Are tailgates really this expensive??

[Armyvet25]

[Pete M]

it's a free market and people can ask any price they want and it's free to ask any price you want on ebay so there's no cost to asking for the moon.    it only counts as the value of the piece if someone else agrees and it sells.  those are likely to be for sale for quite some time. 

[Armyvet25]

I know our truck parts that are unique to our trucks would be more expensive but thought that was silly, other than personal sales I haven't seen them cheap anywhere, and no I don't need one, I have 2, just ran across this and was surprised.

[eaglescout526]

Well if there’s no aftermarket stamping going on for these, folks are gonna ask and if you tack on people making benches and tables out of tailgates and you find this one for the Jeep enthusiast to make either of those two, then it’s supply and demand value at that point. It’s like original tail lights. 

[Armyvet25]

5 minutes ago, eaglescout526 said:

 folks are gonna ask and if you tack on people making benches and tables out of tailgates and you find this one for the Jeep enthusiast to make either of those two, then it’s supply and demand value at that point. It’s like original tail lights. 

I guess if someone wants to use only OEM for restoration and resale value, they do seem to be going up in collectors eyes and value

[eaglescout526]

Well all there is is OEM for tail gates. Unless keyparts starts making them which they may not as that requires getting Chrysler to approve of the Jeep on the tailgate itself. 

[boxyjeep]

Dom Stacks has a collection of 20-30 tailgates up in Michigan.  Some accuse him of parts hoarding...  

 

I bought my current tailgate of a CJ enthusiast that got it in a trade somehow.  It was on Long Island NY in 2021 for $600.  Mint condition from a 91+.  I kept my beat up original as a garage ornament.

 

 

 

 

[DesertRat1991]

These are also bulky items that not everyone is willing to ship. I think the guys willing to ship deserve a bit of a premium.  

 

That said, that's quite a spread in pricing when you factor in the shipping costs.

[Armyvet25]

$600 bucks I gotta figure out which one I'm keeping and sell my spare.

[Pete M]

32 minutes ago, SoCalJeepComanche said:

Dom Stacks has a collection of 20-30 tailgates up in Michigan.  Some accuse him of parts hoarding...  

 

 

 

I think he's at 30+ by now.  it's a free market and he usually buys them for under 150, but then most of them are very rusty or beat up.  he doesn't sell them (wants to decorate the wall of his workshop or some such thing), but he does offer up trades: 2 of your beat up tailgates for one nice one of his.    

 

less-than perfect tailgates rarely have a market.   I mean, most all of us already have a tailgate and a truck only needs the one.  when someone is looking for one, it's usually because they are making a very nice truck and don't want to bother fixing up the one they have.  (or they are looking for one that's "less bent"and are completely ignorant of the current market and thus will be in for some sticker shock).

[boxyjeep]

2 minutes ago, Pete M said:

 

I think he's at 30+ by now.  it's a free market and he usually buys them for under 150, but then most of them are very rusty or beat up.  he doesn't sell them (wants to decorate the wall of his workshop or some such thing), but he does offer up trades: 2 of your beat up tailgates for one nice one of his.    

 

less-than perfect tailgates rarely have a market.   I mean, most all of us already have a tailgate and a truck only needs the one.  when someone is looking for one, it's usually because they are making a very nice truck and don't want to bother fixing up the one they have.  (or they are looking for one that's "less bent"and are completely ignorant of the current market and thus will be in for some sticker shock).

 

Yep, that's the boat I was in.  My truck had a decent tailgate, but it had a slight bend and the inside half was beat to hell.  Prior to paint, I got the one pictured above.  Ended up coming out pretty good...

 

[eaglescout526]

What’s bad is I have two. Not including the one on my truck, my original and one I got from MJCARENA a few years ago. I really want to take my original one apart and fix it. But that’s a project down the road. 

[Armyvet25]

Afraid if I sell one someone will rear end me and damage mine.

After seeing the prices of tailgates and then tail lights, I could probably part mine for 3 times what I have into it, including a near perfect extra long bed with all the wiring, 2 extra doors...

[Pete M]

make sure it's insured for a proper amount.   otherwise a simple fender bender will total it out.   

 

doors are surprisingly hard to sell.    but I guess you're already up north so maybe it's easier?  I imagine they are like tailgates.  people shopping for one tend to be looking for perfection. 

 

a good truck is still worth more than the sum of its parts unless you're super patient and like to box things up for shipping.  some of the MJ specific stuff might sell fast, then you're left with the rest and it becomes practically unsell-able.   

[sammisox]

I feel like I have been lucky with tailgates. Finding 2 (not at the same time) and paying $100ea for them. My nos one was more. Granted the one I’m offering for sale at the moment is a little ugly, but it works and does the job. I had to get an extra spare tailgate because I refuse to use my nos one lol.

[Manche757]

https://www.amazon.com/Omix-Ada-12005-08-Tailgate-Seal-Kit/dp/B004PB6M70/ref=asc_df_B004PB6M70/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312681740304&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1150021830788513860&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008533&hvtargid=pla-570056170039&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=61040318086&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312681740304&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1150021830788513860&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008533&hvtargid=pla-570056170039

 

$258.71

 

Not exact copy but Jeep is imprinted

 

[Armyvet25]

CJ tailgate

[Manche757]

10 minutes ago, Armyvet25 said:

CJ tailgate

 Opps

[Classy Comanche]

I wonder what tailgate straps go for? I found a metal mint set behind my back seat and plan to use them since my current pair are a bit rough looking but get the job done no doubt. I looked online and couldn't find any results that match what I had. I also planned to buy a spare tailgate to have on hand but yeah they are expensive. I seen one for sale on Facebook for 900 and I couldn't believe it

[Armyvet25]

Just now, Classy Comanche said:

I wonder what tailgate straps go for? I found a metal mint set behind my back seat and plan to use them since my current pair are a bit rough looking but get the job done no doubt. I looked online and couldn't find any results that match what I had

just saw a set for sale used either on Fleabay or craigslist or marketplace, memory eludes me, but not very much, less than 30 bucks, but I imagine he doesn't care about the rarity of them, I'd say worth closer to 50-ish, just my .02

[Classy Comanche]

I had no idea. It's the odd parts you can't find. The ones you don't expect and the ones you expect to be hard to find are all over the place. I just knew a few weeks ago I looked around and nothing matched or couldn't find anything. Crazy how expensive tailgates are

[Pete M]

only the ones that will never sell are expensive.  but the cheap ones do go fast.   

 

it's a weird time to be into MJs.  things that were impossible to find just a few years ago are now just a phone call away, while things that were easy to find are getting harder and harder. 

[ghetdjc320]

It’s worth spending some time repairing these tailgates. I could see key parts making a new shell at some point in time since the inside and outside separate like a clamshell.

[Armyvet25]

33 minutes ago, ghetdjc320 said:

It’s worth spending some time repairing these tailgates. I could see key parts making a new shell at some point in time since the inside and outside separate like a clamshell.

When I got my MJ the seller gave me an almost perfect tailgate, but mine only has a few mostly surface rust areas that are repairable, will probably fix mine before swapping it out. Decided to go with some better speakers as well, the Crunch junk I put in suck, found some nice 4x6 and 5.25 Infinity's for a decent price, don't want to cut up perfect panels. Everything will remain hidden and stock

[ghetdjc320]

35 minutes ago, Armyvet25 said:

When I got my MJ the seller gave me an almost perfect tailgate, but mine only has a few mostly surface rust areas that are repairable, will probably fix mine before swapping it out. Decided to go with some better speakers as well, the Crunch junk I put in suck, found some nice 4x6 and 5.25 Infinity's for a decent price, don't want to cut up perfect panels. Everything will remain hidden and stock

Did you grab the set gjeep had posted?