Would love to have any advice that you are willing to share on the purchase of a Jeep Wrangler TJ. We are considering the purchase of a 2000-2006, with an automatic transmission. Although we are prepared to do the maintenance and repairs, if there is a certain year with more problems, certain things to look for etc. we would be appreciative of the help!
Advice on purchasing a 2000-2006 Jeep Wrangler TJ
- Thread starter BASEBALL0302
- Start date
Check out this thread:
What should I look for when buying a used Wrangler TJ?
I wouldn't worry about any years, as I personally do not believe any of them are more prone to issues than others. Rust is the main thing you should be concerned with.
What should I look for when buying a used Wrangler TJ?
I wouldn't worry about any years, as I personally do not believe any of them are more prone to issues than others. Rust is the main thing you should be concerned with.
Ethan Coderre
New Member
Like Chris said, rust is always important. If there is much rust, don't buy it. Period, no matter how nice everything else looks, it'll end up costing you tons of money in the long run.
Also like Chris said, the years are all very close to the same thing, they differ in things like how you turn on the lights or the ac/ heat control panel and so on. Main thing to look at is the miles and how well it is taken care of.
I have a 2.5L which is awesome off-road because of the gearing. I also have a soft top with half doors.
I would not do this again if I were to go back in time. I would get a 4.0L because 2.5L do not come from the factory with ac, I live in NC where it is humid and 80+ for half the year. Also, the soft top is awesome but the half doors are not, they are annoying and they don't look as nice as full doors.
Lastly, buy it stock. You'll see pictures online of people flexing out their jeeps on their advertisements, don't even look at those. I know what kind of abuse my Jeep has been put through off-road and I know what kind of problems that has created. If they wheel their Jeep then it has been beat up. If you buy it stock, the chances of it being wheeled are a lot less, along with that, you will put parts on that you personally installed and you can trust.
Also like Chris said, the years are all very close to the same thing, they differ in things like how you turn on the lights or the ac/ heat control panel and so on. Main thing to look at is the miles and how well it is taken care of.
I have a 2.5L which is awesome off-road because of the gearing. I also have a soft top with half doors.
I would not do this again if I were to go back in time. I would get a 4.0L because 2.5L do not come from the factory with ac, I live in NC where it is humid and 80+ for half the year. Also, the soft top is awesome but the half doors are not, they are annoying and they don't look as nice as full doors.
Lastly, buy it stock. You'll see pictures online of people flexing out their jeeps on their advertisements, don't even look at those. I know what kind of abuse my Jeep has been put through off-road and I know what kind of problems that has created. If they wheel their Jeep then it has been beat up. If you buy it stock, the chances of it being wheeled are a lot less, along with that, you will put parts on that you personally installed and you can trust.
What Chris said.
Rust is the #1 issue to worry about. My new-to-me 02 has a great frame and tub for being in the rust belt. Only the passenger side front fender has any rust to contend with....until I replaced my OEM subwoofer and found a nice patch bubbled up next to the e-brake lever. I'll have to deal with that later....
Rust is the #1 issue to worry about. My new-to-me 02 has a great frame and tub for being in the rust belt. Only the passenger side front fender has any rust to contend with....until I replaced my OEM subwoofer and found a nice patch bubbled up next to the e-brake lever. I'll have to deal with that later....
2000-2002 4.0L had more hp and distributorless ignition. For an auto, folks tend to like the 3 speed 32rh trany. 2003 was the intro to the 42rle overdrive trany. the crazy 0.69 overdrive bugs some folks. 2003 up there was an interior refresh with different seats and other cosmetics upgrades. Some good info here,
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/wrangler-tj-stock-specifications.71/
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/wrangler-tj-stock-specifications.71/
Remember... the 42RLE gets a bad rep, but it allows you to use the RubiCrawler... That's pure goodness in my book 
lafittejeep
TJ Enthusiast
I agree. All other things being equal, if you are looking at an automatic I would stick with the three speed 32rh transmission if possible.
My 05 auto was awesome. My combined fuel economy was 20MPG like clockwork. I had 135,000 miles on it in 8 years with no issues. YMMV.
2001 because mine is a 2001 and therefore 2001 is the best.
For manual I have read the 5 speed is better than the 6 speed and for auto like bob said the 3 speed auto.
For manual I have read the 5 speed is better than the 6 speed and for auto like bob said the 3 speed auto.
All great advice .
Here's my take -
What you want at the this stage of the game , is the best condition, lowest mileage TJ you can afford , with no rust . 12 years out of production, there is a large variation in vehicle condition on the market.
You have to be ready to buy .
If you see one , and post it on here to get an opinion , if it's that good , it's likely gone when you call them back.
Know the market ..forget all the Kelly blue book and internet values , etc .
Nice , 4.0 TJ''s bring top dollar . If you start off negotiating , you will most likely be brushed off. I'm not saying don't , I'm saying don't start that way . There may not even be time . Most sellers with a nice one have multiple offers . Highest bidder wins usually .
Look for pride of ownership.
If it has a snorkel , just pass . It ain't a submarine.
Be realistic . Low mileage doesn't mean perfect or no surprise costs...it means more money up front and possibly less maintenance ans issues -initially .
Nobody rides for free . A Jeep needs to be set up well to get the most enjoyment from it , from handling to gearing , it all matters.
They aren't money pits necessarily , if you did the same things to an F-250 or similar vehicle, that most of us do to Jeeps , the cost would be astronomical.
The deal is you CAN do a lot to them . Nobody's twisting your arm , it's more of a mindless addiction . You 'll be saying things like " honey , we can't drive the Jeep with these stock tires , we need at least 33 inch tires ...and that means a lift ..and a tummy tuck , and new rims , and new gearing .
The don't even sell Jeep accessories. They sell necessities. You NEED rock bars , diff guards , winches, cb , etc.
Once you start purchasing these , you will hear a whining noise from the passenger seat some . Usually a Lexus helps that .
Here's my take -
What you want at the this stage of the game , is the best condition, lowest mileage TJ you can afford , with no rust . 12 years out of production, there is a large variation in vehicle condition on the market.
You have to be ready to buy .
If you see one , and post it on here to get an opinion , if it's that good , it's likely gone when you call them back.
Know the market ..forget all the Kelly blue book and internet values , etc .
Nice , 4.0 TJ''s bring top dollar . If you start off negotiating , you will most likely be brushed off. I'm not saying don't , I'm saying don't start that way . There may not even be time . Most sellers with a nice one have multiple offers . Highest bidder wins usually .
Look for pride of ownership.
If it has a snorkel , just pass . It ain't a submarine.
Be realistic . Low mileage doesn't mean perfect or no surprise costs...it means more money up front and possibly less maintenance ans issues -initially .
Nobody rides for free . A Jeep needs to be set up well to get the most enjoyment from it , from handling to gearing , it all matters.
They aren't money pits necessarily , if you did the same things to an F-250 or similar vehicle, that most of us do to Jeeps , the cost would be astronomical.
The deal is you CAN do a lot to them . Nobody's twisting your arm , it's more of a mindless addiction . You 'll be saying things like " honey , we can't drive the Jeep with these stock tires , we need at least 33 inch tires ...and that means a lift ..and a tummy tuck , and new rims , and new gearing .
The don't even sell Jeep accessories. They sell necessities. You NEED rock bars , diff guards , winches, cb , etc.
Once you start purchasing these , you will hear a whining noise from the passenger seat some . Usually a Lexus helps that .
WDE
TJ Enthusiast
This is more dependent on your taste and use for the Jeep. I love my soft top and half doors. I had no interest in hard tops or full doors when looking to purchase because it is not my primary vehicle. As a second vehicle, security and all-weather daily drivability were not a very big concern. If your looking for a daily driver, I agree that the half doors with soft uppers are not the best solution. As for security, neither door is secure paired with a soft top. If your wanting the open jeep experience, you can't beat half doors with all windows out or top down.
How in the world do you manage 20 mpg “combined” in your auto 6 cylinder? Hypermiling? Do you run 29” tires? Turbo or S/C? Just sayin, that is way better than the advertised fuel economy (18 highway) and what others report for combined mpg, so that is quite amazing if your calculations are correct. I get about 15 mpg combined on 32” A/T tires for my 2005 4.0 6 speed with 3.73 gears and it is running like a top. Wasn’t much better on the stock 30’s, but I have since installed new plugs, 4 new O2 sensors, and 3 new cats, and alloy wheels which probably made up the difference (cats were probably 25-30% clogged after 102k).
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I have always exceeded the best fuel economy on all my vehicles except the CJ-7, that thing I was lucky to get 10MPG out of. Anyway, the 05 was bone stock. The first set of tires on it (Wrangler GSA) got 88,000 miles before replacing all four at once - the next set were not as efficient and were worn out in ~47,000 miles. I loved that 05....
My current 02 is also bone stock but is manual. I’ve only been driving stick since I bought this and so far my best tank was 19MPG, the worst so far was 16MPG. But this is only 2 months worth of driving stick, I think I can do better.
I do drive like an old granny at times...but only on backroads
I've noticed with my 02 that the A/C seems to play a large factor in reducing the MPG. We had some seriously hot and humid (for PA) days recently and the A/C was on as much as the engine...two fill-ups and both were hovering at 16MPG.
My daily driver is a 2010 Tacoma TRD Off Road and it is also a 20MPG combined truck. The best I ever did was dedicated highway (duh) at 24MPG when I drove to Culpeper, VA last April. I managed to get that going both directions - I was quite happy.
All of the 2000 and 2001 (and about half of the 2002) 4.0L's have a casting design flaw in the head that causes it to crack between cylinders 3 and 4 under normal driving conditions. Most information online will say that it is a matter of "when" it cracks, not "if" it cracks. I have a 2002. Mine cracked just over 100,000 miles and wasn't abused and was never overheated. It took a week for a new head to arrive and a week of labor for me to put it in myself. The job cost about $1000.
Also, the rear main seal is a common leak on the 4.0L. It's not too difficult to change, but you might be able to use it to negotiate a little bit.
Best of luck with your new Jeep. You're gonna love it!!!!!
Also, the rear main seal is a common leak on the 4.0L. It's not too difficult to change, but you might be able to use it to negotiate a little bit.
Best of luck with your new Jeep. You're gonna love it!!!!!