I just ordered a newWranglerSport Unlimited. I purchased the Sport becuase it was the cheapest model and the Rubicon and Sahara didn't have anything that I felt that I needed. However, I see a lot of Saharas around town. Very few Sports and Rubicons. Is there a reason for this that I'm missing? What makes the Sahara so much more popular? Is there a huge difference between the Sport and the Sahara.
People around town like Sahara options typically. It's has more of the comfort options. Sports and especially Rubicons are what you will typically find with off roaders. I trust you have compared the options on Jeeps website since you have just bought one. All the info is there if you haven't.
If people are looking for a lot of extra comfort items like mygig, leather, heated seats, remote start, etc.. They will go for a Sahara unless they plan on going off road then rubi. I had a 2010 rubi then bought a 2012 sport a couple weeks ago. I wanted to put my own 5k in mods vs spending the extra on the rubi. Can't go wrong with a sport if it has all the options you want.
I bought the Sport because I could add what I wanted, don't like the body colored fenders and didn't seen the need for power windows and power heated mirrors when they would be hanging in the garage for six or more months a year.
basically sums a lot of it up. from what i understand the sahara allows you to add things such as power windows and power locks, nice rims, etc and generally come with hardtops it seems...just more luxury like everyone is saying. I got the sport because it was in my price range and it had manual 6spd transmission...didn't like the idea of 5spd.
There isn't much difference at all between a loaded up Sport and a Sahara. I've had both, the Sahara first. I didn't like the 18" wheels, or the painted fenders.
When I went to buy a 12 I went with a Sport because in the Crush color I thought it looked way better with the black fenders and top. The Sahara was way to orange.
If people are looking for a lot of extra comfort items like mygig, leather, heated seats, remote start, etc.. They will go for a Sahara unless they plan on going off road then rubi. I had a 2010 rubi then bought a 2012 sport a couple weeks ago. I wanted to put my own 5k in mods vs spending the extra on the rubi. Can't go wrong with a sport if it has all the options you want.
The Sahara is better, but I'm biased. Had I seen a Sport I liked, I would have bought it, just so happens I found a Sahara I liked, so I bought it. Some people want the options, other don't. It's personal preference.
I bought my Sport JK barebones because I did not want power windows/locks or A/C. I wanted a bare canvas that I could make into a Rubi killer without all the things I did not need or want. Personally, I feel a Wrangler with navigation, remote start and leather seats is like going camping with a Gucci backpack!
Sport have a better residue value then any other model. Saharas have a lot of comforts standard which help in new sales but not in resale value. Not that the comforts don't help a resale but you don't get a return on the value. Saharas are targeted to soccer mom/ex-hummer lovers. Not saying thats bad but it isn't targeted to off-roaders even though it is just as capable. It's pretty, and in the resale market pretty don't bring as much value.
Actually, according to the NADA book you are better off buying the Sahara vs. a Sport with a lot of options because after a few years many options are no longer considererd in the book. I am an insurance appraiser and deal with vehicle values every day.
For example, the base value on a 2010 Sahara 2 door currently books out at $24,675 while a 2 door Sport is $21450-adding aluminum wheels to the Sport adds $400 ($21850). There are no further additions for things that are standard on the Sahara, but acutally deductions if NOT equipped with cruise, power locks and windows ($175 each). (There is an additonal deduction of $750 for no a/c.)
I bought the Sport because I could add what I wanted, don't like the body colored fenders and didn't seen the need for power windows and power heated mirrors when they would be hanging in the garage for six or more months a year.
Got a sport for the same reasons listed above. I like mine fairly bare bones and dont miss power locks or windows at all. I also dont care for the matching fenders flares on a the Sahara.
I got the Sahara because I knew I didn't need the rubicon, but wanted Nav. I'm slowly removing all the "extras" the sahara gets over the sport. Figured I was getting new wheels and tires anyway so it wasn't to bad.
Same here! But on the other hand I did also get power windows heated mirrors and other upgrades. I also don't know if I like the painted fenders and top I'd be to worried to off road with it.
I have an 07, so I don't have the heated mirrors or body colored top, don't need, kinda like the idea of heated mirrors, but don't need them. Just happend to be what I saw, in my price range and I bought it. Nothing wrong with either.
Nice thread. I was about to post another thread about Sport vs Sahara and saw this one.
Long time lurker here hoping "to be a Wrangler owner soon".
I'm with the OP, Saharas are everywhere here too, not much Sport or Rubis.
After doing many config trials on the Jeep web site, Sahara seems to have too much stuff I do not really need.
Got 2 questions to owners of Wranglers and hope to get some replies (let me know if I should post this as another thread not to hijack this one):
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1st one is regarding the soft top and would like to get some feedback from owners who have to go throught winter with one. Do you really need to have the hard top during winter or the soft top is sufficient?
I see a lot of Wrangler here and most of them seem to keep their hard top all year long. I rented a Sport Unlimited for 2 days last fall during a personal trip in the San Francisco area. It had a soft top and it never bothered me during the 2 days we had it. We had to put it and remove it a lot, weather was playing tricks with us, even had to go through a good rain fall.
The other things that bugs me about the hard top is storing it once you remove it, you got to have some room to store it.
So, how's a soft top for all year long usage? And how does the soft top holds with time? I keep my cars for a long time (over 10 years), so how does the soft top stands the test of time?
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2nd question: do you really need an air conditionning when you can remove the top? All my previous cars (Pontiac/Honda/Chevy) and issues with AC after 6 to 8 years. Not having AC means one less thing to worry about down the road.
So having a soft top means: if it's warm outside, just remove the top.
Feel free to share your comments/experience/ideas/how you see this...
I bought mine with a Freedom hard top and quickly changed to a soft top. The main reason for the change was because it took three people to get off the hard top and I had no place to store it. I had the hard top at the beginning of winter and the soft top at the end. Everyone thought I was nuts for changing it halfway through the winter. I found there was no real difference. It's a littler noisier on the highway but it's not bothersome. As for A/C... I had to get A/C because it can still get SUPER hot during the summer where I am. Sometimes the extra air helps out. I also travel a lot for my job so I can't always have the top down. But that's just a personal preference.
I have a Sport and honestly don't miss power locks or windows. I went from a Jetta with all of the bells and whistles to the Jeep and am only missing the leather seats, power windows and doors. I'm not a huge fan of painted fenders. If you hit anything with your Jeep it'll more than likely be with the fender. I'd rather buff out a scratch on plastic than having to have a fender painted. The only thing with my Jeep is that I didn't get the upgraded wheels. But, I don't think it's a bad thing because I tend to run over a lot of curbs. In the future when I'm looking for a more family friendly car I may go with a Sahara but for now I'm stuck on my Sport.
I have a Sahara and love it. It was what was in my price range at the time. It has a hard top and I just sold the soft top. I was in Kansas for the summer with the front freedom top panels removed and the sun beating down, topless does not always equal cool. 100 degrees with 75% humidity is still miserable. I like my A/C and power windows.... The Sahara is very capable. I do agree with doing your own mods as I have had to do a few. Gears, quick discos, lift and tires and you basically have a Rubi. Almost..... I also think the soft top looks silly going down the road and it is all puffed up due to the wind. I haven't removed my whole top so storage hasn't been an issue yet. The Freedom top is cool and easy to carry with you and slap on in a pinch. Oh yeah nav is nice because my wife cant hardly find Walmart in the parking lot. lol...
I run with top down in summer except when it rains. With the spiderweb top, keeps the sun off so I don't mind the upper 90s and humid. Only use the air when its raining. That said, the only way to not get air is to get the base sport and I don't think you can put many options on that.
:hijacked: plug for spiderweb:
I run with top down in summer except when it rains. With the spiderweb top, keeps the sun off so I don't mind the upper 90s and humid. Only use the air when its raining. That said, the only way to not get air is to get the base sport and I don't think you can put many options on that.
:hijacked: plug for spiderweb:
I don't know about the OP and some of the rest of you, but I probably see around 10+ Sports to every Sahara or Rubicon combined. Likewise, I see more Rubicons than Sahara's.
I did see a Sport the other day with painted top and fenders. That one kind of puzzled me, didn't know you could get a Sport with those options.
For me, the only option would be Sport or Rubicon. I like the way the Sahara looks with the painted top and fenders, but I bought mine to wheel it. The painted stuff gets scratched up too easily. Plus the wheels would be a waste because those were the first to go for me.
The only thing I would've liked to have from the Sahara is the leather seats. I could add them later, but doubt I'll ever do it. I'm more focused on upgrades that will be useful for wheeling.
I did get the power windows and locks with mine. Only got them because I couldn't find a package that I liked around here that didn't have them.
I went with the Sport S. Besides the price difference, I really didn't need what the Sahara had to offer. The few options I wanted, I got in the S. Plus it leaves me with the opportunity to add the mods I want. I feel it is more "fun" to piece together new mods on your own. But everyone is different and you can not go wrong either way.
I got the Rubicon and can't definitely say I wouldn't go Sport S if I could do it again. I probably wasn't prepared to make all the decisions necessary 6 months ago though. The forum and tinkering have educated me a lot!
^ Not saying I know your situation, but a lot of people buy the Rubicon thinking they need it, when really they'll never even put it into 4-wheel drive and justify the added cost.
We just got ours on Wednesday, and it took along time for the wife & I to agree on what to get. When it all started I wanted a 2dr sport with the hard top, manual, 3.73's, and A/C. What we got was a 4dr Sport S with hard top, power windows, 3.73's, side steps, Infinity stereo, 6 speed. Almost had to get the painted fenders but was able to weasel outta that one somehow.
That said I am happy with the 2 extra doors, power windows and the side steps, easier to deal with the rugrat. The only thing I don't like is the 17" wheels.
If you are not going to off road a lot, buy the Sport S with BFG M/T's which looks the same as a Rubi for about 10K less (in Canada). If it had a Hemi or something I could see spending more. Wranglers are different than most Chrysler vehicles in that when you move up in models the engine get better, but not with a Wrangler.
^ Not saying I know your situation, but a lot of people buy the Rubicon thinking they need it, when really they'll never even put it into 4-wheel drive and justify the added cost.
I fit into the "thinking about replacing the stuff I already payed Chrysler for" category. It's o. The line though. I'm probably better off with a Rubi but it's a very close call.
Well, I'm going against the grain on this one, but I gotta say... I love my Sahara as a daily driver that will also go on weekend camping trips and on the beach with my family, and perhaps a little wheeling from time to time, but not much.
6 speed manual, cloth seats, soft top year round. Power windows and locks are a true convenience when you have two small kids that like to mess with that stuff, so I thought ahead and I'm glad I did. Also got the side airbags option and 3.73 gearing. As for the painted fenders, I personally like them, but again, I'm on the road more than I'm off it, so I suppose I play in to that "demographic" you speak of. But make no mistake, a mall crawler this is not! And the NAV has been quite helpful on a few out of state trips we've been on, so I'm using everything I paid for.
I hear you guys though getting the sports. If I had little to no intention of using my options, I would be right there with you, black fenders and all! To each his own. Still a Jeep!
Along the painted fenders thing, I had paint peeling off of the front of my fenders and it wasn't covered under warranty because they said I hit it too close with a pressure washer. I looked into replacing with the Sport/Rubi/aftermarket fenders, but ending up selling it. Never again will I buy a Wrangler with painted fenders.
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