What do you guys think of this Jeep?

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Mudd_Shlinga

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I'm thinking of buying this jeep, and wanted to see what others thought about it.

$12,900

https://greenville.craigslist.org/ctd/d/arcadia-2000-jeep-wrangler-sport-only/7398427315.html
The seller mentioned that he added a 2" budget lift involving hockey pucks and was wondering if this is a legit method for lifting or something to be avoided.

It also mentions in the carfax report that the car was only driven 5,000 miles in the last 15 years, which is odd, and that it was reported stolen and returned like a month later.
 
Check it over closely but from what I see it looks to be in good condition. Nothing wrong with a 2" budget boost lift. Check for leaks since it hasn't been driven much in 15 years. Head gasket n such. As always look at the frame closely. Id look at it if it were close to me!
 
ManWithJeep said:
Check it over closely but from what I see it looks to be in good condition. Nothing wrong with a 2" budget boost lift. Check for leaks since it hasn't been driven much in 15 years. Head gasket n such. As always look at the frame closely. Id look at it if it were close
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Thanks for the advice!

In the future I might need to omit some of the info on good looking listings I ask about, or someone might come in here and say "no, don't buy it", and then go scarf it up themselves haha!
 
Mudd_Shlinga said:
I'm thinking of buying this jeep, and wanted to see what others thought about it.

$12,900

https://greenville.craigslist.org/ctd/d/arcadia-2000-jeep-wrangler-sport-only/7398427315.html
The seller mentioned that he added a 2" budget lift involving hockey pucks and was wondering if this is a legit method for lifting or something to be avoided.

It also mentions in the carfax report that the car was only driven 5,000 miles in the last 15 years, which is odd, and that it was reported stolen and returned like a month later.
Click to expand...

Jeep Wranglers generally can be a second weekend car which would also explain the low miles. Also 5000 miles in 15 years seems to be very low and odd but not unreasonable.
I would especially have this Jeep looked over by a mechanic since it has been sitting for a long time. The fluids are bad and rubber seals can dry out and leak if not driven enough on a monthly bases. This is major problem and is usually only noticed after driving for a month that the seals in the engine, tranny and transfer case are dry rotted. Then this Jeep would then have major bill to fix all the leaking seals.
 
Also take into consideration the vehicle being stolen means it doesn’t have a clear title. With that said, the price is a little high because of that.

There are tons of TJ’s around. Try not to get hung up on a specific one.
 
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I’d inspect the frame inside with an endoscope. It looks like someone has potentially painted over rust on the frame.
 
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Thanks for all the advice guys! This one was about 4 hours away from me so I had to ask before considering making the drive out there.
 
I will say the guy that ones wrangler motors usually knows his shit(I used to live near them). But if it was stolen, it won’t have a clean title.
 
As previously mentioned frame is painted looks like its hiding a lot so be careful. Also i have had 2 2000 sahara's and both 0331 heads cracked, look for moisture under oil fill cap. As for price i think everthying now a days is expensive. pete
 
The dealer looks really good, checked the reviews and didn't find any claims that the engine fell out on the drive home and whatnot. He has another jeep for sale for a little bit more that doesn't have one spec of rust on it, but I'm not as keen on that one. As for the theft issue, I'm confused too as I don't see how it could have a clean title as the listing claims with that in its history.
 
Definitely some painted over rust that would need close inspection. Carfax is hit or miss so a good inspection is imperative. Being a stolen recovery would be a big red flag in my book. I'd inspect the column wiring closely. It could have been a family dispute with no damage or it could have been taken joy riding through the hills and abandoned. I'm not real keen on the air filter or stereo installation either. Work like that raises concerns on what, how, and if maintenance was done. All that factored in the Jeep could still be worth looking in to. The TJ market is insane right now and I have seen worse with higher asking prices. I'm sure the dealer has left a little wiggle room.
I personally prefer the 04 he has except that it has a Dana 35 rear. If you make the trip I would look and drive both. If you do decide to go look I would call him at closing and set up an appointment first thing when he opens the next morning. I'd hate to drive 4 hours only to arrive and find out someone just bought it.
 
TRE3TOP said:
Also take into consideration the vehicle being stolen means it doesn’t have a clear title. With that said, the price is a little high because of that.

There are tons of TJ’s around. Try not to get hung up on a specific one.
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if the title isn't clean, 12k is more than a little high. If it's a rebuilt title or salvage title, it may be worth half that, not knowing what happened to it or if it required repairs.
IMO.
 
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Yup, I was also not big on the very ghetto looking speaker setup in the back and weird air filter that was in there. I suppose if I could track down some records of the theft and see whether it was something serious will be the deciding point of whether or not I go see it. I think I will wait a bit, because there is also one going up for auction in greensboro which is much closer to me on 11/06.

https://www.gaaclassiccars.com/vehicles/33446/1999-jeep-wrangler
This one also looks like the frame has been painted, but I figured if I could get it for a really good deal I might try to even though I can't really inspect it deeply. I think the mileage is around 180,000 based on info from adding it to the "track my car's maintenance" thing on carfax.
 
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