Good price on 79 CJ?

[Rapture]

Hey guys, glad to have just joined up. I'm looking into CJs pretty heavy and decided that one will be my next purchase. However, finding values and good asking prices on these is slightly difficult seeing as they are 30 years old. Right now, I'm looking at a 79 CJ5 with the AMC 304 . It also has a Dana 300 . Problem is, it needs to be towed, needs a radiator, and has the oh so loved typical jeep rot. The ad listed a prices as: "I need to sell it so make me a reasonable offer."

My question is, what would be a good offer on this rig? If need be, I can get more info and possibly pictures.

Cheers,

Rapture

 

[dalefan88]

since my 79 CJ5 was free i would say that is a good price lol. the radiator alone is going to cost you about $200 so take that as a thought when you make a offer.

 

[Big John]

pretty much if you have to tow it...and the radiator is bad and rust...there might be other things also...600 to 700 dollars would be fair... you will spend alot of months getting it back to looking and running good!!! throw that price at him...then talk itout....ya never know....be safe... BIG JOHN

 

[priceg]

Get familiar with what the parts cost, then you can estimate on the sum of the good parts a vehicle has. This is the only way to get into a non running vehicle without getting burned. Good Luck

 

[Rapture]

update: checked the rig out today and here's what it needs: Radiator, head gasket, new tires, a 3 inch body lift removed, body rot repair (rockers/floors are going) cleaning, hood latches, carb rebuild, jesus, 263,000 miles and it needs to be towed. Is under 400 reasonable for this or is that to much of a low ball? I mean, it not only turned over but it did run strong before shutting it down. Transmission and Transfer Case are in good shape and it recently got an entire new exhaust system/fenders. Also, it comes with a soft top and doors.

Thoughts?

 

[priceg]

It sounds like a parts vehicle.

 

[mhubacek]

Don't know what CJ's are going for in Florida, but I purchased a 68 CJ for $1000 on CL in Oregon. I like to think I paid a fair price for it. It had rust, and didn't look pretty, but ran great with a SBC conversion and power steering. Being that the one you are looking at dosen't run, and needs alot of attention, I would say $600-$700 would be fair in my kneck of the woods. Something to think about, I purchased mine thinking it just needed mostly cosmetic work. After pulling one part after another, and finding more items needing attention, it turned into a frame up rebuild that is still not completed yet after 2 years. I'm am enjoying working on it as much as I liked driving it though. It depends on where your interests lie, and your mechanical ability.

 

[Jet]

The headgasket part scares me. 100 bucks.

 

[CJKrawler]

I'm with mhubacek on this one. I paid 1200 for mine, and it also became a frame up resto. I thought the AMC 304 was good, but if you don't know the history of the motor, you don't know anything about that. Now it needs a head gasket and a radiator, you may also need to worry about the oil pump, and if that went out, and was never addressed, that leads to a new crank (I know from exp) If you are looking for a project, then this would be a good one. If you want something that needs minor work, and you want to be able to run it within a short time, I would keep looking. Had I known more about my motor before purchasing, I would have kept looking.

 

[fire3096]

WOW, sounds like at the most a few hundred....