Jeep Wrangler

[dubdub07]

Rubicon is the most capable stock SUV on the market. Jeep aftermarket items are a billion dollar a year business. You can buy a sport and mod it up over time and have a MORE capable Wrangler than the Rubi. Rock crawling is only some of the capability. 4 wheeling is rocks, mud, snow, and undulating ground.

My choice is just the Rubi with all the factory things. Cost a ton of money to mod it aftermarket.

WW

[NC25T]

Lloyd, a great way to see the difference between the models is to go to jeep.com

You can build, compare etc there. They have a page which lists the models, options etc there......

Yes unlimited is the 4dr and the JK is the last generation of the jeep.

Rubicon has some items that aren't for everyone. More aggressive off-road gearing, heavier duty drivetrain are two of the biggest areas. Also electronic sway disconnects, easier duty springs and the most important part is the rubicon stickers. My RHR does wonder a little, especially when there is wind.

Sahara has the same drivetrain as the other models thus isn't as off-road ready, however as stated they are all very capable.

For those who are building a rock crawler the rubicon isn't necessarily the best way to go. Depending on the suspension and wheel/tire combo they plan on using the 4.11 gearing might not be enough.. Sometimes it's cheaper to start with a base model and build that up..... For those of us who will not be doing crazy rock crawling etc.... The rubicon is more then enough.

I went hard top only on my rubicon hard rock, as stated noise wise it's very close as well as interior temp.... Very close. For a long time jeep has done a really good job with their soft tops. I wanted the glass windows for the snow and wasn't planning on swapping tops, wasn't worth the almost $1k of dual tops.... I have a Miata for top down fun, takes seconds to put that top up/down

[1ciderdog]

I have an older Jeep without a lot of upgrades but when I need or want something for the jeep this is usually my first stop. I'm sure all the guys that have jeeps are familiar with this one but if new to the "Jeep Thing" you may want to check it out.
Jeep Parts, Jeep Accessories for Wrangler, CJ, Cherokee - Quadratec

[planojeeper]

I can only say one bad thing of 11 unlimited. We had a bad problem with it smoking and burning oil. About a qt every 1000 miles. We took it to the dealership and they put in new piston rings and all was good for about 3 months. Then it started knocking and smoking even more than before. Took it back to dealership and they said it was very common with that motor. They tore the engine apart and decided it was a lost cause. So Chrysler said to replace the engine. We now have a new motor in it but now looking to trade it in and get the 2013. Oh and it only had 37000 miles on it.

[Lloyd in S.C.]

Thanks all!

Got to give this some thought. Found a 2014 sport today, has body damage on the right side and a salavage title, may go check it out this week. I have experience in body work, might be a great deal for me.

L.

[dubdub07]

Originally Posted by Lloyd in S.C.

Thanks all!

Got to give this some thought. Found a 2014 sport today, has body damage on the right side and a salavage title, may go check it out this week. I have experience in body work, might be a great deal for me.

L.

A 2014 with a salvage title is a risk, but still better than a 3.8L!! That engine is horrible.

Link for the differences on the RUBI vs Sport.

Rubicon or Sport? - 2012 Jeep Wrangler Long-Term Road Test

WW

[JMonroe]

Make sure you'll not only be able to register it, but get it insured with that salvage title.

[JohnBoyToo]

And for those that have been into Jeep for a while...

how about this :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0mJ4HXMHvQ

THAT is roughing it !

[Lloyd in S.C.]

Tom, didn't mean to hyjack your thread, but I sorta have/had the same questions. Hope you don't mind. Thanks everybody for the useful data.

I think I learned, the new 3.6L V6 is a much improved engine from the previous 3.8. And on my own I think I know, the 3.6 came out in the 2012 model? So 2012 or newer.

For us, we are planning a 2 door. I have a 20' enclosed trailer (Vnose actually 24' in side). I believe, a 2 door jeep will fit in the trailer with my motorcycle if I put the front wheel of the bike up in the Vnose. 4 door would be nice, but I really like taking both. Already own the trailer, and behind our coach we are 64'11" long, legal. 2 door for us.

We currently are planing on basic trail riding. No big rock crawling, etc.. We throughly enjoyed the White Rim trail, and would like more of the same. Based on that, I'm thinking a Rubicon for us. Maybe a little bigger tires, a upgraded front bumper (I will fabircate myself) and maybe some lights. Other wise i donot visualize us making a lot of mechanical changes.

And for me, it must be RED!

L.

[bevandtomH]

Hello Lloyd and All;

No problem. You sound closer to finding one than me. I am just sorting out things in my mind still.
Good luck in what you find out there.

One more question for those that have it; There is the Connectivity option in some of the 2012 models and up. Seems to vary in description/name but basically has the Touch Screen Navigation, Bluetooth, USB, etc.
It's the step up from what appears to be stock radios.

So, Does anyone have the upgraded version?
Happy with it?
Can this be upgraded by a dealer if I find a Jeep with a stock set up?
Just curious.
Thanks.
Tom

[Barmats]

My '15 Wrangler Unlimited has the upgraded radio, which I think was the RHB option. It has navigation, 6.5" touch screen, 3.5 mm audio input jack, USB port, hard drive, CD/DVD/MP3. It is the Uconnect 430N radio and the option was a $1,145 upgrade.

I can tell you that this is the worst navigation screen resolution that I've ever seen in a vehicle, but I'm comparing it to Audis and BMWs. But it's better than no nav, and I knew that we would be in places we'd never been to before in the toad and I didn't want to use my iPhone all the time. So it certainly serves the purpose and is just fine. The map view can be switched from north facing up to direction of travel or perspective view. I don't have real time traffic, but it's an option if I wanted to upgrade my Sirius subscription to include it. The iPhone's RTT works well for the times we'd need to check it out.

I know that the dash opening is larger for the Uconnect radio than it is for the "standard" radio, but I don't know if this is an insert or a different sized opening. My guess is that if it's possible to upgrade the standard to the Uconnect, it would cost more than $1,145. It's not terribly expensive, so even if all you want is the navigation function, it may be worth it to you. It was for us.

[bevandtomH]

Barmats- Thanks. Good to know.

I've got a navi in my Nissan that has worked well. It's nice to have them built in terms of convenience. If I find one with it, great. If not, I would probably use a Garmin or similar. Figure we would probably travel with a second navi anyways.
Always nice to double check and verify you really are lost....lol.

[NC25T]

The connectivity group doesn't require a deck with nav or jade you to that. It can be added to the base radio which is how my 16 rubicon hard rock is. I wasn't impressed at all with the nav decks from jeep when I was looking at them. Thought the almost $1,200 was a ripoff due to small screen, poor quality screen and poor sound... And lack of features.

Thus I went with the base deck and added the connectivity group. I will then get a aftermarket deck, something much better quality for possibly less money. The deck I really want is quite a bit more vs the oem 430 decK however a low end pioneer or other company nav can be had for half the cost of oem and integrate into the connectivity group.

[JohnBoyToo]

for over $1k you can get 3 or 4 of the latest and biggest Garmin 760's with lifetime maps and traffic (and even a backup camera option like I use in my jeep)

The rv760 goes in the rv when towing and then into the jeep when camping !

I will never waste money on a mfg nav that is invariably out of date and poor performing then they want a couple of 100 $'s for map updates that are years old !

this first pic is in the deep woods around Asheville, NC that the Garmin map had this "trail" on !!!
and the second is the backup camera in the jeep