I need a JEEP!

[J-Daddy]

New guy here, and I'm looking to get into my first JEEP. I've wanted one for years but never bought one so now I'm looking to pick something up.
I'm in Kentucky so I'd like to find something pretty local, also it's gotta be a road ready JEEP, no pure trail rigs. Whatever I buy will be my daily driver so it cant be a total rock crawler/mud buggy setup....Here's a basis of what I'm looking for=
Jeep Wrangler, not to picky on the year but it's alteast gotta be in the mid 90's.
Not a ton of miles on it...A ton is 100,000 plus.
Hard or Soft top
Prefer something with the 4.0 6cyl. in it, but I'd consider a 4cyl. if it was the right JEEP for me.
Gotta have a lift kit "suspension or suspension & body", prefer in the 4" to 6" range, and some good tires & wheels "Black wheels are a huge plus for me"
Good interior, CD is a dang nice option there.
And any lil' aftermarket hop ups would be a bonus, like bumper's, jacks, tire racks, rock guards, etc...
Not real picky on the color, but a darker earth tone color would be great, or black....or forest green or brown.
Price range, ahh $7000 is about the most I'd like to spend on one, or I would consider a trade on a 1997 Chevy Z71 king cab 3rd door I have that has a new engine, transmission & rear end, 3" lift with 16"x8" Eagle Aluminum wheels & 35" tires. Great truck, but I just got the itch for a JEEP.
If you got something I might be interested in let me know on here...Pictures are a must on anything you might have. My email is=
KYBowhuntinManiac@hotmail.com
Feel free to send some pictures there if you cant post them here....

 

[KrazyJeeper]

Not asking for much are you? LOL. I am debating about selling my wrangler, but I am in Texas. It's a 2000 4 cylinder, 3 inch BDS Suspension Lift with 33's. Road worthy, but I need something with better gas mileage. Look under Reader Rides and you should see a few pics. Just my opinion, $7,000 is low for all the specifics you're asking for. Take Care and Good Hunting. KJ

 

[Sparky-Watts]

I agree, it's gonna be hard to get all that you want for under $7000, but miracles do happen....I got mine pretty cheap stock for less than I expected to pay, and have been adding to it since. That's half the fun, build it as you go. I'm thinking it's going to be really hard to find a Jeep with less than 100k miles for $7000 or less, unless it's totally stock and trashed already. I'm not saying you won't, it will just be hard to do. They are out there, it just takes some time and patience to find them (like mine, it took three months and 30-40 test drives before I found it).

I wish you the best of luck, and hope you're in a Jeep that suits you soon! And stick around here on the "Z", we'll help you anyway we can!! Always good to have more members!!

 

[J-Daddy]

LOL, yeah guess I might be wanting a bit much for the $7000 price tag really...I'm amazed at how much older JEEPS cost, it's crazy...I always thought trucks held their value pretty good but man they aint nothing like Jeeps.
Really as long as the JEEP is in decent shape & lifted with wheels I'll be interested in it. I've been watching Ebay & Autotrader.com and found a few on there but I'm not gonna jump on the 1st thing I see...I wanna see what all comes up before I decide on anything...Plus I need to get rid of this Z71 before I buy anything else....I was kinda thinking about a Jeep Cherokee too, that might be an option as well...Guess we'll have to see.

 

[Sparky-Watts]

Well, a few tips you may already know to look for: Crawl underneath to see if there are any big dents/scrapes on the skid plates. Check for rust on the frame. Of course, the obvious fluid leaks. Pull the air filter to see if there's been any water or mud in the airbox. Lift the carpet to see if there is any rust/water/mud on the floorboards. Drive it and check for shimmy, or Death Wobble, see if it tracks true or if it wanders all over the road. A lot of those will tell you how bad it's been used and abused. I got really lucky after 3 months of searching and found my '94 with only 54,000 on it. I talked with the previous owner, and she had never driven it off-road, never driven it in the rain or snow, and always kept it in the garage....it was in perfect shape. So, if you are patient, you will find the right Jeep. Or, as I like to say, the right Jeep will find you! Keep us posted on your progress.

 

[90growler]

Buy a stocker and do the mods yourself. You will get exactly what you want and you can probably find a stocker cheaper. If it is the 4.0 and it has over 100k, don't worry (they last forever). I wouldn't consider the 2.5 if you want to run above 32's. It can be done but you will have to do allot of other mods.

 

[J-Daddy]

Yeah I gotta good idea on things to look for from a used 4x4. I worked in autobody shops for years so I can normally spot all the signs of an abused
4x4.
I am new to JEEP's though, not very many people had them where I grew up at and non of my freinds had them when we were younger. One of my buddies bought a 2003 JEEP X series a couple months ago that has a lift under it, 35"s on it and sim. beadlocks' on it...Very nice, but he'll never have it off road unless he runs into a ditch looking at a chick,lol. I'd love to have something like his, but $17,000 is more than I want to spend on one, I hate to go back into debt & car payments again....My Z71 is paid for and has been since the day I bought it, I still owe on my 2004 Chevy Suburban but that's the wife's ride.
I'd really prefer the 4.0 in a JEEP, heck I've driven them and they are far from a powerhouse, I can imagine what the 4cyl. would be with big tires on it..I'm use to a full size chevy 4x4 since the last 4 vehicles I've bought have been chevy trucks or suv's, so anything under a V8 feels a little weak to me. I might pick up a stocker and lift it myself if I can find one at the right price, I just dont want a ton of $$$$ in something I drive, I hunt & fish alot and my rides have been known to head down a path through the woods to get a deer out or to get to the river to fish... So I dont need anything worth $30,000 to do that with.

 

[90growler]

http://www.us.buysell.com/brand/ustrader/splash.aspx

Best place to find Jeeps in your region. Found my XJ and YJ here.

 

[deesweet]

Good luck with your search. It took me more than six months to find my TJ but I was glad I waited. I bought it in January ( here in NJ) from some sissy college kid from florida who said it was just too cold in NJ for a soft top. I paid 2.5k which is a lot less than I had planned to spend. It needs a new top after some off-roading abuse (by me and my hubby) and the kid put duck tape all over the roll bars and tried to duck tape the speakers to the bars so they need to be replaced but other than that it was in great shape.