The post topic was partly funny and mostly true..I am brand new to the forum and appreciate all of the info here!
I am looking to buy a TJ, it will be my first Jeep. I have wanted a Jeep since I was a teenager (I am 51) and saw a CJ for sale in my neighborhood and dreamed of it. I am looking to buy a TJ for driving around town and getting around at our beach house in the summer. I will not be trail riding (as far as I know), just looking for a little top off manual driving fun. For that purpose I am looking to spend less money and get a banged up Jeep that may need some work, basic stuff like ripped seats, body rust (not frame!), bad dash etc. I have read many posts here and other places about what to look for in a used Jeep so I know to deeply investigate the frame condition and also the engine and transmission. I am also going to have my trusted mechanic do a total inspectrion on any Jeep before I buy it.
Here is my issue, I have never worked on cars beyond the basic upkeep. I have no mechanical training at all. I have good carpentry skills and like working with my hands and learning but I never had a father or brother or friend into cars so I never learned. We did carpentry and built houses and did renovations.
I read the threads and watch You Tube videos of the work that many of you and others do and it is amazing. How easy will it be for me to learn as I go with a Jeep like a 2003 TJ? I keep hearing that they are easy to work on and parts are resily available. If the transmission needs to be rebuilt I am not tackling something like that but brake replacement, Alternator, belts etc are things I think I can learn. I will have to also invest in some specialty tools I would imagine but I have done that for years with carpentry projects, buy a tool for one job and you have it forever. Thats why I have a garage full of tools, haha.
So...am I crazy to buy a Jeep that may need some work and thinking I can learn to fix it as I go? I am hopefull this is something I can do and then have a nice Jeep to run and then build on and add things to and have a keeper.
Thanks for any input to a TOTAL newcomer.
I am looking to buy a TJ, it will be my first Jeep. I have wanted a Jeep since I was a teenager (I am 51) and saw a CJ for sale in my neighborhood and dreamed of it. I am looking to buy a TJ for driving around town and getting around at our beach house in the summer. I will not be trail riding (as far as I know), just looking for a little top off manual driving fun. For that purpose I am looking to spend less money and get a banged up Jeep that may need some work, basic stuff like ripped seats, body rust (not frame!), bad dash etc. I have read many posts here and other places about what to look for in a used Jeep so I know to deeply investigate the frame condition and also the engine and transmission. I am also going to have my trusted mechanic do a total inspectrion on any Jeep before I buy it.
Here is my issue, I have never worked on cars beyond the basic upkeep. I have no mechanical training at all. I have good carpentry skills and like working with my hands and learning but I never had a father or brother or friend into cars so I never learned. We did carpentry and built houses and did renovations.
I read the threads and watch You Tube videos of the work that many of you and others do and it is amazing. How easy will it be for me to learn as I go with a Jeep like a 2003 TJ? I keep hearing that they are easy to work on and parts are resily available. If the transmission needs to be rebuilt I am not tackling something like that but brake replacement, Alternator, belts etc are things I think I can learn. I will have to also invest in some specialty tools I would imagine but I have done that for years with carpentry projects, buy a tool for one job and you have it forever. Thats why I have a garage full of tools, haha.
So...am I crazy to buy a Jeep that may need some work and thinking I can learn to fix it as I go? I am hopefull this is something I can do and then have a nice Jeep to run and then build on and add things to and have a keeper.
Thanks for any input to a TOTAL newcomer.