Jeep Hunt (Looking for Opinions on Potential TJ Purchase)

[Mr_Stop]

Background
I have been on the hunt for a TJ for the past few weeks after my son totaled my car. I have gravitated to a Jeep TJ to get something a bit more durable for a teenager, it seems pretty straight forward mechanically, and will be fun for the wife and I to drive. I posted a thread in the wanted section, but have been looking locally and beyond for a reasonably priced, rust free Jeep. I have learned a lot on this forum so far, and took my first two test drives today.

Jeep #1 2006 X model $8,500
4.0 AT
136,000 miles
Lift with 33" tires
Soft top with half doors

I thought this one was going to be a winner. Pics of car body and frame looked really clean. I checked the history and it looks like it resided in North Carolina until 2015. I was super excited as this might be an elusive rust free frame specimen near me! Things changed a bit when I saw the car first hand.

The body and outside of the frame was pretty clean with no body rust and minimal surface rust on the frame & suspension. When I probed my finger in the hole, the inside of frame felt ok-ish as I could feel some rust flakiness on the bottom of the frame but it was still solid. I bought a cheap inspection camera and ran it inside the frame. It confirmed the presence of some internal rust. The internal presence of rust was a bit concerning, but could possibly be slowed with an extreme cleaning and protective coating.

The interior was ok. Water was present on the front passenger floor. Soft top windows were getting pretty cloudy and probably need replaced.

Mechanical inspection turned up the following issues: bad heater core (currently bypassed), radiator possibly leaking (although supposedly just replaced a month ago.), and a leaking rear main seal. The check engine light was on (I assume it is for faulty O2 sensors).

The drive seemed ok. I got it up to about 60 MPH and no wobbles were present. Brakes were pulsing, so probably warped rotors.

Seller was pretty firm on price, even after I mentioned it needed a considerable amount of mechanical work (heater, main seal, O2 sensors, brakes, new windows/top, and frame attention.

Current verdict - PASS

Jeep #1 2005 X model $8,500
4.0 6-Spd
100,000 miles
Soft top with full doors
Bone stock

I didn't have a lot of hope for this one. The VIN showed it's life residing solely in Ohio. Pics of the frame were a bit suspect.

The body is in decent shape with a small dent and scratch in the hood (painted with touchup paint to prevent rusting). Soft top and windows appeared to be ok. Some surface rust was on the underside of the body. It needs attention, but doesn't look to be at risk of rust through yet.

The interior was in good shape. The carpet had been removed and replaced with rubber flooring. There was some water on the front passenger floor area, but no rust.

The frame was surprisingly nice. There was very little surface rust. Most importantly I could not feel any rust inside the frame. My inspection camera confirmed the inside to be in pretty clean condition with just a minor amount of superficial surface rust. While the frame is in great condition, there is a lot of surface rust on the drive shafts, engine components and some of the under-body hardware.

Mechanically, the big issues are a ticking sound from the engine that disappears / becomes intermittent when the engine warms up, several oil leaks from the main seal, transmission end seal and differential seals and a check engine light. It is also in need of new tires. It is also Other than that, it ran great.

It drove fine. The only issue was that the 4wd light did not come on when I shifted to 4wd HI.

This buyer is also fairly firm on price (willing to come down a little). However, it needs tires, ticking sound diagnosed, engine/transmission/differential seals replaced, and check engine light issue fixed.

Pics are posted below.

Current verdict - Still in play (seems to be an unmolested cream puff), but concerned about price

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?

 

[Chris]

If you want my opinion, the first one is a hard pass and so is the second one.

That second one looks like someone didn't give two shits about the vehicle.

The paint is beat, there is rust here and there, the engine looks like someone let it sit outside for 20 years without a hood on (seriously, I don't know how else an engine bay looks that terrible), and every thing I can see points to that being a hell of a neglected vehicle.

If you want my opinion, do what I am doing and wait it out. Unless you are in a hurry, the perfect one WILL come along. It might take a year, but if you have the time, why not wait as oppose to jumping into one of these turds?

Patience is a virtue, especially when buying a used TJ.

When I look at used vehicles (not just Jeeps) I look for ones that I can tell the previous owner(s) cared about. Ones that were garage kept (this is usually obvious), have maintenance records, little to no rust, etc. What I see in the photos above looks like a TJ that was parked on the side of the road all it's life, which usually means an owner who doesn't give a shit about it.

 

[Mr_Stop]

If you want my opinion, the first one is a hard pass and so is the second one.

That second one looks like someone didn't give two shits about the vehicle.

The paint is beat, there is rust here and there, the engine looks like someone let it sit outside for 20 years without a hood on (seriously, I don't know how else an engine bay looks that terrible), and every thing I can see points to that being a hell of a neglected vehicle.

Thanks for the input. Agree on the first one.

Interesting observation on the second one. You are probably right about it doing a lot of sitting given the mileage. The current owner didn't use it much. The previous owner supposedly used it as his "fishing" vehicle. It's not surprising that all of the seals are leaking given the sitting. Maybe I'm too focused on the frame condition. But you're right, there has been a big bit of neglect. I think that has been the biggest thing screaming in the back of my head. It can probably be cleaned up and put right, but I don't think the price gives a lot of room to do that.

If you want my opinion, do what I am doing and wait it out. Unless you are in a hurry, the perfect one WILL come along. It might take a year, but if you have the time, why not wait as oppose to jumping into one of these turds?

I would like to find the "perfect one," yet there is some urgency to replace a totaled car. The other factor is that it will also be driven by a teen driver so I don't want to be too heavily invested in something that has a good probability of being damaged.

 

[AndyG]

Both those could easily turn into $12-$13,000 projects with tires and other surprises like brakes , rotors, u-joints , bushings , tie rod ends , radiator , belts , hoses , sway bar bushings and on and on...and you still want have a nice TJ and you don't need your son stranded .

Drive south .

And dont rule out spending more to avoid spending more and not being able to drive it because it's in the shop .

There aren't may great $6500-8500 TJ's, but there are a lot that get bought for that and get $5000.00 spent on them trying to sort them out . Good ones typically start at 9000-9500 and go up to 20,000 , and there are a lot of nice ones from 10-13,500.

 

[Mr_Stop]

Both those could easily turn into $12-$13,000 projects with tires and other surprises like brakes , rotors, u-joints , bushings , tie rod ends , radiator , belts , hoses , sway bar bushings and on and on...and you still want have a nice TJ and you don't need your son stranded .

Drive south .

And dont rule out spending more to avoid spending more and not being able to drive it because it's in the shop .

There aren't may great $6500-8500 TJ's, but there are a lot that get bought for that and get $5000.00 spent on them trying to sort them out . Good ones typically start at 9000-9500 and go up to 20,000 , and there are a lot of nice ones from 10-13,500.

Very good points. There are actually a couple of "Southern Jeeps" near me that are a little bit more, but much cleaner overall:

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/540240803468286/
https://nag-cars.com/vdp/13193768/Used-2006-Jeep-Wrangler-2dr-X-for-sale-in-Cincinnati-OH-45216
I would love to travel south or west to find a Jeep, but I'm self-employed so I don't have a lot of time to spend a week hopping around. If I could find a sure thing, I wouldn't mind a quick trip. These seem to be bit of gamble (probably like most cars) to do that though.

 

[MutantNinjaTJ]

Limit your searches to just the Sport model and then verify it has the Dana 44 read differential. You know what else look for and be patient. there are some good Jeep deals out there, just be ready to bust a move when you find the right one. The 04 above looks to be a good possibility, but with 35's it needs gearing if it wasn't done already. The add says automatic, the title says manual, with 35's and an automatic without gearing, it will really suck!

 

[Mr_Stop]

Limit your searches to just the Sport model and then verify it has the Dana 44 read differential. You know what else look for and be patient. there are some good Jeep deals out there, just be ready to bust a move when you find the right one. The 04 above looks to be a good possibility, but with 35's it needs gearing if it wasn't done already. The add says automatic, the title says manual, with 35's and an automatic without gearing, it will really suck!

Fortunately I have pretty good experience with cars, so I'm pretty comfortable assessing mechanics and condition (apart from doing a compression or leak down test in the sellers driveway). I'm a cash buyer, so that helps as well.

I have been trying to figure out the differences between the Sport and X models. I have a relatively low sample, but from what I have seen and read is that they are more or less the same. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Sport just gave someone or the dealer the ability to add relatively few options like the Dana 44. However, it seems like few did. Is that right, or are there any other differences in options, interior etc?

The 04 Burgandy one is definately a manual. I'm waiting for the VIN to decode, but who knows what the PO did gearing wise.

Both the 04 and 06 interiors have been "Rhino Lined." I don't think it is to hide anything. What are the thoughts and consensus of that? Is that a good preventative thing?

 

[InOmaha]

The lifter tick would make me nervous. But it might go away if you treat the engine oil with something like seafoam and then replace it with a good oil. It may not have gotten regular oil changes in it's lifetime but that also happens on some cars when they sit for extended periods and the oil drains completely out of the top end. It could be something as simple as retorquing the lifters.

The first one seems to have fewer issues since I'll always take peripheral stuff over potential engine issues. Brakes, O2 sensors are easy at home stuff. You can do the heater core and fan or find a shop for it. If they replaced the radiator it could be the water pump leaking or something simple like they didn't get a hose on correctly.

They both have engine codes. I'd want to know exactly what those are for first.

The orange one in our later links is $1,000 more and looks cleaner than both of the Jeeps. Since they are a dealer they would probably move to $9000 if you have cash. That's cheaper than fixing the items on the other Jeeps.

 

[MutantNinjaTJ]

I believe most Sport's have the Dana 44. I would highly recommend you make that a buying priority in your search, that and the 4.0L inline 6. Just sayin!

 

[Mr_Stop]

I believe most Sport's have the Dana 44. I would highly recommend you make that a buying priority in your search, that and the 4.0L inline 6. Just sayin!

The 4.0 is a must on the list! I have a small sample so far, but nearly all of the Sports I have been seeing where I can tell (in person, pics or reviewing the build sheet) seem to all have the Dana 35 with rear drums. For sure would prefer the Dana 44.