In the spring I'm going to be in the serious market of buying a tj. I'm a noob at jeeps. I'll be spending $10k or less. I've had Toyotas before. My last was a 06 Tacoma 3in lift with 33's. I'm going to be lifting the jeep and going no bigger than 33's. I'm not sure to look for one already lifted or look for a stock one for less money and lift it. How much does a decent lift cost on these things? I know I want a 6 cylinder. Would a manual or auto be better? Was there any years better than others? I have a company vehicle so this will only be driven on weekends. I do a lot of deer hunting so it will be off road but nothing major. Soft top or hard top? I had a Camero years ago with t tops and hardly ever took the tops out. I live in panhandle of Florida so no snow or ice here. How will the soft top hold up to the Florida sun? Even though this isn't a daily driver, I still want to be able to have a reliable enough vehicle if I decide to take it on a 4 hour trip. How reliable are these drivetrains? I'm seeing some decent priced ones here but has 160k+ miles. Any input is greatly appreciated.
Which drivetrain did you have in mind? Tj's were delivered with three different engines, nearly triple that many transmissions, and a number of different axles and transfer cases. Some engines have heads that are prone to cracking and some have a defective oil pump drive that has the potential to ruin the engine.
Wow, I don't realize there were that many different ones. Is there any of those engines, transmissions, transfer cases, or axles I need to stay away from?
First off, spring is the most expensive time to buy a jeep. Just FYI.
The most important thing is to make sure it doesn't have any major rust.
Then I would look for one with the Dana 44 rear axle, and stay away from a Dana 35 seeing as you have plans for tires bigger than 33s.
Definitely go for the 4.0L engine as opposed to the 2.4L and 2.5L engines.
As for transmissions, I prefer manual, and as far as I know all the manual transmissions are pretty reliable except in a few cases maybe the NSG370 6pd in 05-06 models. Not sure about the auto transmissions.
Lift kits range in price from $300-$3000+. All depends on budget and what you want to do.
I think the best Jeep to look for would be a 02-04, 4.0L i6, manual, and hardtop. Not sure you will get that for 10k though.
Mine is an '04 X with the 4.0 and 42RLE auto trans. Axles are 35 and 30.
If I could do over again I would definitely look for a Dana 44 in rear as it is much stronger than my 35.
Transmission all depends on if you want auto or manual. Not sure about manual, I do believe all 4.0 engines are paired with 42RLE after a certain year (I wanna say 2002) but I would have to be double checked on that by someone else.
Good luck and you will love owning a wrangler. Fun as hell and endless possibilities just understand your savings account will soon be shot to hell haha
x2 I also have an 04 4L 5sp X soft top and I love it, the only thing I would do different is the 44 rear or at least the 373 gears. I have no plans on lifting it so probably not a big deal for me. Jeeps are expensive to buy but if you maintain it you won't lose money. I have done nothing but basic maintenance to mine in the five years I have owned it and can sell it for about much as I paid for it not to many cars you can say that about.
it almost goes without saying, you'll pay more for a Dana44.
You can always see what came stock on the jeep with this link http://www.jeep.com/webselfservice/BuildSheetServlet?vin=
you'll need to add your jeep vin to the link above, without it you'll get an error. with it added after the = you'll get your stock jeep.
Thanks for the info guys. Is there specific trim package that I would know it has a Dana 44, or would have to check the vin on all of them I'm interested in?
LJ, which if you can find one, get it, and rubi. it was optional on the sahara and sport and i dont think it was available on the X.
the easier way to check is to look at it, oval shape with a rubber plug is a d35, pear shape with a steel plug is a d44
since you dont plan on going over 33's, a 44 isnt necessary, but i'd still look for one so you can feel safe adding a locker to that combo. if you do go for a d35, make sure it has 3.73 gears. those 3.07 gear sets should have never been installed from factiory
The Dana 30 in the front is essentially the same as the front Dana 44. The housing is different and I think the carrier is different? But with the Dana 30 even the parts that are different are still just as strong as the 44 for the most part. A 30 can handle locked 33's or even open 35's no problem. I'm not sure about locked 35s but at that point you would want to start looking into replacing a 44 too.
Basically the Dana 30 will stand up to more punishment without failing.
Buy a 2003 manual stock with as little frame/tub rust as is humanly possible and a Dana44 rear for somewhere around $7-8k depending on the miles. Ideally less than 110k miles, but 150 is fine if rust free. Buy any time Sep-Feb to avoid the $1-4k premium and quickly scooped up supply that TJs get in the spring/summer. Take your $2-3k and add quality lift/tires/rims. Take your seats/carpets out and shampoo them all 20 times with the upholstery attachment for a supermarket carpet shampooer and some oxyclean. POR15 your fame and Eastwood paint the inside for the frame. Enjoy!
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