A lot of newbie questions (buying first Jeep!)

[jeep-tonic]

Hi!

I checked if there is a topic for newbie questions, and did not find it - so I am posting a new thread.
Please correct me if this is wrong to do.

Would love if there is a good person here, can be a dealer, who can help me configure.

So, I am really looking forward to get into the jeep club, as I have recently relocated to North Carolina and will be switching my asphalt SUV for a proper one, to enjoy more of the outdoors.

Believe me, I have assembled a ton of configurations on the Jeep website, but I am still stuck with my choice, as there are SO MANY options. Even more, if I would be looking into mods.

Currently, I just want to buy an off the shelf jeep, to get acquainted with the product and start enjoying.

My requirements are:
- Unlimited
- Don't know about softtop/hardtop yet
- Needs to be useful as a daily driver for running to the city and around city (50-60 miles daily)
- Needs to be outdoorsy (but not hard-core, for the first year or two) - I want to make nice trips (don't know where yet) in the outdoors, but on settled dirt roads etc, no huge rock-crawling planned (for now!)
- I prefer auto transmission (but I am fluent in stick shift, as I am basically European haha )
- Need high seats (I am tall and have back problems)
- Want Alpine Premium Audio (Is it even available in 2023?!)
- I can lease for first 3 years and then assemble a real thing, if I can afford and want
- I love the High Tide (visually), Rubicon (tech/performance), Sahara, High Altitude (seems a bit fancy)

So, my questions:
RUBICON
- Is it too much to get a Rubicon and then also use it as a daily driver?
- I really hate the red dashboard pieces - is that difficult to change to let's say the leather-trim pieces available at Mopar?

SAHARA
- It seems like the tires are not too "outdoorsy", at least in photos. Am I wrong? Should/could I plan an upgrade that would fix this?

HIGH TIDE
- Is it even possible to get that for the 2023 season? On the website it is just a 2022 model ... I like the looks ...
- Do I understand correctly, that the HT only has large wheels, but not other off-road stuff (axels etc) the Rubicon has?
- Do I understand correctly it has "low seats", not the comfortable high-seats?

HIGH ALTITUDE
- I like the big wheels, but they are probably more for the roads and daily, and not for any off-road? What wheelset would I need to use it more outdoorsy?
- I dislike the stitching on the seats, would prefer neutral leather, if leather at all.

Oh, sorry for the long thread ... Thanks for reading so far!

Cheers!

Sponsored

 

[GATORB8]

If you're leasing and ordering, do a 4xe. The $7,500 tax credit is taken off of Capitalized cost and will have a lower payment than the equivalent gasser. Note, there are a ton of bolt ons that can be reversed if you ever needed to actually turn it back in.

Rubicon is fine for a daily
Red dash can be swapped, or (in the 4xe) the leather changes the panels anyway.
Everything is reasonably outdoorsy, but while you may be able to get away with a tire change on the Sahara, you'll probably want to swap wheels and tires on anything with 20s.

 

[jeep-tonic]

Thanks!

The 4xe sounds most logical to me, but it has one obstacle - I have a pretty large dog who loves to ride with me with the back seats down. The 4xe has the batteriesunder rear seats so the seats don't fold down to flat, so doggo cannot ride as she wants .

 

[aldo98229]

Welcome to the forum!

See my two pesos below

My requirements are:
- Unlimited —that’s easy
- Don't know about softtop/hardtop yet —when in doubt, get the hardtop. It includes the rear wiper and washer and all the switches; these are very expensive to retrofit. Also, the hardtop provides greater security.
- Needs to be useful as a daily driver for running to the city and around city (50-60 miles daily) —a 2-door is better for driving around town, but a 4-door works too. Larger tires (35+) start to get in the way of handling
- Needs to be outdoorsy (but not hard-core, for the first year or two) - I want to make nice trips (don't know where yet) in the outdoors, but on settled dirt roads etc, no huge rock-crawling planned (for now!) —4-door is better for long road trips, but they can be done in a 2-door as well. The handling on the 2-door gets squirrelly with speed
- I prefer auto transmission (but I am fluent in stick shift, as I am basically European haha ) —easy check
- Need high seats (I am tall and have back problems) —this will depend on each individual. Some people have issues with Wrangler seats. I’ve been driving Wranglers for 14 years and haven’t had any
- Want Alpine Premium Audio (Is it even available in 2023?!) —yes. It is standard on Rubicon, Sahara and High Altitude
- I can lease for first 3 years and then assemble a real thing, if I can afford and want
- I love the High Tide (visually), Rubicon (tech/performance), Sahara, High Altitude (seems a bit fancy) —I can see myself in any of those. I don’t like the 20” wheels on High Altitude, but that’s easy to fix. I normally prefer a Sahara with a rear LSD. It is an excellent all-around Wrangler

So, my questions:
RUBICON
- Is it too much to get a Rubicon and then also use it as a daily driver? —no
- I really hate the red dashboard pieces - is that difficult to change to let's say the leather-trim pieces available at Mopar? —although it isn’t easy, you can swap them. Or you can have them professionally wrapped

SAHARA
- It seems like the tires are not too "outdoorsy", at least in photos. Am I wrong? Should/could I plan an upgrade that would fix this? —correct. Sahara tires ride and handle very well, but they look dorky. That’s an easy swap, though

HIGH TIDE
- Is it even possible to get that for the 2023 season? On the website it is just a 2022 model ... I like the looks ...
- Do I understand correctly, that the HT only has large wheels, but not other off-road stuff (axels etc) the Rubicon has?
- Do I understand correctly it has "low seats", not the comfortable high-seats? —unless I didn’t see the memo, it should have the same seats as every other Wrangler

HIGH ALTITUDE
- I like the big wheels, but they are probably more for the roads and daily, and not for any off-road? What wheelset would I need to use it more outdoorsy? —factory takeoff wheels are a dime a dozen on Craigslist and eBay. That’s an easy swap.
- I dislike the stitching on the seats, would prefer neutral leather, if leather at all. —High Altitude seats have a LOT of stitching...

Oh, sorry for the long thread ... Thanks for reading so far!

Cheers!

Good luck.

 

[GATORB8]

Thanks!

The 4xe sounds most logical to me, but it has one obstacle - I have a pretty large dog who loves to ride with me with the back seats down. The 4xe has the batteriesunder rear seats so the seats don't fold down to flat, so doggo cannot ride as she wants .

There's just a couple inch step in the flat platform at the back of the folded down seats.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

RUBICON
- Is it too much to get a Rubicon and then also use it as a daily driver?
- I really hate the red dashboard pieces - is that difficult to change to let's say the leather-trim pieces available at Mopar?

SAHARA

HIGH TIDE

HIGH ALTITUDE

RUBICON
- Rubicon is a great daily driver and a great option if you want to go with a larger tire in the future. It has more fender clearance, a stronger front axle, and a better axle ratio than the Sahara.
- If you are ok with tan seats, the tan seat option will get you a grey dash instead of the red one on the Rubicon.

SAHARA
Weaker front axle compared to the Rubicon.

HIGH TIDE
Not available anymore. The Willys is a similar trim package.

HIGH ALTITUDE
For that price you can get a much better Rubicon

 

[Powelligator]

Some more comments: Yes, get the hard top, If you like a lot of open air, the Sunrider option is nice as it's a one-hand deal to open it up, useful alternative to the full soft top. If the seat position is too low, there's a kit out in the aftermarket that augments the mounts to the floor and boosts them up an inch. I'm tall, was thinking I'd have to do that myself but I found a good position for the seat that fits and I'm good for now. The good audio system is available for 2023, standard if you get a Rubicon. The Rubicon is a fine daily driver, either in stick or auto. I hate the red dash also, I swapped mine out for the leather stitched version from Mopar, Easy job, but time consuming. No High Tides for 2023, though there might be a similar trim package announced around February.

 

[Turaven]

It honestly doesn't sound like you need more than a base model sport for what you've described. Grab a sport S if you want more fanciful features. Grab a Willys if you want some more offroad kit. Rubicon is only needed if you want to do extreme offroading as soon as you pick up the jeep.

If you prefer auto get the auto. It's an extremely good automatic, and the manual in the JL leaves something to be desired. Should only be picked if you can't afford the hefty upcharge for the auto or if you just can't fathom owning an automatic jeep.

If you're not sure about hard top vs soft top then go hard top. If you don't already know that you need a soft top then it's not for you. Comes with many drawbacks; limited cargo access, less durable, hard to switch to a hard top later on, whereas a hard top can switch to a soft top with no problem.

 

[The Fixer]

IMO, even a Sport S will check off most of those boxes. You can get the upgraded sound system, all the power options, and all-terrain tires. They are capable off-road, especially for someone new to wheeling and learning. I took a beginner off-roading course a while back, and there were a few stock Saharas (even a 4xe with the 20" all-seasons) and Sports running Green trails with no problems.

If your end goal is something with 37" tires and you intend to wheel it hard, start with a Rubicon because you'll have the stronger front axle as mentioned.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

To throw a wrench into your plans, another great option is a Willys with the XR package. It would be $2,840 less than a Rubicon and would come with a stronger front axle than the Rubicon, better gear ratio than the Rubicon, and 35" tires from the factory.

 

[mferrara91]

X2 on the Sport S. You'll get everything you need and plenty of room to accessorize. I have a 2021 loaded Sport Altitude and I use basically the same way you do (minus the dog) and the Rubicon is overkill for me. If I wanted a Rubicon with all of the same options I have, it would have been a $60K sticker price.

 

[jeep-tonic]

To throw a wrench into your plans, another great option is a Willys with the XR package. It would be $2,840 less than a Rubicon and would come with a stronger front axle than the Rubicon, better gear ratio than the Rubicon, and 35" tires from the factory.

Haha, yes! Again, I am thinking all over the board ... I guess this is the fun part before owning a Jeep - to buy a jeep! It's like playing a game on their website ... :P

Did not know Willys has a tougher front axle.

 

[GATORB8]

Did not know Willys has a tougher front axle.

Not Willys, Willys with the Xtreme Recon package. Same axle as the Rubicon with XR (minus lockers).

 

[jeep-tonic]

Not Willys, Willys with the Xtreme Recon package. Same axle as the Rubicon with XR (minus lockers).

Thanks, I understand. I think XR is not currently my need, as that will have to be the next jeep, once I get some basic skills

 

[GATORB8]

Thanks, I understand. I think XR is not currently my need, as that will have to be the next jeep, once I get some basic skills

Where are you in NC?

I wouldn't shy away from a more capable rig because you're a beginner, especially if you've modified previous vehicles. There is so much aftermarket support, it's hard not to get addicted.

Sponsored