Inherited an 02 Sport: Questions

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Commbubba19

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Aug 7, 2018
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Omaha, NE
My father in Law passed away last month and we've inherited his 02 Blue Wrangler Sport. It's a 3 spd auto which from what i read is the 32H transmission? Soft top and Half doors. Dark grey interior and looks like original jeep sport wheels with pretty newish BFG's. It's pretty clean and only has 40k some odd miles.

My conundrum is I only have a 2 car garage where my wife's car and my truck park. I'd like the jeep to stay in the family and maybe refresh it and do some light modding. No huge lifts but make it more 'jeep'.

The bad is i personally hate half doors and soft tops. I want a hard top and full doors but it seems that full doors are hard to come by. Especially this dark blue color. Then there's the 3spd. I have no idea how practical this thing is as my old 06 TJ was a 6 spd manual (with full doors and hard top).

There's also no where close to go wheelin around here. Likely closest spot is 4+ hours away. So i'm not sure how much true off roading i'd ever get to do. Just not sure if I should invest in refreshing the jeep or just part ways with it.
 
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Sorry to hear about your loss! That's great that you inherited a TJ though, as they are truly the most fun you can have on 4 wheels (most of us agree). With 40k miles too, you've got a real gem on your hands!

Sourcing a hardtop isn't hard. Check out http://car-part.com. It searches every auto wrecking yard within X miles of you. You can easily find a hardtop that way, one that is probably pretty close to you as well. As for the full doors, the good news is that people will trade full doors all day long for half doors in good condition. I'm with you though, I prefer the full doors.

So post up a for sale (or trade) ad on this forum and on your local Craigslist, and I guarantee you you'll find someone who will want to trade you for their full doors. Hopefully they're the right color, but repainting isn't that bad if it has to be done.

The 3 speed is actually the preferable choice in terms of automatic transmissions on these vehicles. People like @Jerry Bransford and myself have the later 4-speed 42RLE automatic transmission, and it definitely has it's shortcomings. So don't be dismayed, you have a good transmission there!

As for keeping it or parting ways with it, that's something you have to decide. I could never see myself not owning a TJ. However, you're amongst a lot of diehard TJ fans here, that's for sure!
 
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So sorry to hear about your father in law. I'm sure it is a difficult decision regarding the Jeep. Full doors and hardtops are not that to hard to find if your not in a hurry. Daveysjeeps.com is a good place to contact. You can also watch craigslist and local forums. Some people prefer the half doors and if your willing to trade them you can probably get a good deal on some full doors. Door prices that I have seen range between $400-$600 and hardtops between $800-$1200. I can't comment on whether you should keep it or not. However, if it is in good condition and free of rust you should have no trouble selling it for a good price. Best of luck!
 
Chris said:
The 3 speed is actually the preferable choice in terms of automatic transmissions on these vehicles. People like @Jerry Bransford and myself have the later 4-speed 42RLE automatic transmission, and it definitely has it's shortcomings. So don't be dismayed, you have a good transmission there!
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X2. I've actually owned both transmissions and much prefer my previous TJ's 32RH 3-speed automatic which has a sterling reputation. Not so the 42RLE 4-speed which I'd gladly trade for the 32RH if I could.
 
The longer you keep it, the harder it will be to part ways with it. If you want to sell it, you better do it quick!
 
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I've been reading regarding what to check on purchasing a used TJ like the front trailing arms, rust, etc. Anything specific to 02 that i can search on?
 
Commbubba19 said:
I've been reading regarding what to check on purchasing a used TJ like the front trailing arms, rust, etc. Anything specific to 02 that i can search on?
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Nothing specific to an 02. You just need to look for rust, rust, and more rust. That's the most important thing to look for.
 
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Chris said:
Nothing specific to an 02. You just need to look for rust, rust, and more rust. That's the most important thing to look for.
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No doubt rust is the cancer of cars, trucks , and jeeps, especially in states that salt the roads in winter.
 
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towed her back 400 miles.

so far my list of to do's are:

hard top
full doors (please pm me if selling or know of any
fix hvac (stuck on high and doesn't change between defrost, vent, and floor
replace carpet (it's gross)
look at re-upholstering seats

so far everything else seems ok. paint has some chips in random spots and there is surface rust in random spots but nothing horrible.

jeep.jpg
 
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