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WTB - Wrangler


HUMBLER1647545517

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Looking for a Wrangler for my son, 2007 - 2012, automatic, $15K +/-. Let me know if you see anything out there. I've been combing Craigs / Autotrader, 1/2 of which are already sold or no response. Black, Green, White, Silver and trying to stay well under 100K.

 

Let me know, thanks. Lance (humbler@wowway.com)

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Well under 100k miles and under $15k don't really go together well with Wranglers. It's a seller's market when it comes to them, that's generally way below market price for a 2007+.

 

You may have luck looking at an 06 or older and, IMO, the straight sixes on those are much MUCH better than the 3.8s in the 07-12 models.

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2 or 4 door? 90% of any 4 doors even the base first years under 100k are close to 20+

 

Either and I'm aware... Lots of 18 / 19K cars and I'll probably end up with one of those but still diggin!

 

This is what I'm looking for if I could just get one of these guys to return my call / text / email!

 

https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/5419748274.html

Edited by HUMBLER
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Well under 100k miles and under $15k don't really go together well with Wranglers. It's a seller's market when it comes to them, that's generally way below market price for a 2007+.

 

You may have luck looking at an 06 or older and, IMO, the straight sixes on those are much MUCH better than the 3.8s in the 07-12 models.

2012 was the first year for the 3.6L.

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Every major manufacturer has some type of warranty issue. As far as I know, FCA has stood behind and fixed every engine that had issues. The Pentastar is a decent engine, despite some issues when it was first introduced.

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Every major manufacturer has some type of warranty issue. As far as I know, FCA has stood behind and fixed every engine that had issues. The Pentastar is a decent engine, despite some issues when it was first introduced.

 

Mine clacked like mad and every dealer I tried refused to touch it. It got so bad that I debated on if it would leave me stranded or not, which is one of the bigger reasons I traded it in.

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As a life long jeep fanboy I highly recommend you look at a TJ jeep, esp a 2004-2006 long wheelbase LJ unlimited. Why? They are the last of the "true" jeeps in that they can leverage the aftermarket that was developed around cj's and yj's for the last 60 years. The straight six is damn near unkillable and can be serviced with a rock and a pointy stick roadside. Jeep made huge efforts to make sure the TJ sealed properly, ride nicely, but still kept that go anywhere usefulness of a jeep. The LJs are in high demand and have probably hit the bottom of their depreciation curve, finding an under 100k mile one might be tough but I see at least one a month for sale. If you want the year because of financing plenty of credit unions will finance older vehicles.

 

I have driven damn near every jeep made in most trim levels and have driven a YJ for 21 years straight, and an LJ ranks really high with me. The 3.8 non-pentastar jk wranglers rank pretty low, they just don't feel fun at all to drive and that minivan engine works too hard to move them along.

 

Don't worry about Rubicons and other weird trim specs, anything made in the wrangler line with a 6cyl is way more capable than the stock CJ that jeep built its reputation on.

 

Go talk to Stefan at trail quest. I think he has 5 jeeps of various years for sale now and jeeps are all he works on.

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The LJ Unlimited is a really neat "older" Jeep...neighbor when I lived in FL had one, picked up my wife and I from the airport one time. The backseat actually had plenty of legroom. Still had the high floor but I wasn't twisting my size 12s to fit back there...

 

I worry about any car in Ohio northeast of Zanesville/Columbus/Mansfield. Having grown up in Cleveland the body rot is ridiculous. Pop the hood and every exposed nut, bolt, and steel- or aluminum-bracket is corroded badly. I don't know why it is that way, but it's pronounced up there.

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A couple more pieces of advice concerning Wrangler buying:

 

tops: Where you can try to buy one that has both tops. The hardtops are shockingly expensive if you have to buy them separately. My YJ top is still $500 in decent shape and those are 20 years old now. The TJ tops run between $500 and $1500 depending on condition and I can't even imagine what an LJ hardtop sells for because I haven't seen one for sale in a long time. Hardtops just make winter more bearable. I know plenty of people who do winter with a soft top only, but I don't - the hardtop just keeps heat in and rain and snow out better.

 

Doors: I always say try to get full hard doors if you can too because TJ hard doors run $500-$800 a set, but there are places that make an upper hard door bolt on for the half doors that makes this less of a priority. Half doors are usually pretty cheap and easy to find so it is always better to get the full doors if you can, but it shouldn't be a deal breaker. If you want to run without doors in the summer, I can recommend some motorcycle mirrors that will bolt on to the stock hinge so you can still be legal. I use a stock pair off an old shovelhead harley that I bought at a swap meet for $5 years ago (DOT legal) but there are easier ones to find now.

 

Lifts: My personal preference is don't look at any jeep with over 2" lift. Stock ride height is ideal. After 2" lift you are talking about 35" tires or bigger and those tires are really expensive to replace. Also there are a lot of other things that need to be upgraded and most jeeps are usually someone's continual project. I can gaurantee you that on 95% of all the lifted jeeps out there the speedometer is useless.

 

Body lift: should be no more than 1" and you have to make sure that any lines that pass to the body have been extended. The last thing you want is for your kid to be driving and the suspension unloads and pulls a brake line out of the master cylinder. otherwise these are pretty safe, usually done just to fit big tires and most of the mechanical stuff remains stock and functioning properly. With a TJ this usually means a 31-32" tire and those aren't any more expensive than the 30" ones the Rubicon comes with stock.

 

Suspension lift: not all kits are created equal so it is important to understand the brand of lift and who installed it. You are going to want to see extended lines, proper front end geometry, upgraded shocks, and a slip yoke eliminator at the bare minimum. Tires are usually in the 32"-35" range which can get pricey when you get to the 35" sizes. fortunately most TJs don't require gearing upgrades for lifts this size (if they have the 3.73 rubicon/tow package gears). for any lifted jeep, make sure a high lift jack is included or you get one after purchase right away.

 

Make sure you drive the thing and listen for any creaks or clanks. Jeep springs naturally creak a little, but you don't want to hear anything else flexing. Also jack it up and let the axle dangle and look for any lines or hoses that are pulled tight.

 

don't worry about the speedo being off...there are plenty of places that sell gears and correction boxes cheap but most jeep guys are too lazy to fix it. My YJ runs 30" tires up from 26" stock (0" lift) and the speedo is way off and has been for a decade or more. It's a jeep thing.

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