New here looking for a TJ for my first Jeep

R

RicketyTicket

New Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2017
Messages
7
Location
St. Louis
I have found 2 TJ's in my area and price range. I'm having a hard time figuring out what the best deal is. The following are the excerpts from the craigslist adds. I haven't seen either in person.

2002 2006
Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4.0L Wrangler X
5 speed manual 6 speed manual
82,269 miles 62,xxx miles
black with tan hard top Black with black soft top (new)
excellent interior Interior probably 60-75%
5 new wheels, 4 new tires 33" tires (50%) 5 wheels and tires matching
$11,995 $14,000 OBO
Extras:new Kenwood stereo with speakers
spider sun shade, new soft top (no leaks),
full doors, Thule 2 bike rack

00v0v_ksSwBACnei3_600x450.jpg


00D0D_l6YLlaJVHnA_600x450.jpg

My notes:
2002: interior looks in better shape than the other but maybe reupholstered, wheels are good looking black with bead lock look not gaudy though, hard top seems like a positive to me but again this is my first time seriously looking into Jeeps.
Cruise control standard in Sahara unless I read this wrong somewhere else, which is a big plus.

2006: "everything works and kept in garage" from add. Lift with no more info given. Currently has cheap looking chrome bumpers and side steps that I don't like. Wheels and tires are good looking all 5 match, interior is a little beat up. Does have A/C but no cruise control

All opinions are welcome! Should I go for one of these or keep looking?
 
You know what it's going to come down to? Which one has the least amount of rust on it... Seriously.

The hardtop makes it a little more desirable in my opinion, but more so I would get underneath each one of them and figure out which one has little to no rust, as that is well known to be the biggest issue with these vehicles. A rust free TJ can be worth a pretty penny!

I'm siding with the 2002 by far. Hard top, AC (which is nice if you ever need it), looks cleaner, etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Head Lice and JP98
Chris said:
You know what it's going to come down to? Which one has the least amount of rust on it... Seriously.

The hardtop makes it a little more desirable in my opinion, but more so I would get underneath each one of them and figure out which one has little to no rust, as that is well known to be the biggest issue with these vehicles. A rust free TJ can be worth a pretty penny!

I'm siding with the 2002 by far. Hard top, AC (which is nice if you ever need it), looks cleaner, etc.
Click to expand...


Thanks! That is what I'm eager to do now. Go look and drive. I've heard that the 5 sp manual is a better tranny though so it makes me a little leary of the 6sp.

There is also a 2006 X with half doors/soft top with only 33k miles and super clean looking (supposedly always garaged never off road) 3 in lift, 33"'s and nice bumpers in Red and black. He's asking $18,500 though and I assume it doesn't have cruise (being an X) but not positive. Just seems like even with the low miles he's asking more than a fair amount.
 
Yes, the 6 speed is known for having more issues than the 5 speed, for sure.

33k miles is awesome, that would probably be in almost brand new condition. Cruise control is no big deal. You can easily (and I mean EASILY) retrofit cruise control to a TJ that didn't come with it. Mine is a Rubicon model and didn't come with it (it was an option, not based on which model you had) but I paid about $300, got all the factory parts, and got it up and running in a few hours!

$18,500 is a great price if it's really got 33k miles, is rust free, and is in excellent shape.

I paid $19,500 for my 2005 Rubicon with 65k miles in excellent shape, which is the going rate around these parts.

So yeah, that may seem like a high price, but I can promise you it's not (assuming it's in amazing condition). These things really, really hold their value!
 
Welcome to the forum! Based on the info provided, and assuming no rust, the 02 Sahara would be my choice. There are some known issues with 05/06 models; opda, fuel splash back, funky 6 spd are the common ones. The Sahara will hold its value better too. Just make sure they aren't rusted like Chris said. Good luck, come back with pics of what you buy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Head Lice and Chris
Between a Sahara and a pretty much brand new TJ; its a hard choice, but i'd go with the '06. The one thing that I dislike about my '02 is that it isn't the most "up to date model" TJ (which the '03 to '06 models are) - with the bigger bucket seats, the bigger side view mirrors tailgate vent instead of a hard top vent, trail rated badge (even though its stupid really, factory added 'anything' is cool in my opinion), and the fact that an '06 is the least aged TJ you can possibly buy.

And, with that nearly brand new '06, you can keep it garage kept and make sure it stays real nice and untouched; my Jeep was very clean when it was purchased, however, it wasn't garage kept and you can tell it in the paint and the frame.

Whatever you buy, show pics of when you take it home!

...And, if you do buy the '06, take off the sacrilegious Smittybilt bumpers ;)
 
Last edited:
Welcome to the forum. I would check the rear end. The X did not have the Dana 44 option but the Sahara did. My money would go to the Sahara with 5 speed especially if it has the Dana 44.
 
The red '06 seems to be in pretty good condition. Drive them all and see what you think. How each drives, sounds, and compares with lack of rust will give you an answer.
 
The 06 looks great, but I'd still go with the 02 and upgrade the axles and gearing with the money saved.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thank you all for the insightful responses! Still a lot to think about and need to get a hold of these guys and drive them. This is a great forum, I really hope I pick one up and join in the fun soon!

JP98 said:
Welcome to the forum. I would check the rear end. The X did not have the Dana 44 option but the Sahara did. My money would go to the Sahara with 5 speed especially if it has the Dana 44.
Click to expand...

Thanks for some the advice. From what I could find from a coursey search the Dana 44 is more squared off on the sides and has a metallic drain plug. Is this enough to ensure it's the Dana 44?

As far as rust goes, if it's not an obvious problem where should I look in particular to see if it's a budding issue? Do I need to bring a little camera scope or should I be able to find some place to look inside the frame rails?
 
The 44 is preferred over the 35 but a 35 can be strengthened using a Super35 kit. If you plan on build the Jeep for off road. There are plenty of people out there using them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RicketyTicket
Well it has a Dana 44 and comes with a tan soft top. He said the soft top had some mildew though. Drove pretty nice to me. Shifted smooth and quiet, ran quiet at idle and no ticking or out of place noise under acceleration. The front diff looked oily and dirty on the bottom half mostly at the seal (not sure if this is normal but didn't seem like it to me) also look at what shape the frame is in...
v9C1PMs.jpg

Looks pretty bad to me. What do you guys think?
He said they did prophylactic frame patching here to prevent frame rot. From the previous picture looks like it was a little late.
OJzXFr0.jpg
 
Look inside the holes on the frame. If the metal is delaminating I would just thank them for their time and walk.
 
Top Bottom
Back