I'm looking at buying my first Jeep. 2003 Wrangler with 102,000 miles on it. I've only had and my family has only had your run of the mill cars. I'm finding Jeeps are like no other. How many miles could I expect on a jeep? Normally 100k + is usually way too much but is it in a Jeep? Help! Thanks... Sugar
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Bounty__Hunter
Super Moderator
Welcome to the Z. Most well-maintained late model Wranglers can go 200k-300k with no major problems. I wouldn't flinch at a 100k jeep for the right price.
Welcome to the Z.
Welcome to the Z.
I just traded my Cherokee, it had 365,000 miles on it and still drove pretty darn good. It had a remanufactured engine put in it at 250,000 because the previous owners wife overheated and kept on driving it well after it quit steaming. It was the best vehicle I've ever owned, bar none. I spent very little on it and it was super dependable. I think they're just getting broke in at 100,000.
Most of 'em have high miles for a reason, they're fun to drive.
Most of 'em have high miles for a reason, they're fun to drive.
Many of the folks on this site take their kds in TJ Wranglers all the time & some of us "old timers" used to put our kids in CJs. I still take my grandson for rides in my "78 every chance I get.
JohnnyO
New member
As long as it looks like it has been reasonably well-maintained, don't be afraid of miles. DO change all the fluids, and I mean ALL the fluids. Oil, transmission, transfer case, axles, coolant, brake fluid. Ours was very clean for a '97 but when I changed the transfer case lube (it's ATF) it was mostly water that drained out. Probably wouldn't have lasted much longer if I hadn't caught it.
Valvoline Qwicky Lubes will do the axles for about $40 each, at that price it's not worth the time and effort to do it myself.
Ours has 150,000 on it now and runs fine.
Valvoline Qwicky Lubes will do the axles for about $40 each, at that price it's not worth the time and effort to do it myself.
Ours has 150,000 on it now and runs fine.
Tell her that TJ's are wider and have swaybars front and rear. Don't worry about it. You can't drive it like a sports car though.
If they do the same job they do when they change your transmission fluid, I'd pay them $40 to stay away from my axles.
JohnnyO
New member
I've never had an issue. I've owned two Rangers and two Sport Tracs and the qwicky-lube's suction machine is the only way to do the front axle anyway, short of removing the whole pumpkin from the vehicle.
In my experience they vary greatly by location. I usually only use them for my work vehicle and either do my personal vehicles myself or take them to Mr. Tire because in my experiences with my work vehicle at the Jiffy Lube/VIOCs around here is that they're terrible. However I did have my oil changed at the Jiffy Lube in Westminster, MD once and they seemed to be very competent. That location is too far away for me to use for my personal vehicles, however.
I've done my gear oil a couple of times and it's not that bad. What I usually do is for example if I'm doing the front axle I'll park on an incline with the rear of the Jeep higher than the front to help drain, then when I put it back together I'll fill it up as much as possible then turn the Jeep around so that the front is higher than the rear and top it off with oil. Also the Lube Locker gaskets are worth the price if you're doing it yourself. I put a little bit of RTV on one side so the gasket will stick to the diff cover then everything goes back together, torque it down and you're done, no need to worry about leaks. T-case oil is easy too, very easy to get to the fill/drain plugs. The only oil I haven't personally changed is the transmission/transaxle oil. I'm not sure where the drain/fill plugs are for that, but I just had it done at the shop while they're doing an alignment so I won't have to worry about that for a while (I hope).
JohnnyO
New member
I change my own fluids except for the transmissions and axles. I found out about Lube Locker gaskets a few months ago but haven't had to try them yet ('cause I KNOW if I take a diff cover off, it's gonna leak when I put it back on). Again, it's a moot point in my late-model Rangers or Explorers because you're not going to get the front diff cover off with the diff in the vehicle anyway. Ford transmissions are fussy things and I only have the dealer do transmission flushes. A t-case or manual transmission is pretty easy to do yourself if you get a suction gun to fill it.
I don't use Jiffy Lube, I use Valvoline. Never had a problem at the place near me. Just trying to help out OP in case he/she isn't up to changing axle lube.
I don't use Jiffy Lube, I use Valvoline. Never had a problem at the place near me. Just trying to help out OP in case he/she isn't up to changing axle lube.
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Thanks everyone. I'm trying to do two things. Get a 4 wheel drive vehicle and cut down on car payments. This Wrangler would accomplish both but my experiences with cars revolve around Vibes and Calibers. Wranglers are a different beast. I'm finding more 300k mile stories than 125k mile stories.
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