Used Car of the Day: 2001 Jeep Wrangler SE

by Tim Healey

Published: November 14th, 2023

used car of the day 2001 jeep wrangler se

Today we go back a couple of decades to feature a 2001 Jeep Wrangler SE.

This one has a rebuilt motor -- at 138,000 miles, the total mileage is just over 139K -- and a bunch of other new stuff. A new A/C compressor, new alternator and battery, new fuel pump, new Bosch fuel injectors, new ignition parts (plugs, coils, distributor cap, rotor), new brakes (calipers and rotors), new header, new ECM, new Toyo tires, and new fender flares.

Cosmetically, the seller mentions some "Bondo work" but otherwise there doesn't seem to be a lot to worry about. The seller says he or she had planned to put a new coat of paint on it and keep using it as a daily driver, but they have too many Jeeps so it must go. It apparently runs well, the HVAC works, and so does the 4WD system.

It does have a rear seat -- it's just covered by the tonneau.

It's a manual with the 2.5-liter four-banger. Check it out here. The ask is $6,000.

[Image: Seller]

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Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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6 of 62 comments

ToolGuy on Nov 14, 2023

How are the engines in these? (the 4 cylinder)

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- See 3 previous
- Lou_BC on Nov 14, 2023
  
  I don't hear any Jeep guy rave about them.
  
  Like
- Jeff on Nov 15, 2023
  
  I noticed that as well.
  
  Like
- Kjhkjlhkjhkljh kljhjkhjklhkjh on Nov 15, 2023
  
  if maintained .. they last forever. Same motor as the gasser mail trucks
  
  1
- CoastieLenn on Nov 15, 2023
  
  @kjhkjlh- There's currently only two mail trucks in widespread service, neither is based on a Jeep. The Ford Ranger based one (can't remember what the designation is for that one), and the one that's been ubiquitous for decades- the Grumman LLV, which is based on a Chevy S10 and powered by the 2.5 Iron Duke.
  
  Like
Kjhkjlhkjhkljh kljhjkhjklhkjh on Nov 15, 2023

no hp, not much more torque, low revs.. if your a crawler versus a bogger it is a ok motor. but your wallet will hate the gas mileage.. mpg is so bad swapping a low CFM Ls block IMPROVES mpg's

2 Reply

Recent Comments

Alan Years ago Jack Baruth held a "competition" for a piece from the B&B on the oddest pickup story (or something like that). I think 5 people were awarded the prizes.I never received mine, something about being in Australia. If TTAC is global how do you offer prizes to those overseas or are we omitted on the sly from competing?In the end I lost significant respect for Baruth.
Alan My view is there are good vehicles from most manufacturers that are worth looking at second hand.I can tell you I don't recommend anything from the Chrysler/Jeep/Fiat/etc gene pool. Toyotas are overly expensive second hand for what they offer, but they seem to be reliable enough.I have a friend who swears by secondhand Subarus and so far he seems to not have had too many issue.As Lou stated many utes, pickups and real SUVs (4x4) seem quite good.
28-Cars-Later So is there some kind of undiagnosed disease where every rando thinks their POS is actually valuable?83K miles Ok.new valve cover gasket.Eh, it happens with age. spark plugsOkay, we probably had to be kewl and put in aftermarket iridium plugs, because EVO.new catalytic converterUh, yeah that's bad at 80Kish. Auto tranny failing. From the ad: the SST fails in one of the following ways:Clutch slip has turned into; multiple codes being thrown, shifting a gear or 2 in manual mode (2-3 or 2-4), and limp mode.Codes include: P2733 P2809 P183D P1871Ok that's really bad. So between this and the cat it suggests to me someone jacked up the car real good hooning it, because EVO, and since its not a Toyota it doesn't respond well to hard abuse over time.$20,000, what? Pesos? Zimbabwe Dollars?Try $2,000 USD pal. You're fracked dude, park it in da hood and leave the keys in it.BONUS: Comment in the ad: GLWS but I highly doubt you get any action on this car what so ever at that price with the SST on its way out. That trans can be $10k + to repair.
28-Cars-Later Actually Honda seems to have a brilliant mid to long term strategy which I can sum up in one word: tariffs.-BEV sales wane in the US, however they will sell in Europe (and sales will probably increase in Canada depending on how their government proceeds). -The EU Politburo and Canada concluded a trade treaty in 2017, and as of 2024 99% of all tariffs have been eliminated.-Trump in 2018 threatened a 25% tariff on European imported cars in the US and such rhetoric would likely come again should there be an actual election. -By building in Canada, product can still be sold in the US tariff free though USMCA/NAFTA II but it should allow Honda tariff free access to European markets.-However if the product were built in Marysville it could end up subject to tit-for-tat tariff depending on which junta is running the US in 2025. -Profitability on BEV has already been a variable to put it mildly, but to take on a 25% tariff to all of your product effectively shuts you out of that market.
Lou_BC Actuality a very reasonable question.