$600 Jeep Cherokee Makes Moab Look Paved

In the immortal words of Han Solo, “She might not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts, kid.”

While Han may have been been describing the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars, those words also seem appropriate when discussing this Jeep Cherokee, which was purchased on Craigslist for the low, low price of $600. As you can see in the video below, the thing may be a rust bucket, but it absolutely crushes the trails of Moab.

Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that Jalopnik writer David Tracy’s old XJ actually drove 2,000 miles from Michigan just to get to Moab. Granted, that $600 figure doesn’t include the price of labor, as a lot of work was done to this baby. But you can’t beat the prices he got on parts, including a junkyard lift-kit and skid plate, and front coils purchased off Craigslist for “20 bucks a pop.”

Tracy’s goal was to make it to Moab for the 50th annual Easter Jeep Safari, and to demonstrate that you don’t need to spend big to go big. According to his write-up, it appears Tracy achieved his goal with flying colors: “After four days of off-roading in Moab, I can say with certainty that my trusty XJ has proven my point, because it not only made it through trails without a single mechanical problem, but it also out-‘wheeled’ rigs costing 30 times as much.”

Well, not exactly. The Cherokee did blow a fuse along the way, which caused the turn signals to fail.

Pretty darn impressive, wouldn’t you say?

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Via [Jalopnik]