Thoughts on this trade: '05 Cavalier for my '00 WJ

[14Accent]

First off: I know it sounds like a bit of a lopsided trade, especially in today's used car market. Hear me out:

My Jeep: pushing 250k, gets 15ish MPG, needs a front suspension rebuild and a t-case. Rusted rockers mainly. Pros: A/C is ice cold, most electrical accessories work, it's a WJ.

The Cavalier: 2005 LS coupe, 202k, auto with the Ecotec. LS package means all power accessories, alloy wheels (with DOT '20 Michelin Defender's on all 4 corners). Found all the original documents in the glovebox including the window sticker. It's got a brand new alternator, plugs, front quick struts and brakes. The rockers are gone like any other J-body, but the K-member and all the structure as well as all the fluid lines are in great shape. Interior is a B+, just a split in the driver's bolster and cracks in the upper dash like all J-body's.

I'm going to see if I can get him to agree to take my Jeep and throw in $500 on his end. He's asking $1,300 for the Cavalier which is actually quite fair in this market.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Is the Jeep rusted out? I am pretty sure an old GC solid axle front end 4WD in any working condition would sell for a lot more than $1300 in this market?

I had a 2002 GC Limited with the V8 - wish I never let it go - long story. My family called it the "heep" because I was always working on it - but it was fun to drive.

 

[atikovi]

WJ? Grand Cherokee? Around here that would be $500 for a rusty 1/4 million mile gas guzzler. Nice ones are only $2000. https://fredericksburg.craigslist.org/cto/d/fredericksburg-1995-jeep-grand-cherokee/7522938038.html Looks like an even trade at best.

 

[ecotourist]

If you're determined to stick with these 2 options, which one would you rather have in 5 years?

Maybe you should be trading up, not just across.

 

[dishdude]

I had a couple of these Cavi's back in the day, they're great cars but given the two I'd take the Grand Cherokee. You're comparing an economy car to a luxury SUV.

 

[14Accent]

Never mind, the Cavi is sold. Thanks all!

 

[Dave9]

WJ? Grand Cherokee? Around here that would be $500 for a rusty 1/4 million mile gas guzzler. Nice ones are only $2000. https://fredericksburg.craigslist.org/cto/d/fredericksburg-1995-jeep-grand-cherokee/7522938038.html Looks like an even trade at best.

I suspect you're a little low. Right now, anything that runs and drives safe is worth more than $500, considering you can get $300 of that back from a midsized or larger vehicle, by calling a junkyard to tow it away, plus with something older so more precious metal in the cats, $200 more if you take the cats off first to resell yourself.

On the other hand I wouldn't touch a Cavalier with 200K mi. so it may be nearly an even trade, the difference being that I'd be more willing to invest some sweat in repairing the Jeep.

SO the question is, the Jeep needs a new front end (whichever parts that is...) and t-case, but would he DIY the work or is this going to be $2K+ that has to be poured into it? Would the Cavalier rockers be replaced or just drive it till it falls apart? How long term is the use?

In the long run, I suspect the Jeep has just about hit the bottom on depreciation and will be worth something 10 years from now, while the Cavalier continues to depreciate. The trade makes sense to save on fuel costs but it's hard for me to suggest putting on enough miles to benefit from that, on a GM vehicle that already has 200K mi. I'll take a gas guzzler that still runs, over an econ-car that needs a new engine and $1K labor to swap it which is more than the Cavalier will be worth when that happens.

 

[Nick1994]

Front suspension rebuild on a Jeep is awfully simple.

 

[14Accent]

Front suspension rebuild on a Jeep is awfully simple.

It may not be difficult from a parts perspective, but have you ever tried to rebuild the front end on a 22 year old Jeep that lived in the Midwest? It's not exactly a cake walk.

First hurdle: removing the 12pt wheel hub bolts. Mine look like Allen head bolts at this point. Assuming those come free, there's still the issue of removing the hub from the knuckle.

If all that goes well, then you're facing rusted cotter pins and ball joint nuts. Simple enough. Once the knuckle is removed, there's the joy of removing and installing the ball joints. Rust is an amazing opponent when trying to remove said ball joints... and lots of heat is usually required.

Sure, it's all doable, but why? You're still left with a 250k Jeep with a bad T-case and balding tires. It will make a great off road rig, but daily driving is quickly disappearing in the rearview.

 

[atikovi]

On the other hand I wouldn't touch a Cavalier with 200K mi. so it may be nearly an even trade, the difference being that I'd be more willing to invest some sweat in repairing the Jeep.

I wouldn't buy anything more than gas and oil for either rust bucket, but that's just me. Anything with rusted rockers has one foot in the junkyard,.

 

[Dave9]

^ I had a body shop replace rockers and doglegs on an SUV about 10 years ago. It's still on the road., no other body panel rust, but the rockers need redone again! Of course it has had various inexpensive (if you DIY) rust-related repairs since then, like brake lines, shock mounts, swaybar links, muffler, etc but not really an excessive amount considering the vehicle age and region.

Bit different with a unibody car though, I would just drive it till it got bad enough to send to a junkyard because it's more of a structural integrity issue.

 

[atikovi]

If the rockers are bad, how far behind is the frame, if it's not even worse?

 

[14Accent]

I wouldn't buy anything more than gas and oil for either rust bucket, but that's just me. Anything with rusted rockers has one foot in the junkyard,.

Then you'd be driving some pretty sad cars up here in the Midwest! Rockers are the first thing to go. However, it rarely condemns the entire vehicle.

The Cavalier had rotten rockers, however inwards of those (floor pan, brake and fuel lines, subframe, suspension mounting points) all looked amazingly clean. Same thing with my Jeep: rockers are gone, everything else is just fine.

 

[atikovi]

If only there was a business that picks up rustfree southern cars and ships them up north to sell. Someone doing that could really clean up. Or....you could leave out the middleman and go get one yourself.

 

[meep]

Jeep > Cavalier

 

[14Accent]

If only there was a business that picks up rustfree southern cars and ships them up north to sell. Someone doing that could really clean up. Or....you could leave out the middleman and go get one yourself.

That's exactly what a buddy of mine just did. He's been looking for a clean GMT800 'burb to replace his last one, and I happened to stumble across a gorgeous example on cars&bids.com a few weeks ago that was identical to his last, but lived its entire life in TX before moving to FL.

Sent him the link, and $8,500 later he owned it. Rust free, Z71, black on tan. He's over the moon about both the truck and the vacation.