I found a jeep I’m considering buying but the miles are high. Apparently a previous owner changed the engine at 130k and the current owner believes about 100k is on the new one. The odometer current sits at 200k Should I be concerned with this buy?
Engine swapped out at 130k
- Thread starter skinnyguinea
- Start date
Concerned.... YES....
Depends upon the year and how much the owner asking?
Are there records any maintenance records for the Jeep ?
The front tires have outer tread wear which could indicate an alignment problem or worn steering components.
Do a CarFax search on the Jeep to see what the History is on the Jeep.
https://www.carfax.com/?partner=GPC...JCh81g8XPbf0FyMSlqcaAiytEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Depends upon the year and how much the owner asking?
Are there records any maintenance records for the Jeep ?
The front tires have outer tread wear which could indicate an alignment problem or worn steering components.
Do a CarFax search on the Jeep to see what the History is on the Jeep.
https://www.carfax.com/?partner=GPC...JCh81g8XPbf0FyMSlqcaAiytEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
The owner did say an alignment was needed. It also is slow to start. They are asking about 8250 and it’s a 2001. I had a buddy look up the vin which showed 4 owners and the last one kept it pretty well maintained. It did also show a reading of 195k in June 2019 which leads me to think it sat around quite a bit. The current owner has had it since Oct 2023. The frame looks good though and doesn’t appear to have rust
I always assume I'm going to be replacing the steering components & doing an alignment anyway, so unless they've royally f'd up the geometry, I don't sweat that too much. You will need to replace those front tires though.
For me, it looks quite clean & well taken care of. I would go over it with a fine toothed comb for rust, and I would listen to that motor. High mileage is pretty much just the cost of doing business when you're shopping TJs. But even dropping in a replacement engine doesn't to be a huge expense. I also assume I'm going to be wrenching on it regardless so I'm less concerned with the mechanical stuff, I just factor it into the final price. IDK what your experience level is, but you should assume it will require somewhat frequent TLC. If you can't do it yourself, find a friend or find a savings acct.
I do wonder why the seller has only had it a few months and wants to sell it right as it's getting into prime naked weather.
Thanks for this. Yeah I was wondering too. He hasn’t had it long and clearly didn’t drive it much so I’m curious what the reasoning is. What im mostly wondering though is if an engine being swapped was a red flag and what I should look for in that. Also, is there a way to get the accurate mileage from the new engine?
engine swap doesn't scare me too much, but I would look for evidence of hacked together wiring, and anything missing (like does the HVAC control have AC but no A/C under the hood), gauges giving strange readings. There's no way to know what the mileage of the new engine is, just have to look & listen.
If it were me I wouldn’t believe it has a new motor in it unless I saw paperwork to prove it… That being said is the Jeep worth $8250 with a motor with 200,000 miles on it… That’s the way I look at it…
Yeah that’s the tough question. I think it might be as long as there’s virtually NO rust
Lol thanks I’ll make sure there’s no rust. It’s been in the south all its life which is good
I would verify the condition of this engine, determine what is going on with the front end (no surprises after), do a thorough inspection of the frame (as others have posted), and find out why the present owner decided to sell the Jeep so soon.
Understanding you will almost always need to do work when purchasing a used Jeep, but you don't need to find expensive surprises after the purchase.
Understanding you will almost always need to do work when purchasing a used Jeep, but you don't need to find expensive surprises after the purchase.