Jeep Newbie Needs Opinions on a 2005 TJ X [Pics]

[GoodOldBoy]

Hey everyone. I've been lurking around the web watching Jeeps come and go in my local market area (Florida) for about a year now.

I started out being interested in the YJ but lately have been leaning more toward the TJ. I can see how people end up packing 5 Jeeps in their garage. Each generation has its own appeal, and it seems like the only way to ever be fully satisfied is to simply have it all. For now, however, I must settle on one.

Yesterday, this Jeep came across my radar. It's a black 2005 TJ X 4.0L I6 with 6 speed manual. List price is around $10.5k.

I've never bought a used car before, and I'm not mechanically skilled but I do have the initiative to learn. I did a little bit of research on what to look out for when doing a quick visual inspection on a Jeep, but I'd really like some input here from people who are more knowledgeable than myself.

I do plan on taking the Jeep down to a mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection before dropping any cash on it, unless i decide to walk before getting that far.

The Good:

• I dig the blacked out look. Neutral on the faux diamond plate. The interior is good enough.
• Started her up no problem. The idling engine sounds smooth. No weirdness anywhere at all, just four liters of combustion purring away and things sounding nice.
• Took her for a little spin around town. No excessive play in the steering wheel. All six gears are smooth and reverse did it's job. The engine pulls strong, and the brakes work about how I would expect them to.
• Hooked up an OBD2 computer interface and wasn't reading any codes whatsoever.

The Bad:

• After driving it, I did notice a slight oil drip. There's a photo below with the area the oil was dripping from circled in red. Is this just a fact of life with an older wrangler? Or is this a real problem?
• There was also a puddle of water under the driver's side seat. It's been raining recently, so I assume it's slipping through the soft top somewhere, but I couldn't find the source. I figure this is a minor annoyance and can be tracked down with a garden hose.
• I guess we all have our own interpretation of the words "rust free" but I'll be nice and assume maybe the seller is just loose with their words and meant that "some areas are free of rust," because this vehicle is certainly not what I would describe as "rust free." Now, the frame doesn't look completely decrepit, and without knowing better I might even call this amount of rust "acceptable," but I'd like to ask your opinions about what you see. I took photos of the problem areas I could find:

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12. Passenger side floorboard. Rust seemed fairly superficial and there was light moisture here. None on driver's side.

12 Location of Oil Drip

So what do you think? Is this a good starter Jeep? Are the problems identified thus far worth pursuing any further? Is a few spots of rust really that terrible?

Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide!

-GOB

 

[Chris]

Nope, wouldn't touch that thing.

There's nasty rust lurking there, I can tell by the photos. That's far from "surface rust" either.

There may be a few who disagree with me, but having dealt with rust like this before, I'll never do it again.

So my personal opinion is to walk away and find a cleaner one. There's no shortage of clean, rust free (really rust free) TJs out there.

 

[AndyG]

For 10-12 k you can get a really nice the in Florida, Georgia or Alabama .

 

[GoodOldBoy]

Thanks for the responses. I've been doing a bit more research this evening and I'm going to pass on this one.
A big part of this decision is that I've realized that I don't know what the hell I want. 24 hours ago I was pretty set on a TJ, now I'm leaning toward an LJ, and while I'm at it why not make it an LJ Rubicon that's never left the Southern US and has a binder full of maintenance records to go with it? I'll just go back to quietly researching and waiting.

Regardless, this has been a great learning experience and I'm glad I found this forum. We'll see what comes my way next.

-GOB

 

[jazngab]

Yea looked pretty good until I saw the rear frame and the passenger floor pan. And where the transfer skid plate contacts the frame looks suspect. I would invest in a boroscope off amazon for your tj/lj search. It makes inspecting inside frames very easy. You can do better for $10.5.
DEPSTECH Wireless Endoscope, WiFi Borescope Inspection 2.0 Megapixels HD Snake Camera for Android and iOS Smartphone, iPhone, Samsung, Tablet -Black(11.5FT) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MYTHWK4/?tag=wranglerorg-20

 

[JEEPCJTJ]

Living my whole life in the rust belt I think that is called rust free by too many people, but I didn't think it looked too bad until I saw these pictures:

#10 the lower control arm mount, I can't quite tell what I'm seeing there.
#11 skid plate to frame area. What my "rust free" TJ had but luckily it was still solid enough to put back together, they ain't all that good.
#12 probably just needs a little work.

I see you're from Florida and would think it's from Florida too. I'm guessing that rust like that comes from too many rides down the beach and not enough cleaning up afterwards.

 

[AndyG]

The well maintained lj sounds like the bomb

 

[jazngab]

Price goes up considerably for a LJ especially rubicon. Gotta take that into account to. The price difference could be used for mods.

 

[AndyG]

Price goes up considerably for a LJ especially rubicon. Gotta take that into account to. The price difference could be used for mods.

Yep , usually you pay either way .

 

[Mike_H]

In Michigan, that would be an OK jeep to start with. In Florida, I'd keep looking. No reason to start off with rust. Its not bad and most of it would clean up easy, but if you have the opportunity, why bother. The concerning rust to me was the amount of rust I saw on the passenger floor board and some of your frame pictures showed rust in the pinch welds of the body. That is a real bitch to clean up...you basically have to cut it out and put new metal in.

 

[cliffish]

Yea looked pretty good until I saw the rear frame and the passenger floor pan. And where the transfer skid plate contacts the frame looks suspect. I would invest in a boroscope off amazon for your tj/lj search. It makes inspecting inside frames very easy. You can do better for $10.5.
DEPSTECH Wireless Endoscope, WiFi Borescope Inspection 2.0 Megapixels HD Snake Camera for Android and iOS Smartphone, iPhone, Samsung, Tablet -Black(11.5FT) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MYTHWK4/?tag=wranglerorg-20

or even this one cheaper
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WRNGYXY/?tag=wranglerorg-20

 

[MutantNinjaTJ]

I was thinking it was marginal until the last few pics and it's a non-starter for sure. Too much rust for someone with marginal repair skills. You said you were willing to learn, but this one isn't for beginners. Keep looking!

 

[GoodOldBoy]

Thanks for the heads up on the borescope. Seems like a cool gadget to have in general, and a great gadget to have for sussing out rusty frames.

One of the things that got me about this Jeep was the fact that it had moved around so much throughout its life before landing in Florida for sale. Before I test drove it, I pulled a carfax report which revealed it was originally purchased in West Virginia, then spent a few years in Ohio, eventually traded in to a Florida dealership (half the people in Florida are from Ohio, after all), dealer then sold it at auction to a guy who flips cars for a living, and now it's listed for sale online. There are likely tons of Jeeps for sale in Florida that have a similar story and now that I realize this I'll most likely just skip over them.

 

[cliffish]

Thanks for the heads up on the borescope. Seems like a cool gadget to have in general, and a great gadget to have for sussing out rusty frames.

One of the things that got me about this Jeep was the fact that it had moved around so much throughout its life before landing in Florida for sale. Before I test drove it, I pulled a carfax report which revealed it was originally purchased in West Virginia, then spent a few years in Ohio, eventually traded in to a Florida dealership (half the people in Florida are from Ohio, after all), dealer then sold it at auction to a guy who flips cars for a living, and now it's listed for sale online. There are likely tons of Jeeps for sale in Florida that have a similar story and now that I realize this I'll most likely just skip over them.

well then former New Yorkers make up the other half.....I would pass on a jeep that moved around from that, there are much better ones down south.