The quest for a TJ continues: Opinions on this under carriage appreciated

Robert Dutruch

New Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2020
Messages
18
Location
New Orleans
This is an 02 TJ, Manual, 4.0, with139k miles here in the Gulf Coast region... New radiator New water pump New front sway bar links New thermostat New clutch hydraulic master cylinder New fluids in front differential, rear differential, brakes, transfer case, transmission... it’s a 6 hour drive to go for an on-site inspection and as always, the frame and undercarriage are my primary concern.... any thoughts and or suggestions would be greatly appreciated... they just dropped the price to $8k... Best regards, rd

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I would say it could use a cleaning and a repaint of the frame and axles. I don't see anything there to suggest structural damage. If you can pull off flakes, then you would want to avoid it. Other than that, I would consider it.
 
Really not enough pics of the main concern areas, Ask the seller for pics of the frame in the skid plate area and the lower rear control arm brackets, this will give you a shot at a good frame.
 
If you haven't seen it in person, make sure you do a thorough examination when you see it. Know when to walk away. Hopefully it works out though. Seems good so far.


When I was looking for a Jeep, I was looking at TJs and YJs. I responded to several Craigslist ads. One of them looked very promising. The guy said there was no rust whatsoever. The pictures looked very promising.

I get there and he begins by talking about how it does really well in deep water crossings and deep mud. He admits the floor plans have been re-welded ("every Jeep is that way"). The frame was actually in very poor shape. I walked away from that one.


When I saw an ad for a 2006 Rubicon, it had just been traded in at a Honda dealership. I figured it was on the way home, so I might as well take a look, though there were no frame pictures at all. The salesman didn't know a thing about Jeeps. I asked if I could open the hood, and he spent a couple minutes looking for the hood release in the cabin before he realized I already had it open. When I crawled under, it was pristine. Bought it very soon after.


So don't be afraid to walk away, and take the time to look around. You will find one you like eventually
 
I can tell you from my recent search, you want to see the rear control arm area with the round hole, see example below. They seem to rust bad here, and along the skid plate for the transfer case. Nothing beats an in person inspection but you can usually see enough to check one off your list with good pictures from these two areas. Good luck, I passed on several before buying. Many with rusty frames some with cracks and structural issues the owner though were "fine". One guy even told me it could be fixed for like $150 at the muffler shop, lol. Yeah right, try about $2k to start.

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@Robert Dutruch I live just north of Houston and my primary TJ has been in Houston all of its life. There is no rust on it at all. Is that Jeep from the Gulf Coast? Agree with Chris, I'd pass and look for another. You should be able to find a much cleaner one here in the south.
 
that's minor surface rust, from the looks of it.
maybe in central tx that's rusty but up here that's clean........ so you decide.
a wkends work and it's given a new lease on life.

yall keep warning guys away from easily refinished vehicles we might as well let um all rot away. we all need these parts...... keeping every unit as road worthy as possible is in all our best interest.

this is why rigs are getting ridiculous asking 25k for a 20yr old vehicle. keep letting them go and they'll keep goin up in price. there are plenty of rigs that'd take to much to repair already.............don't start trashing stuff like that.
 
that's minor surface rust, from the looks of it.
maybe in central tx that's rusty but up here that's clean........ so you decide.
a wkends work and it's given a new lease on life.

yall keep warning guys away from easily refinished vehicles we might as well let um all rot away. we all need these parts...... keeping every unit as road worthy as possible is in all our best interest.

this is why rigs are getting ridiculous asking 25k for a 20yr old vehicle. keep letting them go and they'll keep goin up in price. there are plenty of rigs that'd take to much to repair already.............don't start trashing stuff like that.

Well said....
I had looked for quite a while here in Southern California; the prices here varied $12-16K and the majority were 4 cylinders. There were some with low mileage and some with higher mileage; even a couple that were $10K and a few > $16K (Rubicons). I settled on a 01 TJ Sport 4.0L 5 speed (149K) that had good bones and needed a lot of TLC for $6000 which is CHEAP here in So Cal.
 
@someguysjeep. If he was up in Ohio, I would have recommended he go look at it. However, he is in New Orleans and too close to east Texas to not be able to find something with a clean frame. My comment was based solely on his geographic location and relative ease of finding something that doesn't need any frame clean up.

I stand by my recommendation. A 6 hour drive to look at that jeep may be worthwhile in the North. Not in the South

Even my TJ #2 (99 4.0 AX-15 Dana 44) from Atlanta has a very clean frame and I bought that one cheap.
 
I see you're in New Orleans, if you profile is correct. Look in the Texas/Florida area, away from coastline. Lots of clean Jeeps in those areas. Or even Arizona and have it inspected locally. Spend the extra coin upfront to prevent the unknown issues some of these examples may have
 
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...Helper.selectedEntity=c2405#listing=268653730

Heres an Unlimited

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...Helper.selectedEntity=c2405#listing=243196738


Another Unlimited

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...Helper.selectedEntity=c2405#listing=271087947



Point is, search. Find something you're looking for and ask for pictures. These examples, from a distance, appear to be in good shape. Then refer to Carfax to see where its been.



Edit: When Im searching for a vehicle, I exhaust myself and every search engine out there. Ill inquire on several that peak my interest, assess records/carfax/pictures and make a decision. Don't settle for a little rust at $8k when you can avoid rust all together for $9-10k.
 
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...Helper.selectedEntity=c2405#listing=268653730

Heres an Unlimited

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...Helper.selectedEntity=c2405#listing=243196738


Another Unlimited

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...Helper.selectedEntity=c2405#listing=271087947



Point is, search. Find something you're looking for and ask for pictures. These examples, from a distance, appear to be in good shape. Then refer to Carfax to see where its been.



Edit: When Im searching for a vehicle, I exhaust myself and every search engine out there. Ill inquire on several that peak my interest, assess records/carfax/pictures and make a decision. Don't settle for a little rust at $8k when you can avoid rust all together for $9-10k.

Thank you for the feedback Andrew... First time seeing CarGurus but looks to be a target rich environment... THANKS!! rd
 
One thing that always worries me about '05 and older vehicles in the South Louisiana area is that they may have been underwater for an extended period of time when our friend Katrina paid a visit In August of '05. Mine is an 05 and lived all its life down here. The frame was spotless.
 
@someguysjeep. If he was up in Ohio, I would have recommended he go look at it. However, he is in New Orleans and too close to east Texas to not be able to find something with a clean frame. My comment was based solely on his geographic location and relative ease of finding something that doesn't need any frame clean up.

I stand by my recommendation. A 6 hour drive to look at that jeep may be worthwhile in the North. Not in the South

Even my TJ #2 (99 4.0 AX-15 Dana 44) from Atlanta has a very clean frame and I bought that one cheap.

so unless they ship it to OHIO, just let it rot away?
not suggesting he go buy that jeep but yall are not wiling to lift a finger to save 1 either. there is nothing there a wkends work cannot restore.
 
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