Considering trading for a Sahara

[gregus73]

Last year I had purchased a JL Sport 2 door with the hardtop, auto and AC. Really love the Jeep.
I had inherited a house in the Sierra Nevada mountains, so I drive up there practically every week. It is about 3.5 hours each way to get there.

I typically take my Denali Sierra. The JL Sport is just not great for long distances. My wife complains about the roll up windows, the jenky stock radio, that barely works with my iPhone. Yet I still love it and use it for commuting to work and getting around town. I really like the look of the 2 door, but it does not work with my wife’s family when they visit, or taking my dog with me.

So thinking about upgrading to a 4 door Sahara. Just wondering if this is even feasible, as I do not want to take a bath on the trade. The Rubicon looks amazing, but my driving is typically freeway. Would the Sahara be my best option, or maybe a different JL? Also like the diesel, to be able to go a longer distance on a tank.

This is my 3rd Jeep that I have had. I have had a XJ and a TJ and used to off road those all of the time. At this point typically just light off-road.

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[aldo98229]

It depends how much you want to spend. In California you will be paying 10% in tax and license; you never get that back. If that doesn’t bother you, go for it.

There’s a shortage of Jeeps at the moment, so I’d think dealers would be willing to give you a fair trade in for your Sport. But you may have to place a factory order to get what you want.

I have always sold my Wranglers privately. They are easy to sell: they sell fast and fetch good money.

I’ve had a JL Sahara for a year now: I love it. It is the most comfortable Wrangler I’ve ever owned. And it is pretty capable on the trails and in the snow, too.

If you do end up getting one, make sure to get the Selec-Trac and Cold Weather Group; they will give you added peace of mind and comfort on the Sierras in winter.

Good luck!

PS - Jeep has been offering Employee Pricing on Gladiators for months now. It is the equivalent of 10% off MSRP. The promotion excludes Rubicon and Mojave. I see plenty of Overlands —that’s the Sahara equivalent— near me at good prices.

My Sahara yesterday

 

[Rdmitch]

had a sahara for about a year and while not a luxury vehicle is was very comfortable. Storage space and back seat room was limited, so think twice about taking rear seat passengers on long rides. Mine was repurchased by FCA for steering issues and i ended up with a 2020 Rubicon which to me drives the same as the Sahara.
Agree that cold weather group is essential.

 

[Will_Jeep]

I know that this won't be a popular opinion, but I have a JLU Sahara, and I love it for running around locally. This summer we took it on a road trip, 1500 miles, with the Jeep, 4 in the family, and cargo rack on the back. I will just say, that we won't be taking the Jeep on a long road trip again, in my opinion, the comfort and drivability is not the same as an SUV or Sedan.
But, this is one mans opinion, and don't get me wrong, I am very happy with my Sahara, and it fits it's purpose, but I have other vehicles that are better for long road trips.

 

[Jeepney Johnny]

I think I'd hate to take a trip longer than an hour in the back seats of my Sahara. I'm only a coupla inches taller than 5-and-a-half feet, but the seat bottoms seem a little too short, like sitting on a barstool. There's plenty of leg room, though.

 

[aldo98229]

It is true that there are much more comfortable road vehicles. Grand Cherokee, for instance. But a 3.5-hour trip is perfectly doable in a Wrangler.

Heck, I did several 4,500-to-6,500-mile road trips, with my parents, in my JKs. One time we drove from Los Angeles up I-15 through Nevada, Utah and Montana to Glacier National Park, and then through Idaho and Washington to Vancouver, Canada, in time for Christmas. Another time we left Vancouver on Christmas Day and drove down to Moab, UT, visited Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, spent New Years near Telluride, CO, visited Capitol Reef, Grand Staircase Escalante, Bryce and Zion National Parks, before going back to Los Angeles.

The beauty of Wrangler is that you can go places in winter you would have to think twice of doing in any other vehicle.

We created the most amazing memories

Moab, Utah, 2016

Montana, 2014

Zion, Utah, 2012

 

[Shots]

The newer model JL allows you a lot of options if you order. You can build a Sport S to have most of the same features that come stock on the Sahara or Rubicon. Each trim has a thing or two to set it apart from the other trims, but they all ride about the same on a road trip.
I absolutely love my Sahara, and in '18 when I ordered it, you couldn't build near as many options into other trims like you can now (like Selec-Trac for example). With the 2021 models you can pretty much get whatever trim you want and option out all the features you want, with the obvious exception of some of the Rubicon off-road features. The point being you can get another Sport, a Rubicon or Sahara and get the nice radio, power windows, leather, etc.

For road trips. The most comfortable I've ever owned was my QC Ram. Although my wife's Grand Cherokee Overland was a very close second if you want to stick with Jeep brand. That's not to say the JL is bad, but the larger more plush interiors do tend to make hours in the vehicle more comfortable.

 

[bgrex]

Everyone has their own ‘needs’ as far as creature comforts, but my family has been very comfortable in our JLUS on several long trips. Did 5 hrs each way this summer with fam of 4, dog in cargo area, rack on front and bikes on back. Mix of highway and back roads in PA. Smooth, comfortable drive, no issues, and (shockingly) no complaints from 2 teens in the back seat. To really enjoy the next trip to your mountain house: Get your wife the JLUS with power windows and one of these, get your dog one of these for the cargo area, and most importantly: leave your in-laws at home!

 

[gregus73]

Thanks for the feedback. Looks like the Sahara or a loaded JLUS looks right for my needs. I would also consider the sky one touch top. Right now I have the Bestop Sunrider which I use all of the time. My other regret was not getting the upgraded stereo and speakers. I have gotten very spoiled on the trips with the sterio in my Denali.

 

[Dan M.]

While an unlimited may be better for long trips, I don't think you will notice much of a difference between a sport or Sahara as far as comfort. I have a 2 door sport with the technology package which upgrades to the 7" Uconnect screen and has some other stuff. It also has a convienance package which throws in power windows and heated mirrors. Either option is good, I'm just saying don't rule out a sport if you find one with the options you want.

 

[BrntWS6]

My Sahara is very comfortable for road trips. Especially with the new steering box installed. But for really long trips I always rent a car. Not worth racking up the miles and the mpg sucks compared to what is out there.

 

[Oncorhynchus]

@gregus73 you already have a vehicle that meets your needs for the trip, a Denali Sierra. Does it really make sense from a “fleet” ownership perspective to make both of your vehicles comparable for this particular task? This is not a rhetorical question; only you can answer it based upon the specific utilitarian and recreational scenarios you expect to encounter.

I like to head up Highway 4 and 108 and 120. And my Sahara is my preferred vehicle for that. But if it is a ski trip then I prefer to take my Highlander because I have M/T tires on the Jeep and all terrain tires on the Toyota. The combination of the Toyota’s tires, AWD, the electronic traction modes, cargo capacity and the fact that tire chains are much less of a hassle on it that the Jeep make it my preferred vehicle for skiing. We load up the skis and ski clothing in the rooftop cargo box and fill up the back of the car with pillows, lots and lots of food, stuff from BevMo, photography equipment, non-ski clothing (we are not die hard skiers - like to hike and drive around in the forest too), winter boots and ski boots, electronics. The Jeep could not hold all of it for a weeklong trip. The Toyota has done very well on icy roads.

The other seasons, the Jeep is great because I know I will be heading off pavement either in the Sierras or Cascades (Shasta and Lassen regions) but I generally drive about 10 to 15 mph slower on the highway in the Jeep so that adds an extra hour of driving to get to those destinations like Dunsmuir and Chester.

I bought a bare bones (A/C, CD, power windows and power steering were standard) manual transmission BMW 20 years ago specifically because I knew the reliability wasn’t great on these cars and the parts and labor are rather expensive. That car is still in great shape because it just has fewer parts that can break compared to other E46 vehicles still on the road today. Many small parts replacements on that car cost $100 ~ $400 because BMW outsourced sub assemblies to their suppliers. You cannot purchase the small part, you have to buy a subassembly. I fixed a tail light problem by shoving some aluminum foil into an electrical connector to make better electrical contact which would have otherwise cost $100 for a replacement tail light assembly. If you plan on keeping a vehicle for a long time then having fewer options can be a very a good thing.

Your basic Sport will probably fare better than my Sahara in reliability. Eventually when the U-Connect fails along with all the other niceties I don’t think I will bother to repair them if the major mechanicals are still in good shape. I’ll keep the old Jeep for fun and get a different daily driver vehicle because I’ll be an empty nester by then.

Think through the various scenarios you expect to encounter. The people on the board can stimulate your thoughts with our responses but the answer to your question is already inside you somewhere.

 

[Oncorhynchus]

My Sahara is very comfortable for road trips. Especially with the new steering box installed. But for really long trips I always rent a car. Not worth racking up the miles and the mpg sucks compared to what is out there.

I have done that too. If one is not struggling with near term cash flow, then renting a car can actually make more economic sense from an asset valuation perspective. Over time you will come out ahead financially but a rental car doesn’t bring a smile to the face like one’s own Jeep does. I’ve been in rental Jeeps and the feeling is just not the same as driving your own.

 

[four low]

Beautiful GSD ! What does he prefer ? My 3 GSDs fit nicely in my 2 door Sport with the rear seat removed, so we're happy with the 2 door...

 

[JJSix]

Thanks for the feedback. Looks like the Sahara or a loaded JLUS looks right for my needs. I would also consider the sky one touch top. Right now I have the Bestop Sunrider which I use all of the time. My other regret was not getting the upgraded stereo and speakers. I have gotten very spoiled on the trips with the sterio in my Denali.

JLUR owner here but I do have the SOT Top and can't tell you how happy I am about it. I used to have a JK and while the softtop was awesome when you want to run naked, the SOT is just so dang easy to go on or off. For me, the issue was that I have 2 kids younger than 6, won't have the Jeep naked while they are in there so the SOT solves this for me, I can keep the doors on and it all buttoned up while they are in the car, then open the whole top and put the windows down once they are out (or when we get our daily 35 temp swings in Tucson). Only way I wouldn't love this is if I could keep the doors off and planned to run open all the time.

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