New guy looking for buying advice

Hello all. New member here from West Palm Beach.

My neighbor is a big Jeep enthusiast and I’ve watched him rebuild CJs from my teenage years. I’ve decided a few months back that I would like to build my own TJ from a stock one, so I’ve been on the hunt since December.

I’m looking for more of an adventure vehicle for the weekends. Light off roading, going to the beach, loading my spear fishing gear in the etc. Never a daily driver, unless my Volkswagen dies.

That being said, most that I’ve been seeing are either too nice or not stock. I don’t trust anyone to do proper work. For example, I looked at a 97 wrangler yesterday with a 4 inch rough country lift on a 4 banger. Asked him if he regeared it and he had no idea what I meant. This is why I want stock or as close to it.

Across the street from my office is one of those buy here pay here lots. They have a 2000 TJ with 197k miles. There’s a lot wrong cosmetically, but I pulledmy own Carfax and the Jeep had 4 owners and it never left Arizona and Louisiana. Frame looksperfect. Engine looks great and sounds great. Everything else is nit picky.

I used to sell cars so I know how those lots work. They cater to people with less than desirable credit scores and can’t haggle. They wanted 7995 for the Jeep, so after hours I went and meticulously wrote out every single defect. The main one I could use to my advantage was the tires were absolutely unsafely bald.

Other things besides dings and dents was the bikini top was screwed on to the roll bar/window frame with drywall screws. Rear seat bracket is broken so the seat is just sliding around. Center console lock was cut out. There’s a big gouge in the drivers window which caused scrapes. Seats torn. Steering wheel was covered in electrical tape. You name it, it was wrong. Growing up around Jeeps, I know that didn’t matter. The frame was rust free. The 6 cyl engine wasn’t knocking. No leaks.

I offered 5k for the Jeep. They countered 6995 and I left. 3 days go by and they call with 5995. I was in the advantage because any normal car buyer looking at this Jeep would think it was a piece of trash.

I finally countered at 5500 and they accepted. My question is, is it really worth 5500 with all that cosmetic stuff to be fixed and 197k miles? I’ve been pricing dash units and center consoles. Not going to paint it. Want a 2.5 lift and some 33s. Nothing crazy.

Here is the link http://buyerszoneinc.com/2000-Jeep-...mBeach-FL/10681559/BuyHerePayHereDetails.aspx

If someone wouldn’t mind taking a look. I gave them 100 bucks to hold it over the weekend while I slept on it.

Thanks guys and gals. Ready to join to the community.

UpperMI said:

Welcome to the forum. Are the heater and fan controls gone? I looked through the photos and it appears that they are. I would be concerned whether or not the wiring harness was cut. Anyways, so here are my thoughts:

1. The body looks straight and solid (and no rust is a good thing). Body is plus

2. The 4.0 liter straight 6's are essentially tractor motors and getting to 250,000 - 300,000 miles is normal. Especially if it has been maintained. The 2000 jeeps had a problem with the 0331 heads cracking. You can use the search feature here or google it to read up more on it. It may have been replaced already or may be fine. But I would definitely educate yourself more on this issue.

3. Inside looks like it has mold and absolutely trashed. I would not want to have a jeep without carpeting (louder plus it makes the floor pan of the jeep hot). replacement carpeting is about $250 or you can upgrade to a bed rug (which I have) for about $350. The bed rug or bed tred ($450) are great investments for what you want to do. Both products handle moisture and outdoor adventures better than the stock carpeting.
4. Tires. 33's ain't cheap, figure another $800.

5. I think you would need a top of some type if you plan on securing your spear fishing equipment or carry anything else of value with you. an alternative would be to get a Tuffy box (various sizes) that are like adding a safe to your jeep. A soft top would be about a $500 and $1,000 for a hard top. If you like the safari top then a Tuffy box would be the way to go imo.

6. $5,500 isn't too bad if the drive train and body are fine. you'll spend another $2000 - $4,000 to make it how you want it. Out in CA, I see 200,000 miles TJs going for anywhere from 6K - 10K based on how many upgrades they have which would put you in the ball park.

Click to expand...

Fan and heater controls are there. I noticed the same thing looking at photos. Air con works and fan blows on all settings.

The inside has no carpet and the mold look I think was a poorly bedlined floor board. I have an upholsterer who quoted me right around the 300-400 mark. He also mentioned some type of rubber liner akin to rhino line that can be hosed out.

I also dropped 1200 off the price because of the tires. It has 4 28s on that are Falken AT3s and the spare is another brand the wrong size. He suggested he would put his own tires on but I wasn’t falling for that. Those falkens are Walmart tires and run about 100 bucks. I want some beefy bfgs once I put some lift on it.

Spear fishing equipment wouldn’t stay in the Jeep at all times. More so just to throw it in the back and go. I want to take the doors off completely and remount the mirrors. Definitely needs a new top. What would suggest? I also saw smittybilt makes almost a safe for the back which requires the back seat gone, but that would solve the issue with the seat brackets.

I appreciate your insight. I was just very happy to read the Carfax and see that it was owned in 3 states that don’t see snow or salt. The frame also looks like it was lined as well. I took a rubber mallet to see if anything flakes off. Looks very good I wish I took pictures.

Thanks for your help. Got any pictures of yours?

TJ2 said:

If they trashed that rig in the outside, there is a chance they did not took care of the hidden mechanical important stuff.
With almost 200,000 miles in it, there are major mechanical components that are almost due for maintenance and/or replacement, or some are about to break or get worn (wear & tear).
I would NOT take the chance if I were you. Keep on looking, you've waited this long, what's the rush to dive into this one?
You'll find one, keep on looking, take your time, there is always one jeep somewhere, somehow, one of these days, destined for you.

Click to expand...

I did have my neighbor look it over. He said the only two issues he saw was the mounts weren’t great and there was a bearing seal leak, but everything else looked good. I appreciate your help and exactly why I posted this. Not just to hear what I want but also what I need. What should I be looking for? I’m bringing a mechanic friend back Monday before anything else progresses. I’ll look into 200k type issues.

UpperMI said:

I have a Patriot blue 2002 Sport with 43,500 original miles.


View attachment 38705

View attachment 38706

Click to expand...

Man that things clean. Super jealous.

UpperMI said:

Oh, and Best top was the original manufacturer of the soft tops for jeeps. Mine is original and its held up for 16 years so I can attest to the quality.

@Chris put together a thread in FAQs that helps break down the soft top options for TJs.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads...cement-soft-top-for-my-jeep-wrangler-tj.3203/

Click to expand...

Thanks for that. Just joined last week so I’ve been trying to read stickied threads.

Swung by to snap a few pics of the engine

Two more.