What would you pay?

I'm going to go look at a 1969 CJ5 this weekend and the owner wants $1000. It was his project for a while but he hasn't touched it in 7 years and it has been sitting in his garage for that time. It has the full metal top and he thinks it may be a renegade. The front fenders are fiberglass and apparently it has some body rust. The engine is a Dauntless V6 and he said all the drive train components were working fine when he parked it. It still has the original oil bath air cleaner he said, he also said that those air cleaners are worth some money. Is that true? The jeep is about 45 miles from my house so I will definitely be going to look at it. The garage is not where he lives, it is on some property he owns and he has some other projects he needs to get rid of. So I plan on meeting him there and try to get it running. What would need to be done to get it to run after sitting that long? I was thinking check the fluids, fill it with some gas and give it a shot of quick start and see what happens. Does that sound like a good plan? So what do you guys think? thanks

 

Not to rain on a parade but I think 1k might be high. I would take a very hard look at it, frame, axles, springs and hangers, then body. If it was me, I would start at 600 and might go to 1000 if everything is MINT. I found a 69 DJ5 that was in AMAZING shape and paid 500 with out much dealing. Body is Mint shape and fame in mint shape. Remeber form others experience a 200 deal will cost 2,000 to drive and 20,000 to restore.

 

If it's a 1969 model year vehicle, it is highly unlikely it is a Renegade I.

225 oil bath filters are available on the used market and don't command an unusually high price. I bought a setup for about $30 IIRC. Many people swap them out for paper element filters if they can find them as the oil bath filters are a little messy to deal with.

 

I'd withhold any judgment till I saw the rust. If it's not rusty, then it's probably worth $1000 if it runs. Fiberglass front fenders would put me off a little.

A lot depends on where you are in the country. Here in the northeast, a $1000 is a lot for an old Jeep. In the west, Jeeps are higher.

Also, projects don't sell for nearly as much as running cars. So, consider how much more work it needs. Completeness is a big factor too.

From my POV, $1000 isn't wildly expensive if you want the car. After you've owned it for a couple of years, the purchase price becomes irrelevant.

 

I thinking about asking $800 and go from there as long as it isn't too rusty. I don't like the fiberglass fenders either, how hard are steel fenders to find? Are the front clips on the early cj's shorter than the later cj's?

 

What is the cutoff year? Did they change the wheelbase too? I never knew about this until my buddy told me.

 

Check gear ratios and make sure they match if one or both axles have been swapped. Look carefully at the floors and the hat channel braces underneath. Be looking for old "fixes" like fiberglass and bondo on the floors. Always nice to find one with an overdrive. Out here I can't even find a nice hardtop for less then 750, so if it is in good shape with all the glass that wood be a score. Does it have decent tires, seats? Even if it runs whats it gonna take to make it a driver? It could be the best deal ever, but don't be afraid to walk away.

 

I should be able to get a look at it this weekend. If the hat channels and frame are all good and it isn't rusted away I'll try to get it. I let you guys know what its like when I see it.

 

Just FYI - wheelbase was lengthened from 81" to 84" in 1972. The front clip was extended 5".

I agree, I'd find some used factory fenders.

 

What I mean by mint is not what every one else means by mint. My meaning of mint is every thing O.E. no "after market" holes, or parts that would have taken away from O.E. vehicle, (ie radios cut with a chain saw) no rust, no drive line question spots, org seats, etc. Now if we are talking factory fresh we could not put a price tag on it, but we are not. from the sounds of what the org post was we are far from factory fresh nor are we close to mint. In upper central Midwest (rust belt) Jeeps of this vintage are not that hard to find. They are very hard to find with a flawless frame, body, and not molested. If we were talking about a vehicle that fell under all three of the last stated requirements it would be worth 1000 but until it falls under my def of mint it would not be worth more.

 

What should I offer him? He said he wanted $1000 but I guess I could ask $600 since it does have some rust, but it all depends on what it looks like when I see it. I just don't want to insult him or rip my self off. This is all speculation any ways until I can crawl under the jeep and look over every inch of it and figure out exactly what needs work.

 

I would not go and see it with a price in mind. As cars go, $1000 is not a lot of money for one. Look at it with a critical eye and see it its a project that you want to complete. It may involve more work than you want to take on, and in that case it's only worthwhile to you as a parts car. OTOH, it may be a lot of value for the price.

Most sellers will come down a little in price, but from $1000 to $600 is a deep, deep discount. Prices for stuff like this are quite arbitrary... To me, $600 is in the parts car category, and $1000 is cheap for something you want to put on the road again. Spending more money for a better car to start with will pay off, so I would first evaluate whether this Jeep is a good enough starting point. A junky car will be junky regardless of whether you spend $100, $600, $1000 or whatever.

 

Yeah, if I like it I will have no problem giving him $1000. I have been bugging my neighbor to sell his 70 CJ5 with the full metal hard top for years, but this one is exactly the jeep I want.

 

Exactly, there is no other jeep I want than this one. I drive by my neighbors old CJ5 which is identical to the one I'm buying and drool over it every day. If I have to spend all of my $1000 to get it I will spend it, as long as it isn't a complete rust bucket. I have no problems replacing body panels, but doing frame work is a little beyond my 130amp clarke mig. I am planning on getting a Hobart 187 some day, now that would be an awesome welder.

 

I agree!
Rare great buys rarely happen, (at least to me!), I have been lucky, but I paid for it. My '64 I bought for $2,200.00. It was a driver (used it in the stock form for two years) and I had big ideas for it. The rust was normal for that vintage, hat channel, tool box, spare tire quarter panel. frame was in great shape. Since I have owned it I could of bought a nice newer 4x4 with the upgrades, general fixin' up and modifying I've done to it. I paid a little extra, but the foundation was sound, so it was wort it to me. And an EarlyCJ5 is just cool.8)