About to buy a wrangler and in need for advice
 

Hello all,

So I am looking for wrangler 2012+ and My budget is around 17-18k. However, I live in AZ and the prices over here is too much IMO they are all 23k+ and this is for standard ones. So, I am looking to go NE”philly and around it” this week to get one over there as I found many around my budget and I can squeeze an extra 1k.

So, do you think it’s worth it? And are really cars over there are rusty? I am afraid I will go there and find a lot of rust?

And if I do so, is it gonna be cheaper to drive it back “have places to stay NC & TX” or should I ship it 900$+ flight 200$?

Lastly, soft or hard? I live in AZ, I can take the top off most of the year so I am thinking about soft. However, I like to do a lot of road trips so I am afraid of the noise? Not sure what would be more convenient.

IMO, it's not worth traveling to the northeast to try and save $1k. Getting it home will eat in to that both time and $$. Also, as you already note, you're buying a used jeep that has lived in wintery conditions and will most likely not have been well protected in regards to rust.

Best advice is to buy something that is stock and has not been butchered with crappy aftermarket parts yet. That way if you want to modify it, you know EXACTLY what has been done rather than trying to figure out what someone else has already put on it.

I'd 100% buy a hard top. Get a decent top hoist and it's on/off in a few minutes. You can always pick up a used soft top off CL should you want one for a reason, but soft tops are generally a hassle to deal with IMO. If you do look at soft tops, the premium material is well worth the additional cost.

oh, btw, the seats were re-designed in '13, and it was a pretty big improvement. I'd focus on '13+ even though the '12 came with the same 3.6L.

Yeah, stay away from NE vehicles. I won't buy north of Richmond and they really don't get that much snow. I've had one from MD- guy swore he only drove it a couple times, the bottom was undercoated, and that he was diligent with cleaning afterwards. He was....except inside the frame where you can't inspect so easily and it's quite tough to clean. I've now got a project on my hande-mail though in all fairness, it did take 10 years for the issue to show up.....except the bolts. All of the bolts were seized and corroded. No more vehicles from there for me.

Check prices in Texas, not likely to be rusted out