So, what is there to say about this Jeep?

The two biggest things:
1) This Jeep has not bee in Texas it's whole life.
2) The tires are 13 years old.

With that out of the way, from outward appearances it's in what I'd consider to be typical condition for a 13 year old car. It's had a little bump on the front bumper and there are numerous small (and not so small) scratches, chips, and chunks in the paint in multiple areas around the vehicle. However, for a Jeep it seems okay. There are no signs of trail rash or bushwhacking but there's a set of long scratches across the hood near the right hood latch and across the top of the left fender. The doors may have been off a time or two but they were carefully reinstalled. The hinges are not all chewed up from stabbing pins. That being said, the left rear lower hinge lost it's paint and was poorly touched up. The bottoms of the doors are not banged up from being drug around
There are mounts for mirrors on the windshield frame. The driver's side is missing and the passenger side mirror flops down onto the factory door mounted mirror no matter how hard you tighten the mount. You can remove the thumb screw and pop it off, abandoning the mount in place like the driver's side.
The Smittybilt soft top is in good shape. The driver's front corner of it has faded to white in a small area but there are no other flaws in it, inside or out. The plastic windows are still good and it's got all the little pouches and nets inside.

Inside, it's in pretty good shape. There are no rips, tears, or stains. I didn't see any signs of water intrusion. The seller did the typical things you'd expect from an auction surfer by detailing the interior and adding the triple thick slick 'er up to all interior plastic surfaces. It's like an Armor All bomb went off inside. Luckily, they left the all weather tire track rubber floor mats in the back. The seats move and fold as they should. Locks lock and windows do the uppy downy bit without fuss.

Popping the hood reveals this is not a southern vehicle. There is a lot of surface corrosion on the aluminum components and steel fasteners. The fender to core support bolts look like they were rusted and someone touched them up to look purty in pics. The belt and all hoses seemed to be in good condition. None were cracked or scary squishy. The lower intake manifold has typical old engine funk like the PCV has been breathing on it but it's not wet with oil and there are no visible leaks from the engine. The tailpipe was clean inside but has mild corrosion on the outside.

Sliding under the Jeep reveals the vehicle had a leak in the past. The front diff has some of that old oil/grime/grunglefunk we get to scrape off the bottoms of our old cars. A steering stabilizer is needed as this one is in the process of puking it's guts out. Knuckles and steering gear seem tight and appropriate for their age. No concerns there. The front diff cover has been off as evidenced by a bit of pookie squished out on the left side.There is light to moderate surface corrosion on the frame rails and fasteners under the car. We do not get that in Texas unless you're playing on the Gulf coast beaches. People from northern climates might ignore the light stuff but one should be aware it has a toe hold on the car. Brake pads and rotors are in good shape.

Looking under the center of the Jeep revealed no real concerns other than more corrosion on the exhaust but it's not in danger of failing in the foreseeable future. Brackets holding the running boards on are flaking their paint due to rust intrusion. Again, strength has not been compromised but it has begun. I noticed it when I slid under the step and my shirt knocked off a flake of paint. I didn't see any oil or goo being slung under the chassis. No fluid leaks evident.

Poking my head under the rear revealed more surface corrosion on the exhaust and there's a bit of rust color showing through the factory finish on the frame and receiver hitch. It does not look like much towing was done. The hitch isn't beat up and the pin hole is not chowdered.

The engine fired up just fine. the 3.8 hunted for a happy idle but didn't vary more than 100 rpm or so. It was stone cold so I'll give it that. It did not smoke or burn fluids on start up or drive. There's not much to say about driving. It was a typical happy little Jeep (well, as happy as a 3.8 ever was in one of those) and the transmission shifted smoothly. The drivetrain was quiet with the light gear sound with the T-case in low range as expected. To verify 4WD function I found an empty lot and engaged the T-case. Cranking the steering wheel hard over gave me the expected kick back of the joints in both 4 high and 4 low. There were some wheel stops in the parking lot (portable curb things) so I bumped up and down the length of them to flex the suspension a little. The suspension did not squeak or rattle. At speeds up to 55 mph the ride was quiet and not bad considering the soft top. A/C and heater functioned well in all temp ranges and all outlets. I did get a quiet little hum out of the defrost vent when the floor outlets were selected but it went away in a minute or so. I assume the deflector door hadn't quite closed all the way. The radio works well and the speakers sound good.

Being a native Texan, the corrosion bothers me. It has more corrosion than my 317,000 mile 1992 Cummins but it's still light by northern standards. Someone from MI may not even bat an eye at it.

If it's something you're interested in and want to work a deal with them, I'd suggest flying down, running it over to my shop (15-20 minutes away) and slapping a set of tires and a steering stabilizer on it. Top it off with an alignment and hit the road for home.
Do not try to drive it home on these tires. They're in decent shape with sufficient tread but are 13 years old. DOT dates are 2007. I saw early signs of age cracking on the inside close to the bead and there were little bites out of the tread, especially on the outer edges of the front tires. There's a bit of edge wear but it's not significant. The alignment seemed okay but that's hard to call with the tires.


I call it like I see it and now you know what I know.