Buying without pre-purchase inspection

[TheBoogieman]

I do all of my pre-purchase inspections myself and ONLY buy from private sellers. Car dealers don't know anything about the history of vehicles they sell. I try to gauge sellers on their honesty. When I was selling my XJ, a 17 year old guy brought his dad and a "Jeep mechanic" to inspect it. I ended up telling the mechanic he didn't know shit about Jeeps and told them all to F@%K OFF!. I ended up selling it the next day to someone else.

 

[LarryTJ]

Look through this link and glean some valuable information.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/what-should-i-look-for-when-buying-a-used-wrangler-tj.375/
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/what-to-look-for-when-purchasing-a-used-tj.18618/
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/tips-for-buying-a-1997-2006-jeep-wrangler-tj.13935/

 

[AndyG]

As long as you don’t have rust or a bad transmission or an engine knocking...You’re going to be in good shape...But the jeep will need a number of little things...I have yet to deal with one that did not.

 

[bucky]

Check the tire date codes to see how old they are. When I bought my 06 with 112K 2 yrs ago I flew up to Co with the wife to look at it. I brought a flash light, magnet, screwdriver and a rag. The tarp came in handy for crawling underneath in the slush. My bank had a branch 1/2 mile from seller so getting a cashers check was easy. First thing I did when I got it home was do a complete service so I knew the date of service. Only issue after 2 yrs was the P303 code which I fixed for around $100. I’ve been lucky and have never been burned buy in from a private party. The main thing is not to let the I’m getting a Jeep fever get you. Be prepared to walk away from the deal.

 

[TheBoogieman]

Be prepared to walk away from the deal.

Words to live by. For every Jeep I've bought, I've walked away from at least 25 others.

 

[AndyA]

Some mobile mechanics do PPIs. Find one local to the Jeep with good reviews and call them to find out. Andy