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About to Buy My First Jeep: Advice Needed

1K views 29 replies 16 participants last post by  daveTJ04 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

Finally about to dip my toes into Jeep ownership. Looking to buy my first one, and it's a NorthEastern TJ.

Would you guys mind taking a look at the photos and dropping some advice as to what I may be getting myself into?

The fenders I will eventually be replacing, and the rear of the tub I can probably grind down and patch. But I'm not sure if this may be indicators of much worse than meets the eye.

The frame is what I'm most concerned about. It's supposedly the worst part and looks like surface rust to me, but would love to have the opinion of some trained eyes.

Thanks in advance,
Eric
 
#3 ·
Yep, the more pics you can post, the more we can help. Congrats on wanting to get a jeep...just don't by a rusted out nightmare, especially if you don't have the means to restore it.
 
#13 ·
That's just how it is in New England.

All rust can be repaired but at a price. That kind of rust leads me to believe that theres more rust hiding in crucial areas. Like oil pan, motor, even inside the motor or corroded electrical connections.

Also some states do only safety inspections and not emissions. Any rust beyond the surface would fail inspection.

So only if the price is right would i buy it.
 
#15 ·
Dude... stay CLEAR of that thing. Just the rust on the rear quarters alone makes me believe the roll bar mount areas will be rusted too, that is a big safety hazard in addition to the rest of the vehicle. Don't run on emotion here... wait for a better one to pop up!
 
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#21 ·
X2^

I totally agree. Be patient, and be willing to travel a bit. Go to autotrader or cargurus and see what's out there.

This is a tough time of year to get a great deal. But a bad deal will stick with you for a long time.

In fact, I have bought 2 jeep TJ, each I take to a local Jeep dealer first and pay for a trade in check up. They tell me what I am getting into. it's worth the $200.
 
#22 ·
Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm leaning heavily towards passing on this...

I'd actually need to travel for this one too, but not in the right direction.
It's in Buffalo and I'm in NYC.

This example is a 4.0L Automatic going for $1600.
My budget to get something that drives reliably for the first winter (slowly upgrading over time) is $3000.

Given the light of these details, are there any changes in opinion?

Thanks again,
Eric
 
#23 ·
Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm leaning heavily towards passing on this...

I'd actually need to travel for this one too, but not in the right direction.
It's in Buffalo and I'm in NYC.

This example is a 4.0L Automatic going for $1600.
My budget to get something that drives reliably for the first winter (slowly upgrading over time) is $3000.

Given the light of these details, are there any changes in opinion?

Thanks again,
Eric
Definitely not a driver, though for the price and if you had a place for storage it might make a good parts jeep.
 
#24 ·
My step-father bought a Jeep before I knew what to look for in them. It had a huge amount of hidden corrosion which was just appearing on the body under the driver and passenger doors. Quoted $600 to repair and repaint by a friend with a body shop.

After owning it for a year and helping him with it, we discovered that it came out of Illinois and every bolt under that thing was rusted and corroded. My mom was driving it one day and the solid brake line going to the passenger side gave up and she pumped the master cylinder empty at a stop sign. Thank God she wasn't in traffic "trying" to stop it.

Is a $1600 investment worth the cost of injury to you, a family member or someone on the highway? If you are willing to accept the liability for that rust bucket, be my guest. I think you can do better if you look for something consistent with your budget and not try to low ball your purchase.

As with any purchase, buy the best item for the amount of money you are willing to spend. This particular Jeep will be the proverbial Just Empty Every Pocket, Jeep!
 
#28 ·
when I sold my pretty much rust free 97, I had calls from all over asking about it. don't buy with rust, its just another headache waiting to happen. nice jeeps are out there, just go on a hunting expedition and hold out for a good one. It might cost a little more than your 3k budget to get a good one. I gave 2k for my 00, but it had a broken engine, bent hood and fender. after replacing all that, I ended up with about 4500 in it, but no rust. its a south eastern jeep, Chattanooga to be exact. keep hunting
 
#29 ·
I've got 3 people close to me that have purchased $5k TJ's in the last 3-5 years, and they have all been pretty solid, but still need money put into them quite often to keep them on the road.
If you buy a $3k TJ, be prepared to keep putting money into it to make it a dependable daily driver.
 
#30 ·
I musta looked at 50 rigs b4 I found a clean 1, they'll try everything from new wheels to new paint to try keep ur eyes off that frame and undercarriage up north here, don't settle for crappy patches and pay particular attention to the body mounts , they tend to rust through easily
 
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