Time to buy - What to look for

[wylie27]

Hey all,

Been flip flopping for years now, Wrangler or a Cherokee and well procrastination had set in. As well as my ex putting her foot down. Well she is gone.

Been looking at TJ’s in NSW mainly through dealers and they price seems to be around $9k-11k. With 100-140 km on the clock. I Need to go through a dealer have a trade in and will go on finance, the ex wife drained the accounts.

However there are JK’s out the for 12k and up with about 120km on the clock.

First up what do i look at? The JK front bar looks like it was punched in the mouth and has a fat lip while the TJ is the jeep i coveted for so long.

Either way, what are some of the things i should look for?

Any advice would be appreciated,

Thanks
Jason



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[nitrobrent]

First 4by ?
What do you ultimately see yourself doing with it.
How many people will you put in it?
I think going thru a dealer will cost you an extra $4000.
Shit trade in price , and over inflated , tyre shined Jeep.

[wylie27]

Hey Nitro,

Mainly me and the missus or maybe some mates when we are on the farm hunting etc.

It is my first 4wd.

Dealer unfortunately is my only choice. I realise its about 4k more.

Any suggestions on what to look at?


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[nitrobrent]

If your really planning on having more than 2 people in it , you'll have to go a 4 door JK.

Camping with 2 is doable in a TJ if packing sensibly.
4 will fit in a TJ if your hunting mice with a sling shot.
An eski and gun aint going to fit

A stock JK will go further than a stock TJ
If you plan to do some serious wheeling , you will get a TJ twin locked and lifted TJ for the price of a stock JK

[OzRick25]

Buying at that price point and km mark you can expect to be replacing ball joints, wheel bearings, tie rod end, and unis. that will run 400 to 500 if you do it yourself or 1500 if you get a shop to.

If your seriously concerned about the look of a bumper or wont have the funds to change it I'd think maybe a used dealer Jeep isn't the way to go. They will need work.

Also to me the enjoyment in a Jeep is almost as much about customization as off road driving experience, if your not in a financial position to be able to customise and repair issues you will probably regret financing the vehicle. They put that cheap bumper on because they can cut the cost knowing most of the market don't care what the bumper looks like and will be changing it anyway.

Personally if I was in your position I'd go with an old petrol XJ as low km and as cheap as possible and plan on rebuilding it as it needs doing.

[wylie27]

Ozrick,

Thanks, can do most of the work myself. Will add those to the list, in terms of dealer cars yes not ideal however i have put this plan on hold for many years and dont really want to for much longer. The front bar i can replace, really depends on which ones i can find if i go tj or jk.

In regards to the 4 door JK, Not a chance, i hate the look, i grew up drooling over MB's and then CJ, YJ And TJ's. not trying to offend or anything i just dont like the look.

From a 4 wheeling perspective, it wont be rock crawling, just mainly a weekend cruiser with trips to the family farm. I can pack four rifles,ammo and kit in the boot of my kia rio.. i am sure i can work something out [emoji16]

Things i would be normally looking at,

Oil leaks, motor, transmission,transfer case, drive shafts etc
Rust in the rails/body
Engine knocks and noises
Smooth shifting tranmission / good clutch feel
Death wobbles
Vibrations and knocks etc.

Anything else ?

Merry Christmas


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[OzRick25]

Honestly you should expect death wobbles try and get the car to do it with the salesman in the vehicle and then demand a $1000 discount and put that into parts. The cars in that km and price point often get tradded because people freak out about death wobble and get quoted 3 grand+ from the dealer to fix it.

The JK manual clutch feels like shit, but if it squeals your tob is done. NP231 is a decent case for under 35 inch tyres, as long as it hasn't been smashed and it's fluid is still contained you should be fine.

JKs like to overheat particularly diesel autos. I'd be going for a petrol manual. I like diesels just not this one. You'll find repairs a lot easier to source parts for with a petrol. An overheated warped head is a definite possibility. Not much you can do there as they only show when hot and strained. Maybe give it a hiding during the test drive and afterwards check for film in the coolant reservoir and check the oil.

There really is SFA room in a TJ, I love them for being small but lack of storage is a PITA for camping.