fantastic advice...

Ok, I went to the Anza Borrego desert in a borrowed Ford Explorer and
found some wind caves. Intense to say the least. The trail out there
was mostly bumpy and a 2wd truck with good clearance would have done
fine. It's first time I've done that sort of thing and had an absolute
blast!!! Now I want a jeep more than anything...

So I found a 1995 Jeep Wrangler SE 4WD with 111,163 miles and the
dealer wants $6k for it. KBB says it's worth a little over $5k in
excellent condition which I don't think it's in. There is some rust on
the roof of the driver's side and I don't really care about that so
much, I think I can fix that. But I am concerned about the wear and
tear on the drive-train and the engine since 1995.

Although everyone says you should go out there with buddies, I know I
won't because to me, that seems to defeat the purpose of getting a jeep
to get away from everything--including commitments and the dependency
on others' schedules. I'm not looking for a new club to join--I
basically want to get away from everyone, meetings, associations--my
wife and kids are the exception--on the weekends.

So when I break down out there in the middle of nowhere in a 1995 used
jeep and don't much about their repairs, how am I going to get it
fixed? What solutions do you folks recommend? The park ranger told me,
"If you've never been out there on a jeep, get a yellow or orange one
so we can find you when you get stuck..."** chuckle**.... he was a
comedian I guess, but I'm sure he knows what he's talking about.
Novices going out there and getting into situations that they're not
used to. I don't want to do any hard-core rock climbing because I
really don't know how.

So what do you folks think of that 1995 jeep? what should I look for?

Thanks for you advice so far, you've been great.

-Alex

Well..... I think you might want to start by knowing what the different
'flavors' of Jeeps are.....

Having 'rust' on the roof of a 'Wrangler' just doesn't make much sense
seeing as the only 'roof' they have is either cloth or fiberglass......

The hardtop Jeeps are Cherokees and Grand Cherokees.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

"nightrider.36" wrote:
>
> Ok, I went to the Anza Borrego desert in a borrowed Ford Explorer and
> found some wind caves. Intense to say the least. The trail out there
> was mostly bumpy and a 2wd truck with good clearance would have done
> fine. It's first time I've done that sort of thing and had an absolute
> blast!!! Now I want a jeep more than anything...
>
> So I found a 1995 Jeep Wrangler SE 4WD with 111,163 miles and the
> dealer wants $6k for it. KBB says it's worth a little over $5k in
> excellent condition which I don't think it's in. There is some rust on
> the roof of the driver's side and I don't really care about that so
> much, I think I can fix that. But I am concerned about the wear and
> tear on the drive-train and the engine since 1995.
>
> Although everyone says you should go out there with buddies, I know I
> won't because to me, that seems to defeat the purpose of getting a jeep
> to get away from everything--including commitments and the dependency
> on others' schedules. I'm not looking for a new club to join--I
> basically want to get away from everyone, meetings, associations--my
> wife and kids are the exception--on the weekends.
>
> So when I break down out there in the middle of nowhere in a 1995 used
> jeep and don't much about their repairs, how am I going to get it
> fixed? What solutions do you folks recommend? The park ranger told me,
> "If you've never been out there on a jeep, get a yellow or orange one
> so we can find you when you get stuck..."** chuckle**.... he was a
> comedian I guess, but I'm sure he knows what he's talking about.
> Novices going out there and getting into situations that they're not
> used to. I don't want to do any hard-core rock climbing because I
> really don't know how.
>
> So what do you folks think of that 1995 jeep? what should I look for?
>
> Thanks for you advice so far, you've been great.
>
> -Alex

I think you can get the price down to $4,500 or $4,000. I have a '95 in
excellent shape and when I thought about trading it in several years ago
they offered me $5,500 for it. It had like 40,000 miles on it at the time!
Remember this is a car dealer, not a living, breathing human being with
feelings that can hurt. From the KBB site,

""Excellent" condition means that the vehicle looks new, is in excellent
mechanical condition and needs no reconditioning. This vehicle has never had
any paint or body work and is free of rust. The vehicle has a clean title
history and will pass a smog and safety inspection. The engine compartment
is clean, with no fluid leaks and is free of any wear or visible defects.
The vehicle also has complete and verifiable service records. Less than 5%
of all used vehicles fall into this category."

Wrangler's don't have a metal roof, so I don't know what rust you are
talking about. If you can see rust on anything, the vehicle is not "free of
rust", no matter what the sales people say about it.

That advice about yellow or orange color is good. Do cell phones work where
you are going? If you buy that Jeep, you really need to give it a thorough
going over, at least all the maintenance items and a complete tune up. If
you do that, then breaking down is unlikely (although possible), but getting
stuck or breaking something on a rock for example is not completely
unavoidable. A bike rack and a mountain bike are good ideas. Don't forget
the tool kit and plenty of tire patches for the bike, and lots of water
bottle carriers.

Earle

"nightrider.36" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Ok, I went to the Anza Borrego desert in a borrowed Ford Explorer and
> found some wind caves. Intense to say the least. The trail out there
> was mostly bumpy and a 2wd truck with good clearance would have done
> fine. It's first time I've done that sort of thing and had an absolute
> blast!!! Now I want a jeep more than anything...
>
> So I found a 1995 Jeep Wrangler SE 4WD with 111,163 miles and the
> dealer wants $6k for it. KBB says it's worth a little over $5k in
> excellent condition which I don't think it's in. There is some rust on
> the roof of the driver's side and I don't really care about that so
> much, I think I can fix that. But I am concerned about the wear and
> tear on the drive-train and the engine since 1995.
>
> Although everyone says you should go out there with buddies, I know I
> won't because to me, that seems to defeat the purpose of getting a jeep
> to get away from everything--including commitments and the dependency
> on others' schedules. I'm not looking for a new club to join--I
> basically want to get away from everyone, meetings, associations--my
> wife and kids are the exception--on the weekends.
>
> So when I break down out there in the middle of nowhere in a 1995 used
> jeep and don't much about their repairs, how am I going to get it
> fixed? What solutions do you folks recommend? The park ranger told me,
> "If you've never been out there on a jeep, get a yellow or orange one
> so we can find you when you get stuck..."** chuckle**.... he was a
> comedian I guess, but I'm sure he knows what he's talking about.
> Novices going out there and getting into situations that they're not
> used to. I don't want to do any hard-core rock climbing because I
> really don't know how.
>
> So what do you folks think of that 1995 jeep? what should I look for?
>
> Thanks for you advice so far, you've been great.
>
> -Alex
>



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

> Wrangler's don't have a metal roof, so I don't know what rust you are
> talking about. If you can see rust on anything, the vehicle is not "free of
> rust", no matter what the sales people say about it.

It helps to know the parts of a jeep, doesn't it... The rust I'm
talking about is not necessarily on the roof. Your're right, there is
no roof. What I'm talking about is a little flap of metal above the
driver's side that connects to a roll bar. There's a vinyl material
covering it. You can't see the rust if you're not looking for it. I
was, lifted the flap and found the rust. It's in a few other spots
around the bottom but probably no more than any other dinged up, used
car.

>
> That advice about yellow or orange color is good. Do cell phones work where
> you are going?

no -- I have Sprint and coudn't get bars out there. But my friend who
had T-mobile had three solid bars so I may have to switch providers if
I'm going to do this. The advice of a mountain bike is good and ideal.

thanks again.

-jac

A "dinged up, used car" certainly does not qualify for KBB "excellent"
pricing. Make sure to point this out to the sales people. If they are
pricing the vehicle as "excellent" then it better look new. These bodies
are galvanized, but a scratch can leave them vulnerable to rusting, and the
frame can rust too.

Go with the cell phone provider that works, and get one of those in vehicle
chargers for it. You never know.

Earle

"nightrider.36" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> > Wrangler's don't have a metal roof, so I don't know what rust you are
> > talking about. If you can see rust on anything, the vehicle is not
"free of
> > rust", no matter what the sales people say about it.
>
> It helps to know the parts of a jeep, doesn't it... The rust I'm
> talking about is not necessarily on the roof. Your're right, there is
> no roof. What I'm talking about is a little flap of metal above the
> driver's side that connects to a roll bar. There's a vinyl material
> covering it. You can't see the rust if you're not looking for it. I
> was, lifted the flap and found the rust. It's in a few other spots
> around the bottom but probably no more than any other dinged up, used
> car.
>
> >
> > That advice about yellow or orange color is good. Do cell phones work
where
> > you are going?
>
> no -- I have Sprint and coudn't get bars out there. But my friend who
> had T-mobile had three solid bars so I may have to switch providers if
> I'm going to do this. The advice of a mountain bike is good and ideal.
>
> thanks again.
>
> -jac
>



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

We don't have repeaters in our deserts yet, at least along highway
78 near Ocotillo Wells where I camp. I have hooked up with Mexico, about
thirty miles south, but you don't want to do that, not even in an
emergency. Lots of skip for a CB radio, though.
God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
http://www.billhughes.com/

Earle Horton wrote:
>
> A "dinged up, used car" certainly does not qualify for KBB "excellent"
> pricing. Make sure to point this out to the sales people. If they are
> pricing the vehicle as "excellent" then it better look new. These bodies
> are galvanized, but a scratch can leave them vulnerable to rusting, and the
> frame can rust too.
>
> Go with the cell phone provider that works, and get one of those in vehicle
> chargers for it. You never know.
>
> Earle

Bill, I was just out there this weekend and was thinking of camping out
there again after the t-giving holiday is over. I'm thinking that it's
going to be somewhat crowded out there this weekend. What do you think?

Feel free to email me at for off-topic answers.

alex

L.W.(Bill) Hughes III wrote:
> We don't have repeaters in our deserts yet, at least along highway
> 78 near Ocotillo Wells where I camp. I have hooked up with Mexico, about
> thirty miles south, but you don't want to do that, not even in an
> emergency. Lots of skip for a CB radio, though.
> God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
> http://www.billhughes.com/
>
> Earle Horton wrote:
> >
> > A "dinged up, used car" certainly does not qualify for KBB "excellent"
> > pricing. Make sure to point this out to the sales people. If they are
> > pricing the vehicle as "excellent" then it better look new. These bodies
> > are galvanized, but a scratch can leave them vulnerable to rusting, and the
> > frame can rust too.
> >
> > Go with the cell phone provider that works, and get one of those in vehicle
> > chargers for it. You never know.
> >
> > Earle

Earle Horton wrote:
> A "dinged up, used car" certainly does not qualify for KBB "excellent"
> pricing. Make sure to point this out to the sales people. If they are
> pricing the vehicle as "excellent" then it better look new. These bodies
> are galvanized, but a scratch can leave them vulnerable to rusting, and the
> frame can rust too.

You're right Earl. This dealer doesn't have it listed as excellent but
he's pricing it as such. I see it as "good" and even that's being
optimistic. I'm going to offer him $4200 cash take it or leave it
Mostly because I'm going to drop another $1500 on it to get it back to
kbb excellent condition. I can do some body-work and paint myself but
I need a lot of help with the drive-train stuff.

He had it listed originally at $7k.

-jac

"nightrider.36" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Earle Horton wrote:
> > A "dinged up, used car" certainly does not qualify for KBB "excellent"
> > pricing. Make sure to point this out to the sales people. If they are
> > pricing the vehicle as "excellent" then it better look new. These
bodies
> > are galvanized, but a scratch can leave them vulnerable to rusting, and
the
> > frame can rust too.
>
> You're right Earl. This dealer doesn't have it listed as excellent but
> he's pricing it as such. I see it as "good" and even that's being
> optimistic. I'm going to offer him $4200 cash take it or leave it
> Mostly because I'm going to drop another $1500 on it to get it back to
> kbb excellent condition. I can do some body-work and paint myself but
> I need a lot of help with the drive-train stuff.
>
> He had it listed originally at $7k.
>
Well you can't blame these guys for trying. There are a lot of first time
sucker buyers out there. ;^)

Earle



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Good idea, but I've taken my turkey to the desert over twenty
times, it's sometimes worth the danger just to see how crazy everyone
gets. The week after the holidays is when most of the law enforcement
goes out after having to work.
Searched the internet for: "anza borrego" "pinyon mountain" "Fish
Creek" and "Split Mountain" for the mud cave like this:
http://www.billhughes.com/temp/anzaborregoMudCave.jpg which I thought
was fun on the was down into Split Mountain:
http://www.hiddensandiego.com/previe...o_tapiado.html it's off of
"Arroyo Seco Del Diablo" or "Arroyo Tapiado" That you will find on this
map: http://www.billhughes.com/temp/anzaBorrego.pdf that blows up to be
very detailed. Also some sites to look at that I thought were fun about
Pinyon Mountain ride from Scissors Crossing:
http://www.4x4now.com/sf0796.htm and
http://www.sd4wheel.com/Past_Events/STPATMAR02.htm Which will separate
the Jeeps from the wannabees.
Have a first aid kit, and some other suggestions:
http://www.4x4now.com/4whtbcr.htm
God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O


"nightrider.36" wrote:
>
> Bill, I was just out there this weekend and was thinking of camping out
> there again after the t-giving holiday is over. I'm thinking that it's
> going to be somewhat crowded out there this weekend. What do you think?
>
> Feel free to email me at for off-topic answers.
>
> alex