Jeep Wrangler advice?

[ray h]

Originally Posted by RxZ

Cool, good to know. I had checked eBay's recently sold Jeeps, and could find none in all of America that were around this age and miles that had sold for 10K, unless there were very specific things done to the Jeeps (like garage kept, 20K miles, etc). I took the $9995 as a starting point for negotiations

The one I went and looked at tonight... Lots of work on in the engine bay, which honestly wasn't a big concern; none of it was on the block, just hoses, exhaust manifold, new plastic radiator, etc. The Jeep drove great as far as I could tell. Brakes seemed weak, but that may just be because I am used to my old 09 Civic Si, not to mention the bike. However, the deal breaker was I couldn't get 4WD to engage. No idea why, may have been a simple fix. Then again, with only 75K miles, I would expect 4x4 to work.

What are your future plans for the Jeep?
Are you going to lift it, put 33s on it and off road it any? If you are, you should be looking for a TJ with the Dana 44 rearend verses the D35. Most Sahara models have the D44 package, but some dont. Some Sport models will have it and some dont, No X models will have it. Very, very few automatics will have the D44 package.
s for the cracked manifold and leaky radiator, both those things are common. Its good if they have already been addressed. As everyone has said, look for rust. Other common issues, leaky rear main seal, leaky valve covers and leaky pinion seals. Non of these things effect the reliability of the Jeep but they can make your driveway and garage a mess.
The Jeep community is huge and very helpful. Find a local group or a website and look for a used Jeep and advice there. They will let you know what is or isnt a good deal. I havent kept up with used Wrangler prices but I think $10000 is way high. I know if I were selling our 99 TJ with 122000 wouldnt ask more than 7000 for it, and its in decent condition with no issues.

[RxZ]

Future plans? Mostly poser

I do not plan on putting on a huge lift and going to the local mudpits, just not my style. It will mainly be for getting to work on days when I don't feel like taking the bike (bad weather, too tired, etc), and then weekend excursions with the family. The occasional trip to the Ozarks or out West. Other than that, just tooling around on weekends, and having fun when time allows. Which ever one I get, I plan on putting all terrains on, and if 33s will fit then great, otherwise I am perfectly happy with the stock size.

That said, I will probably look for the D44 just in case my plans change...

Thanks everyone for the great advice so far!!!

Originally Posted by ray h

What are your future plans for the Jeep?
Are you going to lift it, put 33s on it and off road it any? If you are, you should be looking for a TJ with the Dana 44 rearend verses the D35. Most Sahara models have the D44 package, but some dont. Some Sport models will have it and some dont, No X models will have it. Very, very few automatics will have the D44 package.
s for the cracked manifold and leaky radiator, both those things are common. Its good if they have already been addressed. As everyone has said, look for rust. Other common issues, leaky rear main seal, leaky valve covers and leaky pinion seals. Non of these things effect the reliability of the Jeep but they can make your driveway and garage a mess.
The Jeep community is huge and very helpful. Find a local group or a website and look for a used Jeep and advice there. They will let you know what is or isnt a good deal. I havent kept up with used Wrangler prices but I think $10000 is way high. I know if I were selling our 99 TJ with 122000 wouldnt ask more than 7000 for it, and its in decent condition with no issues.

[Shep]

I am wanting to get a Jeep as well. I had a similar scenario with my FIL several years ago. He already had a Jeep and I mentioned to him one day that my wife and I were toying with getting one. He said, "I will bring mine over and let you try it out to see what you think." He dropped it off a few days later and said, "Just change the oil every 3k miles." I thought he was bringing it for a weekend; we drove it daily for over two years! Never a problem with the arrangement or the Jeep. My father-in-law was just trying to share his toys...and he has some pretty interesting ones.

Shep

[AKjeff]

Another thing I just remembered:

The '05/'06 4.0's do not have a distributor. They do have a sensor in the same location, driven off the cam shaft. This drives the oil pump. It has caused some issues on some engines. I don't know how big of an issue this is, the link may tell you.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/20...ilure-1144202/

I don't think it would be a deal breaker for the right jeep, just something to keep an eye on for wear.