Excuse me if this is a stupid thought but is there a point where a Rubi would be wasting your money?
Sorry lets rephrase that, hypothetically if you had the money for your dream build (lets say brand new JKU and all the mods you wanted) would it be worth the money to build off a Rubi or would you start from another model?
Reading the threads here about serious lifts got me to wondering if the Rubi would be worth the money if you planned to replace suspension, axles, etc.
Plus, If you can't easily afford the up-charge for all the Rubicon's fancy stuff, do yourself a favor and put off the non-essential, fancy/luxury stuff today so you can enjoy it later in life!
It really just depends. If you are going no bigger than 35" tires I think the Rubi is the way to go. It has lockers and the heavier front axle. The gearing will work as well. The waste for me is the tires and wheels with the BS that does not work.
It was enough for me to order the Rubi.
The beauty about a Wrangler is all models hold their resale value very well so you'd never waste your money on a Rubi. With that said if you are planning a very large build (axles, transfer case, air lockers...etc etc you'd be better off getting a very basic model and building from there and getting what every you can by selling the stock parts you take off.
Most people that would invest in a large budget build are looking for a dedicated off road/rock crawling machine and not so much a daily driver at that point.
I don't think you could ever go wrong... Even if you decided to put a Dana 60's under it, the Rubi locker 44's would sell on here in a matter of minutes. If you left it stock, you'd probably get the price difference back out of it when you resell.
I went for a stripped down Sport as a starter. My one wish is that you could get the Rubicon running gear without all the other foof.
I agree with most others, if planning toi replace major components then the added cost of a rubi is not worth it. at the same time if you can get a striped down sport model for $10,000 less than a rubi you can use that money to surpass the capabilities of one. It just depends how you want to get to your end result and what you want that result to be
The Rubi is the only JK that has significant mechanical differences from the other models. The differences are the Dana 44 differential in the front and the NV241 transfer case. There are also some other lesser differences like the e-discos. If you plan on replacing the diff and/or the TF then the extra cost of the Rubicon does not make sense.
Since you state you are going to replace the axles it makes more sense to start with a Sport.
Depends on the build. I started with the 2014 Rubicon X and money wasn't the issue. I had an idea of what I wanted in my build and have spent just a tick over $20,000 on mods and add ons on a fully loaded Rubicon and its just the way I want it now.
Regret is not quite the right word for it, though I wish that I had done more research and purchased the most base Sport I could have found. I've changed out so many components that there was little to gain in my purchase of a Rubicon. The front axle housing is only 2.5" O.D. for some reason and has the same weak wheel bearings. The carriers in JK Rubicon 44's are offset from other Dana 44's, the bearings are different, and the shafts 0.1" diameter larger with two more splines. The JK Rubicon housing doesn't accept many aftermarket carriers/lockers, and that GKN locker isn't cheaper or stronger than many other offerings. If you plan on selling/throwing away suspension components, the sometimes problematic Smart-Bar, axles etc. there is little to gain.
I went through exactly the same thing. My last jeep was a Rubi but with my new one I was planning a pretty extensive build. I new I wanted an AEV built jeep but went with the jk350 built off the sport. I purchased it in May and now have a pro rock 44 in the front with elockers front and back running 4.56 gears and Currie antiRock so no need for discos. I plan on adding a 60 rear and atlas 2 transfer case. For me I thought it better to do this and IMO have a more capable jeep then to spent another 10 grand for the AEV Rubi. Just my opinion.
I'd imagine if you were going to replace all the upgrade components (axles, lockers, transfer case) with new ones, I'd start with a Sport. Otherwise, for most builds a Rubicon is cheaper than doing it with aftermarket parts. I think it's something like $3000 for the Rubi package and around $8000 to add that stuff to a Sport yourself The transfer case is probably worth it alone.
$30,000 spent on a sport will get you a far better end result than $20,000 spent on a rubi.... I'm not even sure how you spend $20,000 on a rubi and still have stock axles and gears on 35's!?
I did not get a Rubicon simply because I live in an area where there is no place to go off roading. I would have been a waste of money for me to get all of the fancy extras that I would never use.
LOL...No worries, you don't need a Rubi to go off roading any Wrangler is quite capable off road and unlike the Wranglers of the past we even have BLD or brake lock differentials as part of the traction control which mimic mechanical lockers to a certain degree, so if you get one tire in the air the brakes will be applied to that wheel so the other can get traction, maybe not as pretty as mechanical lockers, but it's helped me on more than one occasion.
Personally, I prefer to have the components of my vehicle designed from the start to work together, rather than have a hodgepodge of parts selected by me, who's definitely not an engineer. Jeep puts more R&D into their components than most aftermarket manufacturers, and the components are covered by a warranty. Start making a bunch of mods on your brand new Jeep and watch your warranty slowly disappear. I also prefer that if it breaks somewhere far from home, I can go right to any dealership for repairs. For me, I decided to get the Rubi and my eventual mods will focus on addressing some of the weak spots and making the rig better suited to my needs. My mod list will be short, relative to many of the builds here, but my Jeep will be plenty capable.
Personally, I prefer to have the components of my vehicle designed from the start to work together, rather than have a hodgepodge of parts selected by me, who's definitely not an engineer. Jeep puts more R&D into their components than most aftermarket manufacturers, and the components are covered by a warranty.
I understand the sentiment, but I get the distinct impression that Chrysler milks the Keep pretty heavily for profit to subsidize other models. How else do you explain the GLARING snafus: crappy headlights, ext mirrors that collect water, hard tops that leak and are held with bolts that crack them, transfer arm bolts that contribute to DW, alarm system that does not protect access to the battery that powers it, the list goes on and on.
Start with a crate 6.4 Hemi install and your instantly $25k+ into it. A fully set up and installed Dana 60 will cost $8-10k each. GenRight has a high end long arm/coil over kit for $15k (not including install).
It's not hard to invest a bunch of money and not touch the accessories.
I think if you changing the whole undercarriage then why waste the money for a sticker on the hood.
I personally have a sport but I am thinking of getting the wife a Rubicon as she will not go off roading as much as I do. I just wish I had the coin to put a hemi in it the factory.
But it is all depending on what one wants in the jeep most are different and most want different things.
With what I plan on doing to mine, I saw no point in a Rubicon. I found a used 2008 Sport that already had a 4 inch lift and 35's, a 9500 lb Warn winch and a very heavy duty front bumper and it was about $4000 less that a stock Rubicon of the same year at the same dealer. I couldn't justify the difference and get a vehicle that didn't have most of the stuff I wanted to do already.
No regrets on getting a Rubicon--but one thing to consider a modified Sport does not have any factory warranty so if that is important to you then factor that in. There is considerable value to have a serious off road vehicle that is covered and if it breaks it is not your headache.
To answer the general question of, "When is a Rubicon a waste of money?" when you don't want it, or need it.
Example my wife DD her JKU as an "SUV" but we prefer Wranglers. We could have gotten a Rubi for what the Polar edition costs. But it is not what we wanted.....Bottom line it is a waste of money if you buy it and don't really feel you "need it".
To answer the general question of, "When is a Rubicon a waste of money?" when you don't want it, or need it.
Example my wife DD her JKU as an "SUV" but we prefer Wranglers. We could have gotten a Rubi for what the Polar edition costs. But it is not what we wanted.....Bottom line it is a waste of money if you buy it and don't really feel you "need it".
Exactly! When you drive around in your Jeep and think you spent too much for it because you never use the capabilities of the Rubicon it was probably too much. If you never use them, but never think about wasted money it wasn't too much. When you look at what you will do to your Jeep remember you probably won't (though some can afford to) upgrade all the components right away or at once, the Rubicon gives you a great stock vehicle letting you get started with upgrading and adding lights, winch, armor, new bumpers etc, that you will have to put on whichever model you buy. You can probably sell the Rubicon parts if/when you get around to replacing them, but gussets, sleeves and inner Cs are probably cheaper than a PR44 so would be an option with the Rubicon but not the other models.
Is a Rubicon worth the extra money? IMO, if you plan on running larger tires, it would be. The lower gearing, the better axles, all would be a big plus.
i got the rubicon for the 44 axle and 410 gears alone...i just could not see getting a 35 front and already having to replace it. Got her for a daily driver to wheel and run around 36 inch tires in the end.
the automatic locking front and rear axle are a HUGE plus as well as automatic unlocking swaybar.
the skid plates as well as the rock sliders were a waste bc they are garbage and need to be replaced-rock sliders maybe more choice skid plates are thin crap.
IMO, many people "waste" money on a Rubicon. I'm referring to the many Rubicon owners who never take (and never plan to) it off road and just use it as a grocery getter SUV like someone mentioned. They justify it to themselves cuz they got the sticker and hey they might need it to get to the ski hill.
Also, of course a waste if you're planning a big build and would replace most of it anyways.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Ask a question
Ask a question
Jeep Wrangler Forum
9M posts
468K members
Since 2005
A forum community dedicated to Jeep Wrangler owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about reviews, performance, trail riding, gear, suspension, tires, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, for all JL, JT, JK, TJ, YJ, and CJ models!