Your opinion: Condition of 2004 Jeep Wrangler

Austin704

Austin704

New Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2024
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23
Location
Austin, Texas
56K miles. Looks good to me for a 20-year old Jeep. The previous owners performed regular oil changes. Carfax shows regular service intervals, so I'm optimistic. Other repairs per carfax: brake master cylinder replaced, spark plugs, ignition switch, shocks, struts, diff service f/r. The seller says the jeep runs great. Doesn't have service records from previous owner who owned it 12 years. I thought I'd seek the collective wisdom of the forum before driving 8 hours round trip to check it out. Looks to be lifted a bit. Spent the last 5 years in coastal Texas, which has me a bit worried about rust. Prior to that spent all its time inland Texas, near Houston. Owner is an older retired man with a bad back who basically told me if I want to see the undercarriage I'll have to come look at it myself! :) Love to hear your thoughts.

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Same as you- A little worried about rust knowing the geography it was in- and the pics don’t show enough- Do we have a member in his area that could help you?
 
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How much is he asking? There's rust on the engine so I would expect a lot of rust underneathe. Radiator hoses need replaced but otherwise the paint job looks ok?
 
Whats the asking price?? Mine looks that good at those distance pics w/250K and I paid $3,000

However IN PERSON you can see alot more imperfections in the paint, chips, etc. The point Im making is it needs to be seen in person to assess actual condition, because pics like those wont show it all

Undercarriage especially needs a close inspection for rust , etc. I got mine from Florida so no rust luckily
 
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Houston Jeep would be fine, but here in Texas you can drive on the beaches mostly, and you can get serious rust, obviously you asked about it so that’s the worry.

No clue what he’s asking, but if it’s a good deal, worth the drive to me, but I’d make a weekend out if it, weather is good right now, ha.
 
Seats & interior appear pristine
Had to look up that edition….

Wouldnt worry about the ragtop, theyre only $200 new from Sierra off road, and soft uppers are $140 Smittys I just put on myself

Make the drive if the asking price is very reasonable.
 
YOU have to check out the frame in person. Inside especially. I went to look at a mint Rubicon auto for my wife. The frame showed zero signs of rust................until I stuck my fingers inside it to find 1" deep rust flakes all the way down the center rails. The owner was VERY large and 70, and I have no doubt he never crawled under it to look at the frame. He sold it within 1 day to someone who apparently didn't know to check the frame.
p.s. Dana 35 rear axle in that model if it matters.
 
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AndyG said:
Same as you- A little worried about rust knowing the geography it was in- and the pics don’t show enough- Do we have a member in his area that could help you?
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In my experience you practically never see rusty Jeeps around town. Obviously they will rust if you frequent the beaches but generally they hold up well. Any idea what part of Houston it’s from?

Two things that are a concern for me is the fishing rod holder on the front grill tells me it’s pretty likely it spent a good amount of time at the beach and the fact he won’t or isn’t willing to voluntarily show you the underside of the Jeep. I understand he has a bad back, but still seems a little concerning.

All that being said id still make the trip and think there’s a good chance that any rust would be relatively minimal.

Hope it helps.
 
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TheBoogieman said:
YOU have to check out the frame in person. Inside especially. I went to look at a mint Rubicon auto for my wife. The frame showed zero signs of rust................until I stuck my fingers inside it to find 1" deep rust flakes all the way down the center rails. The owner was VERY large and 70, and I have no doubt he never crawled under it to look at the frame. He sold it within 1 day to someone who apparently didn't know to check the frame.
p.s. Dana 35 rear axle in that model if it matters.
Click to expand...

Agree. Just noticed, the front bumper, those are fishing pole holders. That means it sat on the beach near the salt water. Doesn't mean they drove in it, but I'd look heavily. Only 5 years on the coast, probably not bad, but mileage doesn't show, doesn't take many miles to drive to the beach and salt if you live in Galveston, ha.

Feel inside like he said, and I'd bang on the frame etc. Surface rust would not bother me at all, just something that looks like it's got its hooks into the metal. Definitely worth the ride, it looks nice.
 
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imahnu said:
In my experience you practically never see rusty Jeeps around town. Obviously they will rust if you frequent the beaches but generally they hold up well. Any idea what part of Houston it’s from?

Two things that are a concern for me is the fishing rod holder on the front grill tells me it’s pretty likely it spent a good amount of time at the beach and the fact he won’t or isn’t willing to voluntarily show you the underside of the Jeep. I understand he has a bad back, but still seems a little concerning.

All that being said id still make the trip and think there’s a good chance that any rust would be relatively minimal.

Hope it helps.
Click to expand...

Posted same time, agree. In Houston, not an issue, bought mine out of Tomball and zero rust issues.
 
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CreepinDeth said:
Whats the asking price?? Mine looks that good at those distance pics w/250K and I paid $3,000

However IN PERSON you can see alot more imperfections in the paint, chips, etc. The point Im making is it needs to be seen in person to assess actual condition, because pics like those wont show it all

Undercarriage especially needs a close inspection for rust , etc. I got mine from Florida so no rust luckily
Click to expand...

Asking price is $17k
 
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cpwolf said:
Agree. Just noticed, the front bumper, those are fishing pole holders. That means it sat on the beach near the salt water. Doesn't mean they drove in it, but I'd look heavily. Only 5 years on the coast, probably not bad, but mileage doesn't show, doesn't take many miles to drive to the beach and salt if you live in Galveston, ha.

Feel inside like he said, and I'd bang on the frame etc. Surface rust would not bother me at all, just something that looks like it's got its hooks into the metal. Definitely worth the ride, it looks nice.
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As stated above, the bits on the engine that are obviously rusty tell you that any spot on the frame and undercarriage that were not perfectly protected by paint or similar will be the same or worse. It will have a lot of rust under it or there are some miracles in that part of the world.
 
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cpwolf said:
Agree. Just noticed, the front bumper, those are fishing pole holders. That means it sat on the beach near the salt water. Doesn't mean they drove in it, but I'd look heavily. Only 5 years on the coast, probably not bad, but mileage doesn't show, doesn't take many miles to drive to the beach and salt if you live in Galveston, ha.

Feel inside like he said, and I'd bang on the frame etc. Surface rust would not bother me at all, just something that looks like it's got its hooks into the metal. Definitely worth the ride, it looks nice.
Click to expand...

Yes, I passed by this Jeep a couple of times in my search because of the fishing pole holders. A Rockport/Galveston TJ with fishing pole holders is not a good combo, but I'm taking a second look now. I will say, the guy keeps it covered when not in use which, apparently given the mileage, is frequently. Fingers crossed.
 
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cpwolf said:
Agree. Just noticed, the front bumper, those are fishing pole holders. That means it sat on the beach near the salt water. Doesn't mean they drove in it, but I'd look heavily. Only 5 years on the coast, probably not bad, but mileage doesn't show, doesn't take many miles to drive to the beach and salt if you live in Galveston, ha.

Feel inside like he said, and I'd bang on the frame etc. Surface rust would not bother me at all, just something that looks like it's got its hooks into the metal. Definitely worth the ride, it looks nice.
Click to expand...

imahnu said:
In my experience you practically never see rusty Jeeps around town. Obviously they will rust if you frequent the beaches but generally they hold up well. Any idea what part of Houston it’s from?

Two things that are a concern for me is the fishing rod holder on the front grill tells me it’s pretty likely it spent a good amount of time at the beach and the fact he won’t or isn’t willing to voluntarily show you the underside of the Jeep. I understand he has a bad back, but still seems a little concerning.

All that being said id still make the trip and think there’s a good chance that any rust would be relatively minimal.

Hope it helps.
Click to expand...

Thanks. That's kinda where I'm at... Go check it out. I will take a hammer, a screwdriver, safety glasses and a good flashlight with me. Maybe even a floor jack.
 
TheBoogieman said:
YOU have to check out the frame in person. Inside especially. I went to look at a mint Rubicon auto for my wife. The frame showed zero signs of rust................until I stuck my fingers inside it to find 1" deep rust flakes all the way down the center rails. The owner was VERY large and 70, and I have no doubt he never crawled under it to look at the frame. He sold it within 1 day to someone who apparently didn't know to check the frame.
p.s. Dana 35 rear axle in that model if it matters.
Click to expand...

Any concerns with the Dana 35?
 
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