Good Deal?

It looks pretty clean, decent price also. The kicker is if they can provide any under body photos, to check for frame rust. A really rusted frame is a deal killer unless you can buy it for almost nothing.
 
Welcome aboard! So, looks pretty clean. If it has been a CA Jeep all its life, rust should be pretty minimal, if any. Being along the bay can bring some rust from salt spray/fog floating in but usually that is surface stuff. I would definitely give it some serious consideration.
 
That looks pretty reasonable for the greater Bay Area. I picked up a 2004 last year with 63k miles, but had to pay $12k. If you want a cleaner one, the price is going to go up.
 
If it's rust free, that's a good price. I'd budget some money for maintenance though, because it looks like someone didn't maintain it all that well. Maybe an extra $2000 or so.
 
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Also chiming in from the bay. For a 6 without a hardtop and those miles I would say that is about on par for what I would expect. The real question is what will you be using it for because a hard top and full doors sure are nice to have not only in winter but to prevent theft.
That said if it has a dana 44 in the rear I would call it a steal.
Other than that it looks like the tires have good tread left so that adds value. The only thing that I noticed by the photos was the air intake has tj written on it. Suggesting to me it was bought at a salvage yard. I would take a really close look and get a car fax on it. Good luck I hope it checks out.
 
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Alex01 said:
Also chiming in from the bay. For a 6 without a hardtop and those miles I would say that is about on par for what I would expect. The real question is what will you be using it for because a hard top and full doors sure are nice to have not only in winter but to prevent theft.
That said if it has a dana 44 in the rear I would call it a steal.
Other than that it looks like the tires have good tread left so that adds value. The only thing that I noticed by the photos was the air intake has tj written on it. Suggesting to me it was bought at a salvage yard. I would take a really close look and get a car fax on it. Good luck I hope it checks out.
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I hope to hit the trails about once a month. However, this will be my daily driver. That being said, do you (or anyone) have advice on the main things I should look for when checking it out? Another thing I wanted to ask is how much of a difference the 6 cylinder makes vs. the 4 cylinder. Thank you to everyone for your comments!
 
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Philip M said:
I hope to hit the trails about once a month. However, this will be my daily driver. That being said, do you (or anyone) have advice on the main things I should look for when checking it out? Another thing I wanted to ask is how much of a difference the 6 cylinder makes vs. the 4 cylinder. Thank you to everyone for your comments!
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My 4 cylinder yj was a dog next to my 6 cylinder tj with the same tire/axle ratio. If it was me I would hands down get the 6. Also, the gas mileage is just as bad on the 4 as the 6 so no real benefit. The main things I would look for when buying a jeep is rust on the frame, you could also peel the carpet back and check for rust on the floorboards. On the manual check the clutch engagement and make sure its not at the far end of the return. Check for leaks between the engine and transmission. Could be as simple as a valve cover or as complex as a rear main seal. From what I have seen on craigslist in the San Francisco Bay Area for a clean 5 speed manual with around 90k miles hard top and full doors mostly stock your looking around the 9's. That being said there are none in the area at the moment so if a hardtop/doors doesn't mean much to you and it checks out then that jeep is currently a great deal.

If you decide to go the auto route people here seem to prefer the earlier 3 speed.
 
Alex01 said:
My 4 cylinder yj was a dog next to my 6 cylinder tj with the same tire/axle ratio. If it was me I would hands down get the 6. Also, the gas mileage is just as bad on the 4 as the 6 so no real benefit. The main things I would look for when buying a jeep is rust on the frame, you could also peel the carpet back and check for rust on the floorboards. On the manual check the clutch engagement and make sure its not at the far end of the return. Check for leaks between the engine and transmission. Could be as simple as a valve cover or as complex as a rear main seal. From what I have seen on craigslist in the San Francisco Bay Area for a clean 5 speed manual with around 90k miles hard top and full doors mostly stock your looking around the 9's. That being said there are none in the area at the moment so if a hardtop/doors doesn't mean much to you and it checks out then that jeep is currently a great deal.

If you decide to go the auto route people here seem to prefer the earlier 3 speed.
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Thanks for the tips Alex. I definitely want a manual. What do you think about getting one for 6k not lifted and lifting it myself with new tires? And since you've owned multiple wranglers, how's the reliability? How many miles would be too many? I'm currently looking for ones with miles in the low 100k range.
Thanks in advance
 
Can you show a link to the one for 6k?

Adding a good lift like the OME kit and tires will be in the 3k range. I just installed that lift with another forum member on his jeep and it is a great product.

Reliability. Ill start by saying I have always had a second car so the jeep never had to be a daily. When I was in college though I took the YJ to chico and used it as a primary for around 3 months. Clutch went out and had to drive without one for a month or so, more fun then you may think lol really makes you plan your shifts ahead of time. I bought the cheapest one on craigslist 2k. It needed a lot of work to get it to pass smog and to be a good driver upfront. After that I had to replace the valve cover, clutch, and starter. Drove it around 18k miles had about 130k on the clock

TJ - I bought knowing it had a leak which would either be a rear main seal or a valve cover. Since it is not my daily and I enjoy learning / working on the jeep I changed both. The only issue I have had with the TJ was that I needed a new radiator since the original developed a crack in the plastic near the drain after a day of mild offroading. Have driven it about 8k. Currently has 101000 miles.

How many miles are to many. The strait 6 is fairly bulletproof. So do you see new parts as repairs or upgrades? :risas3:

What is your price range, zip code, and miles willing to travel? I have a day off and will be watching the kid so I have some time to search CR lol.
 
Alex01 said:
Can you show a link to the one for 6k?

Adding a good lift like the OME kit and tires will be in the 3k range. I just installed that lift with another forum member on his jeep and it is a great product.

Reliability. Ill start by saying I have always had a second car so the jeep never had to be a daily. When I was in college though I took the YJ to chico and used it as a primary for around 3 months. Clutch went out and had to drive without one for a month or so, more fun then you may think lol really makes you plan your shifts ahead of time. I bought the cheapest one on craigslist 2k. It needed a lot of work to get it to pass smog and to be a good driver upfront. After that I had to replace the valve cover, clutch, and starter. Drove it around 18k miles had about 130k on the clock

TJ - I bought knowing it had a leak which would either be a rear main seal or a valve cover. Since it is not my daily and I enjoy learning / working on the jeep I changed both. The only issue I have had with the TJ was that I needed a new radiator since the original developed a crack in the plastic near the drain after a day of mild offroading. Have driven it about 8k. Currently has 101000 miles.

How many miles are to many. The strait 6 is fairly bulletproof. So do you see new parts as repairs or upgrades? :risas3:

What is your price range, zip code, and miles willing to travel? I have a day off and will be watching the kid so I have some time to search CR lol.
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Here's the link to the 6k
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/ctd/d/2001-jeep-wrangler-clean/6518755070.html

The most I'm willing to spend is 8k but that wouldn't leave much room for repairs. My zip code is 94022 and I'd travel around 80 miles or 1.5 hrs. Thanks for helping man.
 
The 6k one looks pretty clean. That said if one of them have a dana 44 then that is the one I would choose. Maybe email them and ask for a picture of the front and rear under the jeep. You know for rust and oil lol. At that price range from my quick search those two are the best with a 6 your going to find. Ill look around a bit though.
 
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