BMW Blog

Went and looked at this Jeep today and it was in pretty good shape ($6,500, 1985 JEEP CJ-7 4x4 Laredo).

Things bad and good about the Jeep:

Cons:
- The hardtop has seen it's better days (you can tell someone tried to fix it previously) but I don't think it's worth salvaging
- The passenger door doesn't have an outside handle and some of the interior portion of the doors have tears in them (same for seats, small tears)
- The front floorboards have some surface rust because a carpet kit is installed and moisture probably got trapped underneath
- Snap rings are installed on the tub for the old softop versions that used the snaps (meaning I'd have to remove them and patch holes one day)
- Brakes are soft (It does have power brakes though)
- Drain **** on radiator appears to have a small leak
- All chrome is rusted (not a concern as it would be removed anyway, but not salvagable for resale)
- Numerous gauges don't work anymore.......go figure, haha
- Some oily residue on engine, but to be expected on original engine (6 cyl)


Pros:
- Factory suspension, never lifted
- Steers straight, no wandering (Factory steering wheel too)
- Automatic (Normally I'd say this is a CON but I'm tired of shifting in bumper to bumper traffic)
- Seats in decent shape (Has factory back seat still)
- No body rust or frame rust.....even in the normal places (it was shipped from Cali)
- Decent paint job, not great but decent (Charcoal Gray Color with clearcoat still in tact, it's been repainted from what I can tell)
- Carpet installed (I can resell this and make $100 probably)
- Aftermarket center console and tuffy speaker boxes in the back.
- Factory installed swing-away tire carrier
- Never off-roaded
- Tilt steering
- Bikini top
- Spare soft doors

My only real dislikes about the Jeep are it's a 6 cyl.............and my current Jeep is a 79 CJ5 with the 304, much more fun and loud. I was planning on swapping axles and engine/driveline on my CJ now but if I grab this CJ7 I'll do it on this Jeep instead so it's kinda a moot point anyway.

http://images.craigslist.org/010111010210010404200801319f7718920f3d47786600845b .jpg
http://images.craigslist.org/010100010211011608200801311e91b3becfa2d406a900d67e .jpg
You didn't state what transfer case and axles the machine has. I see you are on Oahu and I am assume the Laredo is on the island?

I am going to ask a stupid question, how do you know this CJ has never been off road?

Good looking Dog in the back...is he yours?

How many miles on the unit? How are the tires and what size are they? Doesn't look to be lifted. Is there corrosion on the Nerf bars? Looks to have a tubular rear bumper, does it have a hitch? Take a look at the front brakes, how do the pads look? Pop the top off the brake reservoir and see if the brake fluid is clear or muddy. The spongy brakes are a concern.

I am not sure of the market value for a CJ in Hawaii but would have to say the price is fair at best. You certainly are not stealing it for the price over here on the mainland.

Good Luck............
You didn't state what transfer case and axles the machine has. I see you are on Oahu and I am assume the Laredo is on the island? D30/AMC20 and yes the Jeep is on the island

I am going to ask a stupid question, how do you know this CJ has never been off road? I've owned four 4x4's and you can tell it's never been off-road...........no road rash, no mud hidden, no metal stained with mud, etc.

Good looking Dog in the back...is he yours? No, it's the owners

How many miles on the unit? 177,000How are the tires and what size are they?Tires are BFG AT's (30 or 31") Doesn't look to be lifted. No LiftIs there corrosion on the Nerf bars?Yes there is corrosion on all chrome accessories Looks to have a tubular rear bumper, does it have a hitch? No hitch and yes, tube side steps and bumpers (rusted)Take a look at the front brakes, how do the pads look? Brakes are okay but soft.....Pop the top off the brake reservoir and see if the brake fluid is clear or muddy. The spongy brakes are a concern.

I am not sure of the market value for a CJ in Hawaii but would have to say the price is fair at best. You certainly are not stealing it for the price over here on the mainland. I offered him $5,500.......he said he'd think about it but he's been offered full price so we will see. He's selling because the dog in the picture passed away which is one of the reasons he bought it 7 yrs ago, and the fact that he has a 1yr old now and his wife doesn't want her to drive in it for safety reasons.

Good Luck............


Please see above in red
Looking at you're first picture, the front fenders look a little odd, like there not the right shape. Is that just me or does it have some older or after market fenders?
Looking at you're first picture, the front fenders look a little odd, like there not the right shape. Is that just me or does it have some older or after market fenders?

Fenders are original.
Sounds like a lot for some of those "little" problems. You are looking at rebuilding the engine, maybe tranny and transfercase (177K is a lot for those parts). The electrical will take a while to sort out, but should not be too expensive.

But, CJs are growing more and more rare, and I'm sure it's the case on Hawaii. The salt air must eat them up, and everything is more expensive there anyway.

If I lived there, I'd never even run a hardtop, so that's not a huge issue.

It's your call, in the end I doubt you'd regret it, if you want a CJ, but be prepared to spend some $ to make it the way you want it.
I think the price sounds high, unless the pup is included.

Around here in AZ, you can find a VERY clean CJ with zero rust, hard top, hard doors, and all the bells and whistles for 4k or so.

I think that Jeep is in the 4k range too based on the pic and your description. BUT, Jeeps are very region specific when it comes to pricing.
Comparing vehicle prices in Hawaii to those in the "mainland" is an apples/oranges comparison. Normally, I'd say that seems like a high price.. but in Hawaii, who knows? By the time you picked up a nice CJ from the West Coast and had it shipped, you'd surely be way above that $6500. In the end, I think you should just go with your "gut feeling" on this one.
is the dog included?
Comparing vehicle prices in Hawaii to those in the "mainland" is an apples/oranges comparison. Normally, I'd say that seems like a high price.. but in Hawaii, who knows? By the time you picked up a nice CJ from the West Coast and had it shipped, you'd surely be way above that $6500. In the end, I think you should just go with your "gut feeling" on this one.

I agree with Besrk.

I think it's a little high, but then again, there's a wazillion options in Florida... (it's a real number) :thumbsup:
Ya I hear ya on buying cheaper on the mainland. I bought my CJ5 in FL and paid $2k to ship it to Hawaii and it was in pristine condition (although 3 yrs in Hawaii has started to eat away at the creases in the paint here in Hawaii and I'm starting to get some rust along the crease on the hood near window and the crease above the Jeep emblem near the door).

I'm torn as I have a solid CJ5 but really want a CJ7 for the space, the tailgate and the larger option with aftermarket parts (more stuff for 7's then 5's).

It's morning here in Hawaii so we'll see if this guy calls me back before lunch as he flies off island today to Cali.