Advice on selling my 2004 Rubicon

c_goo522

Mountain Lover - Patiently awaiting my next TJ
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May 3, 2021
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9
Location
Cali
Hey all, I'm considering selling my 2004 manual Rubicon with a little less than 82k miles. Mostly because the original owner who I bought it from put a 4inch lift and 35s on it for his annual trip to Moab and I just don't intend to use it for difficult offroading. When I do it's on rural California mountain/dirt roads (preferably with a guardrail, I'm still recovering from a traumatic experience on Schofield Pass CO ten years ago), which I'm sure any stock or slightly lifted TJ could handle. I need more of a daily driver for my short trip to work. My intention is to free up the money and look for another TJ of slightly older vintage that I don't need to pole vault into.

Anyhoo, I was about to list it and thought maybe I should put it out to the other jeep folk out there for a reality check, am I crazy for selling it? Should I just hang on to it and over time change it to fit my needs better? It just seems super expensive and silly to lower it when someone else might use it that way... so I thought I would look for another one more suited to my needs. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks
~Christie

IMG_7647.jpg
 
I can’t tell if that’s missing paint on the hood or a reflection but that appears to be a really nice low mile Rubicon. If it spent its life in California it is likely to be rust free and judging by the Curry antirock it probably has a pretty nice lift as well. You should be able to sell it for a premium especially in today’s market.

That said, they aren’t making any more of these and decent examples are increasingly hard to find. It would be hard for me to get rid of it knowing that. I don’t think you would be losing any money if you keep it and enjoy it for a few years. If you need something else to daily, I would get a reliable econobox and try to keep the Rubicon. Even if you sold it for 18k that might not really make much of a dent in a new car these days.
 
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I'd keep it and and drop it back down to 33's or less if you need. It's a Rubi with locking front and rear diff's and fairly low miles. The Rubicon stock is a very capable Jeep.
Make it work for you because that's all that matters!
Beautiful Jeep by the way!
 
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I can’t tell if that’s missing paint on the hood or a reflection but that appears to be a really nice low mile Rubicon. If it spent its life in California it is likely to be rust free and judging by the Curry antirock it probably has a pretty nice lift as well. You should be able to sell it for a premium especially in today’s market.

That said, they aren’t making any more of these and decent examples are increasingly hard to find. It would be hard for me to get rid of it knowing that. I don’t think you would be losing any money if you keep it and enjoy it for a few years. If you need something else to daily, I would get a reliable econobox and try to keep the Rubicon. Even if you sold it for 18k that might not really make much of a dent in a new car these days.
Thank you, yeah it's missing some paint in that one spot and has a very slow seep from the RMS, those are the only issues. I already have an econobox as well :)

I was just thinking since I'm not really using it for what it's been modified for, maybe I should pass it along to someone who would. And then look for a stock TJ... arg it's a tough choice
 
I'd keep it and and drop it back down to 33's or less if you need. It's a Rubi with locking front and rear diff's and fairly low miles. The Rubicon stock is a very capable Jeep.
Make it work for you because that's all that matters!
Beautiful Jeep by the way!
Thank you! OK maybe I'll hold off a bit and think it over...
 
Thank you! OK maybe I'll hold off a bit and think it over...
Another thought is you know the issues with this Jeep and there aren't many. If you buy a different one you'll certainly be higher mileage and who knows what issues you could be walking into. 2004 was a great year for Rubicons versus later years due to a couple issues like PCM and OPDA.
Of course I'm bias since I have a 2004 Rubi as well.
 
Upside- they bring top dollar right now - seriously. If you sell it, be sure- you won’t easily or cheaply replace it with a similar TJR.

Downside - I was out in yours in the middle of the night last night- it needs gas.
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Another thought is you know the issues with this Jeep and there aren't many. If you buy a different one you'll certainly be higher mileage and who knows what issues you could be walking into. 2004 was a great year for Rubicons versus later years due to a couple issues like PCM and OPDA.
Of course I'm bias since I have a 2004 Rubi as well.
That's true, I've been shopping online and the low mileage ones are few and far between..

And I welcome any and all thoughts, even biased ones :)
 
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We can help you make it ride better, with the current lift you have. A 33 all terrain vs 35 mud terrain can make a huge difference in ride quality and drivability. The type of shocks you have and how well they match your lift is another huge factor that we can help you diagnose.

I'd keep it and "fix" it.
 
If it has a long/mid arm kit that removed the factory control arm mounts I'd consider selling it as is. If it has the stock control arm mounts on the frame I'd go all the way back to stock. You'll enjoy it much more the closer to stock you get and the closer to stock you get the higher the value will be long term.
 
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We can help you make it ride better, with the current lift you have. A 33 all terrain vs 35 mud terrain can make a huge difference in ride quality and drivability. The type of shocks you have and how well they match your lift is another huge factor that we can help you diagnose.

I'd keep it and "fix" it.
He is telling you so true


There is light years of difference between 35 inch mud tires and 33 inch all-terrains-

This is just a comment but the way these things behave with different tire types and sizes is really pretty amazing- I’ve got three sets of wheels,2 TJ’s And have had 5- If everything is equal the ride and drive quality gets down to the tires and tire work- Just the load range and in my opinion even the age of the tires and pliability of the carcass can make a difference.
 
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We can help you make it ride better, with the current lift you have. A 33 all terrain vs 35 mud terrain can make a huge difference in ride quality and drivability. The type of shocks you have and how well they match your lift is another huge factor that we can help you diagnose.

I'd keep it and "fix" it.
Thank you, It honestly doesn't ride that rough to me (but this is my first TJ and I have nothing to compare it to) it's more just I feel like my things have to be of use to me and if I'm not using it... but yes if I could put 33s on it with the current lift that might help
 
If it has a long/mid arm kit that removed the factory control arm mounts I'd consider selling it as is. If it has the stock control arm mounts on the frame I'd go all the way back to stock. You'll enjoy it much more the closer to stock you get and the closer to stock you get the higher the value will be long term.
Oh my... maybe my neighbor could look 😂

But here is a pic of the receipt from when that was done, can you tell by looking?

IMG_1325.jpg
 
We can see it has a long arm suspension system.

Rancho RS9000x adjustable shocks are usually a bit stiff even at the lowest setting because TJ is light.
 
One picture by the front driver wheel like this would answer the question. I'm not really an expert on long arm suspension, I don't know if any keep the mounts. These are what I'd want still attached to the Jeep.

front.jpg
 
Hey all, I'm considering selling my 2004 manual Rubicon with a little less than 82k miles. Mostly because the original owner who I bought it from put a 4inch lift and 35s on it for his annual trip to Moab and I just don't intend to use it for difficult offroading. When I do it's on rural California mountain/dirt roads (preferably with a guardrail, I'm still recovering from a traumatic experience on Schofield Pass CO ten years ago), which I'm sure any stock or slightly lifted TJ could handle. I need more of a daily driver for my short trip to work. My intention is to free up the money and look for another TJ of slightly older vintage that I don't need to pole vault into.

Anyhoo, I was about to list it and thought maybe I should put it out to the other jeep folk out there for a reality check, am I crazy for selling it? Should I just hang on to it and over time change it to fit my needs better? It just seems super expensive and silly to lower it when someone else might use it that way... so I thought I would look for another one more suited to my needs. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks
~Christie

View attachment 332836


@bobthetj03 you have to see this
 
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