smittycm

Great point on the plow. I didn't even think about how demanding those things can be on a vehicle.

I agree replacing the OPDA itself is easy enough also. The bigger problem is that often times the bad OPDA has worn down the gear on the camshaft as well as the gear on the OPDA itself. I'd have no issue swapping out a new OPDA, but I wouldn't want to tackle a camshaft.

Not saying that this is an issue at all. The 05 could be perfectly fine, so definitely check it out. It's easy to inspect and see for yourself. Pulling/replacing the OPDA to do a quick inspection won't take more than 15 minutes. You'll be able to see for yourself if there is any damage to either the OPDA or camshaft.

The other trouble with the OPDA issue is you really never know what's going to happen. You could drive another 100k miles AFTER discovering the damage and never have a problem, or you could drive around the corner and the engine decides to fail. So even if you did find any wear to the OPDA gear, there is no telling how serious the wear really is. Some folks are more comfortable rolling the dice than others, especially if it means getting a great deal on a Jeep. It's just best that you go into it knowing what potential issues there are rather than find out after the fact like I did. Had I known about the OPDA issue when I bought my 05 I would have done the quick inspection and passed on that particular vehicle. Good luck either way.

Garrett J.KU

3!!!! All I know about tjs is I drove my g pas untill I got mine but 3 sounds like your best bet

pwain

#1, wouldn't pay more than that for a TJ. (except an LJ).

How many miles per year are you planning to drive? IMO 2 & 3 seem nice, but not great deals.

Bought a 99 with 265k for 5000 a few years back. It's a blast to beat on.

familytime

#3,great condition based on pictures,

jk_sea

My choice would be #2. It's got low miles, dual top group, and it's the newest of the bunch.

#1 has too many miles.

#3 I don't like because it's been a plow vehicle. In addition to the nasty stress on the frame and drivetrain, it probably got used as a winter vehicle and has seen its fair share of salt, was used hard and hung up wet. It's got a lift and tires, but there's no saying if it was done correctly, and then there's all that plow crap on the front of it that's got to be torn off unless you ever want to buy your own plow. I think it's probably one of those vehicles that looks cool in pictures but once you get up close, it's highly possible it could be a ragged-out beast.

But then there's option #4... those prices are approaching JK territory, and if you look carefully or give yourself some more time to search for a Jeep, you can find low-mileage JK's in that $15k range or slightly below.

otservice

2 & 3 are over priced and not good deals. You could buy a 2007/8 JK for $15gs now a days.

If you stuck on a TJ keep looking or get #2 down to $10gs at least & #3 down to $7gs. Its a 2000 & not a big dollar build.

MrHooah04

Get numbah 3333333!

Ghost Train

Sent you a pm!

red2010rubi

I vote for number 2. Hard to beat the low miles!

JohnnyQuik

You're real close to JK money for what you'd be spending on those TJ's. A quick check of autotrader.com shows 7 JK's within 100 miles of you. I'm sure this forum is biased, but the JK platform is very much improved over the TJ in pretty much every area. You can fit the same size tires stock that a TJ needs a big lift to run. You also get "long" arms stock, a better ride, and a much better interior.