I have had a couple threads on this topic. Several of you have provided valuable info. One member even offered to look at one for me. All very much appreciated.
This process lead me down many roads including bagging the idea since Jeeps are not necessarily considered bullet proof, lol by a long shot.

My thought was a JK. Which is 2007 to 18' I believe. My budget eliminated all from probably 2015 on word. Wanted something under 100k for miles. Mostly stock. Not heavy offroaded or drug behind and RV for thousands of miles. No accidents, no rust among a few other things.
Well, this obviously eliminated 100's of thousands.

I wanted the "Rubicon" due to the upgrades over the other Wrangler models. Mainly the Dana axles.

I drifted in and out of interest over the last two years.
I had three of four dealers that had me on some kind of list where they would call or text me about something they had that did not meet my requirements which just kind of reinforced my mind set that this probably was not the greatest of idea's.
There was one vehicle that did peak my interest but I was not ready to commit and when I convinced myself it was the one it was long gone.
The other day a salesman from one of the dealers called me. They had something he thought might be of interest. He gave me some info. and responded to some of my questions and I told him I would take a look.
It met most of my list of requirements. He sent me a slew of pix. The price was in my wheelhouse, hmmm. Wife reluctantly signed off. OK. Maybe.

In all my searches the one thing that I knew was there are 5 years of the JK that should be avoided. 2007, 08' 10', 12' and 18'. Or at least there is a lot discussion about that.

Well this is the 08'. I know it is the dog 3.8L mini van motor with a 4spd auto. But that motor has good longevity and all the wranglers are not known for massive amounts of power. Most of the issues are electrical, death wobble, suspension related, maybe fluid leaks, intake manifold on drivers side, etc.

This is a one owner, very low mileage, serviced pretty regularly. So again, even though all jk's have their issues. This one seems to have been driven little by and older Veteran and not abused. It is a 4 door. Looks very clean. There is nothing I can see via the internet that leads me to think I should walk away. So even as an early JK and one of the years to be voided I am taking the plunge.
The dealer has serviced and has been inspected.

The owner has traded in to a jeep dealer on a pending 2026 purchase.

Thoughts.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: old rugged cross,

You've already said the '08 should be avoided.

IMHO, don't settle.

The consensus is that if the rig has been well maintained, not abused and does not have a history or problems all should be good. I feel that is most likely the case. This rig seems like it should be gtg.

I have a 2010 two door Rubicon with the 3.8L and the six speed manual with 4.10 axle ratios.
It's been a solid vehicle and is approaching 180k miles. I use it as a second vehicle now and do not drive it very much.
While the 3.8L is down about 100 HP compared to the more modern 3.6L, the 3.8L is still a very solid motor.

I picked the 3.8L over the 3.6L due to the early 3.6L engine problems and the 3.8L engine simplicity for doing repairs and maintenance myself at home.
I have used my Jeep countless times/trips for towing both of my Kubota tractors up to the cabin for doing tractor jobs.
The trip between the house and cabin has a huge elevation change. It's only 25 to 30 minutes driving time, but quite hilly.

Mine has always seeped/leaked a bit of motor oil on the ground, I have replaced the lower half of the engine oil pan once due to rust.
At around 180k miles now, it uses about a quart of engine oil in 2000 miles, which surprisingly is just about what it did at 60k miles when I bought it in 2014.

The equipment trailer has four wheels of electric brakes, and it's important to position the load on the trailer to get the tongue weight correct.
The old Jeep isn't a fancy Ford F-450 towing monster, but it still does the job at 180k miles.

ORC, ENJOY that new-to-you Jeep!

IMG_20190711_200322180 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

Nice cee_Kamp, Thank you.

I couldn't see if you were using a Weight Transfer Hitch for that trailer. If you aren't using one spend the money to get one and use it. Because the first time you use one the increase the stability will have you 100% sold on weight transfer hitches.

As for the JK, love the platform. The company I retired from bid on the Upper Radiator Support Tube we thought we had lost it because a company had lowballed us by 48 cents. Turned out that company was unable to produce one single functional sample. So we ended up with the job with only 2 months to PPAP (pre-production part approval process). For the full month I put in 12 hours a day, 6 days a week designing the production process and all of the tools to make the part. End of that month the Boss flew me to Daytona for Daytona Bike Week. Where I met up with my brother and his wife and I rode his spare Gold Wing for the week. That project was initially intended to be a 5 year program. Which meant that the pricing which incorporated the tooling and equipment costs were adjusted for 5 years. Because that program ran for 11 years we made money hand over fist. Eleven years of year end bonuses is why I am so fond and always will be for that platform.

No, the Jeep is not equipped with a weight distribution hitch system.
I do most of the tractor towing now with a late model Toyota Tacoma pickup truck.
I'm also expecting to be living permanently at my rural recreational/hunting property soon.
That means no tractor towing at all after the move unless I am going someplace to do a tractor job.

Sounds like a good buy, the 3.8 motors will last a long time. GO FOR IT!

Update: So on friday I got a written purchase agreement that includes fees and a delivery quote. The paperwork came from the sales manager. I also spoke with him on the phone. The salesman and I has a solid agreement. So all good. On Saturday we communicated. I asked the sales to provide a short video of a cold start and the rig running, which he sent me this morning and also telling me it was being detailed. Still all good.
The salesman said he was leaving but all was good and if I needed anything to call the sales manager. I was waiting to hear if the owner was going to keep the winch or if was going to be included. The deal was not contingent on the winch. It was just a detail to be determined.
I called the sales manager this afternoon and he starts telling me that someone has offered another $3k and they want to accept his offer. I said, wait what? We have a deal. He starts the yea but bs. He tells me it is ultimately up to the GM. I said have him call me. An hour later he tells me they sold it to another customer. I won't go into the details of the discussion further. In 45 years of vehicle ownership I have never been treated like this, ever.
The salesman treated me well through out. On Fri. I told him that I did not want something like this to happen. He assured me it was my rig.
Talk about an unethical business. Avoid the Scottsdale, Az. jeep dealership like the plague.

ORC, this is the world we live in today.
Tuesday I go with a friend to pick up a MC he bought and paid for 3 weeks ago. Pick up has been delayed because of schedules.
Anyway, last Friday he calls and confirms that everything is done on the bike including the installation of some side bags that are included. Yep, good to go.
This is a 2.5 hour trip each way by the way.
About an hour out we call to give them a heads up and find out that his salesman is off that day.
Get there and "we have a small problem". The racks for the bags never arrived so it's not ready.
So the question becomes, why the hell did you tell us it was ready on Friday? At this point the GM starts copping an attitude. How my friend kept from strangling the dickhead is beyond me.
Now we are in a situation where we have to wait for the bracket to arrive (no idea when) and do the install ourselves. Probably not a huge deal but why the hell didn't they just tell us and let us avoid the 2.5 hour drive for a bike that wasn't ready?
I had to walk away during the conversation as my thoughts were probably not going to be productive to a solution. I'm pretty sure the dumbass sales guy knew the status but didn't want to put the deal into question.

ORC sorry to hear that they did it to you, did you have a written signed sales agreement, if so you might have a case against them, otherwise, anymore, verbal agreements aren't going to cut it.

Wish it was that was, but those days are long gone.

ORC, sorry to here the BS they did to you. You probably dodged a bullet. If they can't keep their word on a deal, they would lie to you about everything else. Count it as a blessing.

I was hoping your quest was coming to a fun end. Keep up the search and the right one will come through. Still keeping my eyes open for you.

Thanks guys, yes probably a blessing. Just upsetting that they have so little integrity.
I am still looking. One thing is should I consider the original 2dr? The 4 door is more versatile and would be more likely able to drive long distance versus leave it at the beach? their are some good values in a 2 dr Rubicon's vs 4 dr. around the $20k price point. Can a jk 2dr be driven at highway spds of 70mph for hours at a time or is that going to be painful?

Thank you guys.

In my opinion 2dr Jeep road trips are a young mans game. When I was 17, couple of us took my CJ7 to Colorado. It was a long haul. Now with my 2dr TJ it is even more of a beat down. Longest I am barely willing to do is a 2.5hr each way road trip to my land.

2 door for short trips and just putzing around for fun is great. For long trips, there is a reason you see them trailered or towed behind bigger vehicles.

Newer I am sure ride even better, but 2dr short wheel base, plus Rubicon suspension will still takes its toll. Hard top will help, as road noise is a big factor to deal with.

To play Devil's Advocate, the dealership has probably had multiple long distance deals lately thalocked up in the past that were never completed due to the buyer backing out after they thought it was a done deal.

To them, taking the cash in front of them from a local potential repeat customer, vs taking a potential deal from someone they will never deal with again, is probably just one of those shitty business decisions rhat businesses sometimes have to make.

You can make the integrity argument all day long, and you will not be wrong, but their decisions probably stems from keeping the lights on first.

My daily driver is a two door 2012 Sport and has been since 2012. I’m no kid either but have no issues with it as a daily.

My only gripe is when we have had grandkids in child seats. An Unlimited would be so much nicer.

I had considered trading up to a later model four door JL but the corrosion issues made me pause that idea.

Will you get your deposit back without a fight?

quote:

Originally posted by sig226fan:
In my opinion 2dr Jeep road trips are a young mans game. When I was 17, couple of us took my CJ7 to Colorado. It was a long haul. Now with my 2dr TJ it is even more of a beat down. Longest I am barely willing to do is a 2.5hr each way road trip to my land.

2 door for short trips and just putzing around for fun is great. For long trips, there is a reason you see them trailered or towed behind bigger vehicles.

Newer I am sure ride even better, but 2dr short wheel base, plus Rubicon suspension will still takes its toll. Hard top will help, as road noise is a big factor to deal with.

I have driven my TJ on four trips over 3300 miles. It feels kind of like an adventure. The soft top wind noise at higher speeds is most noticeable issue to get over. Then the 14 mpg. Then the 65-70 self imposed speed limit due to not having an overdrive. I want to do it again soon.