Was This 12,700-Mile Jeep TJ Wrangler A Deal For $12,100, Or Is The PT Cruiser Engine Just Not Worth It?

Four Banger Jeep Topshot
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Deals are returning to the used car marketplace, but it still takes expertise and personal stance to call good buy or goodbye. Case in point? This 2006 Jeep Wrangler recently sold on Cars & Bids for $12,100 with just 12,700 miles on the clock. It’s a manual, it has half-doors, and it’s even blue. It should be a great deal, except our David Tracy thinks otherwise, and for one main reason.

The TJ Wrangler was a big deal for Jeep fans. Hell, it still is. To anyone who hated the rectangular lights of the YJ, this was a return to form, with round lamps up front masking a significant technological change underneath. Instead of the fairly agricultural YJ’s leaf springs, the TJ learned a thing or two from the ZJ Grand Cherokee and sported coil springs at all four corners for improved ride comfort. Best of all, the TJ was still quite small, especially when compared to its JK successor. As such, these things are at home in the city and on the trails.

On the face of things, this certainly isn’t the most pristine TJ out there, having seen its fair share of scratches. The seller claims it was a working ranch vehicle for the first few years of its life, so short distances but hard miles. However, TJs are built to be beaten-on, and this one’s lived its entire life in California. Rust is an absolute kiss of death for these things, so for this thing’s frame to look properly nice is a huge win.

In addition, this TJ Wrangler is tastefully specced, with half-doors, Midnight Blue paint, and cloth seats. Sure, it doesn’t have air conditioning, but that just means fewer parts to break.

Jeep Tj Wrangler Four Cylinder

So what might be the hang-up on this particular Jeep TJ Wrangler? Well, it’s a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine (it’s shared with a number of Chrysler products, including the Chrysler PT Cruiser. In the Wrangler, the engine replaced the AMC 2.5, which was related to the legendary 4.0 offered as the top engine during the TJ’s entire production run) that is best described as beach-grade. We’re talking about 147 horsepower and 165 lb.-ft. of torque, figures that are probably capable of technically moving an entire Jeep. Tilting the scale back a bit, this TJ has a six-speed manual transmission, which sounds infinitely less sucky than an automatic.

Jeep Tj Wrangler Four Cylinder Engine

Now, David Tracy has a very firm opinion on four-cylinder TJs, which goes as follows:

Admittedly, those aren’t the exact words he used the first time around, but the initial reaction probably isn’t fit to print.

Jeep Tj Wrangler Four Cylinder Interior

However, most Jeeps don’t see trails, and I’d argue that the best Jeep is always the one that best fits your use case. To an urbanite, the reality of a TJ is that visibility is fantastic, parking is a cinch, and going top-down and doors-off in the summer is an absolute blast. If you’re looking for a city Jeep, I reckon you could do a whole lot worse than this low-mileage four-cylinder TJ for $12,100, scratches and all. Sure, you trade a lot of torque for an extra tbree MPG city, but when you’re talking about a vehicle that gets shitty fuel economy, three MPG is a lot. Plus, unlike a Mini Cooper S convertible, this thing will run happily on 87 octane.

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So, what do you say? Does this low-mileage four-cylinder TJ Wrangler have you running for the hills, or would you entertain something like this as a city Jeep? As ever, sound off in the comments below.

(Photo credits: Cars & Bids)

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76 thoughts on “Was This 12,700-Mile Jeep TJ Wrangler A Deal For $12,100, Or Is The PT Cruiser Engine Just Not Worth It?”

  1. I gotta argue with DT on this one. These were not as powerful OR reliable as the 4.0, but if you dont go crazy with a lift and tires, it’s a perfectly serviceable little engine for an “everyday” Jeep. The engine feels no more anemic than a 22re does in a tacoma or early 4 runner, and nobody complains about those. It’s simply the FOMO when it comes to “I coulda had a 4.0” that kills these little 2.4l Jeeps. Also, the EPA economy numbers don’t tell the real story on these. I’ve had over a Dozen TJs but only one with the 2.4, and it was NOTICEABLY easier on gas.

    The only caveat here, for actual offroading, they’re very pleasant, but you’re not going anywhere fast, and if you are running a lot of mud, yeah, get the 4.0.

    1. The 22re died in nine years prior!

      But yeah, the reality is that, when you can buy these all day with 4.0s, you should just avoid the four-cylinders.

      1. That’s fair enough, but man, I’ve seen people pass on REALLY well cared for 4 bangers in favor of 4.0s that were so whipped they probably were making the same power as the 4 cylinder.

        Again, don’t get me wrong, I have 2 TJ’s currently, and they’re both the 4.0. But Ive had a few 4 cylinder models that really were never a detriment to me. Now I’ve avoided the early TJ’s because of the AX-5 tranny, but after later owning and wheeling a 98 and a 99 4 banger, I feel like I put too much stock into worrying about even that.

        I tell people think of a 4 cylinder wrangler as a “Wrangler Lite, or a Junior Bacon Wrangler”, or whatever. Are you missing out? Yeah, a little. But hey, if you’ve got 6 or 7 grand, and a really nice 4.0 is out of reach, and it’s down to a whipped 4.0 or a clean 4 banger, I’m taking the 4 banger every time.

  2. In theory these engines are non interference, and look at all that room in the engine bay to work on it!

    If I was in the market I’d seriously consider it, though I’d keep it mostly stock besides lockers and other upgrades that would only benefit its performance. If you want to put mongo tires and a lift on a Jeep then this isn’t the Jeep for you.

  3. “147 horsepower and 165 lb.-ft. of torque, figures that are probably capable of technically moving an entire Jeep.”

    You know that these weigh no more than 3500lb, and that the original jeeps had 60hp, right?

  4. “Nope, the 4cylinders are trash

    I wouldn’t buy one for any amount of money”

    Ah, but David, what if I told you the floor pan is entirely rusted out, and a colony of prairie dogs lives in the engine block?

  5. Unless you are planning on swapping in a v8, you don’t buy the 4 cyl. And if that’s the case, you don’t pay more than a four grand, like David said. And if you think you can buy this and swap in a 4.0, let it be known that you will spend just as much as if you swapped in a v8, so you might as well just go LS1. So absolutely no dice.

  8. I don’t know about a deal, but as long as you’re in no hurry, this could be very satisfying! Mine was a bottom-of-the-line 2005, identical to the no-frills model in the piece (but for its color). Primary Car for three years and Auxiliary Car for twelve. Never got stuck, easy to drive and park. Kept up the oil changes and otherwise spent zero dollars on it save an alternator and an ignition thing. We loved it and miss it dearly.

  9. Every time you lift the hood (which will be quite a bit) you will lament the missing 2 cylinders on the front end of that gaping wide hole in the bay.

  10. I had a 4-cyl in a YJ. I absolutely freaking hated driving it anywhere except offroad because it was loud, coarse, gutless, and really not great on fuel. Technically it would go 75 on the highway. Downhill, with a tailwind.

    But, it did have one thing going for it: it was stone reliable. It absolutely was the lowest maintenance vehicle of any brand that I’ve owned ever. In the several years I had it, literally the only thing that “went” on it was an idler pulley which I think cost me less than $30 to replace.

    So, gutless, hateful to drive, but unflinchingly reliable. Can’t imagine taking the reliability factor out of the equation does this TJ any favors.

  11. Having owned a 2005 with the 2.4/6spd combination, I can confirm they are zero fun to drive on the highway. Maintaining speed typically involved cruising in 5th with the throttle wide open, and heaven forbid you encounter any sort of headwind or grade! That being said, if you live somewhere without hills, highways or wind, knock yourself out! 😛

  12. When they put these motors in the Wrangler, I always thought it would be cool if someone did a conversion to put the Neon SRT or Turbo PT Cruiser parts (or the whole motor) in to one of these to make it a hilarious sleeper.

    Not saying it’s a good idea, it just would be cool to see and drive.

        1. At the very least, the recipient of the transplant would have to be rusted through with no wiring left anywhere in the vehicle. Otherwise he won’t be interested.

    2. This Wrangler cries out to be SRT-4 swapped. It’s likely that the NGC engine control module from the SRT-4 would control the gauges in the TJ, as both vehicles use the J-1850 data bus for communication. Better the 2.4L than the archaic, boat-anchor 2.5L AMC engine…

  13. As a person who owned not one, but two, YJ Wranglers with the AMC 2.5, it is a perfectly nice little engine. It’s got torque(ish) and lots of character. In fact, it’s actually kind of fun to wring out.

    But the 2.4 is a soulless lump (of crap) that is all compromise and David is absolutely correct.

  14. The price of entry is too high, considering the first thing i would do is swap engines.

    Tracy is right. In this case. I’m not going any farther than that.

  15. I had a coworker who bought one nearly identical to this one, but in black. Half doors, 4-cylinder, manual, and it honestly wasn’t the steaming pile of crap I expected it to be. That coworker didn’t buy it with any pretense about going off-road, as this was in the Gulf Coast region where everything is flat. He did buy it, however, to have a convertible that he could drive every day and wouldn’t be as likely to get stuck at the beach. For people with desires like that, I think the TJ above is perfect.

    With all that said, I live in the mountains and when I go off-road, I off-road hard, so the TJ above is all wrong for me.

  16. It’s not like I’m hitting MOAB or even Rausch Creek (It’s the only big-name off-road park even remotely close to me that I know of, and it’s still a few hours out).What do I need a 4 liter to do? Drive fast? Oh boy. I used to daily a truck that’s 0-60 sits in-between a Mirage on the slow end and a Smart car on the fast end, and I still passed people trying to go the speed limit. My Compass is still probably faster than the 4 liter. Speed is a non-issue.
    Fit some still unnecessary AT’s on it and I’d drive it perfectly fine and well every day. At 12 grand, for 12 thousand miles? With the NSG? Yeah, I’d buy it. Sounds like a better deal than the $14,700 I took a loan out for on my ’14 Compass that had 43,000 miles on it.

    1. A Mirage does 0-60 in 11.
      A Smart car does 0-60 in 10-14 seconds depending on year and options.

      So you drove a pickup that did 0-60 in 10.5 seconds? That’s fast. A 4.0 Jeep does 0-60 in 13-14 seconds. Never driven a 4cyl but I bet it’s 17+.

      So you actually do need a 4.0, just to be not as fast as your old daily, which wasn’t actually slow at all.

      1. I could 100% get by in life even if the TJ was that slow with the 2.4L.
        Speed is a non-issue. Traction is where the issue lies, and I’d like to imagine a Wrangler will have plenty of it with 4 cylinders.

          1. I live in the snow/salt/rust belt. You don’t always get traction when winter comes. Hell, I lose it in AWD just driving normally sometimes when the weather gets all snowy and all that.

              1. Exactly! I tend to leave my Compass in its “normal” mode until I think I need to put it into AWD because it keeps some pretty good traction with just the front wheels. And all I rock are all-seasons generally too.

                1. I think you just implied that a Compass is a Jeep, which is an inexcusable offense.

                  Yeah it’s good in the snow, as much as my Accord is. The misapplied four letters on your Fiat Chrysler crossover have nothing to do with its prowess under any conditions.

                  1. Well, I often call it my “Lifted Caliber”, but people tend to get confused when I call it that, so I just call it what it’s legally identified as.

  17. “Ed Note: It’s the first and only Jeep Wrangler to ever have had a timing belt, which is a guaranteed $750 bill every eight years.”

    I want to see video of DT paying someone else $750 to perform this service – especially with all that space in front of the motor.

  18. Throughout the 1990s-2000s I was jeeping, working on my jeep, going to off-road events, and reading 4-5 off-roading magazines a month. Nearly every one of those magazines every month had a letter from a reader about improving the 4cly jeeps every reply from every mag journalist/editor said sell the 4cly jeep and buy a 6 cly jeep and that advice has been true since the first 6 cly CJ.

  19. I knew someone who had one of these new. It was not dog-slow like the 2.5 that preceded it, but it was inferior to the 4.0.

    My take is it depends on the use case. Like you said, as a weekender around town convertible it’s fine. Worth 12k? Maybe, especially if it had no rust. Around me (Michigan) $10k gets you a 100k TJ with a 4.0 and 100~120k on it, half of which have rusty frames.

  20. Timing belt kit is a hundred bucks on Rockauto (55 bucks if you want to go total dirtbag level). Looks like there’s acres of room to access the front of the engine. So don’t sweat that aspect.

  21. I had a ’98 6cyl TJ (in the avatar) and a ’91 4 cyl YJ. That was the 2.5L listed at 120HP when new. It was fine. It was slow. So was the 4.0L. Both had 5 speed manuals, and I got 18mpg with the 4 banger and 16mpg with the 4.0.

      1. XJs aren’t very aerodynamic but they’re better than TJs.

        The TJ was also on 32×11.50 tires but geared as stock, which probably didn’t help mileage.

  24. It’s sad to say, but the market pays what the market pays. As a Jeep Guy, I’m with David on this one. Way overpriced. A stock TJ with the 4 cylinder and a decent frame/body is a solid 6-7K in my area of Northern IL, 7-8K with the 4.0. But the market at large? Someone with little to no care about driving dynamics and a lot of care about image thought it was a great deal. Also, Just Empty Every Pocket.

  25. Looking at the mpg ratings, what is the “Driver MPG” rating column?
    EPA rating: 17mpg vs 15mpg.
    Driving rating: 25.5mpg vs 16.2mpg
    So the driver rating seems to show the 4 cylinder seems to get substantially better real world mpg?
    Your move now DT, your move! 🙂

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