Advice needed with buying a jk
 

Hi everyone, I'm looking to buy a jk. I've heard the 3.6 drives nicer than the 3.8, what do we think? Plus the added protection of the extra 2 side airbags gives more peace of mind. But the 2012s are fairly cheaper,

however reading the American forums, they say to avoid 2012s as they have a common head issue, thoughts? Are there year models to avoid? Are there possible recalls, after reading further they say to avoid early 2013 models and 14 models for mechanical issues.

Can anyone shed some light on these issues and what i should look out for?

Mines an old 2007 build but....
.... Was talking to a guy recently who has a 2013 Auto over here in England
Had ongoing issues with his auto transmission & got repeatably dismissed by the dealers & Jeep who never really fixed the problem. It totally packed in just after warranty.
Took it to a gear box specialist who stated that there had been a bad batch of boxes with poorly finished parts which wore out internal rubber seals
(cant remember the exact details) Manged to get Jeep to stump up the cost for parts, but he had to pay for the Labour.
So ended his 2 years of pain.

That would've been annoying, I'll keep that in mind, thanks!

I have a 12/12 build 3.6 2 door manual that I bought with 40000km
on it and it’s now 150000km and the only issue has been the cam
angle sensor plug and a starter motor. Pretty much the most reliable car I have owned in 30 years of driving.
It gets driven pretty hard as well.

My thoughts on the issues with early 3.6 JKs are that any issues
would have shown up by now and been fixed as they are now
getting on to 7 years old.

The following is all just my opinion and should be taken as such:

You'll find problems when looking online with every year - people post up when they break and not when things are fine. In general I try to avoid the early year or two of every new significant change to a model til they work out the bugs. But there are so many factors from factory to service to prior owners. I have an 09 and am getting recall notices from years ago because the PO didn't take care of it. Hindsight and all is I should have been more vigilant, but it was what I was looking for at the time at a good price.

Had a friend with an 07 that was impeccable and ran so sweet and a friend with a 2015 that was a Friday afternoon special. Can happen to any year.

Do your due diligence and if you're buying private or dealer ask about recalls and service, you can check underneath and if it has mud everywhere maybe the jeep has been flung around more than you'd like. Jeeps can be like a Subaru WRX - a lot of people who buy them abuse them and then try to sell off before they have to pay for heavy service. Not all, of course, just something to keep in mind. Take the thing to a mech you trust for a once over before buying - it is worth the small amount of cash to save big amounts later.

If you want those airbags then that should be your answer in terms of years to look out for. Pick your max price and try to come in under that in case of any unexpected issues while still getting the things you really want. It is a lot, but Jeep's are easy to fall in love with and while they can test you -the dozens of forums like this one show you that people are willing to put up with it for the benefits of owning. Good luck!

I have an early build 2012. Only real problems were cam shaft sensor wiring fault fixed under waranty and failed oil filter housing common on early 3.6L $800 repair.
Bit over 100,000km, wifes daily driver, and a few dessert trips. Mild sub 2" lift is main mod.
Happy with it and would buy again.

Thanks guys, everyones input is really helpful. I'm sold on a 2012 and up, just need to sell my Toyota fj cruiser and join the jeep gang