Thanks for the well-wishes
@bromel &
@JEEPCJTJ.
It wasn't an easy decision and a sale is not a given. I'm ok with that. If it sells then great. If not, I still have my TJ. Either way is good as far as I see it. If it doesn't sell then maybe I will eventually address the rust. That remains to be seen.
As to disclose/not disclose the rust...
It is far from conclusive whether the frame has irreparable damage. Some on here say yes it's irreparable, from their experience from a few pictures that I've posted. Others say no, it is repairable and some even say it is just a matter of surface rust. So there are varying degrees of opinion.
Here's what I know for a fact: I've crawled around under this Jeep more in the last week than I have in 2 years.
1) There is no visible rotting on the frame. (as such that I have seen online where there are small or large gaping holes in the frame)
2) There are no holes in the frame aside from the normal holes made by the manufacturer.
3) I have taken the hammer all the way around the frame and while rust has fallen off, in not one area has the hammer found a spot so weakened that it put a hole in it.
3) There are no cracks in the frame
4) There is a large amount of rust from lack of maintenance. Is it more than normal for a 2002 in the rust belt? I can't answer that question because I do not know
I am new here, so no one knows my background.
I can tell you this:
I have lived for the last 20 years in a house that should never have been sold to us because of all the underlying issues it had (Always, ALWAYS get a whole home inspection on real estate. I've learned the hard way)
Once I moved in and found all these issues I could have just sold it and let it be someone else's problems, but I couldn't have knowingly pawned that off on someone else. I vowed I would fix what I knew to be the problems before I sold it. Over the years, we have been making repairs, some have been fixed more than once. My wife and I have endured 4 lay-offs in those 20 years. (Thanks to IT corporate jobs involving mergers and acquisitions...
) Through all that, this summer we will complete the last and final portion of the renovations. (Yay for us! ha) At that point, I may decide to sell or I may keep it since it's all fixed now. I still haven't made up my mind...
Having said that, with the sell of this TJ, I'm pretty positive that I will make any and all ethical decisions moving forward...