Try doing a search, there are a bunch of threads with a lot of information on here. The biggest thing is rust. Be sure to crawl underneath it and check out the frame rails, especially near the lower control arms and the skid plate. Also where the body mounts are. Pull the carpet up and look at the floor boards. 137k miles is nothing if proper maintenance has been done, the motors are pretty bulletproof. Just check for any knocks and obvious signs of trouble. Then everything you would do if buying any other used car, make sure all the electrical components work and that everything functions normally. Be sure to check the 4wd too.
hpclayto: thank you! This is all very useful.
Is any amount of rust an issue? I imagine a 2004 vehicle always has some rust no?
Also, is there a recommended way to test 4wd?
Do what HPclayto says. Find dirt, put it in 4 hi and lo, listen for weird sounds. Not rock crawling, but find a construction site and go.
On rust--any is too much. Deal now or deal later when you sell because any is too much. With that said, surface issue is one thing. Inside the frame and "just the rear end" is far too much.
Clutch replacements at a shop are anywhere from $500-$1500 around here.
In general I'd estimate around $800.
If you do it yourself you can get a clutch kit as cheap as $160-even cheaper on rockauto. An Exedy kit is only $117.
Also, I can't comment on cost of the Jeep. Here in New England that jeep would be below $7k more then likely.
But then again, around here "no rust" doesn't exist.
That's an ok price, your not getting a great deal but may be what you have to pay for your area. I have a 2004 x 120 000, no rust. I paid 10k. The sport is a step up from mine. Check the axle and see if it was the upgrade. If so, buy it quick...
almost identical, 2004 X with 120,000, zero rust @ $9,500 about 4 months ago, but it needed rear brakes, a water pump & a couple other odds & ends which in the end sent me over 10k.
The problem we all face when in the market for these prized vehicles is that the good ones go so damn fast after being listed that you really need to be ready to pull the trigger even if that means ponying up a few bucks more than all the experts say it's worth... otherwise you may find yourself chasing your tail for quite a while cwhack:
Like ThatTJguy said, any rust is too much. It's a pain to kill and a pain to work around. Makes everything harder to remove. Not to mention the potential resale value.
There are plenty of rust free TJ's to be had if you're a little patient. Depending on if your area gets salt on the roads.
If you do live in a rust belt area, keep open the option of traveling to areas that don't use salt.
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