A buddy of mine is looking to pick up a used jeep tj, and just wanted to know what kind of things should he be looking for when he finds a vehicle he likes and goes on a test drive / inspection? Being that my JK is my first jeep just wanted to ask you guys if there is something specific he needs to be looking for.

 

Cracked exhaust manifold on pre-2003 was common. Listen for a leak from under the hood.

 

make sure to get the 4.0L, anything else is a lawnmower...

If you are looking for a specific feature; this breaks it down by year:

http://www.geocities.com/jeepboy49028/changes.html

 

X2 on the leak and the exhaust header crack. The crack will usually occur on the last pipe, on the front/underside of the bend.

 

4.0 and a dana 44 in the rear would be the two things i would want

 

Thanks for the info guys, this should be a great help. I believe the one my buddy is eying right now is a 4.0 with the dana 44 rear.

 

The Dana 35 C is actually a good rear end for the way it was built... but if you plan on lifting it and adding large tires... then it quickly becomes crap. I always like to pull the carpet back on the TJ's and YJ to see if the front floor pans are rusting. more of an issue on the older YJs but still a good thing to look at. Then check to see if the front sway bar links are in tact. They have a ball joint on top and often come apart. and the front trac bar also has a ball joint on the frame end. Have someone turn the wheel all the way back and forth while you watch that ball joint for any play ANY PLAY!!! that ball joint typically goes bad on those naturally at 100,000 miles and a lot sooner if you wheel it/lift it. When that ball joint goes bad, or when the hole it mounts in starts to become oval/egg shaped. You get a wonderful symptom called death wobble. Its not always detectable depending on how bad the parts are worn out and the road conditions. but will be very scary when it happens to you the first time. anyway, its fixable, but a good thing to know what you're getting into

 

First off, start with a Sport. Look for a rear D-44. A sport with a rear D-44 usually had the lowest R&P available from the factory. 3.73 LSD. My wife's Jeep is an 03 sport. She wanted a manual transmission. Look for the much stronger NV3500. The sport package also included the tow hooks.
When we bought ours used, the dealer actually had the same year Sahara package for more $ with higher miles. The Sahara had a D-35 and a 3.21 or less gear ratio. Dare I say it? Car Max does not know their Jeeps

 

Is there a way to tell what rear it has? I am also looking for a friend at a 4.0 sport.

 

dana 35 has a rubber fill plug, dana 44 metal plug