The half doors add that curve to the Jeep body that the full doors can’t offer.
Should I buy a 2004 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with 140k miles?
- Thread starter Tzerambo
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I had a 12 with full doors...with the 05 I only wanted half doors....that being said it is a third vehicle of mine and stays in the garage all summer with the top down. For the winter I will put the top and uppers on it and will drive it all winter, but it is not my daily driver.
If you plan on driving it everyday on the highway, make sure you have a pair of full doors. Soft uppers can be noisy and hard to roll down at the drive through. But you're right, for those nice days, you can't beat the look of OEM half doors.
I didn't convert it to an automatic because its 5-speed was a pain while rock crawling, it was primarily because the automatic's traits are simply better suited for extremely difficult trails. It has 2-3x more low-end torque and its infinitely low 1st gear ratio makes an automatic ideal for technical trails. My crawl ratio is amazing. I learned to drive a manual in 1964 and would only buy a manual transmission for a Corvette or Porsche but for a highly technical trail it's very tough to beat how well an automatic does its job there.
fourpointzero
TJ Addict
Rear tub: have it cut and replaced w fiber glass. The fender: replace it w an aftermarket, fairly easy. Costliest part would be matching the paint. I’d simply delete the stockers for tube fenders.
Frame is the biggest issue, if in fact there’s rot or rust INSIDE the frame rails. Still, do some real digging around the tub to make sure there’s nothing else bubbling up. Floor panels, rear upper prt of the tub where the rear roll bar attaches to the back. And look at the body mounts! Especially the middle one’s, below where the doors are.
Looks like a good deal thus far. A little elbow grease, some money and you may have a really nice LJ.
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Frame is the biggest issue, if in fact there’s rot or rust INSIDE the frame rails. Still, do some real digging around the tub to make sure there’s nothing else bubbling up. Floor panels, rear upper prt of the tub where the rear roll bar attaches to the back. And look at the body mounts! Especially the middle one’s, below where the doors are.
Looks like a good deal thus far. A little elbow grease, some money and you may have a really nice LJ.
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Oh good I’m glad I’m not the only one that hears this...
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2005 RHD TJ Sport
2010 BMW 528xi
fourpointzero
TJ Addict
I get similar crap: “looking at that Jeep thing again?!” [emoji16]
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Hey I got some pictures of the frame can you tell me if the frame and under body is in good condition or not?
the PNW guys might say no but for 5K on an LJ if you don't buy it give me your uncles #!
Ok Bud -
I sense you are young , and worried about the transmission because the Jeep is going to take every cent you can scrounge up.
Rust is never good , but if the frame , internally , isn't eaten up, it's going to be a lot of fun for you and your friends, and worth 5000 dollars now easily , and later too.
Have someone check it out , just so you don't waste 5000 bucks.
If you buy it , wear your seat belt , make your friends wear theirs , don't text and drive , and never drink and drive . Sorry , but I'm a dad .
Learn the TJ pledge , and never engage in any behavior unbecoming of a TJ owner , such as blocking one nostril and blowing snot or passing gas in mixed company . Be nice to Jk owners , but not too nice , just sociable and try make them feel ok. Say things like , hey , nice Jeep. They like that .
If the transmission hasn't been serviced routinely, it may he best to leave it alone . Often a complete fluid change can cause strange issues with unserviced automatic transmissions of all makes with higher mileage . Transmission fluid is so high detergent you can wash your hands with it.
That can affect internal parts that are glazed .
Anyway , thank your uncle , he's being good to you , and wants you to have it .
A first car that's a Jeep is pretty special.
I sense you are young , and worried about the transmission because the Jeep is going to take every cent you can scrounge up.
Rust is never good , but if the frame , internally , isn't eaten up, it's going to be a lot of fun for you and your friends, and worth 5000 dollars now easily , and later too.
Have someone check it out , just so you don't waste 5000 bucks.
If you buy it , wear your seat belt , make your friends wear theirs , don't text and drive , and never drink and drive . Sorry , but I'm a dad .
Learn the TJ pledge , and never engage in any behavior unbecoming of a TJ owner , such as blocking one nostril and blowing snot or passing gas in mixed company . Be nice to Jk owners , but not too nice , just sociable and try make them feel ok. Say things like , hey , nice Jeep. They like that .
If the transmission hasn't been serviced routinely, it may he best to leave it alone . Often a complete fluid change can cause strange issues with unserviced automatic transmissions of all makes with higher mileage . Transmission fluid is so high detergent you can wash your hands with it.
That can affect internal parts that are glazed .
Anyway , thank your uncle , he's being good to you , and wants you to have it .
A first car that's a Jeep is pretty special.
Yeah just wanting to research as much as possible as it’s a good practice before making big decisions just as this. Yeah the trans seems to be solid in this Jeep as I have drove it and the shifts are good and it’s got the 4.0L so I’m not worried to much with that considering it has had routine oil changes and it’s a very reliable engine. And we have the JL owners to bag on now but we’re still going to look down at the jks too . Nah I don’t care how new it is it’s still a Jeep jk. Just kidding.
It will serve you well in life to comprehend things before you spend your money ...and strive to develop a balance ..so that you don't get analysis paralysis and miss opportunities.
Two potential problems... 1) They changed the oil pump drives assembly (aka OPDA in many Jeep forum threads) design in 2005 and many (not all) have had lubrication issues with one of the bearings... as in no lubrication. There is a kit to help with that problem but it doesn't fix it 100% of the time 100% permanently. It takes out the gear at the bottom of the distributor assembly and if it goes too long can take out the gear on the camshaft it seats into. The first clue of the problem is a screeching/squeaking sound in the OPDA. 2) A software bug in the 42RLE transmission computer can cause transmission problems. Going into limp mode and not shifting correctly. Supposedly that can be fixed with a software refresh but I'm not up on the details of easy of a process that is. I've even heard the software update doesn't mention fixing that problem, even though it does, so some dealers are reluctant to agree to perform it if you come in complaining about a transmission problem.
My 2006 4.0 / 42LRE, has 173371 miles on it. Until the PMC going out I have had no trouble, but I am the first owner, I bought it in March 2007. I am thinking of taking the PMC in for a software update. What do you think.
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There is probably no threat of that frame breaking in half anytime soon, but if you plan on keeping it forever, some sort of frame fix is going to be needed at some point. TJ frames rot from the inside out. If you put your finger in one of the larger holes in the frame, I'm sure you'll find plenty of rust chunks that used to be your frame. If you buy this jeep, keep an eye on the frame. Once a hole appears from rust, it is probably time to consider fixing it either with weld in segments or a full frame swap. That hole could appear sometime soon, but with a frame in that condition there isn't much you can do to stop it.
That being said, I would buy it any day of the week for $5k.
I would guess you probably have another 4 - 9 years out of that frame. That is a really rough guess. It is hard to tell from photos because rust on the outside doesn't really mean much. My frame looks similar if not a little better than that on the outside, but it is completely rusted out in the inside.