Buying Advice

[nappy1515]

Can't believe how much the market has blown up for TJ/LJs - are they getting more popular now? What happened?

I bought a 55k, bone stock, 100% rust free '05 LJR in 2014 for 22k from a dealership, and I thought it was high at the time.

I think I could get back what I paid for it, and then some, <110k on the clock.

What color?

 

[Artsifrtsi]

Can't believe how much the market has blown up for TJ/LJs - are they getting more popular now? What happened?

I bought a 55k, bone stock, 100% rust free '05 LJR in 2014 for 22k from a dealership, and I thought it was high at the time.

I think I could get back what I paid for it, and then some, <110k on the clock.

It's not just TJs... I bought my JT 2 years ago new from the lot out the door for $47k, dealer here sent me an email offering $48k to trade it on a new one... I could probably counter at $50k and they'd take it!

 

[limitz]

What color?

An unwashed pearl beryl green

 

[nappy1515]

View attachment 328098

An unwashed pearl beryl green

sure is purty. Khaki interior?

 

[BC Moto]

The used car market is hot right now because of the "CHIP SHORTAGE" we recently were car shopping for my wife and new car was really hard to find one so we bought a used car for now and some were 3 months out after you ordered it. Now the prices have surged some people can no longer afford newer cars. I bought my silverado new for 60k and they want me to trade it in so they can sell it full pop and get me into another and make more payments. I still might sell my clean TJ for a LJ tho

 

[limitz]

sure is purty. Khaki interior?

Nah grey with khaki bartact seats

 

[limitz]

Did you see this:

https://westslope.craigslist.org/cto/d/glade-park-06-wrangler-lj-rubicon-sahara/7474550167.html

 

[nappy1515]

I did, good looking Jeep. It's a standard trans, not that I'm totally opposed to it but I'm leaning towards an LS swap with a 4L60E and I don't want to deal with the third pedal and all that.

 

[JPHikr]

"When I bought my 05 LJR with 112k for $22.5k in Feb 21 I looked on Craigslist multiple times a day with a 1K mi search area. It took me 3 months. I was only looking for a LJR which limits your choices. Luckily the guy held it for a week until the wife and I could fly up to Denver rent a car and see it. My bank had a branch down the road from him so getting a cashers check was easy. My son and I drove up 800mi from LA the next week with my trailer and brought it back. I have a love hate relationship with Craigslist but I have found many great deals on it. I know that I miss some great deals by not being on FB Marketplace but I do not do FB. I looked at many LJRs locally but they were all overpriced shit.
Part of the adventure is the search. Keep looking and do not settle for lees than you really want."

I spent two years looking for our LJ Rubicon.

 

[nappy1515]

"When I bought my 05 LJR with 112k for $22.5k in Feb 21 I looked on Craigslist multiple times a day with a 1K mi search area. It took me 3 months. I was only looking for a LJR which limits your choices. Luckily the guy held it for a week until the wife and I could fly up to Denver rent a car and see it. My bank had a branch down the road from him so getting a cashers check was easy. My son and I drove up 800mi from LA the next week with my trailer and brought it back. I have a love hate relationship with Craigslist but I have found many great deals on it. I know that I miss some great deals by not being on FB Marketplace but I do not do FB. I looked at many LJRs locally but they were all overpriced shit.
Part of the adventure is the search. Keep looking and do not settle for lees than you really want."

I spent two years looking for our LJ Rubicon.

Wow, that's dedication. What specifically were you after?

 

[TRE3TOP]

I did, good looking Jeep. It's a standard trans, not that I'm totally opposed to it but I'm leaning towards an LS swap with a 4L60E and I don't want to deal with the third pedal and all that.

An LS swap is drive by wire anyhow and will require the specific pedal from the donor vehicle, so that really shouldn’t be a determining factor at all… but don’t LS swap a rubihara.

All you guys scoffing at marketplace because of Facebook are straight up laughable. Don’t forget to check the classifieds section of the newspaper… nerds.

 

[JPHikr]

We live in the Desert so it had to be White, Factory hardtop with Auto trans.
But the most important part stock not all hacked up.
It had exactly the lift and rear tire carrier that I would put on it myself.
Senior citizen owned so not abused.
Drove to Carson City to pick it up.

 

[nappy1515]

An LS swap is drive by wire anyhow and will require the specific pedal from the donor vehicle, so that really shouldn’t be a determining factor at all… but don’t LS swap a rubihara.

All you guys scoffing at marketplace because of Facebook are straight up laughable. Don’t forget to check the classifieds section of the newspaper… nerds.

Didn't say anything about the skinny pedal. What's with all the hostility here about people not wanting to use Facebook, let people use whatever they want. What does it matter to you?

 

[TRE3TOP]

Didn't say anything about the skinny pedal. What's with all the hostility here about people not wanting to use Facebook, let people use whatever they want. What does it matter to you?

Exactly what I said, it’s laughable. Nerd.

 

[JPHikr]

 

[JMT]

I've still got my movie star good looks goin' for me...

Then what are you worried about. You’re golden!

 

[JMT]

Can't believe how much the market has blown up for TJ/LJs - are they getting more popular now? What happened?

I bought a 55k, bone stock, 100% rust free '05 LJR in 2014 for 22k from a dealership, and I thought it was high at the time.

I think I could get back what I paid for it, and then some, <110k on the clock.

The prices didn’t go up, the value of the dollar went down.

 

[BC Moto]

I did, good looking Jeep. It's a standard trans, not that I'm totally opposed to it but I'm leaning towards an LS swap with a 4L60E and I don't want to deal with the third pedal and all that.

When I do a LS swap I kind of want a T56 trans

 

[CA-TJ-Dreamin]

It reminds me of the current housing market, both FS & Rentals. We had to offer close to $100K over the asking price for our house last October, and if I hadn't lucked up and met the owner personally (and found that we had a lot in common), we would have lost out on this house too, as we did with our previous two offers...

Jeep TJ's fall into a very desirable category for many reasons; to wit:
- They're relatively easy to work on, either by the D-I-Y'er or by any decent mechanic.
- They made a blue million of them, so used parts will be around for many years to come.
- The secondary parts market is enormous; in fact, *I* can't think of a bigger one when it comes to vehicles.
- They are still at a price point that makes them attractive to a wide market of buyers - 1st time buyers, college students, the "usual suspects", and old geezers like me - guys who have owned a pile of vintage/classic cars over the years, but who are unwilling to pay $100K+ for a "cool vehicle" that's just gonna end up being a Garage Queen. Sure - I baby mine; it's garage-kept, I only drive it in nice weather, it never goes off-road, and it's 99% stock. I'm the owner you guys love to hate - UNTIL it comes time to BUY one, that is!

As you're already aware, your primary competition is Dealers, for all the reasons above. These guys camp out on Craigslist and pounce on the good ones like a Priest on an Altar Boy when they come up; it was that way when I bought mine a few years back. I actually paid OVER the asking price, paid cash, got on an airplane IMMEDIATELY (the morning the ad was placed), and was lucky enough to have a Seller that was ethical enough to NOT respond to any further inquiries after he knew I was coming...
Finally, you're dealing with guys who, if/when they DO get a good TJ, they hold onto them like a lobster, LOL. I've had 5 of them over the years, and my current TJ drives PERFECTLY - ZERO bumpsteer, ZERO death wobble at ANY speed EVER, LQQKS as good as it drives, and at least so far, has had bulletproof reliability. I honestly don't know WHAT kind of stupid $ offer I would even consider, since I KNOW I'd want to replace it sooner or later, and the prospect of jumping back into THAT fray is truthfully more frightening a thought to me than the prospect of trying to find a new wife. At least if THAT happens, I've still got my movie star good looks goin' for me...

OMFG now I have to learn about bumpsteer and how to eliminate death wobble

 

[TheBoogieman]

$25,000 and going down. Was $28,500 last week. Still about $10,000 too high IMO. My shorter version was only $9,000.