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The great 2 door/4 door and sport/rubicon debate

12K views 24 replies 20 participants last post by  hedley-lamarr08 
#1 ·
I know this has been covered over and over. But, I am finally at the point to trade for a JK or JKU. I have a 10 year old that rides with me a lot and not often we have my wife with us due to work schedules. I have to do some car pooling and that is usually just with one kid.

With that being said, I prefer the look of a 2 door over a 4 door. The actually size of the rear seat isn't that concerning considering my situation. What is concerning is the cargo area. I do have a Honda Pilot that I can use whenever I need it. But, my primary issue is can I fit a regular set of golf clubs in the back of a JK? regular groceries and such can be made to fit. Big items really can't when the top is on.

Do your guys wife/kids complain about the 2 doors? Should I just get the 4 door and be happy I can get a Jeep to start modding and just enjoy the ride. (Wife isn't a huge fan of the 2 door concept)

Now onto the highly debated topic. A Rubicon is a bad ass ride. I have no doubts. However, I don't think I will be rock climbing any time soon. I do go off road, and I have a Pro-4x Nissan Frontier and have never used to locker.

Considering I will probably do a budget lift and change out the sound system to aftermarket, am I missing any reason to get a Rubicon. (Sorry, just trying to cover all bases) Tires and wheels will be changed regardless of the model due to road noise and handling.

My choices are a JKUS or a plain JK non-sport package. If I spend the 4-5 grand extra on the JKUS shouldn't I spend another grand or so and get a JK Rubicon?

thanks again, I'm sure this has been done before, just not by me. haha
 
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#2 ·
I'm totally biased, but I really like the extra room in the Unlimited.

I don't even have the seats deployed most of the time. It's just open space in abundance.
With a wife and kid you are going to need that room for all your gear, because you aren't going to want to drive the Honda namore!.
 
#4 ·
I had an 07 Rubicon two door... I traded it for a JKUS when we had our son, due to the limited space on the JK.... ESP w a stroller, groceries, dog, etc...

My wife has a Grand Cherokee which we use as our family car, however when we drove the JK to the OBX, it sucked having to cram it all into the small JK, with a baby seat!

Another reason I like the unlimited, is that we can have the top down and windows up, and even the back seat passenger (my kid) can enjoy the top down without getting all the wind.... Last year, we had to have the top up, on excellent 75 degree weather, because the wind was too much for my boy. Not the case this year w my unlimited!
 
#6 ·
I put my golf clubs in the back of my 2 dr but I did a mod were I had a bracket made that clips into the existing rear seat mount but only has a single seat on it. It freed up a lot of room. Have a new seat other then the one in this picture that folds down but haven't taken a new picture yet with it in

 
#7 ·
Here is my take on the issue...

1)The room in the JKU is cavernous.
2)Based on TONS AND TONS of videos I have seen, the JKU seems to have an advantage (wheelbase length) offroad.
3)You have a wife AND a kid, a JKU would REALLY be useful.

A rubicon, IMHO, is a complete waste of money if you are not planning to do heavy duty offroading, which is EXACTLY why I got a Sahara. There is no question that the Rubicon is the most capable, but if you are not going to use any of it, why pay for it?
 
#8 ·
I just traded my 2011 JK for a 2012 JKU and am thrilled with it. The cargo room in the 2 door is just nonexistent. I got tired of constantly having to fold the rear seat just to carry my gym bag and two bags of groceries. I find that the added wheelbase of the 4 door greatly improves the ride quality. My two door used to bounce over bumps like a Mexican jumping bean. The JKU feels much more planted and stable.
 
#10 ·
I made the biggest car mistake of my life about 12 years ago while we were still living in Santa Barbara. I'd bought a 911 Carrera that absolutely used to make me swoon. Driving it was intoxicating and when I wasn't at work or driving it, I was in my driveway polishing it.

From the get go, my wife HATED the thing with a capital HATE. It was admittedly impractical, loud and I drove it like Brock Yeats was sitting next to me in the Cannonball Run. After a year or two I finally capitulated, sold it and bought a Toyota 4Runner which she loved. It was horrible, a hellish appliance that was like driving a washing machine around town. I would throw stuff in the back and not think about it again for a year.

My advice is buy exactly the car you want or stick with the Honda Pilot.
 
#11 ·
Got full approval from the wife with a witness present to splurge a little and get a JKU Rubicon if thats what I want. She really liked the Trail Edition 4 Runner... I have looked all over and can't find a Rubi that I want, I think I may have to order one in a few days and get it over with...
 
#13 ·
i have been going back and forth between what i like/want. ultimately what tipped me in the direction of the 4 door over 2 door was riding in and using a 2 door 12 wrangler for a bit. EVERY time someone gets in the back you have to move the seat down as they awkwardly climb in. I am 5'10" and its annoying to me and most would consider me average or short. what i realized was doing so kinda wears on the vehicle and i eventually just found it annoying. if you have an awesome ride, like the jeep is, make it so lots of people can enjoy it :)

oh and the cargo room is awesome. going on a few day camping/beach trip there is just not enough room in the JK
 
#14 ·
I went the other way. I had a JKU and now have a JK. It's different than your situation as it's not my primary vehicle, so I don't need the rear seats. The JKU had tons of room but I didn't think I needed it, and I like the look of the 2 door better. I plan to remove the rear seats permanently. It's usually just me and the dog in the JK.

I agree if you are not serious off roading get a Sport and mod it up with the money you'll save.
 
#15 ·
I agree if you are not serious off roading get a Sport and mod it up with the money you'll save.
while i agree with this, the devil in me says: if you aren't serious off roader then you probably won't want to get into the mods and go through all the hassle of either doing it yourself or taking it to a shop. so buy the rubicon and consider yourself SET and ready for most scenarios and never have to worry about doing upgrades etc ...

rubicons have higher resale value (last i checked) and if you never mod it you should have 0 problem selling it down the road if you have to
 
#16 ·
I bought a jkur because it was the color and everything I wanted, planned on doing some mild to medium trail drives that probably could be done in a sport or sahara. About the third week we owned we went on some trails with friends, some of which had some decent size rock ledges to climb. Kept getting stuck, couldn't make it. Then I hit the e-lockers, climbed right up like a shiny black mountain goat. This is just an opinion and I know others will have opinions too, if your not a person who goes out on trails all the time, and the money is not an issue, get the rubicon. You never know where you may end up going, trails can change in a short period of time. Something that was easy 6 mths ago after an ass load of rain may change. the rubi is has a good set up in stock form. In my mind it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
 
#17 ·
I have a wife and two kids (9 and 6). It had to be the 4-dr for me. Also, I am not going to be doing any extreme rock climbing, so I went with the SportS. I have already replaced the tires to 33's and will do a small lift in the future. That's the extend of it. Most of my other mods are cosmetic. I will probably do the bumpers in the future.

The cargo area in the 4-dr is just friggin awesome. With two kids, it just made a lot of sense for me to get the 4-dr
 
#18 ·
2dr Vs. 4dr- Always better to have the extra room and with a family it's a no brainer. My kids are in college and I like the extra room plus IMO I think the 4dr is better looking.

Rubicon or not- I bought the Rubicon for several reasons. First while I may do some very light offroading I'd rather have the abilities if needed. Secondly, I hate buying a certain model than everytime I see the other one wishing I'd bought it.
 
#19 ·
I think i like the 2 door look better but the space will cut out the complaints from the wife and kid... I don't know if I will get a Rubicon, that will depend on the deal, but its gonna be a JKU or 4Runner trail... For anyone who is looking, I found a JKU Rubicon with leather and nav for $33,000 just south of D.C. Its listed as an adjusted price, not sure what that means... Invoice on the options should put it around $36k
 
#20 ·
I'm fortunate enough to own both, a 2-door Rubicon (mine) and a 4-door Sahara (Wife). I'm always driving both, mine to/from work and my wife's with the family. I have two boys (9 & 11). With all that said, here is my opinion. My Rubi is far more fun to drive, the JKU sahara is more practical and has much more cargo space but the rubi handles far better and is much more nimble. like you, I also prefer the look of the 2-door over the 4-door.

My advice is that you should consider what you'll be using it for, will it be your primary family vehicle? if so then I would say get the 4-door. If its going to be your own commuter then I would say get the 2-door. Let me know if you have any questions.
 
#22 ·
I own a 2012 JKUR... It's the only way to go with a wife and kids.. I have a 7 month old and my wife and I are planning to have another. There's plenty of room for " kid stuff " and it's way easier to load and unload with two extra doors. A close friend of ours also has a 7 month old... He was breaking my balls for ordering my JKUR!!!! 3 months after his son was born he traded in his 08 JK Sahara for a 4 door! It's just a personal preference.. If you have kids or want kids... Go with the JKU! I plan on keeping mine forever so i figure why not get the best of both worlds! The JKU was a genius idea from Jeep! Think about the thousands of 2 doors that were sold, from people like me who started having a family... And the jeep just couldn't handle it... Yeah I'm sure some of you said hell with it , I'm keeping my 2 door! But I'd rather bring my whole family with me.. Let them all enjoy the one and only " JEEP "
 
#24 ·
10 yr olds enjoy clambering in the back for a short time only - they like it, but they love the 4 door. 4 door all the way for rug rats and remote door opener a must. You will not bend your driver shaft in the JKU - that may be the main reason to bump up. My clubs used to ride shotgun, with seat belt, to make sure they didn't fall out in the JK. :)
 
#25 ·
The more I assess the situation as a primary work car for me with some moderate wheeling I am thinking a JKU sport will be the best option. Using tread lightly I would be getting every thing I want in a Jeep and nothing I don't (infinity). I can still mod it and resale will be great when I decide to move on. I trade often so that is a big concern. I know a Rubicon will be worth more,but it will cost me about 6 grand up front. Adding that to payments takes away from mods. I'll buy tires fenders and a sound system. Not much more. If I like it and decide to keep it I can add a locker later. One would be enough for what I do. At least the Trac-Loc will make due for now. Thanks for the input guys. I'm sure I can put the $6,000 to good use
 
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