Is 36500 a good price for 1999 wagon??

[BigKofJustice]

Originally Posted by Blackwidow

I'm sopposed to be getting my first h1 tomorrow and I'm getting a little paranoid. It is a black 99 wagon with winch, bumpers, rack, tons of lights, and the body and interior are 9 out of 10. only problem is it needs a new ac compresser Dealer is asking 36500. Is this a good deal? Please let me know asap. Thanks

Interior and body is only part of the whole package.

I'd have a paid inspection at a good H1 dealer, do not rush to buy your first truck, the price they are asking is very very average, there are many trucks in the 30-40k bracket ranging from 98 to 2001 series trucks.

Whenever I look at an H1 I crawl underneath it even before checking out the interior. It blows the minds of the sales guys at used car lots.

I look at the control arms and frames to see the condition. This is a very easy thing to check to see if your truck has been wheeled. If they look clean/good paint with no chips or scratches, then it's generally a street queen.

I then look for wet spots/leaks, I check all the seals around the geared hubs, the steering gear box, motor and transmission/t-case and the differentials. I'll look for damage and missing parts/exhaust [you'll need some H1 knowledge to be able to spot missing things].

If it can be put on the lift, I'd check the condition of the ball joints, upper and lower to see if there is any play. I'd check under the hood and look at the cooling shroud around the fan for any cracks. I'd look at paint on the springs to see if there is wear marks in between the springs [signs of jumping]. I'd check the plastic around and below the battery box for damage [signs of abuse, this part is cheap plastic and if its intact on older trucks then it hasn't seen much action IMO].

I would check the condition of the battery cables, starter cables and engine harness for signs of obvious repairs or hack jobs.

Inside the truck I would make sure all windows and door locks operate normally. I would check to make sure all guages and lights work. Look for any abs / check engine lights.

On the test drive, the truck should get up to 190 degrees temperature when hot. voltage should be 13-14v engine pressure on a 6.5 Turbo should be 40 psi cold and around 20 psi hot when idle going to 30. It's ok if the guages are a bit off, because they're not that accurate.

Check transmission and t-case operation in all ranges, check to make sure cruse control works. Check CTIS operation, deflate front and rear wheels a few lbs, then inflate them back up. If you hear a pop pop pop noise thats the overpressure valve blowing off pressure indicating a blockage somewhere. If the system is bypassed [usually with aftermarket rims] assume the CTIS system needs repair or isn't working and take a few dollars off.

Body wise check for rust bubbles INSIDE the wagon fender under the carpet and outside around the roof fender interface.

If you are in southern California, take the truck into Tustin Hummer for a PPI, ask for Mike, hes a 18+ year AM General tech and knows these trucks inside and out. If not see if theres a good local H1 tech in your area.

Check the other H1 owners forums [hml/humvee.net] and see if there is a owner close to you that can look at the truck with you.

Off the top of my head, that's it, but I'd be open to looking at trucks anywhere in the US, don't limit yourself to just buying trucks in your immediate area.