My husband and I are considering trading in one of our JKs (yes, we have 2) and getting a 4 door in the next year or so. I'm looking for some suggestions on trim model, etc. I will give you a little insight.
-Money is not the primary concern (obviously I'd love to spend less)
-I will be the primary driver, and it will be a daily driver
-We are not crazy off-roaders by any means (we don't go rock crawling or anything like that) but we do dabble here and there
-We are not really all that comfortable doing our own mods unfortunately so if we went with a more basic model would be paying someone else to do any mods for us
QUESTION 1 - Do you think Rubicon is worth it? Again, money is not top concern, I just really really like look of the Rubicon and sometimes "want" takes presidence over "need," let's be real.
QUESTION 2 - I was considering waiting for the JL to come out, but have heard from several sources to never buy a 1st gen year. Is this correct? Should I stick with a 2016 JKU or potentially wait for the JL? Do you think prices on the JKU's will drop once JL is released?
If you are DDing and don't do much offroad, I'd go with a Sport/Sahara (depending how many creature comforts you want) and do a couple simple mods (small lift, wheels & tires). Just get the 3.73s and you'll be fine. Your other 2-door will always be better offroad anyway.
I would also suggest staying away from the first year of a new vehicle. If you want to wait for a JL, wait for the bugs to be worked out.
I honestly hate the stigma attached with the "Sahara." The last thing I want is to look like a "mom" (I don't have kids, but you get the idea) who went out and bought a jeep - just to have one - with the luxuries. Sport, is not completely out of the question though... or WW.
I would go for the '16/'17 JKURHR. I have a JKUR and love it, dont do much offroading, but dabble. Your HR will be set up nicely from the factory to do anything you want it for.
Get what you want, why spend $35k to save some scratch when $37k would get you EXACTLY what you want?
Having just looked and bought, I liked the Willy version as it came with wheels of the rubicon. I just couldn't find one locally and ended up buying the sport with the power package and upgraded 17" wheels and uconnect radio
Now, between JKUR and JKURHR, why would I spend the extra $5k? When I look at them on the Jeep website there doesn't "look" to be too much of a different, other than the price tag. Again, please note I am not a jeep expert or anything like that
JKURHR > JKUR - Power Dome hood, HR Front/Rear Bumpers, HR Wheels, I think there are a couple other things standard on the HR pkg that are extra on the Rubi. The power dome hood is worth >$1200 at least for me.
For a daily driver, get the Sahara. It is the one designed for that in mind. I see lots of Saharas on the road, but rarely on the trail. It's also better in the winter than a Rubicon, as the Rubicon has open differentials and the lockers only work in 4LO.
ANY Wrangler trim is capable of what you mentioned if you change the tires. The HR has some great appearance mods (hood/bumpers/etc...) but not sure of the 'off-roading' difference.
I bought a Sahara with 3.73 gears, lsd and a 6-spd. The stock Sahara tires are surprisingly good in the snow, but changed them out for a set of Duratracs. They do great in mud and snow for an AT tire and handle great on the road.
Now, if you're seeking general street cred (or snobbery) the HR is the highest package you can get.
If you want the Sahara package but not the stigma, the 75A is a good option. It is built on Sahara platform, but has power dome hood, rubi rock rails and bumpers, and optional rear locker.
I'm putting in a vote for the Sahara and also hate the stigma that it gets. I have also found that the automatic lights and the 115v has spoiled me. My wife was actually surprised that it had the 115v feature and loves it.
I went with the freedom edition, ( I had the dealer remove all the star decals ) dressed up sport with painted fenders, tu-tone accents, leather/cloth seats. I just did a 3 inch lift and larger tires and handles the trails very well..
If money is not a concern go for the rubi, you have it all and will not regret it, just enjoy!
That's what I purchased last October and couldn't disagree more with people who state for a daily driver... Get a Sahara. Nothing wrong with getting one of those (I disagree with people's comments the Sahara is a mall crawler) but for me the RHR was a better buy. Purchased October of 2015 and have almost 13k miles
I would look at the 75th Anniversary, I almost bought one, it drives amazing and has more of the Rubicon look then the Sahara. I just about bought the Sarge Green, it is Sharp.
I would look at the 75th Anniversary, I almost bought one, it drives amazing and has more of the Rubicon look then the Sahara. I just about bought the Sarge Green, it is Sharp.
Just got one (75A JKU) and I can confirm that it drives amazing. I don't notice a difference between the way mine drives and the way my Father's highlander drives (although his is a 2003).
Either way, it drives so much better than I would have expected...but then again, this is coming from someone who was just DDing a YJ.
Tell ya what though...it's not as fun to drive as my YJ, I'll admit.
So they are both great for different reasons. The JKU is actually a pleasure to drive. The comfort of it actually makes me happy, but the bouncy ride of my YJ is just more fun...most normal people would probably disagree with the latter...guess it's a jeep thing.
Don't worry, soccer moms and poseurs love JKUHR's too!
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