I am interested in a 2007 JK with 102xxx miles for 12K at a Chrysler dealership. 1 local owner with a clean title. The vehicle would be used as a primary DD rather than a commuter. I would like to have the vehicle for the next 5-6 years and I was also looking at the mopar warrantys for jeeps under 125K what can be added when expected by a dealer. I would not be rough on her as well. Any negatives with this vehicles at the amount of miles that I should avoid getting it for my circumstances?

 

I'm trying to puzzle it out, but I can't figure out what you're trying to say there.

Anyway, without knowing a lot more about this particular Jeep, it's very difficult to say whether it's the one for you. However, a few thoughts you might wish to consider:

1. If you've never owned a Jeep before, see if they'll let you have this one for a day to test drive. A Jeep is a much different experience than most other vehicles. Some folks love its rough, coarse manners--and the rest hate it.

2. Some owners/dealers wanting to pump up the perceived value of their Jeep buy Rubicon stickers and place them on a non-Rubi model. Rubicon package is a whole lot more than a sticker package. And, this is super important: It's not the luxury model. In fact, it's manner is even more coarse and more rough than lower priced models. That's the nature of a beast built for hard core off-roading. I'm sure there's some way to tell from the VIN number what model you have, but in that year if it has painted fenders (not black, un-painted plastic) then it's a Sahara model. If the fenders are black, unpainted plastic it's either a X (called a Sport in current years), which is he low-priced model, or a Rubicon. Rubicons have a D44 axle up front while X's have a D30. That's probably the easiest way to tell if you have one or the other (shocks are also painted red on Rubis, but he may have changed those to something else--heck, he may even have swapped out the axle!). You can find on the Internet hat the differential cover for a D44 and D30 look like (or just look at the rear axle, which is a D44 on both and compare the covers).

3. While you're crawling around checking out diff covers, check for evidence it's been used hard off-road. Look for bent sheet metal, especially the skid plates. If there's a lot of damage down there, I'd recommend avoiding this particular Jeep--I use my 2007 hard and I can assure you that it comes with plenty of reliability penalties (at 176K miles in my case)--cracked exhaust manifold (likely due to water fording), damaged power steering pump (due to use of aftermarket front locker), failed front driveshaft (due to lots of articulation with 2.5" coil lift), failed intake manifold gasket (age related, I guess), and on and on and on. I'm not complaining, mind you, just warning you that a vehicle driven hard off-road is not the best prospect as a for a daily driver.

4. What tops are you getting with this Jeep? They can be purchased new from the factory with two tops--hard and soft. And there are many aftermarket tops available, as well. Is the top in good shape? If it's soft, are the windows in good shape? They scratch very easily if not properly cared for.

5. If it's a manual transmission, check the clutch very carefully while driving it. Throwout bearings are a known weak point on Wranglers and it's an expensive part to replace. Well, the part is cheap, it's the nearly thousand or so dollars in labor that will kill you, then maybe throw in a new clutch/pressure place and you're at $1500. Anyway, if you don't know what a bad throwout bearing sounds like, check out some YouTube videos and learn.

6. Finally, consider any mods he may have done to the Jeep. The general mantra is that mods don't add to the value of a Jeep on the used market, yet many of us have spent tens of thousands on various mods--bumpers, skid plate, lifts, tires, wheels, snorkels, electrical systems, camping support (fridges, drawers, shelves, etc), overhead racks, etc. Does what he may have suit your interest and taste?

Anyway, good luck with your decision. Jeeps are absolutely amazing vehicles for certain folks. I enjoy the heck out of mine ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spCoIY1wdaA

 

WOW!!! This ^^^^^^^

In the top 5 best advice responses I've ever read!

 

In addition to what Mark said negotiate the price closer to $9k because the are making about $4k on the deal. Check out what fair auction value is and start your negotiations there.

 

[QUOTE=Mark Doiron;4180926]I'm trying to puzzle it out, but I can't figure out what you're trying to say there.

Yeah sorry, there is a warranty on the site what says you can purchase on the vehicle if the vehicle is looked over by the dealership and passed. This would be my 3rd jeep, my first was a 97 TJ with 200,000 miles (first car) it had the little 4 banger in it. My second was a 2000 4.0 which I just sold. Here is a link to the vehicle, Used 2007 Jeep Wrangler X For Sale | Troy OH

 

What are you using to price the vehicle? I just wanted to start using the site.

 

It doesn't appear to have any mods, other than aftermarket rims and tires. Based on the spare tire, it looks like this one came with the 16" steelies and 225's. It looks like the other four tires are larger than stock....you will want to make sure that it has had speedometer recalibration.