Spending money on inspection by a third party mechanic is a great idea, he does not have a knot in his stomach thinking about it. Best investment you'll make, no matter the outcome.

 

I hear you. I am going to try and talk to him about that this weekend (even though it was at dealer 300 miles ago). I still wouldn't buy anything without a good mechanic looking it over.

 

That oil leak is 1 of 3 things. As mine looked similare on my 2003 till I fixed it this January. Took me about 2 days to disasemble things and put it back together. What I am saying is it looks worse than it is but could be a talking down point, depending if you are going to hire it done or work on it yourself. Just drink some coffee and get some cans of your favorite degreaser. Nitril gloves are a must. Also replace your serp belt too, then you know it been replaced.

1. Oil pan gasket $19 at Atlantic british
2. Crank Shaft seal. $22 @ dealer(Replaced that too = no oil leaks now..knock on wood).
3. Or Front cover gasket. $17 @ dealer. About to replace doing oil pump gear replacement..Sh|t . You must drop the oil pan to replace the front cover gasket because of the 3 dowel pins.

 

Thanks for the advice everyone. The deal went south for a few reasons so I'll keep looking. But I'm a lot more educated now thanks to this forum!

 

Mastercraft Tires are made by Cooper, Mastercraft is a great tire, just a FYI for future reference for everyone.

 

Thanks Spike - I realized I was wrong about the MC tires after I posted that. I was ignorant, had never heard of MC tires then researched them and saw they were made by Cooper and there are a lot of good reviews of them on some of the Jeep Forums and other off road sites as well.