Is there a best year for a TJ?

P

Pipeliner542

New member
My 17 yr old son has decided he wants a jeep wrangler. The tj's seem to fit into his 7-10,000 dollars budget. Is there a model year to look for? or i guess more importantly are there years to avoid.. He can drive a std. shift. Unfortunately he wants an automatic trans. any help would be great from you tj owners.
 
I've had my '97 TJ for about two years now. I have the 4.0 with the 5 speed. When shopping around, look out for frame or body rot. The control arm mounts and different parts of the frame like to rot away. I was nervous about getting a stick shift because I learned how to drive stick on my Jeep, but I'm glad I did!
 
Most jeeps close by ( Indianapolis IN ) area where we live have rust starting somewhere.. I work in ca. and they are much better body wise but seem to have better resale on the west coast.
 
I have a 2000 sport with a manual and the only thing that I know is problematic is the head cracking on the 4 liter. I think the problem was fixed in the 02 and later. The seats and mirrors are also a little better on the later model years as well.


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
I have a 99 sport 4.0 5speed that I've had since it was new and other than stuff that just wore out like it should it has been very reliable, still daily driving it about half the time.
The only real issue it had was the cracking exhaust header. I think it was a pre 2000 model year issue.

Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
Last edited:
I have an 04 and love it. All the problems or breaks that I've had with it have been from wheeling.
 
I would highly recommend a 2000-up Sport if only because it can be had with the NV3550 manual transmission if that's what you're wanting and a Dana 44 rear axle. If I recall correctly, a 2002-up will come with a beefier gas tank skid plate. If you can afford it, a 2003-up Rubicon will come with lockers.
 
I found a 2003 rubicon with both tops, 1 owner, 4.0, automatic 98,000 asking $11,000 looks really clean we are gonna check that one out.. where should i be looking for the beginnings of rust? if its not obvious
 
Pipeliner542 said:
I found a 2003 rubicon with both tops, 1 owner, 4.0, automatic 98,000 asking $11,000 looks really clean we are gonna check that one out.. where should i be looking for the beginnings of rust? if its not obvious
Click to expand...

Good find! I paid a bit more for my 04 Rubi with 89k. I don't know as much as some of the guys here, but I understand the fenders and the tub itself are good places to look for hidden rust. Also check the bottom of the doors and rear gate. Good luck, if you get it, you're going to love it!
 
One more thing, make 100% sure that the lockers work correctly. Turn them in and make certain that the lights stop flashing and stay solid while driving it around in 4low. I bought mine and they would go solid for a bit and then flash. Eventually both lockers quit working and the limited slip in the rear came apart. Cost a small fortune to repair.

Sent from my KYOCERA-E6560 using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
I had a 97, and never had a single problem through to around 200,000 miles when I sold her. But that sounds like a good budget to be able to find a really nice, low mileage TJ, maybe even an LJ.


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
Pipeliner542 said:
I found a 2003 rubicon with both tops, 1 owner, 4.0, automatic 98,000 asking $11,000 looks really clean we are gonna check that one out.. where should i be looking for the beginnings of rust? if its not obvious
Click to expand...

That seems like a good deal...of course, can't really tell until you see in person. Do you have a link to an ad or anything?

I paid a little over $15,000 for my 2006 TJ in early 2015. It was bone stock with 27,000 miles. I would recommend trying to find something as close to stock as possible, and clean. Then you'll have an awesome blank canvas to work with. Also, try to get him into the manual...makes a Jeep SO much more fun in my opinion!

Good luck on the purchase :thumb:
 
Chad said:
Good find! I paid a bit more for my 04 Rubi with 89k. I don't know as much as some of the guys here, but I understand the fenders and the tub itself are good places to look for hidden rust. Also check the bottom of the doors and rear gate. Good luck, if you get it, you're going to love it!
Click to expand...
I got my 05 x edition for 4000 with only 43000 miles

Sent from my SM-G930V using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
The 03 auto was a one year only trans. Don't ask me how I know. I went through 3 of them in 30k miles. During the last one the dealer told me they dropped that trans for the 04 as all the problems they had with them. I traded it in shortly after the 3rd was done under warranty as I needed a new truck for my business and needed it for tax purposes


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom