Should I buy this LJR?

Longhorn84

Longhorn84

TJ Enthusiast
Original poster
Joined
Aug 20, 2018
Messages
407
Location
Houston
05 LJ Rubicon for around $10k with some rust, was at the beach for a while, definitely at least one completely rusted out body mount and at least a bunch of surface rust, maybe more I didn't get an incredible look at it, springs are flaking with rust, unknown gear ratio, 35's, older soft top, rust on the fender, some on the bottom of the driver door. Has been repainted and paint isn't in great condition. I was thinking of another project, maybe another ls swap, but worried about the unknowns with rust. Around 140k miles. Talk me in or out of it...
 
Rust is nearly unstoppable once it starts eating through crap, I've dealt with it way too much in the Northeast. Probably not a massive deal if it's just going to be a trail rig that gets banged up, but speaking from experience, trying to restore it is a PITA. Hard to say without pics tho
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chris
Longhorn84 said:
Talk me in or out of it...
Click to expand...
Don't waste your money on a rusty Jeep. Did it work?
Weekend-is-not-over-yet-do-you-understand (2017_11_20 00_38_12 UTC) (2).jpg
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: Moglocker, John Cooper and speeding_infraction
TheBoogieman said:
Don't waste your money on a rusty Jeep. Did it work?
View attachment 656236
Click to expand...

I did take it for a drive and it worked as you would expect. I originally thought it could be a quick flip as I never see LJR's under 10k but I don't really want to mess with welding in patch pieces or bolts breaking off as I work on it. Such a shame. I wish I had a shop, then I would consider pulling it apart bolt by bolt but even then, probably makes sense to pay more for a non-rusty LJR.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ColoJeep, John Cooper, speeding_infraction and 1 other person
Longhorn84 said:
I did take it for a drive and it worked as you would expect. I originally thought it could be a quick flip as I never see LJR's under 10k but I don't really want to mess with welding in patch pieces or bolts breaking off as I work on it. Such a shame. I wish I had a shop, then I would consider pulling it apart bolt by bolt but even then, probably makes sense to pay more for a non-rusty LJR.
Click to expand...

Very smart decision. (y)
 
  • Like
Reactions: speeding_infraction
Chris said:
I've worked with rust before and ever since that time I told myself I'll never buy a rusty vehicle again. It's just not worth it IMHO. Unless you've worked with rust before most people have no idea what they're getting into.
Click to expand...

Makes total sense, I've seen youtube videos of patching and repairing and looks pretty painful. At some point I was thinking it even be parted out to make $$ at the right price with the axles, engine/trans, tcase, full doors, and all the interior but still make not come out much ahead given the time it would take to get it apart and sell each piece.
 
Longhorn84 said:
Makes total sense, I've seen youtube videos of patching and repairing and looks pretty painful. At some point I was thinking it even be parted out to make $$ at the right price with the axles, engine/trans, tcase, full doors, and all the interior but still make not come out much ahead given the time it would take to get it apart and sell each piece.
Click to expand...

Yep, and rust is sneaky because often times it's in places you don't expect to find it which just further complicates things. Surface rust is one thing, but given the condition of that rust on the body mount I'm going to bet that you've got some bad rust spots hiding in other places.

Parting it out is always viable too, but I wouldn't pay more than several thousand if I was parting it out as you still need to account for profit and labor.
 
Longhorn84 said:
View attachment 656237
Click to expand...

Yeah that's pretty bad... Seems like most of it looks like it wouldn't be too bad, but that looks as if there's been salty water hiding in spots really rotting it out. To be honest, that's fairly easy fixable, but I have no idea what the rest of the underside looks like and there may be other spots really rotten like that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: John Cooper

Similar threads

Rockytop
Should I get a new oil pan?
Replies
9
Views
1,450
TJ General Discussion
NashvilleTJ
NashvilleTJ
NJW
Bought Another LJR Because I Have Poor Impulse Control (Again) - 37's on Stock Axles
Replies
41
Views
2,354
TJ Build Threads & Member's Rides
NJW
NJW
Bruh
An LJ project to call my own
Replies
14
Views
1,269
TJ Build Threads & Member's Rides
cgs2k2
C
Indy05Rubi
  • Locked
SOLD 2005 LJR Rubihara #523
Replies
5
Views
2,278
Jeeps For Sale
Indy05Rubi
Indy05Rubi
Coalcracker18
Project Newfoundland - 05 LJR preservation
Replies
28
Views
3,488
TJ Build Threads & Member's Rides
Coalcracker18
Coalcracker18
Top Bottom