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Possibly buying 2018 CPO Rubi Unlimited today, what things to look for??

NomadicTaco

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Hello Jeep Junkies,

I'm potentially buying a used 2018 Rubicon Unlimited CPO today. Has 30k on the odo. 1 owner. Clean carfax w/regular maintenance. Very clean inside and out. Doesn't appear to have ever been off road either. Has 4 brand new K02s as well. Hoping to land it around 40k.

Features: 3.6 v6 w/auto trans, Leather, cold weather group, black hardtop, color matched fenders, black wheels w/polished lip, safety group, tow/aux group, steel bumper group, 8.4in infotainment, remote start, proximity, and LED lighting group. Its firecracker red w/ the heritage tan leather. - so pretty close to fully loaded for the year -

Does anyone have any suggestions on things to look out for that are JL specific?

I buy cars very frequently, so I generally know what to look for but didn't know if anything with this model in particular. I have driven it once already and drove fine other than wind noisy freedom panels.

I plan to take it on an extended highway test drive today to make sure the steering isn't wanky. I also want them to possibly replace the seal on the hardtop (wind can only be heard above 50 mph).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as this will be my first wrangler! Thanks!
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Goin2drt

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Drive it, drive it, drive it. Make sure you take it on the freeway or interstate. Don't get caught in the love but pay attention to how it tracks, is their a dead spot, does it wander as if you were drunk.

Watch a few Youtube videos so you know what I am talking about. There are many that have horrible steering and you will NEVER get it right if it is a bad one. You will know if it is a bad one and do not accept it is a "Jeep thing" like the others will come on here and tell you.
 

cOtter

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Concerning the noise with the freedom panels. It could be merely that one the seals did not lay correctly the last time the panels were out and back in. I have had that happen previously with my ‘20.

so I would recommend removing the panels, inspecting them and the top of windshield panel. Verify that everything looks ok. Then reinstall them and drive it again to see if there is a wind noise difference.

Concerning the driving and dead spots..... I agree completely with the comments previously.

Mine is smooth as a rail. No issues with steering at all.

GOOD LUCK!!!!
 
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NomadicTaco

NomadicTaco

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Drive it, drive it, drive it. Make sure you take it on the freeway or interstate. Don't get caught in the love but pay attention to how it tracks, is their a dead spot, does it wander as if you were drunk.

Watch a few Youtube videos so you know what I am talking about. There are many that have horrible steering and you will NEVER get it right if it is a bad one. You will know if it is a bad one and do not accept it is a "Jeep thing" like the others will come on here and tell you.
Thanks for the heads up. I plan to take it on a 40 min jaunt on the highway. I think that should give me ample time to discover any issues.

Do you know if the latest steering TSB solves this issue?


Concerning the noise with the freedom panels. It could be merely that one the seals did not lay correctly the last time the panels were out and back in. I have had that happen previously with my ‘20.

so I would recommend removing the panels, inspecting them and the top of windshield panel. Verify that everything looks ok. Then reinstall them and drive it again to see if there is a wind noise difference.

Concerning the driving and dead spots..... I agree completely with the comments previously.

Mine is smooth as a rail. No issues with steering at all.

GOOD LUCK!!!!
Thanks for the reply. I was hoping the panels were installed incorrectly or an easy fix. Seems minor and could be just the seals need a little love.
 

Goin2drt

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Thanks for the heads up. I plan to take it on a 40 min jaunt on the highway. I think that should give me ample time to discover any issues.

Do you know if the latest steering TSB solves this issue?
Some here says it has but others it has not. I would not chance it unless the deal was have them do the TSB and then drive it again BEFORE giving them any money at all. A bad driving JL is a complete nightmare. Just walk.
 

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Thanks for the heads up. I plan to take it on a 40 min jaunt on the highway. I think that should give me ample time to discover any issues.

Do you know if the latest steering TSB solves this issue?




Thanks for the reply. I was hoping the panels were installed incorrectly or an easy fix. Seems minor and could be just the seals need a little love.
I have a 2021, which has the new steering box for the TSB. It is light years better than the old steering box but it’s not perfect. Considering that some folks have still reported issues, I think there is some inconsistency there. It could be that there are other factors like loose bolts or worn bushings, etc. However if this hasn’t been off road, then it may not have seen the wear and tear on the steering that something like my old Sport S had seen.
 

danm

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When I look at used Jeeps, I like to climb underneath with a flashlight and have a good look at all the skid plates and cross members.

If it’s never been off-road, the skid plates will be clean and free of scratches.

If it has been off-road, check the frame cross members, diff covers, etc and have the dealership repair anything that’s damaged or broken.
 

Miloe

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Some of the early ones had the deal that when the AC is on high, the under hood fans are going 110%/loud. Trade off is that the AC gets cold NOW.
Mine an early noisy one, I make sure to tell any dealer service department to leave it alone, I want the AC that works.
 

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Check that the 8.4 is getting a GPS signal. There seems to be a growing number of us whose air card has shit the bed, rendering nav and any other connected service (besides Sirius) worthless. Replacement of the whole radio seems to be the fix for ~$2k. Making an appointment to have my JLUR looked at for this very issue. It's a 2018.
 
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NomadicTaco

NomadicTaco

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Some here says it has but others it has not. I would not chance it unless the deal was have them do the TSB and then drive it again BEFORE giving them any money at all. A bad driving JL is a complete nightmare. Just walk.
Good to know. That was exactly my plan. I'm going to take the TSB with me, and also check under the hood for the updated steering box just in case. I don't want to borrow anyone else's trouble even if it is a good deal.

When I look at used Jeeps, I like to climb underneath with a flashlight and have a good look at all the skid plates and cross members.

If it’s never been off-road, the skid plates will be clean and free of scratches.

If it has been off-road, check the frame cross members, diff covers, etc and have the dealership repair anything that’s damaged or broken.
Same! I already have the creeper in the back of the car to slide around and see. A quick look from kneeling on the ground looked extremely clean as from surface rust that happens here in the rust belt.

There were also no pin stripes or anything on the paint that would indicate its been on any tight trails around here. The thing doesn't even look like it was sat in other than the drivers seat.
 

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NomadicTaco

NomadicTaco

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Check that the 8.4 is getting a GPS signal. There seems to be a growing number of us whose air card has shit the bed, rendering nav and any other connected service (besides Sirius) worthless. Replacement of the whole radio seems to be the fix for ~$2k. Making an appointment to have my JLUR looked at for this very issue. It's a 2018.
Thats a good call. I planned on hooking my phone up to it to make sure there were no connectivity issues but I will check that as well. Thanks for the tip.
 

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Is this a 4 door? I paid 41k for a custom ordered fully loaded JLR delivered with 13 miles on it, wondering if your price seems a little high.
 

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Look at the frame welds, especially on the track bar mounts. There was a recall on this but most of the frames were not included and fca's definition of a good weld is lacking.
 

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i paid 44.9k for my new 2021 rubicon, was only a 2dr however. no leather seats or hard top

you should probably check the vaule on kelly blue book before you come to a final price
 

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Would not hurt to check inside the frame rails for any "excess" build up of dirt, dried mud, sticks, stones or any other indication it saw off road action.
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