My personal favorite Jeep era is the early to middle 90s YJ, with its squared-off headlights and durable 4.0 I6 power. This, to me, was the purest expression of the Wrangler model, and it was made even better with the variety of special edition models rolled out to help boost sales. The Sahara and Islander editions were immensely popular with consumers but that doesn’t mean they are easy to find today. Check out this clean 1992 Jeep Wranger Sahara edition here on craigslist for $5,800 in Sacramento.
That’s really cheap; in fact, it’s too cheap. The listing notes that the seller is a Vietnam veteran and senior citizen who has used this Jeep as his daily driver. Despite this, the special Sahara Edition interior is in excellent condition, and actually reminds me of how good these YJ platform models could look. The Jeep is also equipped with the preferred 5-speed manual and shows just 65,000 miles with the heat and A/C working as intended.
The seller likely has already received a rash of offers for his truck and it may be giving him some pause over his asking price. Did he price it too low? Most definitely. I see this as a $10,000 truck all day long. The lack of rust, the bone-stock condition, and the nicely-preserved Sahara-specific interior and decals all combine to help this Jeep present incredibly well. The seller also mentions that the Jeep benefits from new brakes, tires, and a fresh clutch. It’s also sporting wheels from a later Mopar product.
Ah, one of the most celebrated engines ever made. The near-unkillable Jeep Cherokee earned its reputation for durability in large part because of the 4.0 engine, which has held onto its position as one the most overbuilt engines ever to find its way into a production vehicle. Back in high school, I helped my buddy find the Wrangler of his dreams, as he wanted a pre-1990 model with the 4.2L inline-six. While that extra displacement didn’t mean a whole lot in real-world driving, it did give him bragging rights over all of the 4.0 equipped Jeeps in the parking lot – and I’d feel just as proud to call this clean Sahara edition my own. Thanks to Barn Finds reader TJ for the find.
Well, new day, let’s take a look see what BFs has to offer, ( sound of screeching tires), I’ll be, what a start. In case you are new to the site, welcome, btw, I have a ’91 YJ that is my favorite vehicle, perhaps of all time. I should have gotten one years ago, but Jeeps in the Badger don’t do well. It wasn’t until I got to Colorado, that I found a relatively rust free one. The “Sahara” is the fancy one, only the “Renegade” cost more, mine is of the basic type, these had a few more doo-dads, but sam ‘ting. The elephant in the room is and always has been the “RECTANGLE” , not square I was told, headlights. I wasn’t that picky, and actually like them better. Looks a bit more modern while still retaining the classic 7 slot grill, a Jeep trademark to this day. Mine is the 2.5 4 cylinder, and while it is a bit hill shy, its the 6 cylinder with 2 cylinders lopped off, so still retains its excellent service, it gets good mileage on the flats and does 60, and good enough for me. I don’t recommend it however, the 6 is much better. The automatic wasn’t available with the 4 cylinder, and while I have shifted enough, it’s a really nice box, easy to engage 4 wheel drive, longer springs, rides like a car, and still pretty simple, a breath of fresh air today. Like the GMC squarebody, don’t be fooled by the hype of these too. When looking for mine, there were a LOT of Jeeps. One I looked at, 4 cyl. had an amazing 324,000 miles. He had 100K on the new motor, so like Subies, you rarely find a low mileage one. Mine is just a basic Wrangler, the ’92 Sahara cost almost $16,000 new, about $4grand more than the basic YJ. KBB says this is about right for this Jeep, the old guy thinks like me, and a smokin’ deal on a Jeep. I’m flabbergasted it’s still here,,,or, like the squarebody, it’s a lot of hooey.
Howard,
Don’t feel obligated to like the squarebody. There are already plenty of us that do.
No surprise that this jeep wasn’t on the market long.
I have a soft spot for the YJs as well. These just bring back great memories. A buddy of mine bought a brand new one. White, tan interior base model 4 cylinder 5 speed. He used to let me drive it all the time and I loved it. I honestly dont remember going on the highway with it, just secondary roads. But it was a lot of fun to drive. I remember the controversy about the rectangular headlights but truth be told they just made sense for the time and I always liked them. This sure looks like a good one and hope it goes to a good home
I’d be surprised if this wasn’t snapped up already. Heck, I’m not in the market for a Jeep but at the asking price I’d buy this anyway if wasn’t 1200 miles away.
And it’s….gone.
Someone got a nice Jeep. Having had a hard top Jeep I really like this series. Looks good, runs good. and is rain worthy.
If the seller has any sense he told all 87 people who called about this Jeep in the first two hours to show up at 3 PM on Sunday, with cash in hand. He then held an auction and got three times his asking price.
And its gone already, this one even had the towbar attachment on the front bumber so there is a good chance miles on the engine and transmission are even lower. Wished I had been the one who snagged it.
Yup. The purists got offended by the rectangular headlamps and crease it the grille but it sure did stand out from the CJs at the time. Better ride and handling too. The only thing I found was that the pedal placement was a little skewed from other vehicles. Could also have been my big feet. David E Davis and Automobile magazine picked the base 4cylinder as the best buy. My how far we’ve come.
Wow, that was a steal. If it was legit. I found one similar locally a couple of years back. 6 cylinder, 5 speed, AC, hard doors with a new soft top for $4500. I couldn’t get there fast enough. I drove it to my shop and found a rust hole in the frame that I could literally stick my hand in up to the knuckles. Oddly, the body didn’t have any rust showing.
No matter how good they look always check frame and pull carpet to check floor pans , I’ve seen great looking Jeeps that were crumbs underneath
I sold a 92 Sahara Edition with 53K miles for $20,000. Mine had a soft top and half doors. It was shipped to France. Hated to see it leave the Country.
Loved the AMC Jeeps, and previous ones as well. The new one have their own place, but there was something about the Sahara that I really loved. It hopefully has found a good home!