CJ5 Renegade...What Would You Do?

by Jimmy
(Georgia)

I bought a Jeep CJ-5 Renegade from the owner of an auction company.

On the first auction he did not get the reserve price he set. I saw the pictures and offered him $2,000.00. He turned down my offer.

Next week he had it listed again with the same reserve of $3,000.00 so I emailed him again and told him my offer of $2,000.00 was still good if he didn't sell the Jeep at the auction. He told me he would think about it and let me know if the Jeep didn't sell.

So when the auction was over and it had still not sold, he said he would sell it for $2,500.00 and if he couldn't get that he would keep it and drive it.

I could see rust on the left front, so I ask him if there was any more rust anywhere on the Jeep and I ask him what the overall condition was. He told me that that was the only rust on the Jeep and he drove it all last week when it snowed and it drove great.

He said it had the original 258 ci 6-cylinder with 65,000 miles on it and a 3-speed transmission. The tires were almost new and he had just had the brakes redone, and had replaced all of the heater control cables. It had one tear in the back of the soft top and one new bikini top.

This guy was 600 miles away from me so I took his word that what he told me was the truth. He did own an auction company and I thought he would tell me the truth, which he did except for the rust.

When I got the Jeep and went over it I found rust on all four fenders and the front floor pans. So now I have $2,500.00 plus $400.00 for delivery for a total investment of $2,900.00

What would you do?...keep the Jeep and invest in the replacement parts to get rid of all the rust, or would you just sell it, walk away and find another Jeep?

If I would keep it what parts do I need to replace? Do I replace the right & left side panels, the right & left front fenders, tailgate, right & left corner panels, and the floor panels? And what about the L&R rear wheel housing?

Be honest with me. I don't need to hear that I shouldn't have trusted the guy, because I know that and I cannot change it.

I just don't want to invest more into it than I can get out. Thanks for any help you can give me on this.


Larry's Comment: Been there...done that, Jimmy!

It's a shame people can't be completely honest. The main thing is that if you decide to sell your Jeep "as is" you will be up front with prospective buyers (unlike the auction owner).

If you decide to fix it up, you may never fully get back what you have invested...and that's true with almost any vehicle restoration.

Let's see if other folks reading this have any constructive suggestions. Please use the "comment" section below.