wtb a JK, what to avoid?

[svipul]

Hello everyone!
Last hurricane swallowed my TJ, and now i am looking to replace it. Unfortunately current TJ market is disappointing, i mostly see molested Jeeps with cheap RC mods, high miles, and prices that are a bit out of touch with reality. In my head i calculated that by the time i undo previous owner mistakes, a high miles TJ will be scratching the price surface of 2017 sub 100k miles JK.

My budged is $20000, i want a 2 door version with a manual transmission.
Which years were the problematic ones?
I work on my cars, any mechanical issues i can fix myself, its the electrical gremlins that worry me the most.

Grateful for any advice!

 

[BigAL07]

You will get lots of responses to this question. I have a 07 rubicon 3.8 that gives me very little grief. 95k. Having said that as u may already know, you will not find a jk 3.8 or 3.6 that comes even close to the bulletproof 4.0 That’s just a fact. Good luck on your search and welcome to the forum 🍺🍺

 

[BLACKJKU]

Just spend a day and read through the General Section and you'll find the problems they have.

You mean you can't find your TJ? If it was me i'd have repaired it you can buy buy practically every part it needs.

 

[MacGuyver]

Just like any vehicle, avoid first years, though they are still good, and if they have made it this far, the gremlins have probably been exercised.

The JK's first year was 2007 with the 3.8 engine. It's heavy and arguably underpowered, but it is solid. It tends to burn oil, but mine is 209k and runs great. Generally the 4 spd Auto from these years is not well liked.

2011 was a strange transition year. Jeep updated the interior, but it still has the 3.8 engine, so it is a very singular year for schematics.

2012 was the first year for the 3.6 engine. First year bugs. This seems to have bled into the 2013 year as well a bit.
2018 was the last year. However 2018 was also the first year for the new JL. So some will be the new model and some will be JK FYI.

3.6 is a generally better engine for the Jeep. It's lighter, and while the 3.8 had 205ish HP, the 3.6 is 285 HP. However, it is also much more complicated of an engine and harder to work on. Top of the heads needs to come off to change spark plugs for example. You will also pay more for the 3.6. The 5 spd Auto for the 3.6 is vastly better than the one that came with the 3.8 and it a very viable option. ( I personally would never get an auto with the 3.8.. or in a TJ, but would have no problem with the auto for the 3.6)

 

[TROY66/68]

Me thinks and auto in my 3.8 would make it a dog, and I already have a barky barky one.

 

[BigAL07]

You would be surprised. Got the 9-drive throttle enhancer on my 3.8 and she’s peppy as a rutn buck lol. I guess after shifting on a 18 speed all day I kinda like the auto 😂🍺🍺

 

[svipul]

You will get lots of responses to this question. I have a 07 rubicon 3.8 that gives me very little grief. 95k. Having said that as u may already know, you will not find a jk 3.8 or 3.6 that comes even close to the bulletproof 4.0 That’s just a fact. Good luck on your search and welcome to the forum 🍺🍺

The JK's first year was 2007 with the 3.8 engine. It's heavy and arguably underpowered, but it is solid. It tends to burn oil, but mine is 209k and runs great. Generally the 4 spd Auto from these years is not well liked.

Thank you for the welcome!
I am aware of the 3.8 issues, or the lack of. I remember when they came out, lots of disappointment and claims about reliability from the owners, actually still to this days. But after working on a few, i realized that issues revolve around defective parts or bad assembly, otherwise it is a solid engine that does what it does.
Mac have you replaced upper manifold gasket? Two that i was fixing up for my friends had burning oil issues that were resolved with new gasket.

Just spend a day and read through the General Section and you'll find the problems they have.

You mean you can't find your TJ? If it was me i'd have repaired it you can buy buy practically every part it needs.

I cant find a reasonable TJ for a reasonable price.
It cost me around $10k to properly set up my last TJ for trails and overlanding that i do. With todays parts shortage and price hikes, add another 2k to that.
So when i search local marketplace, and i see a rusty TJ with almost 200000 miles on the odometer for $10k, i cant help but to feel foolish to invest into it when there is a 2017 model with 70000 on the odometer sells for $23k.
And as far as repairs, discontinued quality parts are slowly but surely starting to apply pressure.

Additionally, on paper 2dr JK dimensions are in a sweet spot for me, between a TJ and LJ.
When i travel and explore, LJ is a bit too long for my linking and in TJ i always wish for a little bit more space in the back.

 

[svipul]

So, overall i don't see any major red flags from you all, which is good. I am sure if someone was experiencing some component fail multiple times a year due to some factory or design fluke, it would be pointed out.

One more question, how are the soft tops on the JKs ?

 

[MacGuyver]

Mac have you replaced upper manifold gasket? Two that i was fixing up for my friends had burning oil issues that were resolved with new gasket.

I haven't. No school next week so hopefully I have a chance to poke around.. if it's warm enough. That being said, I'm pretty sure it's the main seal. Upper gasket sounds not fun but doable, main seal is more along the lines of "time for an upgrade".

One more question, how are the soft tops on the JKs ?

The soft tops for the JKs are a big improvement over TJs. Most especially if you get a 2010 or later.

The first few years of JK soft tops had the same plastic channel in the door surrounds (as the TJ) that the top levered into. So there were not a ton different. However, in 2010 they redesigned the soft top to utilize a wire tensioning system. This uses a different type of door surround and there is no longer a channel for the top to lock into, but a grove for the edge of the top, under tension when latched to sit in.
This makes folding back the top much easier.

You can also get the premium twill material. It is super black and thicker than the standard black diamond material, though you will pay more for it. Black Diamond being a bit blacker than the Black Denim tops from the TJ era, but essentially the same material.

If price is no object, the best of the best is the JKs version of the new JL top. Made by Bestop of course and called the Supertop Ultra. No more zippers for windows and pretty much better in every way. Very much comes at a price though.

If you are just looking for a soft top, I haunted craigslist for about a month and ended up with an unused premium twill top for my JK for $400 a few years ago. It's the first place I would look.

 

[Danarch]

Seems like people (including me) stay away from 2012‘s. When I looked I skipped any 2012 and seldom looked at a 2013. Ended up with two 2015’s for us. Love my Jeep, but some days wonder if I should have picked up a 3.8 as just easier to work on. For me my mindset is its for four wheeling, so as long as the power is there for that I don’t get too overly concerned about power on the road.

 

[Dirty Dog]

We have two JKUR's, one a 3.8/auto with 190,000 miles and one a 3.6/M6 with 100,000 miles. Neither engine has been opened, although the 3.8 does have a bit of a leak from the rear main. Not a big issue at 190,000...