I'm researching Jeep Rubicons because I am in the market for one. I am looking for a good well maintained two door 3-5 years old to put <35" tires on as a daily driver/weekend warrior camping rig. I want it short and small, so you'd have to talk me into an unlimited length.

I know things change year to year and am looking for what options are better to have and what to avoid, i.e. some years had bad ______? or something like that.

I'm looking to buy an automatic. Good? Bad? Avoid?

What about the new JK models? They are going to be more expensive, but are there any real clear benefits to buying one vs. the old standard TJ style?

Any info is helpful. Thanks!!

I'm researching Jeep Rubicons because I am in the market for one. I am looking for a good well maintained two door 3-5 years old to put <35" tires on as a daily driver/weekend warrior camping rig. I want it short and small, so you'd have to talk me into an unlimited length.

I know things change year to year and am looking for what options are better to have and what to avoid, i.e. some years had bad ______? or something like that.

I'm looking to buy an automatic. Good? Bad? Avoid?

What about the new JK models? They are going to be more expensive, but are there any real clear benefits to buying one vs. the old standard TJ style?

Any info is helpful. Thanks!!


I'm far from a Rubicon expert, but I prefer the 2006 and prior years. If possible, I would find one that is stock, maybe even non wheeled. then build it the way I would want it built. The Rubicon experts will be able to tell you if there are better Rubicons than others, but I have never heard anything bad about a Rubicon other than the minor oem crap that we all replace anyway.

I am no expert, but I think there is/was a problem with the JK front dana 44 with axle tube twisting or something like that. They make a steel tube to weld on the inside for strength.

What year was the cutoff that they stopped using the 5 speed and swapped to that shit mercedes 6 speed? If ever? I thought it was 2004 but I could be wrong. JK's are junk IMO, I'm not going into my personal feelings on the subject other then I feel its just another stepping stone to the continued demise of Chrylser/Jeep when they came out with the JK. However if you really want to decide for yourself, which I recommend, you can check out the pirate4x4 run JK owners board at www.jkowners.com .

I would buy a TJ before a JK any day of the week. Biggest advice I could tell you is check the frame and underside. If theres rock rash, rot, modifications run away. Also don't buy anything modified. If you want work done to it, do it yourself or have a pro do it. It seems like theres more hacks out there now then guys that can actually do the job right in decent years. Especially when it comes to aftermarket modifications or god forbid fabrication. Good Luck and let us know what you get.

Depending on how many kids/dogs you take with you, you may really appreciate the extra cargo room in an Unlimited. I've got a Unlimited TJ and an Unlimited JK. I can't think of many advantages of the JK over a TJ.

Most of the issues with the TJ Rubi are the same you'll find with any TJ.
Look between the oil pan and transmission, if there's oil leaking chances are it's got an RMS leak. Pretty common with the 4.0. Pull the carpet up up front and see if the floor is wet or there's rust spots. Common leak up front drips down into the foot well area. Take it for a test drive above 45 mph and hit a few pot holes. If it starts to shake violently, there's something worn or loose in the front end. Take it on a dirt road and make sure 4 hi, 4 lo, and both lockers work. I've heard the 6 spd is weak, so I'd look for a 5 spd or an auto. Manuals are cheaper to work on, auto's are easier to use in traffic and off road. Check the underside for scrapes and dents.
And lastly, I'd hold out for an LJ if you ever plan to go camping with anyone other than yourself. When I go, I usually have my swb loaded down for just myself and the dog. A good roof rack will give you plenty of extra room though if you're set on a swb. The longer wheel base of the LJ won't hurt you off road. If you've read a lot on here, you'll find that most people end up stretching there axles out for extra wheel base anyways. I prefer the TJ to the JK. The only thing I think the JK has the TJ beat on is the stock clearance height. There seems to be a bit more clearance to the belly of a JK than there is on a TJ. It's also easier to stick 35's under a JK. The JK D44's are supposed to be stronger than the TJ D44, but there seem to be quite a bit with twisted axle tubes.

Good info guys.

I'm 99.9% set on an automatic tranny just for convenience. That way my girlfriend could hop in it and drive it or anybody for that matter. Any issues with the auto trans? You don't see very many of them.

What mileage is starting to get up too high? So far online most I've found are either less than 30k miles or more than 70k miles and I'm not sure why. How many miles are too many?

Where can I find more info on this RMS leak? Is it just standards or autos too?

Any other thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

What are you talking about for high mileage? The 4.0 is a 300k mile engine if you take care of it.
As far as the RMS leak, just do a search for it on rubicon owners forum, or any jeep forum for that matter. It doesn't matter whether it's standard or auto. I would guess the majority of the time, people just let it go unless they're dumping a lot of oil.

What are you talking about for high mileage? The 4.0 is a 300k mile engine if you take care of it.
As far as the RMS leak, just do a search for it on rubicon owners forum, or any jeep forum for that matter. It doesn't matter whether it's standard or auto. I would guess the majority of the time, people just let it go unless they're dumping a lot of oil.
As far as mileage I'm not worried so much about the engine, but some of the Rubicon specific features such as the lockers and 4:1.

I just bought one, an 05 with 23k miles, automatic, hardtop. I do have the small leak under the dash somewhere...got a bad monsoon rainstorm out here and had a very small amount of water there, but have Husky floor mats so it never went anywhere..and by small i mean less than or approx a thimble full...

Anyways..I am not a huge fan of the Auto, it seems to search a little bit to much for me..but its fine I guess.

I found mine with a 4" Currie lift, Rock Hard front, and rear bumpers with the swing away tire rack, Hard rock sliders, Mile Marker 8k winch, And a Kargo Master Roof rack setup, Full Banks exhaust, from the header all the way back, full Air-raid setup and Throttle body spacer. The Jeep is immaculate.

The funny part is, the dealership I found it at had a few Jeeps, Both J/ks and T/js and they wanted approx 21k-24k for any of them, similar years and mileage, most were lifted and pretty, but they were x packages or sports. They Just got in the Rubicon I bought a few days earlier and hadnt really messed with it yet and sold it to me for $16,000...I thought either they didnt know what they had, or just needed a sale. I dont understand why someone would haggle on a vehicle thats got less options. Their original asking price on the Rubicon was 19,500, still cheaper than the asking price for an X package tj with 10k miles more??????

Anyway, I found exactly what I was looking for, i personally am glad its not stock as it saved me a lot of money/time lifting it etc.

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