Is this too rusty?

jpm15

Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Location
Charlotte
Hi, all.

I have been in the market for an LJ and have received a lot of great feedback and advice. The two I was looking at did not work out, but I recently started looking at another one. I have a couple pictures of the undercarriage and was hoping to get some feedback regarding the rust. The wrangler is down south but spent a couple years in NY. Please let me know what you think. I noticed a couple very rusty spots but am not sure what I am looking at. If I need more pics I can get them.

Thanks in advance!
undercarriage 2.png
undercarriage 1.png
 
It's not too rusty yet. Give it another 2-3 years :D

I wouldn't be concerned with rust on the heavy metal parts such as the axles and frame. And the exhaust will rust no matter what. But there seems to be a lot of areas on the body that have some rust and likely are signs of rust in other cracks and sandwiched panels that you can't see. I wouldn't run from it, but I'd dig a little deeper with a flashlight and small screwdriver.
 
Yeah I'd definitely recommend some poking around with a screwdriver. If your not able to do that and you're only goin by pictures then "buyer beware". There are a lot of stop rust products on the market for the thick metal but once it's in the sheet metal it's like cancer.
 
Having worked on quite a few from up north, its important to check the frame out first. Theres areas inside a frame that get caked with dirt and hold all the moisture and salt in which leads to cancer in a few years. Also when you do eventually go to do ball joints, brakes, tie rod ends, etc, it has a potential of being a lot more pesky of a job. If its a steal of a deal, jump on it.
 
XJsavage said:
Having worked on quite a few from up north, its important to check the frame out first. Theres areas inside a frame that get caked with dirt and hold all the moisture and salt in which leads to cancer in a few years. Also when you do eventually go to do ball joints, brakes, tie rod ends, etc, it has a potential of being a lot more pesky of a job. If its a steal of a deal, jump on it.
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Thanks. I'll definitely check the frame. I think they are asking a bit much per KBB, Edmunds, etc. It is a '06 Unlimited Rubi with 96k...hardtop. Asking 17k. KBB says its worth 15k in excellent condition. if it is rusty I would say that is not excellent condition.
 
jpm15 said:
I appreciate the quick replies! What do you guys mean by "poking around with a screwdriver?"
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Poke around any areas that look rusty and in areas that look suspicious with a flat blade screwdriver. Floor pans, inner fenders, around body mounts, etc... You'll be able to feel if it's solid or rusted thin. Be careful not to poke through though, the owner might get mad.
 
If in doubt, walk away. They'll be other ones out there, and I doubt the rust will change the price unless you're planning on specifically using it as a bargaining tool. So if the price is too good to pass up, and you don't mind the joys of getting rusty stuff loose, go for it.
 
If you have to ask, it's probably too much...
 
Buy a southern jeep if you can. While it might not be rusted in half that thing is going to be a pain in the ass to work on. Hell you'd be better of search Texas for a Jeep and having it shipped.
 
Rusty Jeeps are a miserable pain in the ass. Ask Braxton about that.

OH, and just because you buy a southern Jeep doesn't mean it'll be rust free. We have beaches here, and some people like to drive on them and then never wash their vehicle again.
 
I appreciate all the replies. This is a great forum!!

I think I am going to keep looking until the perfect one comes along. I'll probably focus on TX, AZ and CA wranglers.
 
What are your plans for this jeep? Just curious as to why you're looking for such a pristine starter?
 
In my recent experience, there is no way that I would ever buy another rusty vehicle from up north. You can try to abate it but like someone else posted it's like a cancer on sheet metal. For me there is no price that the seller could get to to make me do it again.
 
RobMcBee said:
What are your plans for this jeep? Just curious as to why you're looking for such a pristine starter?
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Good question.

I currently travel every other week or so for business and the other weeks work from home. Since I dont really drive much I want a car that is fun to own vs. the '03 Highlander i currently have. My plans for the wrangler would be to use it as a DD when I am home and somethig to wheel every once in a while on the wekeends. My Highlander is paid for so I dont want much if any car payment. I am not necessarily looking for something pristine, but since I dont have much money to put into a car I dont want something that is falling apart. Whatever I buy I would like to keep it and maintain it for many years. Honestly, I am so unknowledgable about rust and vehicle maintenance (although I want to learn) I am not sure what is worth buying or not.
 
I was just curious as to why you were looking so far away? While the cars out in the SW are usually very rust free your going to pay a premium plus either going out there to get it or having it shipped here. The SE is also well known for having mostly rust free cars as long as you stay away from something in the mtns or the coast.

As far as rust is concerned almost every vehicle in the age that you are looking at is gonna have some rust. IMO a lil rust is not that much of a deal breaker unless it's just horrible underneath or in the body panels. I have a 99 Cherokee that we owned an drove for years while we lived in the mountains. It has some rust on the under carriage from driving in the winters, but I can still do all the repairs, dive it daily, and all that other stuff. I paid 4 k for it. 6 years ago. KBB list it for 3200 in good condition.

My point is, there are a lot of good Jeeps closer to home that need very little if any work. Most LJ's weren't wheeled and are pretty clean. Most were mall crawlers. I would rather find something close by that I could physically look at and inspect than get surprised by what I couldn't see on the computer.
 
Probably gonna pass on this one. I can probably get it for 14k after talking to the owner but don't really want to deal with rust.
 
Run from the rust!! Another way to evaluate is how high up the rust is. Most vehicles will have some rust on unprotected steel underneath but vehicles that have been in salt whether up north or on the coast will have rust under the good on bolts,lines, master cylinder, any unprotected steel. Stay away unless real cheap cause everything that will be done will take longer and cost more
 
Under the HOOD!
 
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