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Advice to noob

1K views 14 replies 11 participants last post by  Stubbs60 
#1 ·
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.
 
#4 ·
Welcome to the forum!

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.
 
#5 ·
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
 
#6 ·
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.
 
#9 ·
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

 
#15 ·
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.
 
#14 ·
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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