We can remember about 10 years ago when most people looked at a 100,000-mile vehicle as something to get rid of, not buy. god forbid even looking at buying one with 100K on the clock-it was just a time bomb waiting to go off. Back then, it was an etched-in-stone rule with American vehicles, Jeeps included. Sure, some Hondas and Toyotas had reputations of going more miles, but a Jeep? never.
Recently, however, hazel and Trasborg have found themselves looking seriously at more used Jeeps with between 100,000 and 200,000 on the clock. no longer is a highermileage, used Jeep something to run away from, and in fact, you can get some screaming deals on Jeeps that saw a lot of highway use and weren't abused just because of the mileage on the odometer.
A higher-mileage Jeep left the factory a long time ago, and whether or not it's a good buy is largely up to the person who put all those miles on it. Were the fluids changed? Was it washed regularly (leaves, salt, and junk collecting in crevices)? Was it wheeled hard and put away wet? Was it in any accidents? Was it a smoker's vehicle? Was there milk spilled in it and never properly cleaned? These are just a few things you might want to avoid when looking at a higher-mileage Jeep.
We aren't going to walk you through how to buy a used Jeep; we've done that elsewhere, and we'll do it again at some point. let's just say for these Jeeps that have been around the block (and then some), make sure it runs and drives; starts, stops, and steers; and has all its fluids-and none of them smells too burnt.
What we are going to cover here is which Jeeps to look at. Face it, any Jeep with the carter carburetor, peugeot transmission, or gm 2.8l V-6 is a Jeep to steer clear of at higher mileage, unless you know for sure that significant repair and retrofitting have taken place. here are our top-six Jeeps that could still be a good buy with a lot of life left in them at 200,000 miles.
Leading off are '88-'95 Wranglers with the 2.5l four-cylinder, manual aX-5 transmission, and np231 transfer case. This model is no. 6 only because once the inchitis hits, those four squirrels under the hood just aren't going to cut it, even though the engine might run forever and ever. The throttle-body engines are even worse off than the '91-andlater multiport engines. We've run one past 350,000 miles on the original engine with no problems.
In addition to all the normal used-Jeep buying tips, check out the vacuum system- make sure all the positions on the heater work, the front axle actually engages the passenger- side shaft, and the 4WD light comes on. if these things don't happen, there might be a vacuum leak somewhere, and that's never any fun troubleshooting.
In the Jeeps with the fuel-pump-in-tank setup, there was a recall that replaced the bolts holding the sending unit assembly in the tank and also added a 1/4-inch steel plate. The issue was that when the bolts were torqued correctly, the rubber seat would get pinched and then leak. This gas leak can eat away at the paint on the frame and body (and even the body's zinc coating), leaving no protection from rust. check the area from about the track-bar mount and back for rust, and ask if the recall repair has been performed. Either that, or take the Vin to your local dealership, and they should be able to tell you.
The '89-'92 comanche with a 4.0l, aX-15, and np231 can be a steal at 200,000 miles, too. if you're shopping for automatics, the 4.0l was put in the mJ as early as '87 with the desirable aW-4. unless you want to plan on a transmission swap off the bat, stay away from any comanche with the peugeot transmission in it. They were used in '87 and '88, with some still showing up in '89.