[Onetrade]

Firstly I am new to the forums and hope I am posting at the right place.

I am considering getting a 2013 Wrangler Unlimited. I never had a Wrangler, or a jeep for that matter, but I am looking for something fun, safe, family oriented, good in all weather conditions and possibly taking off road. I need some advice. Time frame of acquiring - appx 2 weeks.

I will be using this for everyday. It is just my wife, 2 year old daughter (car seat) and me. We won't be lugging around a lot of stuff. This will be our only vehicle. We will be taking few long trips together. I am the only driver (wife don't drive) and I am alone in the car pretty much all of the time. I will be taking fairly long trips by myself and maybe one other passenger quite often for work. I live in Brooklyn, NY.

Will the Wrangler Unlimited suit us? Will I be OK with getting manual transmission? Since I will most definitely go off road as long as there are trails not too far from me should I go to the Rubicon? I was thinking the Sahara Unlimited. Is there a different in ride quality between the Sahara and Rubicon, your thoughts? questions

Some Information about me: I am an auto broker and am able to get the Wrangler at a great deal so I do not need help with the buying. I will most likely be leasing the wrangler. would like leather trimmed seats, Hard top and Nav.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Beastmaster]

I have and unlimited with the 6-speed and couldn't be happier. If you can get a Rubicon, I'd say go for it. You may not need the off-road extras it has all the time but they are nice to have in a pinch. I don't believe you'll notice any differance in ride between any of the stock JK models.

Also, we have a newbie check-in area in case you want to stop by and say hi to everyone: WF New Member Check In - Jeep Wrangler Forum

In the mean time . . .

Welcome to the forum!

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/l ,[____],
l---L -OlllllllO-
()_) ()_)--o-)_)

 

[Onetrade]

BeastMaster... Which Unlimited do you have? are you happy? Do you wish you had gotten a different model?

 

[jwilson2598]

I have had 2 different Unlimiteds. My first was an 08 Rubicon and my new one is a 13 Sahara. The reason I didn't get a Rubi this time is that I don't do the wheeling with it anymore that justifies the Rubi. If you're planning to go rock crawling or have plans for 35 inch tires where the 4.10 gears would be beneficial, then I would recommend the Rubi. I'm sticking to fire roads, easy trails, and the beach these days, so I went with a Sahara this time. If you want leather and nav, then the Sahara or Rubi are your only options. You can get all the same creature comforts on both.

Having driven both, the ride is the same between them. And either is an acceptable daily driver and using on long trips. My 08 went on several 4-5 hour trips with no problem. I'm in a similar boat, having a wife and 3 year old, plenty of room for us and our stuff.

 

[arctic318]

I have a '12 Sahara Unlimited and the extra storage room in the back compared to a 2 door is plenty for our family of 5 on long trips. My neighbor has a 2 dr rubi and ride is basically the same, but storage is zero (couple SMALL duffle bags maybe). I'm still a newbie, and learning I should have got better gears when I bought it, maybe looked at Rubi, etc. Spend the next two-weeks reading and you'll get a better idea of what you want/need. Use the search function as 99.9% of our questions have been answered already. Good luck.

 

[Chewtoy]

I have a 6 speed manual, but would get the automatic if I lived in a large city. You might consider the Sahara vs Rubi for the off roading available in th NE. See what others suggest, but an auto Sahara sounds as if it is worth a look. And wave when you go by.

 

[Beastmaster]

BeastMaster... Which Unlimited do you have? are you happy? Do you wish you had gotten a different model?

Last year when I was shopping for a Jeep, I determined my budget could support a new 2-door. I saw on the corner of the dealer's lot, a used 4-door with half doors, 2.5" lift and 33" tires <insert Tim Allen cave man grunt here> :whistling:
It's just the Sport X model but it's great. I have the manual and sure it feels like I am constantly shifting while in the city, but I like it. It's mainly just me in the rig but sometimes I have to transport the wife, kids and grand kids around so the extra room is handy. I've been modifying the heck out of it and can't picture myself with anything else.
Sure I've had problems since it's used (OP did a poor job on the lift) but it was all covered under the warranty. Also I don't feel as bad upgrading a 5 year old part. :thumb:
(the 35" tires and front axle armor goes on in the next week or two)

 

[Onetrade]

If the ride quality is the same and the Rubicon is only a few dollars more then I will probably just go for the Rubicon. However, I do not PLAN on getting 35 inch tires, although who knows how I will feel after I get the Wrangler. My problem with the 35" tires is this: My friend has an unlimited Wrangler in manual with 35" tires and when I drove it I had this feeling like the car was rocking left and right, and that was only going 30, what would happen at like 60 on a highway while its raining? and every time I would clutch down i would here a rattling noise in the gearbox, my friend told me its normal.

How is the manual when going on trails? I would imagine its very hard to drive which is a turn off.

 

[kjeeper10]

If the ride quality is the same and the Rubicon is only a few dollars more then I will probably just go for the Rubicon. However, I do not PLAN on getting 35 inch tires, although who knows how I will feel after I get the Wrangler. My problem with the 35" tires is this: My friend has an unlimited Wrangler in manual with 35" tires and when I drove it I had this feeling like the car was rocking left and right, and that was only going 30, what would happen at like 60 on a highway while its raining? and every time I would clutch down i would here a rattling noise in the gearbox, my friend told me its normal.

How is the manual when going on trails? I would imagine its very hard to drive which is a turn off.

He has issues. Shouldn't be rocking/shaking if set up right.

Hard to drive ? Let of the clutch and let the lower crawl ratio Do the job :thumb:

 

[Onetrade]

Does the acceleration change on regular road driving when going to the 4.1 in the Rubicon? I like to drive fast with quick lane changes, I know the Wrangler isn't a sporty coupe or sedan, but I don't want it to take forever to hit highway cruising speed (65mph)

 

[oldjoysteve]

yeah, i think so, 12 Sahara Unlimited and the extra storage room in the back compared to a 2 door is plenty for our family of 5 on long trips

 

[TommieTuenz]

Hard to drive a manual on trail? Not exactly.

My first trail experience in the Rubi was Mosquito Pass (Colorado). Not easy--rock crawling, elevation gain and loss, 4lo, etc. Anyway, going up I was getting used to crawling along but I was still in 4hi admiring the scenery. Up comes this exposed 36-inch drain pipe right across the road. Wife starts making mewling noises and doing the death-grab on all the handles on passenger side. I can tell she's ready to bolt as we approach the pipe but I just...kept going! unk:

The Rubi crawled over that thing as if it was a speed bump in the Home Depot parking lot. I did downshift into second just before crawling over it but no worries as the tranny slowed me down enough that I didn't need to hit the brakes.

On the descent, I kept it in 4lo in third gear with no feet on any pedals. You can crawl all day long like that down a steep grade without touching the brake or clutch.

Managing clutch, brake, and accelerator inputs is what makes driving a manual so much more engaging than a thoughtless auto, IMO.