Hardtop for $800, is it worth it?

Mudflap

Mudflap

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I'm looking at a hardtop that's about a 5 hour drive from me, looks to be in good shape just needs paint. In the current market, would it be worth the $800 and the drive? They say the seals are in good shape and the top has some glue residue from previously mounted lights. (These are the pictures they gave me)
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RINC said:
Most ask for 2K in my area. Not sure what they end up selling for.
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Yeah he said he usually sells them for $1000-$1200 (he sells Jeep parts) but with this one needing paint he dropped it down to $900 and I got him down to $800. I'm just wondering if I should be looking out for specific problems when I go to pick it up.
 
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There’s a guy about 30 mins south of Chicago that I picked one up for $800.00 and it was very nice! Well worth the trip and I’m from St. Louis as well. I found him on Facebook market place and he runs a Jeep restoration shop. Richard Dawson was his name. It’s definitely worth a look on Facebook. He told me he sells them all the time for $800.

new hard top (3).jpg


new hard top (2).jpg
 
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Mudflap said:
Yeah he said he usually sells them for $1000-$1200 (he sells Jeep parts) but with this one needing paint he dropped it down to $900 and I got him down to $800. I'm just wondering if I should be looking out for specific problems when I go to pick it up.
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yes,you would be lookin for cracks,but i dont see any in these pics,especially in the rear hinge area,which is a good sign...
 
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kenosha whiz six said:
yes,you would be lookin for cracks,but i dont see any in these pics,especially in the rear hinge area,which is a good sign...
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So run if there are crack(s), should I repair it and offer less or run?

Sam Solo said:
There’s a guy about 30 mins south of Chicago that I picked one up for $800.00 and it was very nice! Well worth the trip and I’m from St. Louis as well. I found him on Facebook market place and he runs a Jeep restoration shop. Richard Dawson was his name. It’s definitely worth a look on Facebook. He told me he sells them all the time for $800.
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And if you could get me in contact with this guy I would greatly appreciate it, your top looks pretty damn clean. It would also save me a good amount of time.
 
$800 is a steal in Oregon/Washington, most go for $1000 to $1500. I was up one night searching on Marketplace when an add for a top popped up for $500. I contacted the guy immediately and a deal was made for me to pick it up the following weekend, I took my soft top off and drove 3 hours in 35 degree temps to get it. The guy and his son and I took the top off his TJ and put it on mine and bolted it down, it’s been on for 3 years and never leaked which is a big thing with all the rain we get here.
 
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Ron Hockett said:
$800 is a steal in Oregon/Washington, most go for $1000 to $1500. I was up one night searching on Marketplace when an add for a top popped up for $500. I contacted the guy immediately and a deal was made for me to pick it up the following weekend, I took my soft top off and drove 3 hours in 35 degree temps to get it. The guy and his son and I took the top off his TJ and put it on mine and bolted it down, it’s been on for 3 years and never leaked which is a big thing with all the rain we get here.
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This does reassure me to grab it even though it is a bit far, my other concern is it leaking. Is it somewhat easy to fix a leaking hardtop? My soft top leaks a little so I'm used to it, I'm just not ready for it to be really bad because of my audio equipment.

TWiG01 said:
I’d buy it. With a little work, that top can look almost new. Factory tops are only going to get harder to find as the years go by
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And this also is good to tell myself became I don't plan on selling the Jeep anytime soon, but even if I do sell it or somehow change my mind I can always list the hardtop for sale and put the soft top back on.
 
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If it's not a priority at the moment , I would hold out. A nice TJ top can be had for 800.00- 1000.00 around here.
Prices usually got down in the summer months.
800.00 for a top that needs work isn't worth it IMO. What happens if you drive 5 hours and it's a POS. You can't always tell by pictures.
 
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williambmac said:
If it's not a priority at the moment , I would hold out. A nice TJ top can be had for 800.00- 1000.00 around here.
Prices usually got down in the summer months.
800.00 for a top that needs work isn't worth it IMO. What happens if you drive 5 hours and it's a POS. You can't always tell by pictures.
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There is wisdom here. Add this comment ^^^^^^ to the fact that the top is the older style, which means wiring plug is different, and you have the unnecessary vents. The one you're looking at will certainly fit, and the wiring may not be an issue to you, but an 10+ hour trip isn't something I'd want to do for an unknown top.
 
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That one on the silver TJ looks like a guy is offering to steal it off of the Jeep that's parked across the street and selling it back alley style.

On a serious note, I bought a '98 H/T (side vents) for my '03 (tailgate vents) but, I had no intention of using the wiper or defrost anyway.
 
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I sold my 01 hardtop with side vents, a few months ago for $650+ soft top hardware +used sierra top. The paint was terrible but otherwise was in good shape. I hade interest from as far as 9 hours away.

I knew right away I mispriced it, but I wasn't douche bag and didn't raise the price, kept my price firm, and I am happy with my soft-top setup, which makes getting my kid and out of his car-seat way easier! :).
 
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