Need advice on potential 2003 Rubicon purchase

[GorillaBiscuit]

Hey everyone!
I finally found a decent tj rubicon near my house that's not super over priced. I'll post some pictures and I'm anxious to see what you guys think.
Like I said, it's a 2003 rubicon with 146k miles on it. It's not in the best shape, but it's not nearly as bad as some of the other ones I've looked at. I'm really not happy that it has so much aftermarket crap on it, I like my vehicles bone stock.
I have a question about that front diff cover, is that a completely different diff than the stock one, or is it just a fancy cover?
I really do not know anything about aftermarket accessories.
It's also got the big bumpers and winch, and an aftermarket shift lever, and what I think are 33 12.50 equivalent size tires.
The whole undercarriage and bumpers are really heavily sprayed with that heavy black undercoat. I crawled underneath the jeep and scraped a few places with my keys, and banged as hard as I could. Nothing flaked or fell off. I stuck my finger in the frame holes, it feels smooth inside, it didn't feel rusty.

I want to know what you guys think, I am torn 50/50. I'm worried that it might be problematic, but I'm also very sceptical of everything in life. Lol
I just don't want by a money pit.

 

[Chris]

Someone has put bed-liner over the whole underside, which looks like it's covering up rust in a number of areas (that always makes me iffy).

That front bumper is clearly homemade and looks like a horrible ideal, as it appears to be restricting flow to the radiator.

Normally I go by frame rust as a guideline to buy it or stay away, but this one has so much bed-liner on the frame that you can't see what's really going on under there.

How much are the asking?

Personally I would walk away and spend my money on one that is less iffy. There's so many out there that it wouldn't be hard to find another.

This is far from the worst one I've seen, but it just gives me that iffy feeling as mentioned before.

 

[tworley]

I dont see any real bubbles coming from whatever that covering is (be it paint, bedliner or whatever). And if you have banged on it, and felt inside I would maybe say the frame is 'ok'.

Looks like the tags on the diff are missing which leads me to believe it has been regeared for the tire size (if its the right gear choice is another question).

What is leaking? Is that diff fluid? If so, thats a serious leak. That cover doesnt look like anything special, Id replace it if it it was my rig, and lose the hideous bumper.

I'd take a another look at it depending on price...

 

[bobthetj03]

Front diff cover leaks, and looks like fixed lower control arms with poly bushings. Not ideal.

 

[GorillaBiscuit]

Oh, thank goodness! I thought I was just being overly paranoid. I really hate that thick black spray all over it. It's seriously over a quarter of an inch thick. I'm willing to bet they just sprayed over all of the rusty places.
And I'm also not a fan of how that front bumper and which completely blocks the radiator.

Oh, they are asking $11,450 for it.

 

[T Crawford]

Inca gold was never a common color I don’t think what’s with the shifter knob- jeeps are always going to take some kind of maintenance so budget for some work

 

[Westtown Willy]

That’s an odd combination. The photo of the frame looks good, the factory holes is where you’ll often see telltale signs of rust formation with bubbling & flaking but in the photo they all look like perfect edges & the body mount bracket looks excellent too. That’s just the front driver’s control arm area however, does it look the same throughout the rest of the frame, particularly just forward of the rear control arm mounts & also where the frame meets the transfer skid plate?

Hard to understand why they piled on all that goop & that gas tank skid looks like it was dunked in salt water on a daily basis & whatever that contraption on the front end is odd to say the least. In Tennessee I’d think you’d have access to a higher percentage of rust-free Jeeps than further north, I’d probably keep looking but if you’re set on this one for some reason I’d do more inspecting. It’s good that it feels smooth inside the frame, I’d get a camera in there to be sure. As long as the frame is good those other issues can be easily remedied.

 

[GorillaBiscuit]

I do like the Inca gold color a lot, but I really don't want a vehicle I have to work on everyday just to keep it on the road. I own a 1967 beetle, that thing is costing me a fortune replacing everything that is rusty or broken. Lol
I know I'm going to have to work on any tj I end up buying, I'm not expecting it to be perfect by any means, but I want it to be fairly mechanically sound. I think this particular jeep might require a little more time and money than I'm willing to invest right now. I should have taken some close up pictures of the wheels, they are pretty rusty and also have a ton of that black goop on them that is flaking and bubbling off. It just does not give me a real sense of security.
The problem I'm running in to here in my part of Tennessee is that every jeep tj for sale here has lived its whole life in New York or New Jersey, has rust and other issues, then bought at auction by a small wholesale dealer here who then undercoats it and charges an ultra premium price for it. It would be nice to find a tj for sale that's lived here it's whole life, but those people who own their tjs that they bought here are not selling them. I don't blame them, if I had a nice rust free tj that was from here I probably wouldn't sell it either.
One example of what I'm finding is this post from a local dealer here I found for an 04 sahara model with 200k miles. The jeep is in ok condition, it's not perfect, it has a small lift and 33" tires, but I just had to laugh. It read...
CARFAX RETAIL VALUE PRICE $11,550.00 KELLEY BLUE BOOK RETAIL $10,959.00 N.A.D.A. RETAIL VALUE PRICE $10,825.00 OUR "RARE FIND & EXTRA'S" PRICE FIRM $12,999.00 FIRM
It's frustrating to say the least, but one day I'm sure the right jeep will find me when the time is right. Until then, I'll just keep looking.

 

[02SteelBlue]

FWIW: I spent several years looking for my TJ. Good ones are hard to come by, but they definitely exist!

I had never heard of Facebook marketplace in until a buddy mentioned it. I got a great deal on my 02. Just tossing it out there as a potentially overlooked place to find a Jeep.

Also, for almost 12k, you can find a rust free one born and raised in the south and get it shipped to you for less.

Best of luck in your search!