STICKY What should I look for when buying a used Wrangler TJ?
- Thread starter Chris
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- buying used wrangler tj
Carrier picks her up this week. Thank you all for your help, back to being a TJ owner. It’s been too long (owned a 2000 TJ in the past, and an 86 CJ7 and a 81 CJ8, but my true love has always been the TJs)
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He came down from His original asking of 14, to 13. And based off of the brand new top, brand new winch, and the inspection report. I’m happy and he’s happy. Two jeepers happy in one day, that’s a win.
Thanks. Should be here the 11/12th. Got quotes from 400-1500. I checked BBB and reviews online and ended up with one for 650. I’ll tell you on the 11/12th if it was worth it. MercuryTransport was the broker.
Hey guys. New member, long time lurker. Going to be looking at a 2000 Wrangler Sport 4.0 5spd after work today. Use to have a JKU and most recently owned a 2018 Tundra. Sold that due to being within walking distance of work with my new job and not wanting to have such a big monthly payment anymore. Needing to buy in the next few days, so unfortunately I don’t have the time to browse for too long.
I’ve attached pictures of the interior of the TJ as the current owner recently took it apart to clean the dash and get rid of some rust in the passenger floor pan. You can see where it’s bubbled up a bit where the front passenger seat will rest over.
Only “issues” he mentioned:
Temp gets up to 220 when sitting for a long time in the summer and there’s a slight whistle in high rpm’s when cold (exhaust gasket maybe?). Aside from that, there are no issues. he’s asking $8900 and it’s got 178k on the clock.
It has been in his family since 2002 with a good service record and maintenance history. Brand new top, front and rear bumpers, and sidesteps. No radio as he took it out when taking apart the dash. Mainly trying to determine if the rust spot shown in the pics are “acceptable” in terms of repair and longevity. I’d like to have this as a main car for a year or two before turning it into a project when I buy a house down the road. Miles will be very low as again, I walk to work. I just somewhat hesitate to buy something with any rust, regardless of how small, because I’m in Texas and they’re definitely out there. But if it’s not that bad and we’ll treated, in fine with it.
Late notice so no worries if no one is able to respond before I look at it. I plan on inspecting for all of the main issues when I look at it. Frame condition/rust, any leaks, etc. Any input is appreciated.
I’ve attached pictures of the interior of the TJ as the current owner recently took it apart to clean the dash and get rid of some rust in the passenger floor pan. You can see where it’s bubbled up a bit where the front passenger seat will rest over.
Only “issues” he mentioned:
Temp gets up to 220 when sitting for a long time in the summer and there’s a slight whistle in high rpm’s when cold (exhaust gasket maybe?). Aside from that, there are no issues. he’s asking $8900 and it’s got 178k on the clock.
It has been in his family since 2002 with a good service record and maintenance history. Brand new top, front and rear bumpers, and sidesteps. No radio as he took it out when taking apart the dash. Mainly trying to determine if the rust spot shown in the pics are “acceptable” in terms of repair and longevity. I’d like to have this as a main car for a year or two before turning it into a project when I buy a house down the road. Miles will be very low as again, I walk to work. I just somewhat hesitate to buy something with any rust, regardless of how small, because I’m in Texas and they’re definitely out there. But if it’s not that bad and we’ll treated, in fine with it.
Late notice so no worries if no one is able to respond before I look at it. I plan on inspecting for all of the main issues when I look at it. Frame condition/rust, any leaks, etc. Any input is appreciated.
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What does the frame look like in terms of rust? That's where it really matters.
Do a carfax. For sure. Its worth every penny of the 40 bucks.
Got it. I’ll be checking out the frame this evening when I look at it to make sure the extent of it was just the floor pan. Noted on the carfax. I’ll grab the vin from him to purchase the report. I initially wasn’t going to since it had been in his family since ‘02, but at additional info would help. Never know what could be in there. Thanks!
Agreed. It’s all in the condition of the frame. After that check the body for rust (fenders, rocker area, floor pan, body mounts are common areas of rust). If it passes the rust examinations, I’d still say $8900 is too high. It’s needs cooling system overhaul off the bat and a new radio. And with it being an older mode TJ w 178k, my price is around $6-7k IMO. Good luck!
Got it. I’ll definitely feel it out in person. I agree on the pricing due to a couple of things that will need to be done soon after purchase. He said he’s pretty firm, so we’ll see. Appreciate the advice!
Here in CA that price isnt to far off. I dont know about the TX market.
If u had time i would also say to ask him if hed mind if you had it inspected at his local Jeep dealership. Then use whatever they find wrong to negotiate the price down. And to cover your ass on anything else that might be wrong.
If u had time i would also say to ask him if hed mind if you had it inspected at his local Jeep dealership. Then use whatever they find wrong to negotiate the price down. And to cover your ass on anything else that might be wrong.
Just an update instead of leaving you all hanging. Test drove it and it felt great. However, I definitely forgot how rugged and raw a TJ with half doors was. Even though I’m not driving much, I decided to choose something with a few more creature comforts. For a weekend car, I’d have bought it yesterday though. Thanks for the help fellows!
Hi guys! What do you think about this amount of rust on a 97' TJ Sahara. Is it bad? or something I can work with?
