Should I buy this 2003 Rubicon?

Jps0311 said:
Okay, so it seems like the concensus here is that i dont need the spacers? Any reason why I would want to remove the tcase drop?
Click to expand...


Rubicons already have very low transfer case skid plates. If you plan to off-road it...you will want the drop gone. Pavement only, who cares but why buy a rubicon?!
 
Jamison C said:
Those spacers ARE the tcase drop. Your tranny/tcase are mounted to the skid plate. When you drop the skid plate with those spacers, it lowers transmission and tcase too.

What @Alex01 is trying to explain is that your lift is so minimal, your pinion angle to the tcase isn’t going to be dramatic enough to create serious (if any) vibrations. If there were, a 1” motor mount lift would be a more ideal way to solve minimal vibes than lowering your drivetrain.

Take the spacers off, see if you have any vibes. Worse case scenario, you have vibes and you put the spacers back on to fix it.
Click to expand...
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Jamison C
Jps0311 said:
Okay, so it seems like the concensus here is that i dont need the spacers? Any reason why I would want to remove the tcase drop?
Click to expand...
To get more ground clearance under the Jeep.

A lot of lift kits come with TC skid spacers, and installers put them on without really checking to see if they're necessarily needed. No vibes, not needed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alex01
Screw blue book, that’s irrelevant. That is a good deal barring bad rust at the control arms or skid. I’d pay it. Heck I paid $12k for an X model with 46K mikes. Don’t ask how much I have in it now! LOL
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alex01
Jps0311 said:
Thanks guys for the insight. I went and test drove the Jeep today and made a gentlemans agreement to pick it up next week. Can someone elaborate on what is meant by the transfer case drop. He did put in some spacers in what looks like between the frame and a skid plate. Is that the proper to accomoadtw for drive shaft angle with the lift?
Click to expand...

Cash talks, I would put a deposit and he takes the ad down because someone will try to take it with cash.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alex01 and OldButStillJeeping
I paid 5g for my bone stock 04 Rubicon...high miles tho but nada is 9800 so I stole it more or less but to be honest I wouldnt take 10k for it... value is what you think it's worth to you
 
OldButStillJeeping said:
This^^^^^

Blue Book Nada yada yada don't mean a whole lot unless your trading it in on a new car... then you get the shaft...
Real world value says that is a great price on a Rubi.
Click to expand...

The day I went to look at my the Rubi, the guy said he had 4 other people contact him that day.

I drove about an hour to go look at it and once I decided on it we wrote up an agreement that I would put $2,000 down immediately and he would sign an agreement to hold the jeep for 20 days and receive full payment or I would forfeit the deposit. We both knew that wasn't going to happen but it needs to be beneficial to both parties.

I still every so often send him pictures and updates. He loved that jeep but his kids were getting to the age where they had other interests ( like a Segway, wtf? Lol) so he didn't need the extra toy.

I didn't even ask to go down on price.
 
MaloStapalo said:
The day I went to look at my the Rubi, the guy said he had 4 other people contact him that day.

I drove about an hour to go look at it and once I decided on it we wrote up an agreement that I would put $2,000 down immediately and he would sign an agreement to hold the jeep for 20 days and receive full payment or I would forfeit the deposit. We both knew that wasn't going to happen but it needs to be beneficial to both parties.

I still every so often send him pictures and updates. He loved that jeep but his kids were getting to the age where they had other interests ( like a Segway, wtf? Lol) so he didn't need the extra toy.

I didn't even ask to go down on price.
Click to expand...

We actually made a similar type agreement. I put $2,000 down as a deposit and we wrote up an agreement that I would pick it up next week.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lowranger, OldButStillJeeping, Jamison C and 2 others
Scott alcorn said:
Yeah I'm sure there are but I'm also sure you get my point
Click to expand...
I'm being facetious... You are 100% right about what you told the Op.

I have seen on this forum over and over and over someone finds a nice rig that's not going to need all kinds of upgrades and they think on it and ask everybody and research it and while they do that the owner sells it.

Here's the deal and I know this sounds a little bit screwy..

There are still nice TJ's out there

But there are a lot more that aren't.


I'm really of the belief that if you find one that really really fits the bill for you and if you want it go ahead and do the deal if the price is anywhere close.

It's not that you can't find nice ones but they are seldom on the market and they aren't on the market very long.

I believe in being deliberate but what typically happens if someone has this happen to them two or three times so the next time they come across one they move too fast... And end up getting one with all kinds of issues like rust and a bad lift

It's good to know what you're looking for and what you're trying to avoid.

this is coming from a guy who ended up with what he wanted but it cost me a pretty good bit of money to get there because I didn't really evaluate the entire vehicle correctly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TJ Hunnicutt
Tbo I jumped on my 04 rubi and test drove only ...didnt even test 4wd and lockers til it was in the driveway ... did crawl under and check for rust and in the floor ... ended up having rear rebuilt for 921 but I expected something at that price... leaks a little bit of oil but again expected ... as long as it's not a rust bucket anything mechanical I can fix myself so I'm extremely pleased... oh yeah had to put a soft top on it ad you couldn't see out the windows for the fog and tape bit I'm still pleased
 
  • Like
Reactions: TJ Hunnicutt
It's realistic to think about every one out there is going to need a few things , plus we all have things we want a certain way. It's fun really .
 
AndyG said:
It's realistic to think about every one out there is going to need a few things , plus we all have things we want a certain way. It's fun really .
Click to expand...
And that right there is probably the greatest thing about the wrangler. No two jeeps are the same, and each one has its own little personality and quirks that make it “yours.”
 
Top Bottom
Back