Bought a Jeep... found this site

J

Jonas

New Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2019
Messages
10
Location
Texas
I'm a car guy but have never been a Jeep guy. I recently picked up a 2003 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. It has a strait 6 with a 5 speed tranny and runs and drives really well. Jeeps seem to be pretty expensive around here so I figure I got a decent deal for $8K plus the previous owner even threw in a second top. The only thing wrong with it is the A/C doesn't blow cold but it's all there and intact. I can fix the A/C myself and will hopefully enjoy this vehicle. It's very fun to drive! The previous owner mentioned that it has a special transfer case? Not really sure what that means. Is 128K considered low mileage for a 15 year old Jeep? Thanks

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Looks good. Check the frame for rust. If the frame is good, that’s a great price. The A/C may just need a recharge.
 
I crawled all over and under it. Everything underneath is nice and dry, no rust issues or leaks. I'm the 3rd owner now... it's been in the Texas hill country all it's life.
 
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Rubicons have a 241 tcase, very low gearing which will help you crawl over rocks
 
128k should be nothing to worry about, and if you're a car guy then you'll be happy to know the 4.0 is easy and cheap to work on. A 4.0 TJ doesn't have a lot known to go wrong, even then, none of it's terribly difficult for someone competent: OPDA, fuel pump or RMS as I recall seem to be the most prevalent (and even then). Mine is a 2000 with almost 120k on it myself and it's going strong with no indications of issues and runs very smooth. There's even a post about one guy that supposedly has 650k original miles on his 4.0 and many people at 300k and more.

Hello from San Antonio, fellow Texan, and welcome!

Edit: I will also say this site is the best! There's a wealth of information out there but this place really has the best resources and dispels a ton of misinformation as well. Oh and yeah, you got a steal of a deal.
 
Yes, the Rubicon comes with Dana 44 axles front and rear, factory lockers, and a 241OR transfer case with a 4.1 low speed crawl ratio. In terms of buying a TJ, you bought the best one you could buy... a Rubicon!

I was a car guy most of my life (BMWs most notably), but after switching to a Jeep Wrangler, I can easily see why people love them so much. It's way more fun than any of my cool cars ever were to drive!
 
That is an amazing deal. I am in your same boat. Totally new to Jeeps and this forum.

Also, I have to compliment your choice of body color and tires. It looks to be in fantastic condition.

The blue might be my favorite (or maroon). I just put on those same tires and they are pretty expensive.

It really looks great.
 
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