mcgeeusmc20

So I'm looking at buying a 08 2dr JK this week from someone here in town. It has a
4" suspension lift on it. The jeep is an auto. They do not know the brand of lift. I don't know that much about JK suspension lift really. I've had 2 JK's but they were stock.

What do I need to look out for on the jeep to make sure its ok?

Would a 4" lift be ok for a daily driver?

What is a 4" lift worth installed?

Has anyone had any issues or problems with a 4" lift?

Thanks for your help!

Pluke the 2

Look at the underside of the jeep, check the skid plates, check the drive shafts, and ask for a car fax or some history on the jeep.

Look at the front drive shaft and look for the boot.

Buying a used Jeep is one thing but buying a used lifted jeep is a whole different ball game, IMO.

The boot should NOT look like this:

meatsandwich

The 4" lift price can range from a cost of $400 to $3000. The difference in price is normally directly correlated with capability on and off road. The daily drivability has less to do with the lift size and more to do with gear/ tire size. Automatic trannys with 35"-37" tires need 5.13- 5.38 gears. Manuals with 35"- 37" tires need 4.88 and sometimes 5.13. Regearing is not required, but is very desireable (especially with an auto trans and larger tires).

Often times the owner may expect to get the money put into the jeep when selling. This is not at all true! You will never get what you put into it. This can be beneficial to the buyer!

A basic lifted jeep with larger tires and maybe gears should go for blue book value. If there is big $$$ invested in aftermarket stuff, you could expect to pay half of what those mods cost. (at the most)

Post pics and list the mods and we'd be happy to tell you what it's really worth!

TeraFlex

Can you post some pics of the front and rear suspension? Let's see if we can help ID that kit that's on there. FYI My daily driver has a 4" LA kit with 37's and 5:13's.

08RedRecon

Agree with pix if you can. Have the driveshafts and gears been changed? Or are they stock?

jkman77

You need to also see if the boots on the end of drive shaft the joint at the axel and t case are not ripped or spitting out grease. if they are plan on buying new driveshafts.

mcgeeusmc20

ok I'll be taking a close look at the jeep tomorrow. I'll snap a few photos of the suspension and post them. Thanks for all of the replies! I'll look it over really good. Worst case...what do drive shafts cost?

08
White 2 dr
Auto
30k miles
Hard top
4" lift
Gears unknown by owner so I assume stock
Running 325/60/18 Nitto Grapplers (New)
Very nice black 18" wheels
Hypertech programmer
Cold air intake
In good condition worth?

nthinuf

The owner knows it is a 4" lift, but can't tell you what brand it is ??? Hmm...

As the others have said, snap some pics of the shocks, the control arms and trackbars. Are there any adjustables or relo brackets? Spacers, or new coils? If new coils, see if there is a tag on them. Swaybar disconnects? If not, are the swaybars level, or angled down?

Guessing it will be a very inexpensive lift with minimal components, but you can hope for a nice longarm at a low price since he doesn't actually know what it is...


Plan on $450-$500 for each driveshaft if you need to replace. Also, if it does not have adjustable control arms, plan on a set of them for each new driveshaft.

mcgeeusmc20

They bought the jeep with the lift already installed. I guess I'll just have to see.

aermotor

Driveshafts are a big concern on 2DR lifts. Make sure the boots on the driveshafts aren't torn at the ends of the shaft and grease has been spat all over. It's the rubber on the inside in the pic below, this one is intact but you can see it's very close since the angle is so steep.