STICKY What should I look for when buying a used Wrangler TJ?

Thank you. What about the first set of photos? It is a different vehicle.

I wouldn’t touch that first one either. That’s either got some really cold (bad) welds, or someone spray painted over some gnarly rust. That long arm kit is very, very questionable. Stay far away would be my advice!
 
I wouldn’t touch that first one either. That’s either got some really cold (bad) welds, or someone spray painted over some gnarly rust. That long arm kit is very, very questionable. Stay far away would be my advice!
Thanks a million. That was my gut feeling, but wanted some experienced advice. What do you think of this one; is it overpriced? https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/link/237357682
 
Thanks a million. That was my gut feeling, but wanted some experienced advice. What do you think of this one; is it overpriced? https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/link/237357682

It has some sort of a crappy long arm on it (a long arm lift has no place whatsoever on a TJ). If it were me, I'd be looking for one that was either bone stock with lower miles, or something that had been mildly built using quality components (Currie, Savvy, Fox, OME, etc.).

I don't see any rust immediately, but the frame photos weren't the best, so it's hard to say for sure.
 
It has some sort of a crappy long arm on it (a long arm lift has no place whatsoever on a TJ). If it were me, I'd be looking for one that was either bone stock with lower miles, or something that had been mildly built using quality components (Currie, Savvy, Fox, OME, etc.).

I don't see any rust immediately, but the frame photos weren't the best, so it's hard to say for sure.
Got it. I really appreciate the advice. I guess the best advice you gave earlier in this thread is to just be patient and wait for a good one...be it months or even years. Glad I became a part of this forum and thread.
 
Got it. I really appreciate the advice. I guess the best advice you gave earlier in this thread is to just be patient and wait for a good one...be it months or even years. Glad I became a part of this forum and thread.

No problem at all, happy to help!

Another thing I always encourage is if you live in a rust belt state (Ohio for instance), you can always find better rust free vehicles by looking in places like Florida, the West Coast, or the Southwest, where they don't salt the roads. Out here on the West Coast, rust isn't an issue at all.

Of course these sorts of vehicles exist in the rust belt areas as well, you just have to find the owner who never drove it during the Winter months when they salt the roads.
 
Agreed with the others, there’s lots of bad spray paint over everything. I’d carry on until you find an original (the paint will be a bit dull) or a good/quality job to protect the frame (it won’t look like half assed spray painting) with sealer and drain plugs
 
I would never buy a TJ sight unseen without checking out the frame in person first. The only exception to that would be if you had someone knowledgable go check it out for you, or you had a pre-purchase inspection done from a reputable place who knew the things to look for.

Too many rusted frames out there to worth chancing it. Another thing you can do is if you find one you are interested in and it's out of state, post something up on the forum and chances are someone on here who is in that state may be able to go by (if it's close enough to them) and inspect it for you. The majority of us know what to look for.
Anybody in the portland oregon area able to go check one out for me?? I’d really appreciate it.
 
A different take on the engine and high mileage.

Like any used car the TJ eventually needs a new engine. Likely between 200K and 300K miles. Done correctly you'll get another 200K plus miles. All you need to do is make sure the purchase price is low enough to do it correct.

I put a remanufactured engine in mine 2 years ago. We also put in a new rad, hoses and clutch. The motor was $1800.00 and everything else including the install added another $2000.00. I now have like new performance, no oil leaks.... even 2 years later.... and 5 years of warranty left on the engine.

I'd never do a rebuild. The remanufactured with a 7 year warranty is a far better deal.
 
Hi everyone,

I am looking to buy my first Jeep Wrangler ever, a 2005 Unlimited. Can you please look at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11TUYDcd5gfR8kMkOQqGFhhehXj-UL9hP?usp=sharing and let me know what you think about the rust? It does look like surface rust, but I want to confirm with the experts :). Also, what's a reasonable price to have the following done by a mechanic? Thank you very much.
*Replace drive belt
*Replace O2 sensors
*Replace front PCV valve cover seal
*Replace front diff seal
*Replace rear transmission main seal
 
Hi everyone,

I am looking to buy my first Jeep Wrangler ever, a 2005 Unlimited. Can you please look at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11TUYDcd5gfR8kMkOQqGFhhehXj-UL9hP?usp=sharing and let me know what you think about the rust? It does look like surface rust, but I want to confirm with the experts :). Also, what's a reasonable price to have the following done by a mechanic? Thank you very much.
*Replace drive belt
*Replace O2 sensors
*Replace front PCV valve cover seal
*Replace front diff seal
*Replace rear transmission main seal

That thing looks fine to me! Nothing but surface rust, which can easily be taken care of.

Assuming the shop charges $100 per hour (which seems to be the average rate), I would suspect you'd end up spending $2000 or so, including parts. Could be more or less, but the rear main seal will be a 4-6 hour job, and the other ones add up.
 
That thing looks fine to me! Nothing but surface rust, which can easily be taken care of.

Assuming the shop charges $100 per hour (which seems to be the average rate), I would suspect you'd end up spending $2000 or so, including parts. Could be more or less, but the rear main seal will be a 4-6 hour job, and the other ones add up.

- Chris, the former TJ owner

Fixed that for you.
 
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That thing looks fine to me! Nothing but surface rust, which can easily be taken care of.

Assuming the shop charges $100 per hour (which seems to be the average rate), I would suspect you'd end up spending $2000 or so, including parts. Could be more or less, but the rear main seal will be a 4-6 hour job, and the other ones add up.

That's awesome! I'll include the $2k in the negotiation. Thank you very much.
 
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Thank you very much for posting this. I knew that frame rust is a concern on Wranglers, but didn't know just how bad until seeing the examples of what to look for and what to avoid. I was quite relieved to see zero rust when crawling under my recent purchase, and no highway wobble, either!
 
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97 Tj, should I pass?

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Good afternoon everyone,

1st time poster and 1st time purchaser of a used wrangler. I currently have a ’13 Wrangler JK sport & love it. My son turns 16 next week and he has wanted one since we bought ours. He has worked and saved enough that I'm confident he will pay it off over time. I’m looking at this ’07 that spent 1.5 years in New Jersey and spent the rest of its time in Florida. It has 64k and they're asking 15k for it. I'm in Chicago so asked for pics of the underside as was suggested. The dealers responded quickly with more than what I’m attaching but most were simply overlap of what I’m showing here. I’d appreciate any help in reviewing this as I’m not a mechanic by any sorts, but it looks fairly clean on the underside to me with an untrained eye. The car is in Tampa if so I don't want to travel unless I am 100% sure I should go down and take a look.

Thanks for your help.

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Good afternoon everyone,

1st time poster and 1st time purchaser of a used wrangler. I currently have a ’13 Wrangler JK sport & love it. My son turns 16 next week and he has wanted one since we bought ours. He has worked and saved enough that I'm confident he will pay it off over time. I’m looking at this ’07 that spent 1.5 years in New Jersey and spent the rest of its time in Florida. It has 64k and they're asking 15k for it. I'm in Chicago so asked for pics of the underside as was suggested. The dealers responded quickly with more than what I’m attaching but most were simply overlap of what I’m showing here. I’d appreciate any help in reviewing this as I’m not a mechanic by any sorts, but it looks fairly clean on the underside to me with an untrained eye. The car is in Tampa if so I don't want to travel unless I am 100% sure I should go down and take a look.

Thanks for your help.

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Not sure you’re aware but this forum tends to give advice based more on the TJ model wranglers (97-06). But based on the wrangler you are asking about, it is well known in the Jeep community to avoid the 07-11 wranglers due to the 3.8L underpowered “minivan” engine. If you’re focused on getting JK, you are better off looking at 12 and up, as the newer JKs have the much more improved 3.6 pentastar engine. But if your son has any interest in purchasing a TJ then you’ve come to the right place.
 
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Jazngab,

Thanks for the reply. I realized it after I posted that this was a TJ forum. I googled a question and this forum thread came up and it didn't sink in until after I posted. I also didn't know that about the engine, thanks for that tidbit. That's why I was looking at a 6 because I didn't want an underpowered engine. I will move any other questions to the JK forum if I find a new one.

Thanks again