'99 Jeep XJ Conundrum

[Stella]

(This "ban yourself" thing isn't working too well for me tonight.)


Here's my current dilemma:

A few of you know I'm selling my home, storing everything, quitting my job (eff yeah!), road tripping, helping parents out for several months, etc.

With the job change, I'll be losing a nice, new set of wheels that I'm allowed to drive outside of work hours (at a small cost), thus, my personal car/Jeep gets used minimally.  

I picked up the '99 XJ when she had only 3k miles on it – purchased at an auction in Detroit after it came off the Jeep fleet.  

I half kiddingly / half seriously tell people it has been the best relationship ever – it has yet to fail me.

In order for me to road trip, I'll have to get a newer, road-worthy vehicle.

The jeep has a ton of sentimental value.  But, it also has 297k miles on the original engine.  I'm screwed if I keep it and the transmission blows – which it'll do eventually.

Do I:

1.  Store it (at minimal cost thanks to good friends) and then a month or two years later the engine blows but I've spent $1k per year keeping it insured and then it's trash?

2.  Sell on my own?  KBB = $2,500

3.  Trade in for the road trip vehicle?  KBB = $1,500

Jeep (or other people):  what say you?   Thank you.

[Howie]

Ain't gonna tell you what to do, but I usually trade in.  Reason why?  While for sale you should keep the plates and insurance, $ off the $2500 you might get.  Add to that staying home for the no shows and ridiculous offers.  Now you can add Covid risk too.  Here in NY you have a tax advantage with trade in too.  My guess is it will be difficult to sell a vehicle just short of 300K miles.

[Speeddog]

If it's KBB is $2.5k, why is it $1k per year to keep it insured if you're not driving it?
Should be able to have minimum coverage for it burning up or hit by meteor, as a 'thing' but not driven, yes?

How long in time and miles is this roadtrip?

[Stella]

Ain't gonna tell you what to do, but I usually trade in.  Reason why?  While for sale you should keep the plates and insurance, $ off the $2500 you might get.  Add to that staying home for the no shows and ridiculous offers.  Now you can add Covid risk too.  Here in NY you have a tax advantage with trade in too.  My guess is it will be difficult to sell a vehicle just short of 300K miles.

It would certainly be the path of least resistance, thank you!

If it's KBB is $2.5k, why is it $1k per year to keep it insured if you're not driving it?
Should be able to have minimum coverage for it burning up or hit by meteor, as a 'thing' but not driven, yes?

How long in time and miles is this roadtrip?

True, insurance may change from $1000/year to... $750/year (?) for 3 months of storing.  A call to the ins. agent would help.  Thanks for the prompt. 

[ducpainter]

Didn't we just go through this.

Let it go.

[Duck-Stew]

For whatever reason, the value of those vehicles is higher (at least it was around NM recently) than KBB.  Cult classic?!?

Price it out away from KBB.  May be higher.

Also: 297K isn’t as bad as it sounds for that engine.  Trans?  Yeah...  that’s a lot.

[d3vi@nt]

If it's KBB is $2.5k, why is it $1k per year to keep it insured if you're not driving it?
Should be able to have minimum coverage for it burning up or hit by meteor, as a 'thing' but not driven, yes?

^^ This.

$1k/year + reg/tags + emissions + storage is a losing proposition on a vehicle valued at $2.5k that rarely moves.

Assuming the storage is insured (sufficiently), you should be able to either hold or stop insurance for the time. I'd definitely shop around for insurance, though. I'm not that far away from you and I don't pay that much for full coverage on a new vehicle.

Used vehicles are selling at a premium right now. I'd list it on CL and use the cash to fund your adventure.

[Popeye the Sailor]

Those things have gotten popular. You could sell it with ease.

Sell it.

[LMT]

When I got the truck, I sold the Jetta.

The dealership only offered @2500 in trade in.  I listed it at 6000 on facebook marketplace. Within an hour, I had 3 offers from used car lots. Sold it within 3 hours for 5500. 5000 was my goal!  It had some issues and would need some work.

They drove to me, paid cash, and had 2 copies of a bill of sale. The only thing I had to do was count the cash 

[Stella]

Didn't we just go through this.

Let it go.

No, we didn’t.   The question I posed a few weeks ago was the value of my time to replace items that the new home buyers wanted but things that I need and use - not whether to keep the things or not.   

It was others telling me to get rid of the stuff but that wasn’t my question then.   

[ungeheuer]

Hmmm... just the vehicle and it's mileage.... sell.   But the sentimental value?  Harder to evaluate.... 

I shipped a motorcycle halfway around the world.... it sat for a year before I could get it registered for um... legal.... use.  Made more financial sense to have sold it in Aus and buy another Up Over.  But then I wouldn't still have.... MY Monster... 

Is this Jeep a forever keeper?

[ducpainter]

No, we didn’t.   The question I posed a few weeks ago was the value of my time to replace items that the new home buyers wanted but things that I need and use - not whether to keep the things or not.   

It was others telling me to get rid of the stuff but that wasn’t my question then.   

Let it go.

[Stella]

Your vote has been acknowledged, thank you.

 

Is this Jeep a forever keeper?

Well, it has been a forever keeper so far considering I put 294,000 of its 297,000 miles on it.  It has been a champ and now it's a fun little whip to drive around town running errands.  Considering storage and then using it as the back up like it has been but I know the engine/tranny will give me problems at some point.   

Leaning towards listing it myself (will make Nate happy - ha!) and then if I don't get a fair offer, I'll store it.

[DarkMonster620]

I was driven in that vehicle, correct?

[Speeddog]

We are in different locations and I am not you

But I drive a car of that same model year that's worth next to nothing
And it's insured at the bare minimum
I've got good coverage on my S4 as well though

And I pay ~ the lowest dollar number you've mentioned
And I can use either one at a moment's notice to perhaps maim a young brain surgeon who solely supports his big family

But I talk to insurance people as little as possible so maybe I'm chock full