1997 Jeep Wrangler

Convertible

4.0 L 6 Cylinder

5 Speed Manual

114FY49S6VP494579

Clear

We've owned this Jeep for the last 9 years in which its been used and maintained primarily as a second family vehicle to tool around town and for short commutes. Last year my son took it with him when he left for college and he's since found it impractical for the three hour drives to and from home every few weeks, so we're now putting it up for sale. In my opinion, this Jeep presents the best combination of drivetrains and exterior/interior color schemes offered in any of the TJ series. When I was shopping for a Jeep, all I knew for certain was that I wanted the 6 cylinder / 5 speed drivetrain (everything else was negotiable) and yet I could not locate one anywhere locally and even had two local dealerships searching regionally for me. You would think that this would be the most common setup and that it'd be available everywhere, but that wasn't my experience. After months of looking, I wound up traveling 400+ miles to get this one, which was definitely well worth it. The 4.0 straight six is bulletproof when treated properly and there are lots of them driving the roads right now with 300,000+ miles on the odometer. In our case, we've never ever allowed more than 5,000 miles to pass without changing the oil and most times let little more than 3,000 miles pass between oil changes. The 5 speed manual transmission is, in my view, the only tranny a jeep should have... The Sahara's unique green and tan interior is to me the most attractive of any Jeep, but it only works with the Emerald Green paint job in combination with the Spice Soft top - otherwise, the interior and exterior color schemes just don't go. Again, just my opinion. But, here, the combination is coordinated perfectly. Mechanically and cosmetically, this jeep is not perfect, having both strong points and areas to which the next owner might want to attend. Our goal is to be as honest as possible in disclosing everything about its condition to perspective purchasers. If we miss anything, please feel free to contact us with questions and rest assured you'll get a truthful response. First the good: The engine does not burn any oil and runs strong and smooth. As I mentioned, we've been diligent in maintaining a generous schedule of regular oil changes and I think that's helped to keep the engine operating without any issues. The radiator and thermostat are brand new, having just been professionally installed on July 5th, with the engine flushed, of course, and new coolant added. The mechanic also checked the condition of the water pump and confirmed that it was functioning properly. The clutch was replaced a few years ago and has no noticeable signs of wear. All brake components have been changed during the period of our ownership and the brakes seem to be in excellent shape with no fluid loss. The 4 wheel drive system works perfectly and has only been engaged in bad snow conditions. The front end and suspension appear to be fine, as best as we can tell, and were recently checked by our mechanic when he changed one or both of the universal joints. The Jeep has only been taken off road a few times (less than a handful and not aggressively) and 99.9% of the time has been driven on highways and local roads with very little stop and go traffic. It has a tow hitch which has almost entirely seen light duty use with only very few exceptions, and those were for 3 mile trips on entirely flat roads twice a year with absolutely no issues. The interior is fully intact and not missing any components. An extra full-time 12v accessory socket is installed under the dash providing additional charging and electrical powering options. The Jeep comes with a Sony stereo with USB and bluetooth capabilities which are regularly utilized. There is also a sound bar containing speakers and courtesy lamp. The dash lights have been upgraded to blue LED illumination. The emerald green paint still shines up brilliantly. Now the bad: Last year the tranny started to occasionally slip out of 1st gear. With my son using it at college, we never had a chance to have it looked at. Instead, he mostly starts in 2nd gear to avoid the issue (which isn't a problem given the very steep and short range of 1st). It hasn't been diagnosed so we don't know whether its the internals or the clutch plate. The AC leaks freon to the extent that 2 to 3 times each year we have to add one can of refrigerant purchased at Auto Zone for a cost of about $20. This only takes about 5 minutes to complete and the cost is fairly nominal. I haven't had the chance to have it looked at. The problem started about a year ago and hasn't worsened over time. Occasionally, with the fan blowing at high speed, the air gets diverted from the dash vents for some reason, until you turn the directional to the floor and then the problem seems to clear itself so that the air can be redirected back through the dash vents without issue. My understanding is that this is a fairly common problem with TJs and there is a fix, but I haven't gotten around to it. (You can search the TJ forums for the problem and solution threads on this topic.) There is an occasional hard start issue which is not consistent. We haven't experienced it recently but it'll happen again. Its never resulted in the Jeep not starting, but if after 10 seconds it doesn't start up, we know to turn the key back to the off position and then immediately turn it on again. It always then starts right away on the second try. Our mechanic diagnosed it as a potential fuel pump issue and said that turning the key on and off a couple of times circulates the fuel to the engine properly. We never got around to addressing it. The front tires probably have 40% tread left and the rears 30%. In heavy rains, there is water which occasionally enters somewhere so that it accumulates on the drivers side floor mat. Not sure when this arose or where its coming from. Its not an obvious source but we think it might be the weatherstripping around the top and side of the door. We now keep the Jeep in the garage. (Note, however, that there is no leaking from the top itself.) There are two rust spots, one on each fender, as depicted in the pics. The driver's side fender contains a small dented area where the Sahara logo is. The driver's side plastic window has a small tear in the plastic. The driver's side rear wheel flare is cracked in two places. The driver's side seat cover contains two or three tears. (All of these imperfections are documented in the photos.) Lastly, there is a cable located under the passenger seat which is connected to the seat lever which allows for the seat to fold completely forward for easy access to the rear. This cable recently broke. From what I've read, the fix is fairly simple and takes about an hour to complete. I haven't looked into the cost of changing the part. You can still manually fold the seat forward easily by reaching under the seat and releasing the lever which is located at the forward end of the seat frame. I'm fairly certain this covers the high and low points, but feel free to text or phone me at 716-672-5800 if you have any questions. A $500.00 deposit is due within 3 days after auction end with payment in full clearing my account within a week afterwards before the vehicle is released. Thanks for looking. Jason