buying both or going to back out of the deal you already committed too?

I'm a simple minded person but you have me confused.

Going to back out

 

[Got it at last]

You are asking if the agreed upon price is a good deal after making a deal? And ow you are asking about another one? Are you buying both or going to back out of the deal you already committed too?

I'm a simple minded person but you have me confused.

Ducknut,
OP is a new member and as the title suggests, is just asking for opinions on the going rate for YJ's and trying to learn a little about the different trims.

@salcedo57,
The '95 & 94 are the more desired of the three by most. Need more details on the '94.

The '88 will likely be more work and money in the long run.

 

[JonStevens]

I am assuming a California residence because of the CARB approved cai.

The video of the 95 sounds great and is trail ready. I am not sure why you are waiting on this. The top can cost $1500, full doors are at $1000. The 4.0 and ax15 transmission are the combo you want.
It seems as trail ready as you need. The gears should be changed to 4.88s when you add lockers though.

The 94 is stock. Why take a stock $10k Sahara and have to drop another $6 into it to be comparabke to the 95?

Don't even consider the last one if in California, it will be a nusance.

 

[salcedo57]

I am assuming a California residence because of the CARB approved cai.

The video of the 95 sounds great and is trail ready. I am not sure why you are waiting on this. The top can cost $1500, full doors are at $1000. The 4.0 and ax15 transmission are the combo you want.
It seems as trail ready as you need. The gears should be changed to 4.88s when you add lockers though.

The 94 is stock. Why take a stock $10k Sahara and have to drop another $6 into it to be comparabke to the 95?

Don't even consider the last one if in California, it will be a nusance.

Thank you for that, I wasn’t sure what I wanted but I am going to go check the 95 out at the end of the month, if I’m regearing and throwing on lockers how much do you think that would run me?

Like I said this would be a hunting rig so would just going down to 31’s and changing to a 1 1/2 lift work fine?

 

[Luckymac]

It depends on where you go hunting. A stock YJ will do forest service roads with no problem. The more challenging the terrain, the more mods you'll need.
Without knowing the type of roads/trails you intend to go on, it's difficult to offer any advice.
I'm running 31s with a 1½" BL and do moderate trails. I'm an old buzzard and just don't want to work as hard as it requires to do the more "fun" stuff.

Good Luck, L.M.

 

[salcedo57]

It depends on where you go hunting. A stock YJ will do forest service roads with no problem. The more challenging the terrain, the more mods you'll need.
Without knowing the type of roads/trails you intend to go on, it's difficult to offer any advice.
I'm running 31s with a 1½" BL and do moderate trails. I'm an old buzzard and just don't want to work as hard as it requires to do the more "fun" stuff.

Good Luck, L.M.

I hunt a private ranch, nothing crazy, all cut roads but some roads are bad nothing crazy though.

 

[salcedo57]

If I were to drop to 31’s with a 1 1/2 BL which is highly likely. What gears would you recommend then?

 

[The Good Twin]

As built (stock), a Wrangler can handle about 70% of the terrain on the planet. If it was me, I'd go with the 1 1/2" BL, 31" tires--something good in snow (if that is a consideration), and not worry about the gears. For ease of mind, I'd add a lunch-box locker, probably rear, a winch (min-9,000lbs) and get a good recovery kit. Change all the fluids, clean or change the air filter, flush and re-fill engine coolant, replace any hoses required, and replace the plugs, wires, and distributor cap.

The reason you don't need different gears is that with your intended use a really low crawl speed ( 1st gear on the tranny and 4-low on the transfer case) is over-kill. You'll only need that really slow option when hitting the more challenging/technical rock trails .

 

[HardSell]

just want to know if this is worth the money or if I should keep looking around. Thanks

Looking around risks a bird in hand. Learning what you don't know never hurts. Buyers remorse is the worst thing to endure. In summary, maximize what you must know.

if I’m regearing and throwing on lockers how much do you think that would run me?

$4000 minimum up to $6000. Then do you plan to lift it? 31s with lockers will get you nearly anywhere. 33s are the sweet spot, but will require lifting and proper regearing and reduce mpg. 35s for a short wheel base are overkill. I've been wheeling for 55 years. Short wheel based Jeeps are challenged climbing 4+ foot steps. ^^^ The good twin, above is very good advice for what you described as your intended use.

 

[salcedo57]

Looking around risks a bird in hand. Learning what you don't know never hurts. Buyers remorse is the worst thing to endure. In summary, maximize what you must know.

$4000 minimum up to $6000. Then do you plan to lift it? 31s with lockers will get you nearly anywhere. 33s are the sweet spot, but will require lifting and proper regearing and reduce mpg. 35s for a short wheel base are overkill. I've been wheeling for 55 years. Short wheel based Jeeps are challenged climbing 4+ foot steps. ^^^ The good twin, above is very good advice for what you described as your intended use.

It has a a 2 in BL, I think I will take your guys advice and just buy 31’s and avoid having to regear. And as the good twin suggested throw a lunch box locker later down the road. I really appreciate all the knowledge you guys have and share.

 

[Luckymac]

I installed 31" tires as soon as I bought my Jeep. I ran it for years with the stock gears (3:07). Fifth gear was pretty much useless and gas mileage wasn't very good. Eventually I found a set of 4 cylinder axles with 4:10 gears. The 4:10s are the ideal ratio for 31" tires, but I think you'll be happy with the performance you end up with by having the 3:54 gears and 31" tires.
The 33" Toyos should be fairly easy to sell, price depending on the date on the sidewall and remaining tread depth.

Just make sure the Jeep is rust free or only has very minor rust.

Good Luck, L.M.