One of my sons is looking at a 2008 Wrangler with about 205k on it. I dunno anything about them, so I thought I'd see what kind of feedback I can get here.

It's at a small dealership, so there's really no info on the previous owner. It's been modified a bit, but nothing radical. I don't think it's even lifted. Front shocks are shot (leaking), the oil pan is leaking more than a tiny bit, and the diff has a slight seep. Other than that, it looks pretty clean underneath.

It's a V6 with a stick.

The hood has some louvers which were butcher installed. Somebody with a grinder and enthusiasm, and no skill or concern about doing things neatly. It's pretty bad, but probably not structurally unsound. There is some aftermarket electrical that I couldn't trace in the dark, but it looks to have been professionally done. There are some nice KCs on a bull bar up front. And of course, it has a useless "cold air intake", and a modified exhaust. That's about it.

I'm wondering if 205k is too much on one of these engines. On a 4.0 I wouldn't worry about it, but I don't know the reputation of these newer engines. And, given the cold air intake and the exhaust, it's probably been driven hard. Maintenance? No way to know.

Whatcha tink? Worth a shot or walk away? And how bad is a clutch job on one of these?

Anything in particular to look for?

 

welcome back

 

personal experience with that engine: zero
what I've heard/read ( Google it) 200k, particularly on something that sounds like it's been hacked.. no way

V6 cylinder head problems... life's too short