Kevin, in deciding between the base Sport and the Willys Sport, be aware that the Willys Sport also comes with certain features that the base Sport does not: nicer alloy wheels, offroad (mud-terrain) and larger tires, all-weather floor mats, Rubicon-style rock sliders, heavier-duty shocks, limited-slip differential, tinted hardtop windows, black grille, and maybe one or two other things that I've forgotten at the moment.

Just adding the limited-slip differential, the all-weather floor mats and the tinted hardtop windows to the base Sport will bring its price up to only $800 less than the equivalent Willys Sport.

Also, to be honest, I don't think that the lack of power locks in a Wrangler is that big of a deal. I don't have power locks in my current 96 Dodge Ram PU, and it's only a bit of a pain to have to reach across the center armrest/console to unlock the passenger door, but in the significantly narrower Jeep it should hardly be a problem.

 

Yea I'm pretty set on the willys vs sport just included them because of the similar features. Good point on the locks also I rarely lock my vehicle and if I have a soft top and soft door uppers I guess if someone wants in they're getting in lol

 

All good points.

IMO, the sweet spot on the Wrangler lineup, in terms of most bang for the buck, are from Sport S all the way through Willys.

The OP being in Florida, though, not sure a rear LSD or off-road tires will matter to him.

 

Def want those. Will be doing some off-roading here in Florida but plan to travel for fun too. I'm pretty set on the Willy's sport. Really just included the Sport vs sport s because of the similarities in basic features.

 

In case you haven't seen this, Tommy from TFL goes over what you do and don't get on Willys Sport

 

When the warranty on my 2018 Sahara ends, in another 15 months, perhaps a stripped 2-door Rubicon or Willys might be my next ticket.

There’s something very appealing about a stripped Wrangler that you can wheel with confidence, without concern about damaging anything. And the lack of electronic doo-dads means fewer concerns after the warranty expires.

 

Tommy with TFL actually does a good job highlighting the Willys Sport. It seems like a pretty good bang for your buck Jeep. The LSD will be pretty useful for most applications. I wish they made it available with just a rear locker though. If you're looking at a two door, power locks and windows don't seem to be a major addition.

 

Yes, he is one of the few out there advocating that when it comes to off-roading, less is more.

That is a very refreshing message in this age of social media that resonates with me.

 

In the video, he makes an interesting comment: "I really don't think that 99% of people need a Rubicon."

That makes me wonder, just how many Rubicon owners actually buy a Rubicon for:

1) the extra off-road capabilities
2) all the extraneous, non-off-road bells-and-whistles that get packaged up with #1
3) the "prestige" factor of owning "the best Wrangler"

I suspect that #1, in reality, is by far the least important of the three.

 

I see far too many rubicon owners going for #3 and have them as a pavement princess and always detailed and at most get some 20” wheels on some 35” street tire. A sorry sight in my opinion.

 

That stupid fob-key comes as a surprise to me, though, and is going to be a major pain in the butt! How utterly stupid, to be forced to carry that idiotically and uselessly bulky thing just to act as a basic key.

I wonder, could the key just be removed from the fob, and copied as a 'regular', old-school key?

 

It is still push button start isn’t it?

 

My guesstimate is, based on the comments I see on another forum, that roughly two-thirds buy a Rubicon for looks/image/the name prestige/hood decal/the fancy hood/meaty look of the big tires.

You just need a man purse to carry that fob!

 

I don't know, Aldo, I think the Jeep key fob is going to require a somewhat larger man purse than that one.
A wheeled carry-on might be just about right.

 

I don't know, Aldo, I think the Jeep key fob is going to require a somewhat larger man purse than that one.
A wheeled carry-on might be just about right.

 

So I am looking at a Willys Sport or a Base Sport. So the main differences I am seeing is radio options, power windows and locks and just the overall availability of some other options. I live in Florida and am ordering half doors so power windows is not a huge deal for me. The 5" radio sucks but I usually upgrade my stereo anyway and will probably end up either doing the Stinger or Alpine anyway so I'm not really getting hung up on that either. Power locks though... not having that seems very annoying. Now I see in the build process that the remote proximity is an option. How does that work? Or is that an error?

Also... are there any other major differences I should be considering?

If you get half doors, you are upgraded to power windows and locks, even in the sport trim. This is why Sport has proximity locks as an option. You can only get proximity locks on a Sport with the half doors/power doors. Personally that would remove my only reservation about Willys Sport vs Willys. For me, key locks and cank windows are a dealer breaker. I'd option in just power doors if I could, so I view the half doors as a bonus.

 

Whaaaat?!?! Bonus!

 

I noticed in the video that the key does not have the normal teeth, but the groove in the side of the blade. The first time I saw one of those, it was to the front door of my former employer's (I'm retired) home office in Toledo. I spent 3 months there in 1989. Thought I could get by with no delivery charge when I bought my XJ Cherokee, but no, it's on every delivery, even when they drive it a mile to the dealer rather than truck them. That style key is harder to duplicate.

For those who might be new to soft tops - the basic rule is never lock a convertible The damage a thief will do in seconds with a knife to get quick access is not worth it. I locked my first convertible once - and locked myself out. Fortunately, it was a TR-4A and had snaps on the side of the top immediately behind the drivers window. I simply unsnapped the top, reached in and unlocked the door. (This was 1965 before thievery was such an issue). When I go to the store, I always lock the Chief, but never lock the TJ.

 

The good thing about a TJ compared to a JL is that if it’s locked they can just unzip the window. That’s what they did to mine but the joke was on them. They stole a package that needed to be dropped off at the post office. Imagine their disappointment when they opened it to find a size medium 5 Seconds of Summer concert shirt that my daughter had sold on Poshmark.

 

I’ve owned a hardtop for the last 10 years. My first Wrangler, a 2008 JK, was a soft top, and I sold Jeeps when TJ came out, so I’m familiar with soft tops.

Jeep went to the current system of channels and Velcro because Jeep owners wouldn’t stop bitching in focus groups that the zippers broke their finger nails.

Now the top is not secure enough.

Sometimes you just can’t make people happy...

 

BTW, I remember seeing videos of JLs driving with the rear curtain removed, or not secured properly: the quarter windows went flying off on the freeway.

Without the rear curtain in place, the quarter windows slide right off.

 

That should be an easy fix for Jeep and Bestop. You will recall the flap over the top zippers (and vertical ones as well) that attached with velcro. Simply change the tops so they have that flap over the top slide. The window won't come off then. It won't slide until you undo the velcro and raise the flap. It actually wouldn't even need a full length flap either.

 

Didn't take long to get doors off!