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

I say move fast And get it bought, seems like a good buy/deal for a clean LJ. Someone may swoop in And offer more than asking.
 
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I say move fast And get it bought, seems like a good buy/deal for a clean LJ. Someone may swoop in And offer more than asking.
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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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)
Nice, looks/sounds like you got a great one...an LJ at that. Congrats!
 
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)
Congrats! Did the seller budge on the price at all?
 
Congrats man. How much did the shipping cost you?
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.
 
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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.

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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.

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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.
 
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!
 
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!
 
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.
 
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!
 
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I thought I would revive this thread with the 2006 LJ I'm considering for my first Jeep.
It is a clean original owner Jeep LJ (ordered new) which has spent it's whole life in Oregon and was garaged when not in use.
I do not have any photos of the frame. However I did inspect the Jeep in person myself during the day using a creeper, a flashlight and a screwdriver to tap around underneath and I was very happy to not find any rust to be concerned with.
I have ran a Car Fax Report on it which came back clean and aligned with the information I was given by the owner. In addition, I've scheduled an appointment for a pre delivery inspection at a local Jeep Dealer to have them check it out mechanically.

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Is there anything I should be aware of and/or concerned with when considering a 2006 Jeep LJ with 106600 original miles?? It has a new heavy duty Les Schwab battery and new BFG tires with less then 500 miles. They have it listed for $19,900.
Thanks in advance! 🍻
 
I thought I would revive this thread with the 2006 LJ I'm considering for my first Jeep.
It is a clean original owner Jeep LJ (ordered new) which has spent it's whole life in Oregon and was garaged when not in use.
I do not have any photos of the frame. However I did inspect the Jeep in person myself during the day using a creeper, a flashlight and a screwdriver to tap around underneath and I was very happy to not find any rust to be concerned with.
I have ran a Car Fax Report on it which came back clean and aligned with the information I was given by the owner. In addition, I've scheduled an appointment for a pre delivery inspection at a local Jeep Dealer to have them check it out mechanically.

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Is there anything I should be aware of and/or concerned with when considering a 2006 Jeep LJ with 106600 original miles?? It has a new heavy duty Les Schwab battery and new BFG tires with less then 500 miles. They have it listed for $19,900.
Thanks in advance! 🍻
Rust is going to be your main concern. If it’s rust free then you should be good pending a good test drive. IMO it’s priced a bit high by a couple thousand but if everything checks out and owner knows it’s history, it’s been garaged, and you feel comfortable purchasing it then go for it. Maybe try to negotiate off $1-2k.