I need a hunting vehicle preferably not a piece of shyt. Something with low miles.. Is there anything I need to look out for maintenance wise on a used low milage Jeep?
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Considering getting a used jeep wrangler or rubicon.
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It may be a perfect vehicle, but once you get it….. you know your luck.
I just bought a 97 Wrangler TJ. What you get is really going to depend on your budget. There are not many cheap Jeeps around right now, unfortunately. I ended up buying mine with a Rebuilt Title because I couldn't find anything in my budget. I've repaired a lot of stuff to get it mostly road worthy. The next step is to get it trail worthy.
With all that being said, if you're going to use it on county/state roads I'd check the following;
Frame rust
Body rust, look closely for floor pan rust.
Make sure all the lights work and they work the way they are supposed to. Jeep wiring is...unique.
Make sure the horn works.
Make sure the dash lights work.
If you buy a TJ verify that the airbag light goes off.
Make sure 4 High and 4 Low work.
Check for leaks on both differentials.
Check steering for slop.
Make sure heater works.
Both the 2.6L I4 and the 4.0L I6 have long term issues with the valve cover gaskets, oil pan gaskets, and rear main seals leaking once they start getting up in miles. None of those are major repairs but they need to be planned for.
I'd personally stay away from something that has been modified. Too many folks run a body lift and big tires without changing the differential angles and create all sorts of issues.
Check FB Marketplace. There are several Jeeps listed in the area. Most start out around $6k and run up to $25k for TJs and LJs. I haven't really looked at anything newer. There are a few YJs out there for less but they usually have over 200k miles. Considering a well maintained drivetrain will last over 400k that might fit within your parameters.
With all that being said, if you're going to use it on county/state roads I'd check the following;
Frame rust
Body rust, look closely for floor pan rust.
Make sure all the lights work and they work the way they are supposed to. Jeep wiring is...unique.
Make sure the horn works.
Make sure the dash lights work.
If you buy a TJ verify that the airbag light goes off.
Make sure 4 High and 4 Low work.
Check for leaks on both differentials.
Check steering for slop.
Make sure heater works.
Both the 2.6L I4 and the 4.0L I6 have long term issues with the valve cover gaskets, oil pan gaskets, and rear main seals leaking once they start getting up in miles. None of those are major repairs but they need to be planned for.
I'd personally stay away from something that has been modified. Too many folks run a body lift and big tires without changing the differential angles and create all sorts of issues.
Check FB Marketplace. There are several Jeeps listed in the area. Most start out around $6k and run up to $25k for TJs and LJs. I haven't really looked at anything newer. There are a few YJs out there for less but they usually have over 200k miles. Considering a well maintained drivetrain will last over 400k that might fit within your parameters.
If you don't need a Jeep specifically for a hunting vehicle I would look at an older Toyota 4 runner.....more comfy on the way to and from, capable on the trail, and a lot more likely to have fewer mechanical issues with a high mileage example.
I love Jeeps, owned over a half dozen..and also know what kind of basket case they can be, especially in the higher mileage, lower cost dept. If I needed a cheaper, older beat around vehicle that I didn't want to spend much time working on. I would look towards Toyota to fill that niche,....
When looking at used Jeeps, I always ruled out any of them that had been modified or lifted, no matter how good they looked....When I bought used Wranglers, I wanted them bone stock. At least then I had a 50/50 chance of not having a death wobble issue right off the bat.
Make sure when you are test driving the wrangler, get it up to 45-60 mph, let off the gas a bit between 45-55, if you feel any vibration walk away from it. The owner will more than likely say its just the tires or a balance, and most people buy it that haven't owned wranglers, but it almost always is death wobble. You can actually miss death wobble on a jeep if you don't back off the gas around 50MPH and see what happens, if you accelerate thru it, it doest' have time to show itself and you think you don't have an issue.
Rust isn't usually an issue with a southern jeep, if there are any electrical looking issues, find another one, Jeep electronics are a royal nightmare.
Make sure it will pass inspection if needed, even newer models jeeps sometimes have issues with that, they have 2 pre cats and a cat converter and the pre cats are known to clog, especially on the 4.0.
They are quirky, buy a repair manual if you are going to own one. I have manuals for CJ's TJ's and YJ's. The early JK (2007 and up) had head issues with the engine as well.
Low mileage you are probably looking for a JK, depending on your budget, just buy the lowest mileage stock example you can find and you should be fine. If you need the front and rear lockers the Rubicon will be the one you look for. I had a 2005 Rubicon Unlimited (LJ) it was pretty reliable until it wasn't, It got death wobble about 100K and the emissions system **** the bed around 150. (pre cat clogging etc).
Know that you will have to probably work on a Jeep more than a lot of other vehicles that will do that same job and your good, people don't love em because they are reliable...lol.
I love Jeeps, owned over a half dozen..and also know what kind of basket case they can be, especially in the higher mileage, lower cost dept. If I needed a cheaper, older beat around vehicle that I didn't want to spend much time working on. I would look towards Toyota to fill that niche,....
When looking at used Jeeps, I always ruled out any of them that had been modified or lifted, no matter how good they looked....When I bought used Wranglers, I wanted them bone stock. At least then I had a 50/50 chance of not having a death wobble issue right off the bat.
Make sure when you are test driving the wrangler, get it up to 45-60 mph, let off the gas a bit between 45-55, if you feel any vibration walk away from it. The owner will more than likely say its just the tires or a balance, and most people buy it that haven't owned wranglers, but it almost always is death wobble. You can actually miss death wobble on a jeep if you don't back off the gas around 50MPH and see what happens, if you accelerate thru it, it doest' have time to show itself and you think you don't have an issue.
Rust isn't usually an issue with a southern jeep, if there are any electrical looking issues, find another one, Jeep electronics are a royal nightmare.
Make sure it will pass inspection if needed, even newer models jeeps sometimes have issues with that, they have 2 pre cats and a cat converter and the pre cats are known to clog, especially on the 4.0.
They are quirky, buy a repair manual if you are going to own one. I have manuals for CJ's TJ's and YJ's. The early JK (2007 and up) had head issues with the engine as well.
Low mileage you are probably looking for a JK, depending on your budget, just buy the lowest mileage stock example you can find and you should be fine. If you need the front and rear lockers the Rubicon will be the one you look for. I had a 2005 Rubicon Unlimited (LJ) it was pretty reliable until it wasn't, It got death wobble about 100K and the emissions system **** the bed around 150. (pre cat clogging etc).
Know that you will have to probably work on a Jeep more than a lot of other vehicles that will do that same job and your good, people don't love em because they are reliable...lol.
Just go ahead and buy a new side-by-side.
I learned to drive in a surplus M38A1. I had a 2004 TJ Wrangler Sport that was stolen from my yard 3 days before Thanksgiving in 2015. I finally picked up another one this year. I found a 2017 Rubicon Recon and paid to much but I really like it.
you must hate your bank account.
