Advice on potential LJ Rubicon "Rubihara" purchase

You know the saying "if it sounds to good to be true, it probably isn't".

Well, a clean Rubihara would sell for far more than 12.5k. The ones I see for sale in clean condition are around 25-35k all day long.

I wouldn't buy that thing without seeing photos of the frame and underside... the number one thing to look for on a TJ and LJ is rust, and I'm betting for that price the frame is bad.

So, hopefully you have pictures for us!


I’ll go take some pictures now...
 
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Get the VIN and run a build sheet to be sure it is really a Rubihara.

I called jeep and they confirmed

57A97F39-205A-43CA-9BB6-1BD09165E356.webp
 
Buy it if its rust free. A discount would be nice but its a steal at 12.5.
 
Well there’s an envelope here with 12.5k. Just have to get her to get the pink slip. She’s never sold a car so this is a mess. Totally unprepared she was.

Nice solid foundation to begin with. Looking forward to seeing what you do with your future Jeep :)

I think her not knowing what she’s doing is to your advantage here.
 
You are getting a tremendous deal. Just because it sounds to good to be true doesn't always matter, especially when factoring in the good being sold and the Sellers situation.

If she went to trade this into a dealership she probably would get $8k for a 165k mile jeep that is 13 years old.

She may need cash to buy another vehicle so she wants a quick sale and doesn't want to sit on it.

Could she get $20k if she sat on it and cycled through many potential buyers who are all trying to haggle the price down, possibly yes, but in the Sellers eyes $12.5k cash and be done with it.

Every Seller is in a different situation, and I do GENERALLY agree with @Chris prior comment about if it seems to good to be true it most likely is....but diamonds in the rough do exist, and you just found a mint one.
 
Shocking... For that price I was certain it had a rusted frame.

You my friend have struck gold!
 
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You are getting a tremendous deal. Just because it sounds to good to be true doesn't always matter, especially when factoring in the good being sold and the Sellers situation.

If she went to trade this into a dealership she probably would get $8k for a 165k mile jeep that is 13 years old.

She may need cash to buy another vehicle so she wants a quick sale and doesn't want to sit on it.

Could she get $20k if she sat on it and cycled through many potential buyers who are all trying to haggle the price down, possibly yes, but in the Sellers eyes $12.5k cash and be done with it.

Every Seller is in a different situation, and I do GENERALLY agree with @Chris prior comment about if it seems to good to be true it most likely is....but diamonds in the rough do exist, and you just found a mint one.
That wouldn’t sell for anywhere close to 20k tho lol. It’s alot of miles. I would say 15-17k in that range somebody might have paid...that’s top of the mark. It’s a good deal no doubt tho. Frame is super clean
 
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I could care less about mileage. All I care about is rust.

But from a selling standpoint, yes, higher miles is always a harder sell, because most people just don't know any better.
 
For that price I could have bought it and put it in storage until the wedding was over hahaha

This is what you need to do... buy one, put it in a storage unit, and then don't tell your wife. Say you bought it after the wedding ;)
 
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That wouldn’t sell for anywhere close to 20k tho lol. It’s alot of miles. I would say 15-17k in that range somebody might have paid...that’s top of the mark. It’s a good deal no doubt tho. Frame is super clean

While I would never pay that much, I do believe one could fetch $20k if they sat on it for a year, as I stated, and like you, I would also laugh at that price tag. Eventually a Buyer that wants an unmolested Rubihara with clean frame will pay up for it.
 
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