Purchase Advice (02 TJ)

[AndyG]

By the 02' and then sell it to me for $100 more than you pay for it. I've been looking for a 02' auto for 5 years.
p.s. The head cracking issues are 00-01'.

Cool- The 02 3 speed mated to the 4.0 is the best combo produced- it gets the most out of the 4.0. Nearly a perfect match up.

 

[AndyG]

Well, once upon a time, I was waiting for the owner of a Pathfinder. The vehicle and others were parked next to the highway at some public area I guess. Some off work looking car salesman stops by. He starts this small car. Once started a lot of smoke was coming out of the exhaust. After he ran it for a while the exhaust seemed to finally clear. A few minutes later a woman and possibly her daughter stopped by. I wanted to tell her to run away! Don't know if she purchased the vehicle or not.

Well said. What it is going to do is anything it shouldn’t normally.

 

[BonesXX]

Buy the TJ TODAY!

 

[MikeE024]

Honestly, reliability is more important to me so if it's as good as the ax15 I'm happy. It would seldom see 65-70 mph around here so I don't think it'll matter much that it's a 3 speed. I'd wager it'll cruise just fine at those speeds when needed.

Read up on the 32RH if you want to feel good about the transmission. At one point it was considered to be the best auto to ever come out of Detroit.

My memory has taken a hit after covid but I believe Ford tried to buy rights to the transmission and Chrysler said no.

 

[Baldy91]

Read up on the 32RH if you want to feel good about the transmission. At one point it was considered to be the best auto to even come out of Detroit.

My memory has taken a hit after covid but I believe Ford tried to buy rights to the transmission and Chrysler said no.

I believe I read that somewhere as well. Maybe Jerry? Seems like he's a big proponent of the 32RH.

Waiting for the guy to get his title in from the bank (he just paid it off). Noticed that the hard top is factory but it was originally a soft top model. So no defrost or wiper functionally.

We get cold winters but not too bad in the Boise area. Contemplating trying to wire in the hardtop or go with a best top frameless top...

 

[TheBoogieman]

We get cold winters but not too bad in the Boise area. Contemplating trying to wire in the hardtop or go with a best top frameless top...

Soft tops work great in the winter too.

 

[Baldy91]

Soft tops work great in the winter too.
View attachment 320036

Per the current owner: "The PO did pull it behind an RV a little bit. They admitted they did it with the ignition on at one point which contributed to some of the mileage on the OD. They said it probably accrued 10k mi like this. Overall it was probably about 15-18k mi total towing. There’s some small paint chipping on the front grill as a result. I’ve never towed it."

I didn't think it would accrue mileage when towed?

 

[Old_Crow]

Per the current owner: "The PO did pull it behind an RV a little bit. They admitted they did it with the ignition on at one point which contributed to some of the mileage on the OD. They said it probably accrued 10k mi like this. Overall it was probably about 15-18k mi total towing. There’s some small paint chipping on the front grill as a result. I’ve never towed it."

I didn't think it would accrue mileage when towed?

It for sure won't accrue mileage if the key is off, but it might if you left the key on.

 

[jeepguy03]

It for sure won't accrue mileage if the key is off, but it might if you left the key on.

I think I remember hearing this in another thread about a TJ that was towed. Regardless, that isn't too many miles to really make a difference, and towing is pretty easy on components when done correctly.

 

[Baldy91]

I think I remember hearing this in another thread about a TJ that was towed. Regardless, that isn't too many miles to really make a difference, and towing is pretty easy on components when done correctly.

Thanks, I did more research and couldn't find anything to suggest it would accrue miles, but it seems like the first owners were an older retired couple who were meticulous with maintenance. The second owner (guy selling) has had it 1.5 years and seems to know what he's talking about, and has done all fluid changes and plugs since he bought it and had it inspected by a mechanic buddy at a dealership.

He's holding it for me, will be going in a couple weeks! Now, let's just hope the market doesn't crash completely with gas up and the economy going downhill Though I feel like it's a good deal and I won't lose even if I had to sell at some point.

 

[Baldy91]

That's odd that someone would hold it for a couple weeks. I've had people ask me to hold my Jeeps for a couple days and I said, "first one that shows up with cash gets it." You can lose out on a sale holding it. I was selling my 98' for $10,000 cash and a doctor wanted it. He asked if he could take it for the weekend to try it out if he gave me a $500 deposit. I told him, "only if you add another $9500 to that. I have lots of people looking to buy it." He then came back with a $10,000 check. I asked, what part of $10,000 cash didn't you understand? He said he didn't feel comfortable carrying $10,000 in cash on him. I told him "I don't feel comfortable taking a $10,000 check from a stranger." Needless to say I sent him to the bank and he brought me the cash.
p.s. I wish I'd never sold that Jeep.
View attachment 320882

How many jeeps have you had??

Yeah, he basically said "it's not depreciating in my garage." I have family coming to visit who can drop me off on their way home, so he's been super understanding of my situation. There are still good people out there! Since I was first to contact, he's giving me first dibs on it basically...

There are always risks, but it all checks out and the history and records on it are good, so I think because I was patient with him getting the title (there was a lien on it), he's being patient with me!

I'm excited. Wish I could've found something closer to 8-9k, but the condition on this seems to warrant the extra $$$

 

[SoCalGlide]

Go with the TJ. I mean, c'mon...it's Flame Red!
Everyone knows that red Jeeps are faster, get better gas mileage, and their owners are smarter and better looking!

 

[TheBoogieman]

How many jeeps have you had??

If you count me buying my current one twice, then 19. Bought it stock for $9500. Sold it after many mods for $14,000 because I needed the cash, then bought it back 2 years ago for $9,000 with only 1,200 additional miles on it (in 2 years).

 

[Baldy91]

If you count me buying my current one twice, then 19. Bought it stock for $9500. Sold it after many mods for $14,000 because I needed the cash, then bought it back 2 years ago for $9,000 with only 1,200 additional miles on it (in 2 years).

Wow! That's a crazy deal. Makes me feel better that you think the one I'm considering is a good deal since you have a lot of experience buying and selling

 

[Baldy91]

Update. Made a date to go see the TJ and the guy stopped responding completely. Must've decided to sell it. He re listed it for 14k so I bet he realized he could get more even though he said to me "you're first in line." I even offered a deposit. Sucks. Maybe I can still get the YJ for $8k and spend less anyways. Oh well.

 

[jeepguy03]

The fact that he would "hold it" for you for a couple weeks is usually never the case. If you see something for a good price that you want, you buy it, because chances are it will be gone (or in this case relisted for higher).

 

[Baldy91]

The fact that he would "hold it" for you for a couple weeks is usually never the case. If you see something for a good price that you want, you buy it, because chances are it will be gone (or in this case relisted for higher).

Yeah, it was 6+ hours away and I had no way of getting there for a couple weeks so he assured me it wasn't a problem and that it wasn't going anywhere. I guess hoping someone was decent enough to give me his word was a bad move.

 

[Ramona Wrangler]

reading this thread was like watching a movie with an ending that everyone knew was coming, especially when the audience was yelling. GO GET THE TJ!!!

Who holds a vehicle for sale for 2 weeks?

 

[Baldy91]

reading this thread was like watching a movie with an ending that everyone knew was coming, especially when the audience was yelling. GO GET THE TJ!!!

Who holds a vehicle for sale for 2 weeks?

I offered to pay him though, so I did what I thought I could given the time restraints I had and the distance I would've had to travel to get it.

 

[TheBoogieman]

Update. Made a date to go see the TJ and the guy stopped responding completely. Must've decided to sell it. He re listed it for 14k so I bet he realized he could get more even though he said to me "you're first in line." I even offered a deposit. Sucks. Maybe I can still get the YJ for $8k and spend less anyways. Oh well.

My 03' Rubicon was listed for $9800 when I bought it, several hours after the PO posted it on Craigslist. I brought the cash on a Sunday morning (8 am) and drove 2 hours to get there first. I was the only one that brought cash. He told me, "I guess I should have asked more for it. I've had more than 20 calls/emails on it since listing it at 11pm last night." My wife talked him down $300 on the price. The moral of the story is "ACT FAST and BRING CASH.