After several weeks of not being able to coordinate schedules, I was finally able to go pick up my 2000 TJ 2.5L Hardtop with 153K miles. Here is the piece of advice I would give a new TJ buyer: Don't decide to buy one and then spend a month looking at accessories and upgrades. I feel like I started an F1 team!
It drove well on the drive from southern Utah to Las Vegas. It got really noisy at 70 mph. It sounded like the air was coming from the defrost vent, but was most likely the lip of the hard top. It also had a shimmy right about 50 mph, but handled fine at highway speed.
The paint is decent overall, but has some rough patches. The paint is gone in a localized patch below the cowl on the drivers side where some body lines come together. And there is a small patch of rust on the passenger rocker panel. Thee are also small patches of rust here and there, about the size of pea at the largest. No rust on the frame that I could see.
I had ordered the LED headlights ahead of time so I put those in the next day. I was pleasantly completely flabbergasted by how easy the install was. When it got dark I set about aiming the headlights, but they were pretty close to start.
My son is still learning how to drive a stick, so I didn't give it to him right away. Plus I maybe wanted to drive it around for a while. and I'm glad I was driving it because the pinion seal in the rear differential blew. I bought this jeep with the intention of working on it with my son and considered making this our first (or second if you count the headlights. but it took me longer to take the hard top off.) project, but I just didn't have the time during the week and wanted him to be able to use it on the weekend, so I just took it to my mechanic.
From the moment I saw a picture of this jeep I knew I wanted to change the wheels. I ordered the Spidertrax adapters to mount some JK wheels. The wheels are 2020 take offs with Goodyear Wrangler AT tires so it sits up a little higher, but the wheels don't rub. They also seem to have eliminated the shimmy, which I had been hoping was just tire balance.
He is getting an Alpine head unit and Kicker speakers to replace the dash and soundbar speakers for Christmas. So this thing should be dialed in for.....winter. Hey, it gets cold in the winter in Vegas!
It drove well on the drive from southern Utah to Las Vegas. It got really noisy at 70 mph. It sounded like the air was coming from the defrost vent, but was most likely the lip of the hard top. It also had a shimmy right about 50 mph, but handled fine at highway speed.
The paint is decent overall, but has some rough patches. The paint is gone in a localized patch below the cowl on the drivers side where some body lines come together. And there is a small patch of rust on the passenger rocker panel. Thee are also small patches of rust here and there, about the size of pea at the largest. No rust on the frame that I could see.
I had ordered the LED headlights ahead of time so I put those in the next day. I was pleasantly completely flabbergasted by how easy the install was. When it got dark I set about aiming the headlights, but they were pretty close to start.
My son is still learning how to drive a stick, so I didn't give it to him right away. Plus I maybe wanted to drive it around for a while. and I'm glad I was driving it because the pinion seal in the rear differential blew. I bought this jeep with the intention of working on it with my son and considered making this our first (or second if you count the headlights. but it took me longer to take the hard top off.) project, but I just didn't have the time during the week and wanted him to be able to use it on the weekend, so I just took it to my mechanic.
From the moment I saw a picture of this jeep I knew I wanted to change the wheels. I ordered the Spidertrax adapters to mount some JK wheels. The wheels are 2020 take offs with Goodyear Wrangler AT tires so it sits up a little higher, but the wheels don't rub. They also seem to have eliminated the shimmy, which I had been hoping was just tire balance.
He is getting an Alpine head unit and Kicker speakers to replace the dash and soundbar speakers for Christmas. So this thing should be dialed in for.....winter. Hey, it gets cold in the winter in Vegas!
