2018 JL sahara purchase concerns

[BiloxiBeau]

Looking at a private purchase of a 2018 Sahara looks to be a JL, 25,000 miles and stock.
…what trouble areas should I focus on inspecting? Based on market, what is a fair price. Thanks

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[Zandcwhite]

The steering box will be aluminum if original. It should be replaced with the steel one for better driveability.

 

[Nitehawk92]

Check thee paint on the door hinges, the bottom of the door, the hood and hood hinges, and the tailgate and hinges. Check for corrosion and paint bubbling. A 2018 is out of the 5 year paint warranty, and if it has corrosion, it is on your dime. If the corrosion is there find another Jeep, or make the dealership fix the paint and guarantee the work...

 

[YBABRAT]

I had a similar find on a 2019 Rubicon. The original owner did minor DIY mods... probably from his son thinking it's cool.

Location was a main priority. Stay away from snow states that use salt. Northern cali... I mean true Northern Cali... Redding and above, uses crushed cinder block.

Being in VA, it is common to head to NC for a used car.

Door hinge paint bubbling. It is a known issue with pre 2023 Wranglers. Can be fixed by body shop if not willing to tackle your self.

Price. When I searched nation wide my criteria was specific to what I felt was worth the price dealers were offering. Example Wrangler Sport S were around $25,000 so I did my search based on max price and no higher. I found a few 2 Door Rubicons that were 2019. Yes I wanted rarity over availability. Less than 4K 2 Door Rubicons were made in 2019. 2018 was a hay day for JL. So many more made to cover 2019.

Single owner and milage. Back in the 90s foreign car manufacturers started making engines last longer than US based companies. Break in really did not start until passed 25k on ODO. Honda was the first to make engines without need of a 10k break in. In fact by 2008 they only used a 3k break in oil of high molybdenum content, and decided to lower the vicocity to oil requirements with a change up to full synthetic, as a service update to all engines made from 2007 to date of bulitin release 2011. Any way with modern oils and machining standards, after break in, wear is less so than what drivers were told 20+ years ago.

I did not hesitate with 80K on the odo.

There is a hidden bonus... older drivers. Until after purchase I got the original owner's name and partial location. Along with bill of sale. With the sale record stating last known address. A simple ppl search told me his age... in his mid 50s. With the UConnect I looked at logs and verified some details. Mostly the connected device list. Two daughters and a son. Again verifying car fax records of maintenance. The car had 2 sets of the same OEM Falken M/T tires installed since day of purchase. Each set got an alignment and serviced for worn parts like ball joints. Gear oil was changed at milage intervals as well. Pretty much maintenance from dealer while under warranty. Like any older gent, time to move to a new car after warranty ends. So it got traided almost 5 years to the date of purchase.

Yep, research what you want and what is available. I started a few weeks before Memorial Day, did not get my purchase started until end of June.

Was the wait worth it? Yep! Fully optioned 2 Door Rubicon that has seen desert trails and had been taken care of. For the milage and years on the road, it has held up very well.

Now ask yourself would you jump on my pick if it had a price of $29,500 out the door? A little high but these are the times.

 

[Brad Hearing]

I don't know personally from any of this but given that jeeps are different from most vehicles in terms of their use I would suggest maybe looking at the underside to look for dents. maybe it was driven hard and something got hit?

 

[nositting]

paint is the #1 thing to look for. there’s a reason why nobody fixes it themselves. And, it’s really expensive if you’re out of the warranty.

 

[BiloxiBeau]

Well, we purchased the jeep today…it was in near new condition…..owned by ”a little old lady from Pasadena.”

 

[Brad Hearing]

Well, we purchased the jeep today…it was in near new condition…..owned by ”a little old lady from Pasadena.”

little old ladies are the most common owner of jeeps dont you know.

Seriously though congratulations on your purchase! Im sure youll be as happy with it as the rest of us on here

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