help! almost a Jeep owner
 

Hi all, I am new to this forum and would like to ask all you a question regarding jeep pricing. I am looking at a 2003 Jeep TJ sport 4.0L (unknown re axle, I will look into this when I crawl under her) 5sp, hard top (no soft...a real bummer), no a/c (who cares) with 84,000kms on it. My question is this: is $11,000 a good price for this vehicle, it appears to have been well care for and tires and such are in good shape. It has not been abused and I don't think the previous owner ever took it off road (probably a yuppy with a puppy). I was looking at the rubicon but unfortunately they all seem out of my price range. Also if I ever get more serious into the 4 wheelin I can upgrade the truck then. I will be 80% on road 20% off. Thanks again!

Re: help! almost a Jeep owner
 

Its right at that price point where its difficult to say... its definitely low miles for its year for sure... id do a rust check on it for sure asking 11,000 is quite a bit, so id see if it had any hidden problems he might be trying to unload, see if it all checks out... when its worth it its worth it... so just give it a good looking over...

and its probably 3.55 or 3.73 gears...

Re: help! almost a Jeep owner
 

It would have to be pretty mint to justify that price imo. Like CrazyWJ242 says, look at it very very carefully. If you don't feel confident doing that yourself, pay someone who's qualified to do it for you.

Do you have any pictures of it you can post? If not, take some when you look at it and post them up. I'm sure you'll get some good advice.

Re: help! almost a Jeep owner
 

unfortunately I don't have any right now. I will attempt to describe its condition best I can. The paint is in really good condition, the underside shows no sign of rust other than what you would expect on a car that is 6 years old. It was a one owner vehicle (possible lease) and was lady driven.I lifted the floor mats and the pans were clean although there was a bunch of dog hair. I believe the women who owned it never took it off road. The interior is clean and the roof is in great shape. Exhaust system is solid and the brakes are fine. Under the hood is clean. No leaks from the diffs or transfer case. My guess is it is a dana 35 rear and not the 44. That's about it really. It's a dealership that is selling it and I got them down a bunch already. They will not budge on 11 though. Should I take it or walk?

Re: help! almost a Jeep owner
 

Oh if its at a dealer id probably take it for 11k for sure... like your saying its probably an off lease vehicle that they just couldn't sell to anybody since few are going to be looking for the older models at the higher price tag... and its hung around abit...

ALWAYS take it for a test drive put it thru its paces (on-road, off-road (checking all gears in the transfer case), get the suspension to flex, back on-road, and hit the highway, get a buddy to ride with you to confirm if your hearing things that might need to get checked) before signing any papers.

its what i did with my 04 Grand Cherokee (off lease from Michigan brought down to North Carolina) when i bought it, i talked them down a couple grand because of the normal rust on the drive train and A arm. not a spec on the body. and the univeral joint noise when shifting into reverse which is normal, and one shock was rubbing the plastic guard when that tire got tucked in, but no damage just scuffs on the shock... (easy fix, bend the plastic out to let it slide free tehehe!)

its likely to be a Dana 30 front, Dana 35 rear, and since its a 5 speed 3.73 gears

Re: help! almost a Jeep owner
 

Tell them to throw in a soft top for that price. You will miss not having one a lot.

Re: help! almost a Jeep owner
 

Like I said...they won't budge on 11. They are going to throw in a full tune up (big deal) and safety and e test (that's nice) but as far as price and options they are set. I am thinking I will go with it, but I just don't want to learn 2 months down the road I was a chump for buying it if it was way overpriced. I checked the blue book value (in CAD) and it is in the upper end but still within the window. What have others paid for similar Jeeps?

Re: help! almost a Jeep owner
 

My 03 tj as yours but you might have 3.07 gearings and not 3.73. One other thing look at the rear brakes are the disc of drums some came with disc's not a big deal but nice to have. And gearing some came with 4.10 even in the 6. To give u an idea I paid 10m for mine 2 years ago,mileage was 98m, never was offroad, in excellent shape, but was a special deal. At that time they were running for 12-14m and not in as good shape as what i got. But 2 tops. The soft top new will run you 500. but keep checking on this post may be someone will have something for you.

Re: help! almost a Jeep owner
 

do you ever wish you had gone with the Rubicon? My main concern is that I will wish I had the locking diffs...the tires aren't as big of a deal for me. I can see myself doing a whole lot of rock climbing but more so mudding. Will the locking diffs help out a lot in the mud or are they more for getting unstuck and loose terrain?

Re: help! almost a Jeep owner
 

Also I will have to track down a soft top and frame. The previous owner didn't trade it in with it...I wish she did...