From '94-'07 I was an avid Jeep hobbyist to say the least. In '07 I sold everything Jeep I had acquired and sidelined the hobby/lifestyle anticipating the arrival of our 2nd child. In 2016, I got the bug again and went shopping. Finally in Dec 2016, a week before Christmas, I drove home my 2006 LJR.
The twice-removed previous owner had an incident which lead to the LJ making its way to auction. The LJ lived in Texas, a few southern states, and a brief stint in Pennsylvania during its life. This pic shows the LJ in the condition as the previous owner acquired it. Astute readers will have noticed the rare and highly(?) desirable 235/75R16 Yartu all-season tires.
The previous owner fixed & flipped Jeeps, so this was an easy repair for them. They had a light khaki TJR with rear damage, so they moved the front clip to the LJR. I found the ad on eBay in Oct 2016. The next series of pics show the state of the LJ in the ads: '06, NSG370, 160k miles, salvage Kentucky title. The October auction listing price was ~$13,500.
The PO bought and installed a new Rugged Ridge soft top with tinted windows, new windshield, new 2.5" Rough Country springs, shocks, & steering stabilizer, the bumper monstrosity and Badlands winch adorning the front, and installed the DC2s w/ 33x12.50x15 BFG ATs from elsewhere in their inventory. The PO coated the fender flares, rocker guards, and nerf bars in Rhino liner.
Sweet, sweet Yartu spare makin' followers jealous.
Dirty, dirty interior.
From October-Dec, I stalked the auction. The price was reduced at every re-listing. After all, Christmas was approaching. By early December the list price had dropped to $9500 and ended unsuccessfully. Who the hell buys salvage Jeeps a just before Christmas? I do. I contacted the seller, did the price dance and agreed to $9000. I bought a one-way flight to Kentucky, brought my then 11-yo son on a companion ticket, and had my friend pick us up ad take us to the shop.
The day before I left for Kentucky, the seller called and offered to include a hard top for an extra $2k. I countered with trading the bumper, winch, and DC2s/ATs for the hard top and stock wheels. The seller accepted the deal, so yay hard top!
The LJ tested out and drove as I expected, so the seller's ad was accurate. The Yartus wouldn't balance and were not in any reasonable condition to endure a 6hr drive back to MI. The DC2s were included in the sale. My son and I hit the road in a beater Jeep with crappy heater and candle-powered headlights. We made it home without issue.
Now on to pissing away years of saved discretionary income. . .
The twice-removed previous owner had an incident which lead to the LJ making its way to auction. The LJ lived in Texas, a few southern states, and a brief stint in Pennsylvania during its life. This pic shows the LJ in the condition as the previous owner acquired it. Astute readers will have noticed the rare and highly(?) desirable 235/75R16 Yartu all-season tires.
The previous owner fixed & flipped Jeeps, so this was an easy repair for them. They had a light khaki TJR with rear damage, so they moved the front clip to the LJR. I found the ad on eBay in Oct 2016. The next series of pics show the state of the LJ in the ads: '06, NSG370, 160k miles, salvage Kentucky title. The October auction listing price was ~$13,500.
The PO bought and installed a new Rugged Ridge soft top with tinted windows, new windshield, new 2.5" Rough Country springs, shocks, & steering stabilizer, the bumper monstrosity and Badlands winch adorning the front, and installed the DC2s w/ 33x12.50x15 BFG ATs from elsewhere in their inventory. The PO coated the fender flares, rocker guards, and nerf bars in Rhino liner.
Sweet, sweet Yartu spare makin' followers jealous.
Dirty, dirty interior.
From October-Dec, I stalked the auction. The price was reduced at every re-listing. After all, Christmas was approaching. By early December the list price had dropped to $9500 and ended unsuccessfully. Who the hell buys salvage Jeeps a just before Christmas? I do. I contacted the seller, did the price dance and agreed to $9000. I bought a one-way flight to Kentucky, brought my then 11-yo son on a companion ticket, and had my friend pick us up ad take us to the shop.
The day before I left for Kentucky, the seller called and offered to include a hard top for an extra $2k. I countered with trading the bumper, winch, and DC2s/ATs for the hard top and stock wheels. The seller accepted the deal, so yay hard top!
The LJ tested out and drove as I expected, so the seller's ad was accurate. The Yartus wouldn't balance and were not in any reasonable condition to endure a 6hr drive back to MI. The DC2s were included in the sale. My son and I hit the road in a beater Jeep with crappy heater and candle-powered headlights. We made it home without issue.
Now on to pissing away years of saved discretionary income. . .