Kicking the tires on a Rubicon

[Spaztrick]

So, I've decided that I'm upgrading to an 05-06 Rubicon. What are the major things I need to inspect before pulling the trigger? I've got the basics, especially no rust, and I've inspected build sheets to see where and what was delivered in the beginning. One of my biggest questions is, how can I be sure of proper locker operations? It's been said, "you don't know what you don't know", so I'm throwing it out there. Thanks in advance!

 

[doug schlosser]

So, I've decided that I'm upgrading to an 05-06 Rubicon. What are the major things I need to inspect before pulling the trigger? I've got the basics, especially no rust, and I've inspected build sheets to see where and what was delivered in the beginning. One of my biggest questions is, how can I be sure of proper locker operations? It's been said, "you don't know what you don't know", so I'm throwing it out there. Thanks in advance!

So, I've decided that I'm upgrading to an 05-06 Rubicon. What are the major things I need to inspect before pulling the trigger? I've got the basics, especially no rust, and I've inspected build sheets to see where and what was delivered in the beginning. One of my biggest questions is, how can I be sure of proper locker operations? It's been said, "you don't know what you don't know", so I'm throwing it out there. Thanks in advance!

take somewhere and try them.they will only work in low range at low speed like 10 or 15mph.

 

[Chris]

First and foremost, rust is always the biggest thing to look for.

Aside from that, the only thing you really need to make sure of is that the Rubicon axles work. Put it in 4 LO, flip the locker switch up (to engage the front locker), then flip it down (to engage the rear). If the locker lights are flashing on the dash, it means that the lockers aren't engaged and you need to roll a bit more forward (like 1-2 mph at most) to engage them. Once the lights are solid, your axles are locked.

When the axles are locked, you should barely be able to turn. They won't work past 15 mph I believe it is for safety reasons.

Other than that, I don't think you need to look for anything other than you'd look for on a standard TJ.

 

[Spaztrick]

First and foremost, rust is always the biggest thing to look for.

Aside from that, the only thing you really need to make sure of is that the Rubicon axles work. Put it in 4 LO, flip the locker switch up (to engage the front locker), then flip it down (to engage the rear). If the locker lights are flashing on the dash, it means that the lockers aren't engaged and you need to roll a bit more forward (like 1-2 mph at most) to engage them. Once the lights are solid, your axles are locked.

When the axles are locked, you should barely be able to turn. They won't work past 15 mph I believe it is for safety reasons.

Other than that, I don't think you need to look for anything other than you'd look for on a standard TJ.

Perfect! Thank you! I found a sweet low mile rig but they wanted way too much for it.

 

[Spaztrick]

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used-Jeep-Wrangler-Puyallup-d494_L37905#listing=208906256

 

[Chris]

Perfect! Thank you! I found a sweet low mile rig but they wanted way too much for it. View attachment 51912 View attachment 51913

I saw that one on Craigslist the other day! That's what I paid ($20,000) for my last TJ Rubicon with 60k on the odometer, super clean, and no rust.

My current Rubicon I stole for $17,000 from a local dealer here in Oregon who didn't know what they had. 55k miles, no rust whatsoever, one owner, and in great condition.

 

[Spaztrick]

I saw that one on Craigslist the other day! That's what I paid ($20,000) for my last TJ Rubicon with 60k on the odometer, super clean, and no rust.

My current Rubicon I stole for $17,000 from a local dealer here in Oregon who didn't know what they had. 55k miles, no rust whatsoever, one owner, and in great condition.

Damn! Some guys have all the luck! You be sure and hit me up if you see anything pop up, please?

 

[Chris]

Damn! Some guys have all the luck! You be sure and hit me up if you see anything pop up, please?

Will do for sure! I've shopped around enough here in the PNW to know that clean, low mileage Rubicons with no rust typically go for around 16-20k depending.

The ones you find for 12k are almost always hiding something, which is usually rust.

Case in point:
https://portland.craigslist.org/ctd/d/2004-jeep-wrangler-rubicon/6662806505.html

That one is so cheap that there has to be something going on with it other than just high miles. I wouldn't be surprised if it's got a lot of rust or something, because even with the miles, that price is still too good.

I've had my eye on this one down here in West Linn, Oregon for a while. This one has some very sweet mods, especially those seats! It looks super clean as well:

https://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/d/2003-jeep-wrangler-rubicon-tj/6663152625.html

 

[Spaztrick]

Will do for sure! I've shopped around enough here in the PNW to know that clean, low mileage Rubicons with no rust typically go for around 16-20k depending.

The ones you find for 12k are almost always hiding something, which is usually rust.

Case in point:
https://portland.craigslist.org/ctd/d/2004-jeep-wrangler-rubicon/6662806505.html

That one is so cheap that there has to be something going on with it other than just high miles. I wouldn't be surprised if it's got a lot of rust or something, because even with the miles, that price is still too good.

I've had my eye on this one down here in West Linn, Oregon for a while. This one has some very sweet mods, especially those seats! It looks super clean as well:

https://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/d/2003-jeep-wrangler-rubicon-tj/6663152625.html

I saw that West Linn one too. Those seats are bad-ass! I asked him about the rear seat and he said it was a major pain to pull it out. I've kinda got a thing for the 6 speed, which is why I'm specifically interested in 05-06 models. I was told the 5 speeds aren't as built as the 6 speed, any truth to that?

 

[Chris]

I saw that West Linn one too. Those seats are bad-ass! I asked him about the rear seat and he said it was a major pain to pull it out. I've kinda got a thing for the 6 speed, which is why I'm specifically interested in 05-06 models. I was told the 5 speeds aren't as built as the 6 speed, any truth to that?

Other way around actually, the 5 speeds are better than the 6 speeds is my understanding, they're also a lot less noisy than those obnoxious 6 speeds.

In addition, the 03-04 is considered the best years of the TJ Rubicon. No OPDA issue (though that issue isn't super common), and they don't have some of the other B.S. they added to the 05-06 models.

Mine is an 05, but I would have rather had an 03-04 if I could have found one when I was searching.

 

[Spaztrick]

Other way around actually, the 5 speeds are better than the 6 speeds is my understanding, they're also a lot less noisy than those obnoxious 6 speeds.

In addition, the 03-04 is considered the best years of the TJ Rubicon. No OPDA issue (though that issue isn't super common), and they don't have some of the other B.S. they added to the 05-06 models.

Mine is an 05, but I would have rather had an 03-04 if I could have found one when I was searching.

No kidding! Ok then. I'm revisiting my wish list! I knew about the OPDA thing, but it seemed easy enough to replace and update to a better design. Hmmmmmm....

 

[Chris]

No kidding! Ok then. I'm revisiting my wish list! I knew about the OPDA thing, but it seemed easy enough to replace and update to a better design. Hmmmmmm....

Honestly, the OPDA isn't that big of an issue, truly. However, they did some odd things on the 05-06 models like combined the PCM and TCM into one module, added more emissions, and a lot of other stuff that confuses me and annoys me at the same time. Most if it no one would ever notice, but a good example is the gas tank. If you order a GenRight fuel tank for a 05-06 model, it's $250 more expensive due to all the other crap they added on the 05-06 models that have to do with emissions.

I'm simply saying, don't exclude 03-04, those are good years, and everything I've read points to the 5 speed actually being a little better than the 6 speed.

 

[Spaztrick]

Honestly, the OPDA isn't that big of an issue, truly. However, they did some odd things on the 05-06 models like combined the PCM and TCM into one module, added more emissions, and a lot of other stuff that confuses me and annoys me at the same time. Most if it no one would ever notice, but a good example is the gas tank. If you order a GenRight fuel tank for a 05-06 model, it's $250 more expensive due to all the other crap they added on the 05-06 models that have to do with emissions.

I'm simply saying, don't exclude 03-04, those are good years, and everything I've read points to the 5 speed actually being a little better than the 6 speed.

Right on! And this was just exactly what I was hoping to find out. Thanks for the information, I appreciate it greatly!

 

[Chris]

Right on! And this was just exactly what I was hoping to find out. Thanks for the information, I appreciate it greatly!

No problem at all! You live in the best region in the country to find nice Rubicons, that's for sure!

 

[psrivats]

I saw that one on Craigslist the other day! That's what I paid ($20,000) for my last TJ Rubicon with 60k on the odometer, super clean, and no rust.

My current Rubicon I stole for $17,000 from a local dealer here in Oregon who didn't know what they had. 55k miles, no rust whatsoever, one owner, and in great condition.

I paid 16k for my Rubicon with no rust and 56k miles on CL private party, pretty close to @Chris. That's about the best deal I found and I immediately acted on it. The deals are out there but you have to check 2-3x a day. I set up auto alerts in CL and browsed the local dealer websites 2x a week. Took me a while but I got myself a good one. The information available on this forum helped me make a good decision. I really wanted a 04 Rubicon in dark green, but ended up with a black 05. I don't regret buying my Jeep one bit whatsoever. I wish I had gotten it much earlier infact but ah well.


Things to check on Rubicons:

0. Rust, rust, rust - no matter how sweet the price is, or how nice the body/interior looks, walk away from Jeeps with heavy frame rust. It'll really cost you on the long run.

1. Make sure the vehicle has Dana 44 both front and rear with 4.10 gears. I've heard of unscuplous sellers replacing the axles with ones from other TJ trims and passing them off to less careful buyers.

2. Make sure both front and rear lockers work.

3. If buying 05-06 models, read about OPDA issue and make sure you are aware of how to check for it. My TJR did not have it, but I replaced it with the Crown replacement after reading about it here.

4. If the vehicle is lifted, make sure you get information on what components are used. Read @Chris very detailed thread on lifts and understand what's on the vehicle . You might want to replace/upgrade anyway, but improperly done lifts with bad components can lead to vibration/wobble issues that may be pretty expensive later on.

5. Have a good mechanic you trust check the rear main seal. Mine had a leak as most Jeeps but I was able to use this to bargain a bit on the price.

6. Wheels and tires - once again you might end up upgrading anyway later on after purchase, but make sure whatever you get is not bottom bin stuff. Mods and upgrades post purchase gets expensive and you can spread out things a bit if you don't totally hate what you get.

 

[Spaztrick]

I'm definitely loving that!

 

[psrivats]

Will do for sure! I've shopped around enough here in the PNW to know that clean, low mileage Rubicons with no rust typically go for around 16-20k depending.

The ones you find for 12k are almost always hiding something, which is usually rust.

Case in point:
https://portland.craigslist.org/ctd/d/2004-jeep-wrangler-rubicon/6662806505.html

That one is so cheap that there has to be something going on with it other than just high miles. I wouldn't be surprised if it's got a lot of rust or something, because even with the miles, that price is still too good.

I've had my eye on this one down here in West Linn, Oregon for a while. This one has some very sweet mods, especially those seats! It looks super clean as well:

https://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/d/2003-jeep-wrangler-rubicon-tj/6663152625.html

Chris, I also saw that West Linn one. I really love those seats and considering them for future. That guy is not too far from me, if you are interested I can go take a look in person. It looks like a sweet rig.

 

[Chris]

Chris, I also saw that West Linn one. I really love those seats and considering them for future. That guy is not too far from me, if you are interested I can go take a look in person. It looks like a sweet rig.

Oh, I'm not interested, but maybe @Spaztrick is. It looks awesome in the photos, and I too am thinking about those seats sometime in the future.

 

[psrivats]

Oh, I'm not interested, but maybe @Spaztrick is. It looks awesome in the photos, and I too am thinking about those seats sometime in the future.

I was the one who sent that link to @Spaztrick earlier

 

[Spaztrick]

I was the one who sent that link to @Spaztrick earlier

Yes you did, and thank you again!