The ad for today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Jeep claims it to be one of the last Grand Cherokees to come with a stick. We like sticks, and we like Jeeps. Let’s see if we like this one’s price tag as well.
I started out yesterday by averring that Honda USA’s present-day lineup lacks interesting and quirky offerings such as the 1990 Honda Civic RT4 Wagovan we considered as Wednesday’s victim, er candidate. Hell, the company’s latest big introduction here was a two-row crossover that was—wait for it—a shorter version of their existing three-row crossover. Woop! Woop! Woop!
That Wagovan, on the other hand proved that Honda once knew how to be weird and fun. Where’s the fun now, Honda? You all seemed to like both its uniqueness and its condition, so much so that its $5,000 asking price earned a super narrow but decisive 53 percent Nice Price win.
Jeep still builds some fun stuff. I mean, if you’ve got a hankering to drive a convertible four-door pickup with all-wheel drive and more history than a comparative governments major, then the Jeep Gladiator is pretty much going to be your jam.
Today we’re going to look at another interesting Jeep, a 1993 Grand Cherokee Laredo that is claimed by its seller to be one of the last ZJ models to rock a manual transmission. There’s a ton more to like about this particular wagon, but that alone should set your pique to peak. Oh, and just to get it out of the way, the seller is not David Tracy. I checked.
There’s what appears to be 290K on this Jeep, however, the seller says that the 4.0 six was rebuilt at 100K, and the clutch refreshed just 20K ago. The body is described as clean and straight, albeit with some minor rust bubbling on each of the rear wheel arch lips. There’s also some serious paint popping on the hood. The seller says that was going to be addressed but you know, shoulda-coulda-woulda.
Factory five-spoke alloys are shod in what the seller says are ‘crummy’ tires, so don’t plan any long journies. Other issues here include non-functioning A/C and ABS, a noisy rear end, a rear brake that likes to lock up, and a speedo that the seller says was broken while driving through some snow. Damn you, snow!
On the plus side, the interior seems to be okay, although the cover on the passenger seat may portend bad things beneath. There is also an updated Borla exhaust with a high-flow cat that’s supposed to sound throaty as heck.
If those are not sufficient enticements, the Jeep’s also decked out for the rough stuff—extent that speedo. There are skid plates underneath, a Yakima rack-i-ma up top and a brush-guard to guard you against the brush in front.
New brake calipers and a new radiator also add appeal, as do all the factory luxuries the wagon still seems to possess—keyfob locking, power seats, etc..
The title is clear and the seller says the Jeep runs great and has always passed its emissions tests. It’s also claimed that “If you want just any Grand Cherokee, it’s not for you.”
Okay, now that we’ve reviewed its specs and determined who is the target audience, let’s now consider this ZJ’s price. The asking is $1,800 OBO.
Yes, that is more than twice what Tracy paid for his but then we’re not him now, are we?
There must be more to the story here as well since the seller listed the Jeep almost two weeks ago and you’d think that anything that cheap would have been snapped up just for the parts alone almost immediately.
The question for you is what could that possible issue be and if it’s truly a Jeep for a very specific audience, why haven’t they met yet? Do we need some sort of app—a Grinder for Jeep hookups if it were—to make a match?
What do you think, is this unique but flawed Jeep worth that $1,800 OBO asking? Or, five-speed of not, is it just too problem-plagued to ask so much?
You decide!
Washington DC Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Doug Melhorn for the hookup!
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