Okay - neeed a total sanity check here. I currently have a 2011 sport - bone stock right now. I hope to be able to build it up over time but with three kids - who knows when that will be. I found a 2007 Unlimited Rubicon for sale. It has 4.5" teraflex, 35" maxxis, front and rear Warm bumbers (with tire carrier), winch, and rock rails - essentially I would not need to add anything. When looking under it today it does not appear to be beat'n up all all from trails so not sure if it was taken off road at all. Now for the cons - 75K miles and the current owner is the 2nd one and there is no maitenance record for the first 4 years. The inside and engine compartment look clean and all the add-on electric look professionaly done. I am taking it to a mechanic for an independant once over before I go an further.

Any and all thoughts -am I walking into a potential lemon with 75 k or is the reliability of the JK good enough where I should not worry too much.

Cheers!!!

 

If checks out and nothing is wrong with, then go with its your money

 

JKU seems a better fit for you & family. My 08 has 79,000 miles and runs great. If the inspection looks good, I say go for it.

 

Agreed with the above statement. My '08 has 60K miles and runs great with simple fluids maintenance. My only suggestion before purchasing is to check the gearing of the ring & pinion (just have the mechanic open the diff cover and look) to see if it's been upgraded or is still stock 4.10, which will seem sluggish (especially up a hill) when comparing this 4dr JK on 35's and 4.5" lift and the winch plus all that armor to your current stock 2dr JK with 3.73 gearing. But if you have the money left over you can alway regear. My other suggestion is test drive it....

 

Build-it up over time... heard that in the past. Just go with it.

 

Guess I should have added - I have a Unlimited Sport now. I drove the Jeep today and It must have upgraded gears becuase it was not sluggish at all. Goy up to speed nicely on the roads and highways,.

 

Remember looks could be decieving. If your not in a rush then build it up in time like I'm currently doing. I've herd a lot of looking good gone sour just make sure you thoroughly inspect everything. You don't know if he/she beat the balls out of that jeep and that will not change the apperance. Money well spent makes a jeep well built. Good luck.

 

I always ask "How hard do you wheel it? Rocks? Mud? Sand? Light trails? Can you define what light trails means to you?"

I'm a firm believer in if you ask a direct question, you'll most likely get a direct answer. Most Jeep owners I've met are pretty honest, especially if they've modded. If they stumble or hesitate, that's a red flag to me.

 

Have it inspected... and run a CARFAX report on it. If any maintenance was performed at the dealership it will be on the report. If it checks out go for it (unless you don't like the older interior configuration).

 

The owner did not wheel at all. And the previous owner (original who bought and modified it) did not take it to a dealer for maintenance - so there is no maintenance records for it - one of the cons. I took it for an extensive teat drive and the only thing that seemed odd was how loose the stick movement was. What I mean is that my 2011 JKU stick is stiffer but the shifts were clean and no noticable sticking - the gears shifted smoothly.