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Buying son a Wrangler

5K views 68 replies 45 participants last post by  raminator08 
#1 ·
My 15 (almost 16) year old son wants a Wrangler badly. He loves the look of a lifted "mean" looking jeep. I want to help him with the journey. He will not take this Jeep off road but still wants the look. As I am sure you can all imagine I am trying to find the "happy medium" for him. (i.e. lifted but not to high, over size tires but not to big...)

We are the type of family that reads and researches before we purchase and this site is wonderful for that info we seek. I believe we have narrowed our search to a 97' though 06' Wrangler, however the 97-2000 is more likely in our price range. I also believe that the Sport or the Sahara are the models that seem to raise to the top for us.

All that being said here are my questions;

Where is the best place to find these for sale?

Can any of you more seasoned Jeep owners give any advise on models, upgrades....?

Do you believe I am heading in the right direction with the limited info I have provided?

Thank you all in advance for dealing with such basic questions, I know your information is going to be extremely helpful. You are welcome to e-mail me directly if you like at rpennell@phybus.com.

Thanks again,

RPX
 
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#60 ·
I'm a 16 year old myself and I love my jeep. Using some money from my late grandfather, they bought me an 04 Green Sport w/ a manual transmission by my request. After searching we found a very good deal on Craigslist back in August. He even let us drive it for a week before we made the decision. It was very clean, well kept, and had 62,000 miles on it. I'm thankful for it everyday. My parents were nervous about the soft top and taking the doors off but they have since warmed up to it. I have a job and pay for most of my own gas. They pay for the insurance, but if it goes up due to a ticket or bad grades I get to substitute the difference. I've been saving for the past few months and saved close to $2500. With it I just bought and installed a 2.5" coil lift, 1.25" body lift, sway bar discos, steering stabilizer, and 33x12.5x15 Goodyear Duratracs. He just has to be mature and be able to respect the vehicle and its limitations. It sure isn't fast, it doesn't corner well, and the short wheelbase can be a little squirrely. I love it none the less.

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#61 ·
Follow up Question on "Buying Wrangler for Son"

Thank you all so much for your guidence. I will take it and run as I have already discussed with my son about the purchase of a "closer" to stock Wrangler. He is good with that and we are currently looking.

Next set of Questions:

With a budget of $9000 (4500 him and 4500 me) WHat model do you all suggest? I have looked and am leaning towards a TJ somewhere between 97 - 2002.

I have no problems with buying an older one but I see on the forum that the TJ seem to be a better Jeep. Your thoughts?
 
#65 ·
Thank you all so much for your guidence. I will take it and run as I have already discussed with my son about the purchase of a "closer" to stock Wrangler. He is good with that and we are currently looking.

Next set of Questions:

With a budget of $9000 (4500 him and 4500 me) WHat model do you all suggest? I have looked and am leaning towards a TJ somewhere between 97 - 2002.

I have no problems with buying an older one but I see on the forum that the TJ seem to be a better Jeep. Your thoughts?
With 9000 you can get a good jeep, i would suggest looking on craiglist. Get a Rubicon for 9G's :rolleyes:
 
#64 ·
I would suggest getting one that is more on the stock side. One of the reasons why I bought mine stock is because if it is built up, then it has most likely been taken off-road where something might have been messed up. The only thing you need to do is make sure you find one with a Dana 44 axle in the rear. Down the road it will be a great decision, especially if your son wants to lift it and put bigger tires on it. I made the mistake of not getting that axle, and now I have to install one. You will find that the Jeep you buy will be a great decision, as you have one more thing in common with your son, as you both learn about it together.
 
#68 ·
I bought my 97' TJ when i was 16 and I have been so happy with it (I just turned 20). It has never let me down even during that insane snow last year in Maryland. Everything is pretty easy to fix just because they are pretty simple vehicles. And like someone said in a previous post they really are like a little transformer. I bought mine completely stock and now its sitting on a 2.5 inch lift with 33's. Also herculined the interior making it a bit more durable. Good luck!
 
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