Who's owned their TJ the longest? Bought mine in September 2002
- Thread starter Wildman
- Start date
February 2001. Bought my '01 Sport and drove it off the dealer showroom floor. 312,000 miles and 24.5 years later, it's been to the Darien Gap, the tip of Baja, did the Dalton during the Spring Melt, the Dempster during the Fall Freeze, the furthest east,west, north, south of N America, etc . No "Weekend Warrior" mods, the mods ( which are substantial) were to increase range, durability/reliability, and versatility.
I thought I once saw a survey tool on a forum post. Any way to set up this thread so that it collects others' answers and displays them?
If not, @Chris, that would be an interesting feature. Put this question on everyone's profiles, and display the time owned on a page like you do for locations here.
If not, @Chris, that would be an interesting feature. Put this question on everyone's profiles, and display the time owned on a page like you do for locations here.
I ordered my Sahara in October of '97 and picked it up from the dealership on 10 Jan '98. Turned 339k miles on my way to the office this morning. Both of my kids learned how to drive manual in it as well as driving it for a significant time during their HS years. Almost entirely stock excepting header & exhaust, and swapped to an '06 frame over winter of '19/'20. I have broken the rule of tires, with 33s on stock suspension + body height but I needed additional clearance to get to my favorite kayaking spot due to flood erosion at the Shenandoah/Potomac confluence.
Most of this is from the first post on my build thread, so apologies for the "lazy duplication," but I think the origin story is interesting due to why it was for sale when I found it:
Ever since the LJ came on the scene, I was fascinated by it. Work and life kept me busy, and most of my spare time was spent building and riding motorcycles and snowmobiles. However, I always wanted to build a Jeep. Now, later in life - with a failing body, and facing my mortality - over four years ago, I decided I'd better find that LJ and build the Jeep I always wanted. I started looking for a low-mileage LJ after Covid was in full-swing and prices were high.
Finally, in June, 2021, I found a one-owner 2005 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon halfway across the country with less than 50,000 miles on it. The owner and I hit it off. He had lost his son in Iraq (or Afghanistan - details have faded) and inherited the son's TJ. He had so many fond memories of Jeepin' with his son, he decided to sell his and keep the son's, since he didn't need two of them. I ended up hopping on a plane, checking it out, writing a check, and driving it home. On the way home with it, I stopped at an old friend's house (we'd worked together at one time, but moved on to different states, and I hadn't seen him in many years) to compare his 2006 LJ to mine (he's @06LJR on here), so the joyous occasion was even more joyous!
In the four years since I bought the LJ, I've been slowly making mods to it while amassing a pile of parts for it. I still have a very busy life, so it's been tough to dedicate a bunch of time to the LJ. I've rebuilt two other vehicles in the interim, and just as I was finally getting some build progress made, I've recently been dealing with a pile-up of home- and homestead-related repairs of higher priority that are killing my build vibe.
Here's a "day-of-purchase" picture of the rig from somewhere in Georgia on the way home (June 19, 2021):
Right now, it's on my lift in a serious state of modification, and I don't have any recent pictures of the entire vehicle. Currently, from the frame-down, nothing is attached...
Ever since the LJ came on the scene, I was fascinated by it. Work and life kept me busy, and most of my spare time was spent building and riding motorcycles and snowmobiles. However, I always wanted to build a Jeep. Now, later in life - with a failing body, and facing my mortality - over four years ago, I decided I'd better find that LJ and build the Jeep I always wanted. I started looking for a low-mileage LJ after Covid was in full-swing and prices were high.
Finally, in June, 2021, I found a one-owner 2005 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon halfway across the country with less than 50,000 miles on it. The owner and I hit it off. He had lost his son in Iraq (or Afghanistan - details have faded) and inherited the son's TJ. He had so many fond memories of Jeepin' with his son, he decided to sell his and keep the son's, since he didn't need two of them. I ended up hopping on a plane, checking it out, writing a check, and driving it home. On the way home with it, I stopped at an old friend's house (we'd worked together at one time, but moved on to different states, and I hadn't seen him in many years) to compare his 2006 LJ to mine (he's @06LJR on here), so the joyous occasion was even more joyous!
In the four years since I bought the LJ, I've been slowly making mods to it while amassing a pile of parts for it. I still have a very busy life, so it's been tough to dedicate a bunch of time to the LJ. I've rebuilt two other vehicles in the interim, and just as I was finally getting some build progress made, I've recently been dealing with a pile-up of home- and homestead-related repairs of higher priority that are killing my build vibe.
Here's a "day-of-purchase" picture of the rig from somewhere in Georgia on the way home (June 19, 2021):
Right now, it's on my lift in a serious state of modification, and I don't have any recent pictures of the entire vehicle. Currently, from the frame-down, nothing is attached...
alittleoff
TJ Addict
Yeah it definitely used up my luck for this century. I've been going to that Expo for quite a few years and buying/donating to the raffle to keep our trails open. I never thought that I'd win it, until I did.
Dylan_See_TJ
TJ Enthusiast
Bought mine from a physical therapist in Olean in January 2023. Had 134kish then, and has 145kish now. He said something along the lines of "It's just now as good as I want it, but I've gotta sell it for family reasons". Probably a toy sitting unused and pressure from his wife to not take up the time, space, and $$$. Drove it until July, set out to fix the hole in the floor, and ended up doing a tub swap and rebuilding the entire suspension, and painting it in my garage. So much for having a car senior year of high school. Well, I guess I did have a car, it was just on jack stands the whole time. I love the thing, but considering many of you guys bought your rigs before I was born, I'm not winning any "who's had theirs the longest" trophies. Some seriously cool origins in here.
Wildman
Over Analyzer Extraordinaire & Attention Whore
Original poster
Staff Member
Supporting Member
I'm enjoying all the stories and how & when you all got your rigs... Nice to know there are a few of you who have had your rig 20+ years like me....
It is my first rig I've owned this long. Most rigs I keep for 3-6 years and then move on.
At some point SOON I hope mine will actually hit some trails again. When it does I'll be sure to share.
It is my first rig I've owned this long. Most rigs I keep for 3-6 years and then move on.
At some point SOON I hope mine will actually hit some trails again. When it does I'll be sure to share.
Since June 2014, so 11 years.
Wanted a jeep for as long as I can remember. Sold my 2012 2500 Cummins and with that, bought my 1997. IIRC, it had 60k miles, but it was very clean. Sitting at 165.5 miles today.
The day I bought it.
And today
![20250509_132807[1].jpg](https://mail.wranglertjforum.com/attachments/20250509_132807-1-jpg.623142/ "20250509_132807[1].jpg")
The highlights...
- Swapped the Dana 35 for rubi 44 rear axle in...2015?
- The lp30 was swapped for another lp30 with an ARB in 2016 or 2017, which was then later swapped to a HP30 in 2018?
- Entire suspension has been redone (Metalcloak in 2015) and is about to be redone again in the next couple weeks (with Savvy
)
- Highline PS fenders (2018?)
- Savvy skids everywhere (2016)
- Hydro-assist in 2025
Wanted a jeep for as long as I can remember. Sold my 2012 2500 Cummins and with that, bought my 1997. IIRC, it had 60k miles, but it was very clean. Sitting at 165.5 miles today.
The day I bought it.
And today
The highlights...
- Swapped the Dana 35 for rubi 44 rear axle in...2015?
- The lp30 was swapped for another lp30 with an ARB in 2016 or 2017, which was then later swapped to a HP30 in 2018?
- Entire suspension has been redone (Metalcloak in 2015) and is about to be redone again in the next couple weeks (with Savvy
)- Highline PS fenders (2018?)
- Savvy skids everywhere (2016)
- Hydro-assist in 2025
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