I am looking at this 2013 JKU Rubicon 10th Anniversary manual with 71k for a little under $26k that has been modded. The Jeep is a little over 100 miles away and I was wondering if I can get some advice on what to look for when I go see it this weekend.

I am new to Jeeps, but not off roading. I am mechanically proficient with diesels and have installed all of my own mods on my Cummins and BMW diesels(upgraded turbos, suspension, exhaust and such). I know full well that some mods may cause major damage if not installed correctly or are cheap knockoffs. However, I am a little green when it comes to modern gassers or Jeeps which is why I am asking for your advice.

This will not be a daily driver, but a third vehicle to take to the farm/ranch(when I don't need my truck), dear lease, beach, or trail. I only say that because some have told me not to jump straight into a heavily modded Jeep as a daily. I kind of want to buy an unmolested rig and do all the mods myself since that is the fun part, but I just don't have the time.

Any advice that would help me know what to look for or ask for on this rig would be appreciated. Carfax looked clean and the only issue I have are the rims, but that can be easily rectified.

 

It may help if you lost everything that was done to it.

 

Regardless of the quality of lift components installed (Rough Country or Rubicon Express vs. higher quality things if that is the case) caster and ball joints are the biggest issues we have on the JK. Most won't correct caster when lifting. That is easily remedied. JK BJs just suck in general, cheap POS's that can't hold up to larger tires. If there is no grease zerk on the upper BJ, it's factory and you need to consider, or at least budget for, replacing. Most of us would advise buying factory and modding, as you already know and are aware of. You sound mechanically incline.....I wouldn't be too concerned if you like it and it fits the wallet.

Plenty of help here on the boards for anything you run up against.

 

I don't know that yet. It was a trade in from someone that bought a truck. The dealer that took it in didn't even know what they had which is likely one of the reasons why they priced it so low versus other Rubicons I have been looking at with similar mileage in a 250 mile radius. They haven't even gotten pictures on their site yet and don't even have it listed as a Rubicon 10th anniversary.

The only reason why I jumped on it was because they had it listed as a manual(which is a PITA to find for some odd reason) on Autotrader, but as an automatic on their site so I called to confirm that it was a manual. The salesman had to walk out to confirm it was a manual and took these pictures for me. I immediately put a $500 refundable holding money on it to keep them from selling it before I see it.

The salesman had no clue what was done to it and I was hoping that some here may give me some pointers on look/ask for based on what they see or other weak links in the JK in these years. Similar to how I help guys in the Cummins forums on what to look for when buying a modded Cummins. Sorry for my ignorance regarding Jeeps. My only real experience with them was when I rented one in Moab several years back.

 

Thank you! I will make sure I look at them. Seems to be a common issue with Mopar because my Ram was the same way. Had to replace mine not too long ago at around 90k.

I would like to start with a fresh build, but I have other builds and things that would push me back from doing that for at least other 5 years. I figured that if I look at the Jeep in person, and all seems clean like the wiring and other small details then someone may have taken the time to do it right. If it seems a little iffy then I won't pull the trigger.

 

Previous owner seems to have put some money into it, at least. Long-Arm lift setup (you can easily see the rear passenger side arm), winch, roof rack, fender liners, etc. Too bad the sales guy did not include more pics of the suspension/lift/steering etc. Definitely do some investigating to see what you have before just pulling and swapping in new stuff...

 

Good eye.....glanced over the long arm back there.

These things are easy to work on and pretty much all have the same common issues. crappy BJs, crappy radiators, and oil coolers/housings are a somewhat common issue on the 3.6L, but nothing that wouldn't be easy fix for someone like you. The fender liners are Crawler Conceptz, and offshoot and knock off of Poison Spyder, but at least decent quality if you can get past the fact he ripped PSC off. Looks like PSC Rocker Knockers for the sliders, so guessing the fenders are probably CC or PSC. Looks like a decent jeep in general, but y, expect to have to figure out what they did with the suspension. For your described use, probably not a huge deal.

 

Thanks for the input everyone! You guys know your stuff just as I figured you would. I had to google the differences between long arm and short arm so thanks for point that out. It seems the long arm will be good for how I will be using this Jeep.

Going through the Carfax, I believe found the garage that put most of these mods on. Looked like a pretty reputable place with a lot of positive reviews (4.8 out of 5). Their website also shows lots of Jeeps being worked on in their gallery and main page so that also makes me feel a little better.

One last question. What the heck is that on the doors? Is that some kind of easy disconnect system to take them off quicker?

 

beleive that is a step that will fold down so you can reach up to the cargo rack.

 

Ah. Makes sense. The rack was one of my selling points because I do a lot of kayak fishing and the rack is the prefect size to hold two. I currently carry them in my truck, but it is a PITA to constantly take the rack on and off because I also need the truck to haul cattle or hay some weekends and both trailers are goosenecks. Plus this thing will be able to take me to more remote fishing spots that I can't even come close to getting to in my truck.

Thanks again gents. I will let you know if I get it.