Thoughts on Potential 2006 Rubicon Purchase
- Thread starter singapore.saki
- Start date
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Not a rubicon, but the amount of money saved could be used to make it nicer than a rubicon. Obviously would need more pictures, but frame doesn't appear to have been undercoated and you can still see the silver color on the bolts for the control arms. Could be a nice find though.
I did notice while browsing fb marketplace in the Houston area, most TJ / LJ's seem to be pretty molested already
Not a rubicon, but the amount of money saved could be used to make it nicer than a rubicon. Obviously would need more pictures, but frame doesn't appear to have been undercoated and you can still see the silver color on the bolts for the control arms. Could be a nice find though.
I did notice while browsing fb marketplace in the Houston area, most TJ / LJ's seem to be pretty molested already
Too many issues for 19K. It needs to be pristine for those pennies. Just sayin!.
This sums up my thinking exactly- It’s not that it’s not a good jeep it’s just not a good jeep for 19,000.
In Texas you can find some really good ones plus you get to wear a cowboy hat.
Considering we're all experiencing the country's Build Back Better plan and that I paid $17,000 for my 2006 Rubicon with 64,000 miles back in 2018 I'd say that the $19,000 for similar mileage may be pretty close to what it costs today, at least in my area.
As for the potential rust problems at the skid plate, mine looked worse than that and gave me 4 of these to worry about.
I felt alot better when I noticed that they were 50% skid plate and 50% frame as shown in the second picture, and neither the frame nor the skid plate were weak enough to dent with a hammer in those areas.
And here's all the rest of the rust I could find on the whole Jeep, It's on the bed floor below the rear seat. I guess it should be called the worst rust, considering there is some metal missing:
I'm not saying don't look for others, just that I don't think that one will be for sale very long.
As for the potential rust problems at the skid plate, mine looked worse than that and gave me 4 of these to worry about.
I felt alot better when I noticed that they were 50% skid plate and 50% frame as shown in the second picture, and neither the frame nor the skid plate were weak enough to dent with a hammer in those areas.
And here's all the rest of the rust I could find on the whole Jeep, It's on the bed floor below the rear seat. I guess it should be called the worst rust, considering there is some metal missing:
I'm not saying don't look for others, just that I don't think that one will be for sale very long.
The quick browsing I was doing this morning, definitely seems like lower mileage Rubicons are $18K minimum now. I would just want to make sure its from a rust free area.
This is exactly what I am finding as well and some beyond $20K!
I really would prefer a Tj just from a reliability and ease of working on perspective but may start looking at early JKs…
TJ is the way
I'm pretty sure everyone on this forum would highly recommend against that
Vtx531
TJ Addict
I'll add to this even though you already said you are passing.
Something is up with with Jeep. It looks like it has been "fixed up" a lot to me. Maybe not done in a bad way but who knows what else is hiding.
Something is up with the torque boxes and body mounts as someone else said. I see welding patches and grinding marks. Missing bolts on the rockers?
On the tailgate hinges, it looks like they are missing the plastic covers and one side of the hinge is black and one side is white. Is that normal? I wonder if the whole Jeep hasn't been repainted (which is fine as long as it's not being kept a secret).
The engine bay is nice but the brake booster looks to be spraypainted flat black. That is one of the areas I look to see how rusty it is.
Something is up with with Jeep. It looks like it has been "fixed up" a lot to me. Maybe not done in a bad way but who knows what else is hiding.
Something is up with the torque boxes and body mounts as someone else said. I see welding patches and grinding marks. Missing bolts on the rockers?
On the tailgate hinges, it looks like they are missing the plastic covers and one side of the hinge is black and one side is white. Is that normal? I wonder if the whole Jeep hasn't been repainted (which is fine as long as it's not being kept a secret).
The engine bay is nice but the brake booster looks to be spraypainted flat black. That is one of the areas I look to see how rusty it is.
I've heard that the first few years of JKs had engine problems. I think that changed around 2013.
You’re right - I need to be patient and find the right Tj.
2012 is when they went to the 3.6L. They changed the interior around 2011-2012 too (I've seen both years with both interiors). I have a 2012 JKU which I would sell you (no kidding, it's on marketplace now). It drives much less like a Jeep than the TJ, but no matter what breaks on the TJ I know I can fix it. The JK has a lot more crap to go wrong and is notoriously hard to troubleshoot. They are more comfy & have more space, that much is true.
There is no difference between the TJ and the LJ except the extra length of the LJ from the rear axle location and addition of rear overhang. If the TJ doesn't tip over backwards, they are better in very rough conditions with rocks and near vertical drops where the rear overhang/departure angle of the of the LJ will scrape. On the other hand, the LJ is much better for all around use because of the additional interior space and smoother ride from longer wheelbase. I bought my '05 LJ rust free with 26,000 miles just before Covid for $16,000 after looking for months. Passed or wasn't fast enough to get other unmolested low mileage ones in the same price range. Prices went up drastically after Covid but they seem to be coming down a bit now that the panic is over.
Jeep frames rust out from the inside. If the coating you are seeing is gooey stuff inside the frame, it sounds like it was properly rust preventive treated with a non hardening wax sealer. The hard coat undercoating stuff is worthless as any break in the coverage allows water/salt mixture to worm its way underneath hiding the damage till it's too late. If you don't get flaking rust inside the frame or significant corrosion under the skid plate, looks like the frame is in good shape considering its origin.
Just for reference I got the LJR in the profile pic for 19K, 112K miles. One time owner, maintenance had been done, came with onboard air compressor (York AC), tank and two plumbed lines, winch, and a 2” spacer lift. No rust, and clean. Might have overpaid a little, but it was certainly in the ballpark for CA and was the first rubicon model I saw for sale within 300 miles in over a year of looking.
My wife has a 2018 JUL and it's pretty nice. Last year I bought a '98 SE 5 speed that was in pretty good condition for it's age. It was my 4th jeep. I took my wife's JLU to the local dealer to get the oil changed and while I was waiting, I took a stroll through the lot and found a TJ that I had seen a few times in the lot while driving by for awhile. It was a '05 TJR with 97,000+ miles and was a very clean jeep. I ended up trading the '98 for the TJR and couldn't be happier, unless it happened to be TJUR for the same price. I actually think my wife's JLU is a nice jeep, but you just can't beat the simplicity of a TJ.
Jeep prices in my area have recently dropped faster than Joe's approval ratings and cognitive abilities.
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