Can I get some opinions on this 2006 TJ?

jeep.rookie

jeep.rookie

Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2019
Messages
60
Location
South Carolina
I've posted a thread or two in the past about being new to jeeps, and I am looking for a TJ as a second vehicle. So I'm not looking for a daily driver. I was originally looking for a manual transmission, but I'm also not against an automatic.

I am looking to run bigger tires on it (33's or 35's). I'm not buying the jeep specifically for crawling, but I wouldn't mind taking it out on some moderate trails once in a while. That said, I've been searching all over, but I've been trying to stick more to private sellers in order to avoid the extra fees that come from dealers. I recently saw this jeep posted, and I was hoping to get some opinions on it. Is it worth going to look at? We'll assume it has a clean carfax. 70k miles.


jeep.jpg
 
Last edited:
So, the mileage is good and it's certainly very shiny in the picture, but here's the specific things I would want to know about before seeing this as a worthwhile buy or a hard pass:

1) Pictures of the underbody and frame. Just because they say "zero rust" doesn't make it so and rust on the frame would be the biggest concern. Also, you'd want to make sure they hadn't just tried to paint over some rust to hide it.

2) What kind of 4 inch lift did they install and what all is included in it? If you're just looking for a Jeep that rides tall and looks bigger, it may not matter, but if you intend to actually take it off road, this could make a very big difference on what it can actually do.

3) Did they change the drive shaft with the lift or just lower the transfer case?

4) Have they had the Jeep regeared since it was lifted? If not, it will probably run like shit.

For following the lift stuff, it may be checking out Chris' post here:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/a-beginners-guide-to-lifting-your-jeep-wrangler-tj.733/
Ultimately, you'll definitely want to take it for a drive before making an offer since it could either be done beautifully and run like a champ or be rough and noisy as hell if it was botched. I don't think either would make it a 'no buy', but I'd definitely adjust my offer depending on that since it will make a big difference on if/how much work you'll have to put into it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jamison C
Ask the seller about the state of the rear main seal. If it's leaking, which is totally normal, it'll be a $500 + job to get it replaced, but again I'd do that in a heartbeat.
 
Says it has both transmissions on the Facebook insert, auto and manual? Thinking it’s one or the other. Need more info.
My bad, didn’t realize the photos scrolled, very nice clean auto trans jeep. I would say go for it. Its 3 grand more than my ‘02 was but half the mileage. Obviously garage kept and hardly run.
 
Last edited:
Based in the only 2 pictures with a good view of the underside of the body, where you can see the rear floor between the inner center console and the gas tank, I don't think rust has ever seen that Jeep before.
The last picture shows the automatic shifter.
 
Equilibrium31 said:
So, the mileage is good and it's certainly very shiny in the picture, but here's the specific things I would want to know about before seeing this as a worthwhile buy or a hard pass:

1) Pictures of the underbody and frame. Just because they say "zero rust" doesn't make it so and rust on the frame would be the biggest concern. Also, you'd want to make sure they hadn't just tried to paint over some rust to hide it.

2) What kind of 4 inch lift did they install and what all is included in it? If you're just looking for a Jeep that rides tall and looks bigger, it may not matter, but if you intend to actually take it off road, this could make a very big difference on what it can actually do.

3) Did they change the drive shaft with the lift or just lower the transfer case?

4) Have they had the Jeep regeared since it was lifted? If not, it will probably run like shit.

For following the lift stuff, it may be checking out Chris' post here:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/a-beginners-guide-to-lifting-your-jeep-wrangler-tj.733/
Ultimately, you'll definitely want to take it for a drive before making an offer since it could either be done beautifully and run like a champ or be rough and noisy as hell if it was botched. I don't think either would make it a 'no buy', but I'd definitely adjust my offer depending on that since it will make a big difference on if/how much work you'll have to put into it.
Click to expand...


I know it hasn't been regeared. That was one of the first things I asked about. So I figured it wouldn't run great on 35's without the regearing. I did ask who installed the lift and he said he did it himself since he is a mechanic. I know self-installed lifts have the potential to be an issue if not installed correctly. But not sure about the type of lift or the drive shaft replacement. I'd have to ask.

There are a good bit of pics of the frame. Looks clean from what I can tell.

jeep1.jpg
jeep2.jpg
jeep3.jpg
jeep4.jpg
jeep5.jpg
jeep6.jpg
jeep7.jpg
jeep8.jpg
jeep9.jpg
 
For a jeep like this that is running 35's, would the $1500 or so spent on regearing be enough to run the 35's properly (assuming no heavy off-roading)? And after putting the money into regearing, the jeep would be around $14k. At that point, is it worth it just to spend a bit more and get a rubicon? I realize the mileage would be a bit higher, but would the difference in price be justified?
 
jeep.rookie said:
I know it hasn't been regeared. That was one of the first things I asked about. So I figured it wouldn't run great on 35's without the regearing. I did ask who installed the lift and he said he did it himself since he is a mechanic. I know self-installed lifts have the potential to be an issue if not installed correctly. But not sure about the type of lift or the drive shaft replacement. I'd have to ask.

There are a good bit of pics of the frame. Looks clean from what I can tell.

View attachment 115585View attachment 115586View attachment 115587View attachment 115588View attachment 115589View attachment 115591View attachment 115592View attachment 115593View attachment 115594
Click to expand...
Wow that is either the cleanest frame I have ever seen or it has had some painting done to it.
 
Top Bottom
Back