Jeepquest is at an end!

Thank you all so much for bearing with my inconsistently numbered posts.

Today, Sabrina and I drove up to Kenosha, WI to take a look at this 2002 Wrangler X. First, we had breakfast at a place called The Coffee Pot, where the only not-so-great thing was their coffee. Afterwards, we went to Dan Stipler’s Auto World.

This Wrangler looks almost bone stock. It has an aftermarket headunit and no rear seats, but beyond that, it’s amazingly clean. What’s better: no rust! According to the paperwork, this Jeep is from Arizona. The frame and suspension are utterly pristine.

The salesman admitted he couldn’t drive stick, so he asked me to pull it around. As cold as it’s been, the Jeep needed a jump. It started right up once we did that, and Sabrina and I went for a test drive. We remarked on how smooth the engine felt relative to the other Jeep we’d test driven together, how smooth the ride was once we got to the nicer roads, and how well it pulled.

The fuel light was on and we’d been test driving for almost 20 minutes, so we stopped at a gas station to throw $5 worth of fuel in it. I got back in the Jeep to get back home, and it wouldn’t start! I noticed a Toyota Landcruiser with bull bars and Star Wars vinyl decals on it, and I asked them if they’d give me a jump. We get to talking, and they’ve driven up from Florida. Sabrina and them talked about Tampa for a minute, then we got the Jeep started.

We drove back to the dealership and talked about it. Sabrina liked this Jeep a lot, and we decided on some negotiating tactics. They were asking 10,955. I’d point out the high mileage and lack of rear seat, and offer 8. Our highest was 9,500.

I sat down with the salesman and we did just that (when I mentioned the missing seat, the salesman gave me a look that let me know I had him over a barrel a little bit). We agreed on a final price, and they wouldn’t be replacing the rear seat. Sabrina got back on the road while I signed the paperwork.

On the way back, I stopped by Mars Cheese Castle!

A bonus that came with the Jeep: a CD labeled “Vegas 2012”. I listened to it for a while, seemed to mostly be West Coast rap I didn’t recognize. I switched to NPR.

Success!

Stuff to get/replace:

  • Rear seat
  • Windshield wipers are looking gnarly
  • One of the rubber windshield hood rests (ordered)
  • Head unit with a less ugly one
  • Locking underseat storage drawer
  • Spare tire is looking a little old and cracked, despite never having been used. The other tires are worn, but not egregiously so. They are M+S rated Firestone ATs. I’ll replace all the tires in probably six months' time.
  • Tow hooks
  • Grab handles
  • Side steps

Stuff it could probably use:

  • Oil change (Little darker than I’d like)
    • Blackstone Labs analysis
  • Coolant flush/fill (looked OK, do eventually)
  • Other fluids eventually