I've been in the search for a jeep for the last 3 months now and have been lurking this forum since then as well.
To cut to the chase, I have found a black 2000 wrangler sport (4.0L) with 85k miles. The jeep came from West Virgina and then transferred to Pennsylvania so the jeep was exposed to salt corrosion which is showing as well as the start of minor rust. The dealership accepted a trade-in and now it sits in Alabama.
What I have noticed:
1) Wheels are in bad shape and I would rather just replace them (no big deal but money I will eventually spend).
2) Paint job: there are rock chips all over the place (hood, window surroundings, etc so the usual). There is also many many deep scratches from what I would presume to be from offroading which is what I expect but those scratches are leading to rust. I just want the exterior completely repainted and clearcoated.
3) Hard top has a few deep gouges in it (tree branches?) but not a huge deal.
4) Engine bay isn't great. Looks like the pulleys and belts absolutely need replaced because they are all corroded and most hoses are in need of replacement.
5) Interior is in decent shape (I will be replacing front seats and gutting the rear bench as I never have more than 2 ppl in my vehicle at any time).
6) All rubber seals around windows look to need replaced.
7) Hatch levers (example: hood clamps) need replaced throughout as they have been roughed up by corrosion and appear to be getting brittle.
8) Underbody looks to be in decent shape. It was undercoated with rubber and I can't see anything bad with it thus far (but could be covering up something).
Dealer wants $13k. No way I am paying close to that if I were to have it my way. What am I looking to talk them down reasonably? How much money am I looking to spend to get these all fixed properly?
I also want to say that I keep my vehicles in great shape (offroading and streetwise) so I am a little anal about keeping my rides in good working order and appearance. Don't hate on me lol
I'm trading in my 2005 Mazda 6 and hope to get 5-6k trade in for it.
Can't wait to be a jeep owner. I just don't know what is a good deal and what I should pass up.
I also need to look into what maintenance needs done on this jeep as I don't have a book in front of me. I've been told it only has had oil changes on a regular basis thus far.
That's the plan. KBB has the jeep going for $7-8k and I'm going to show them that I see what problems it has. A paint job is probably going to run me at least $1500 but I don't care about the paint job. It's just a point that I can make to them to drive down their asking price. My biggest concern is really the engine bay but I would expect the total I would pay for that would be around $1k to have a mechanic replace all pulleys, belts, and what-not.
I've been in the search for a jeep for the last 3 months now and have been lurking this forum since then as well.
To cut to the chase, I have found a black 2000 wrangler sport (4.0L) with 85k miles. The jeep came from West Virgina and then transferred to Pennsylvania so the jeep was exposed to salt corrosion which is showing as well as the start of minor rust. The dealership accepted a trade-in and now it sits in Alabama.
What I have noticed:
1) Wheels are in bad shape and I would rather just replace them (no big deal but money I will eventually spend).
2) Paint job: there are rock chips all over the place (hood, window surroundings, etc so the usual). There is also many many deep scratches from what I would presume to be from offroading which is what I expect but those scratches are leading to rust. I just want the exterior completely repainted and clearcoated.
3) Hard top has a few deep gouges in it (tree branches?) but not a huge deal.
4) Engine bay isn't great. Looks like the pulleys and belts absolutely need replaced because they are all corroded and most hoses are in need of replacement.
5) Interior is in decent shape (I will be replacing front seats and gutting the rear bench as I never have more than 2 ppl in my vehicle at any time).
6) All rubber seals around windows look to need replaced.
7) Hatch levers (example: hood clamps) need replaced throughout as they have been roughed up by corrosion and appear to be getting brittle.
8) Underbody looks to be in decent shape. It was undercoated with rubber and I can't see anything bad with it thus far (but could be covering up something).
Dealer wants $13k. No way I am paying close to that if I were to have it my way. What am I looking to talk them down reasonably? How much money am I looking to spend to get these all fixed properly?
I also want to say that I keep my vehicles in great shape (offroading and streetwise) so I am a little anal about keeping my rides in good working order and appearance. Don't hate on me lol
I'm trading in my 2005 Mazda 6 and hope to get 5-6k trade in for it.
Can't wait to be a jeep owner. I just don't know what is a good deal and what I should pass up.
Way overpriced. You can purchase an 03 Rubicon with similar mileage for that price. Search craigslist for a Jeep and stay away from dealerships. Do yourself a favor and find a rust free southern rig. Dealing with rust is a nightmare. Makes routine maintenance/upgrades significantly more time consuming.
Pass on it. If KBB is 8k, that would be for an excellent condition jeep which it sounds likt that jeep is far from and I doubt they would come down to the 7k that it really is worth.
With that amount of rust you will be looking at all kinds of problems like stuck or broken bolts that can cost a fortune to get fixed it you dont have a shop.
I live in Atlanta and all of the Jeeps they are selling are way over priced and in very poor condition. I picked up a 99 4L auto for $5900 that is spotless. No dings, dents, or rust anywhere. Keep Looking
I'm hoping I have your luck. I've been looking for 3 months and have yet to find a reasonable condition jeep that I feel is worthwhile. This one is actually the closest I have found but it would need at minimum a new exterior paint job and replace the pulleys and belts in engine bay.
I'll see how much I can talk them down. The rust/corrosion isn't anything ungodly but you can tell it is there. I lived in snow/ice conditions for the first 25 years of my life so I've seen much worse.
Where are you located? Check the chattanooga northwest georgia craigslist ive been looking for parts and ive been surprised at how little my jeep is worth
I'm out of Hoover (Birmingham). Just moved to the state about six months ago so I'm still learning the area. I've been looking at the Chattanooga sites as well but I haven't found much under $10k. I would prefer to find cheaper if at all possible but I want to get at least a 2000+ year jeep.
I think I am going to see how low I can get the dealership and hopefully guilt them into going lower. I can clean up the jeep and fab it as needed and I don't think the damage is too rough but you never really know.
Granted I don't live in snowy/icey conditions, but that Jeep sounds way overpriced for the damage that's there. Don't forget you'll also have to pay tax, license fees, ect ect so even if you got them to go down initially you'll probably still be paying 13k. I'd try searching away from dealerships. I just bought my 2002 TJ with no rust and brand new tires for 10k only 81k miles on it off of Craigslist.
It's a frustrating process trying to find "the one", but that last thing you want is to dish out that kinda money for something you won't be happy with.
I have to agree with the Pass vote. My '04 with minimal surface frame rust, cruddy paint, chopped front fenders and no flares on rear fenders was picked up for 9900 with only 56k on the clock. It lived in Wyo prior to my purchase. Ranch vehicle. no real undercarriage damage anywhere. just not much TLC either.
PASS!!! I drive an 06 from the salt capital of the world. Upstate new York. And by the sounds of it my rig has way less rust. And I don't worry about rust until you can stick your finger through the rust hole in the body. And tha frame and under carriage of mine look good.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Ask a question
Ask a question
Jeep Wrangler Forum
9M posts
468K members
Since 2005
A forum community dedicated to Jeep Wrangler owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about reviews, performance, trail riding, gear, suspension, tires, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, for all JL, JT, JK, TJ, YJ, and CJ models!