Help convince me I am not crazy for buying a TJ (so I can convince my wife)

Johnfromphilly

Johnfromphilly

TJ Enthusiast
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Philadelphia, PA
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.
 
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They are easy to work on...if everything goes right. But it never does, you will have seized rusty bolts, snapped off bolts, lots and lots of things that should be easy but end up taking some ingenuity and experience to get things right.

If you were to buy a new TJ it is easy to work on.

As long as you don’t mind having it out of commission for periods of time when working on things and they don’t go as planned, you should be good. Lots of help available online.

I would do the opposite of what you are and look for the nicest one available, not a junky one that needs work with a rusty body. Body work is difficult and if not done right it will make you regretful.
 
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Agreed, look for one that lived its life in an area where the roads are not salted. The corrosion caused by salt can turn fun easy tasks into torturous ones that will sour you on working on it.

But if you can find one in great condition, especially underneath, you will absolutely LOVE the Jeep experience. There's nothing like cruising with the top off on a warm nice day, your wife would likely love it too. Just be VERY picky about what you buy. Pay less attention to what you can see while walking around the Jeep and more attention about the condition underneath it. Really. :)
 
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If you have basic mechanical skills and a desire to learn as you go and the money to buy the right tools and potentially fix any mistakes you might make, Jeeps are great fun! I was in the same boat as you two years ago and have been having a blast working on my Jeep and learning as I go... but I have spent a TON of money on parts and tools and what not. It's definitely not a cheap endeavor.

But I agree with Vtx, I would avoid buying a POS. Get the cleanest Jeep you can find. I think if I could do it all over again, I would worry less about the mileage, and more about the physical condition of the Jeep.
 
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Vtx531 said:
They are easy to work on...if everything goes right. But it never does, you will have seized rusty bolts, snapped off bolts, lots and lots of things that should be easy but end up taking some ingenuity and experience to get things right.

If you were to buy a new TJ it is easy to work on.

As long as you don’t mind having it out of commission for periods of time when working on things and they don’t go as planned, you should be good. Lots of help available online.

I would do the opposite of what you are and look for the nicest one available, not a junky one that needs work with a rusty body. Body work is difficult and if not done right it will make you regretful.
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Thanks so much for the reply. I have actually waffled back and forth between spending $5k on a "it runs no rust" jeep and $10K on a one owner good looking Rubicon from a dealership who will give a little backup to the purchase. I am leaning towrds spending money but hope that seat rips and cosmetics will save me some money.

I am not afraid of out of service time, I am looking forward to working on it actually. Kids are grown and coaching sports 6 days a week after work used to fill my nights, I need a hobby and don't golf. Haha

Running into roadblocks and getting around them is fun, happens all the time in carpentry and building things.

My concern is more along the lines of haveing to have knowledge that cannot be gained in watching videos and reading. I watched two kids remove a jeep from it's frame and rebuild on a new frame on Yout Tube and there was just so much knowledge there that I don't have. I would love to learn how to bebuild brakes etc but fixing a stuck lifter seems like going to the moon to me at this point. ( I only know what a stuck lifter is beacuse I read a thread about it last week).

Thanks again!
 
Jerry Bransford said:
Agreed, look for one that lived its life in an area where the roads are not salted. The corrosion caused by salt can turn fun easy tasks into torturous ones that will sour you on working on it.

But if you can find one in great condition, especially underneath, you will absolutely LOVE the Jeep experience. There's nothing like cruising with the top off on a warm nice day, your wife would likely love it too. Just be VERY picky about what you buy. Pay less attention to what you can see while walking around the Jeep and more attention about the condition underneath it. Really. :)
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That is my exact plan! Frame inspection is my first stop, if there are any issues I am on to the next one. I know to poke my finger in to check the inside also. I live in PA so good frames are going to be hard to find. I am scared to buy from AZ or CA and have it shipped as I cannot chek it out.
 
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RipSteakface said:
I assume you meant $10k... and brother, if you can find a clean Rubicon for $10k you better jump on it! Or avoid like the plague, because it's probably a scam, lol.
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Yes, sorry 10K, I will edit. I have a dealer selling a 2003 Rubicon (191,000 miles) for $9,990 that I am looking at. First pass at the frame looked good, thinking of doing another visit and driving also but stopped here to start the thread first.
 
They are a great vehicle to learn to work on. There are simple and there's plenty of room in the engine bay. Also, stock parts are readily available and relatively cheap. It's when you start modifying them that they can get pricey.

When buying one, patience is key. I've bought a couple over the last three years that were under $5K. As @Jerry Bransford said, spend more time looking down and less up. If you do this, and are patient, one will pop up. Just be willing to travel and ready to buy!
 
RipSteakface said:
If you have basic mechanical skills and a desire to learn as you go and the money to buy the right tools and potentially fix any mistakes you might make, Jeeps are great fun! I was in the same boat as you two years ago and have been having a blast working on my Jeep and learning as I go... but I have spent a TON of money on parts and tools and what not. It's definitely not a cheap endeavor.

But I agree with Vtx, I would avoid buying a POS. Get the cleanest Jeep you can find. I think if I could do it all over again, I would worry less about the mileage, and more about the physical condition of the Jeep.
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Thanks! I imagine it is a trade off, pay more now or more later to fix. Miles don't worry me much because the engines are so good. The frame and condition of the engine is what I am focusing on.
 
Irun said:
They are a great vehicle to learn to work on. There are simple and there's plenty of room in the engine bay. Also, stock parts are readily available and relatively cheap. It's when you start modifying them that they can get pricey.

When buying one, patience is key. I've bought a couple over the last three years that were under $5K. As @Jerry Bransford said, spend more time looking down and less up. If you do this, and are patient, one will pop up. Just be willing to travel and ready to buy!
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Cool, thanks for the feedback and encouragement! I am trying hard to be patient, it is tough..I want to get to work! Haha
 
Johnfromphilly said:
Cool, thanks for the feedback and encouragement! I am trying hard to be patient, it is tough..I want to get to work! Haha
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Seriously, don't rush. I've been looking on and off for months. I just picked up one for under 4$k that is rust free. FWIW, now is actually a good time to buy, because sales, at least in our area are a little slow now. Typically, the ones that are super clean sell fast and high, but those at a lower price don't move as fast. Gives you room for negotiation. Also, a dealer is typically going to charge more and deal less. Find a owner selling one and you'll get a better deal!
 
I usually enjoy working on mine. One of the things that makes it fun is to have the right tools. You may want to mentally add a budget for useful tools. Because of the TJ mix and match, you may need two tools that are almost the same. For example, metric and SAE sockets and wrenches.

I bought a highly modified '04 Rubicon at the height of the financial panic in '09. It's been fun but I've spent a lot of time and money re-doing it. In your situation, I agree with the advice to get the cleanest stock TJ you can find.

I recommend downloading a pdf of the factory shop manual (here on the forum). The forum is great for helping solve problems. I'd move that down your list of concerns.

Have fun!
 
Irun said:
Seriously, don't rush. I've been looking on and off for months. I just picked up one for under 4$k that is rust free. FWIW, now is actually a good time to buy, because sales, at least in our area are a little slow now. Typically, the ones that are super clean sell fast and high, but those at a lower price don't move as fast. Gives you room for negotiation. Also, a dealer is typically going to charge more and deal less. Find a owner selling one and you'll get a better deal!
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Thanks and congrats on your purchase! The private seller ones I have seen are all over the place in quality and I have not seen one good frame. I know a dealer will cost me more but this is a big dealer locally who would shuffle a bad jeep off to auction. I am willing to spend a little more for the boost in possible quality. This is not a local used car lot, this is a large Nissan dealer who must have taken this in trade. The carfax has it as one owner and local.
 
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Grant Lasson said:
I usually enjoy working on mine. One of the things that makes it fun is to have the right tools. You may want to mentally add a budget for useful tools. Because of the TJ mix and match, you may need two tools that are almost the same. For example, metric and SAE sockets and wrenches.

I bought a highly modified '04 Rubicon at the height of the financial panic in '09. It's been fun but I've spent a lot of time and money re-doing it. In your situation, I agree with the advice to get the cleanest stock TJ you can find.

I recommend downloading a pdf of the factory shop manual (here on the forum). The forum is great for helping solve problems. I'd move that down your list of concerns.

Have fun!
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Thanks! I have a full set of both types of sockets and wrnches and tons of other mechanical tools I just don't have specialty stuff I imagine I will need. I appreciate the tip on the shop manual, thanks!
 
Chris said:
You’re crazy man!
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Serious question, do you think this is a bad idea? I am not talking about doing an engine swap or learning to rebuild a transmission. I am talking swapping a radiator or fixing the heater or AC. and replacing seats etc.

You are an Admin on this forum so I value your opinion.
 
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