AH! I can’t friggin decide!

[SOON]

I had a Sport S for 19 years and LOVED it (1999 TJ) and now I have had a Rubi for 3 days and love it so far. Go with your gut but get what you can afford. If $6k is doable and you think you might regret not getting a Rubi then get a Rubi. If 6k is a hardship then get a Sport S. You'll love both. That being said, the window to order a 2018 is rapidly closing. Some options may be unavailable. Order now or wait for a 2019.

I can afford the difference in price. But the extra couple hundred dollars a month is appealing. I’m not gonna order one I’m gonna buy off the lot. I’m open to colors and a few options so I shouldn’t have trouble finding one I like.

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[WXman]

Apples to apples the difference is more than $6,000. But the obvious question you have to ask yourself is, "what could I buy for the Jeep with several thousand dollars?" And the answer is that you could buy a lot.

You can deck out a Sport S with all the options, lift it higher than a Rubicon, and put bigger tires on it than a Rubicon, and still have less money spent. Since you admit you won't be wheeling it hard, this may be the better option.

 

[SOON]

Apples to apples the difference is more than $6,000. But the obvious question you have to ask yourself is, "what could I buy for the Jeep with several thousand dollars?" And the answer is that you could buy a lot.

You can deck out a Sport S with all the options, lift it higher than a Rubicon, and put bigger tires on it than a Rubicon, and still have less money spent. Since you admit you won't be wheeling it hard, this may be the better option.

Except if I want bigger tires I’m gonna have to re-gear. That’d be about $2000 just in that. I just see math equations and dollar signs floating around the room. Lol!

 

[Chuck]

I have to laugh because I did the same thing for many weeks -- I went back and forth between a Rubi and a Sport (with an aftermarket lift). While there may be a 6k difference, once you calculate the cost of a lift and some other parts, the gap narrows quite a bit.

I ended up going with the Rubi (actually, my wife just told me to stop going back and forth and just get the damn Rubicon) and, man, am I glad I did. As mentioned by W5MQS, I also slept better after I made that decision!

I go off-roading quite a bit (though no insane rock crawling), so in hindsight, the Rubi should have been a no-brainer. Beyond its added clearance, it comes with HD brakes, Dana 44 axles, a performance suspension, rock rails, skid plates, high fender flares, etc. And if you ever get more into wheeling (even if you don't do anything too extreme), you'll discover how important it is to have lockers and the sway bar disconnect. In fact, among all the Rubi's upgrades over the Sport, I wanted the lockers the most. I have rear lockers in my Xterra and it's gotten me out of some dicey situations.

 

[WXman]

Except if I want bigger tires I’m gonna have to re-gear. That’d be about $2000 just in that. I just see math equations and dollar signs floating around the room. Lol!

I didn't regear and it's fine. I even get better MPGs than most Rubicon owners report.

 

[RussTKD]

I found a Sahara that was really close to what I’d consider perfect for what I need/want. I was supposed to go last week and buy it.
But when I got home, I spec’ed out a Rubicon with my must-haves, and it was $700 more than the Sahara.

My wife said I’d be kicking myself if I didn’t get a Rubicon, even though I’m probably not going to be ever going over any rocks.

I ordered a Rubicon.

 

[BlackRook]

This forum is heavily Rubicon biased. You'll see that everywhere. Not that the Sport fans aren't voracious, just significantly outnumbered.

But there is a reason for that: the JL Rubi has both style and function. People buy for both. Personally, by the time I get done with swapping headlights, fenders, wheels, and a hood on a Sport S, I end up more than the Rubicon in price and without the better gearing and axles. Now, my Sport S build would be much closer in price to my Rubi build, and I only want 33" tires for now, yielding extra savings on the Rubi, so for me it's a no brainer.

That's how I recommend approaching the problem: look at what you really want vs what you're getting, including mods. Then add an adjustment for the regret factor (i.e. wishing you had a Rubi vs wishing you had a few hundred bucks per month).

Then, once all that's complete, throw it away and go buy the Rubi, because we all know you're gonna! :cwl:

 

[Periokid]

This is a great thread. I am brand new to the Wrangler world (coming from a GC). I am torn between a Sahara and Rubicon. I keep going back and forth. I love the look of the Rubi but doubt I would ever take advantage of its capabilities.

 

[cabnfvr]

... and correct me if I’m wrong, there is no difference in the wheel well of the sport and rubicon. ....

True, but still wrong. (I should have been a lawyer.) The Rubi has wider axles and that affects clearance but there are folks out there running 35s on Sports with no rubbing issues. Regardless of your decision you'll still be thinking, do I need a lift kit? Do I need a winch? Do I need an onboard compressor? Do I need a headliner? Do I need a sunscreen? Do I need? Yes, Yes, Yes, OH YES !!!!!!


We went with a Sport. No regrets.

 

[JeepJL18]

I have changed my mind from Rubicon to Sport S about 27,000 Times in the past week. I’m losing my mind! The sport will do everything I want it to do. I’ve never gone wheeling and I know once I have a Jeep I will. I don’t see myself crawling over anything taller than a foot. I’m not gonna go to Moab or the Rubicon so I don’t need a Rubicon. But I want 35’s. Possibly 37’s down the road. So I wouldn’t have to re-gear with a Rubi but I will have to with the sport. I love the 8 inch touchscreen over the 7 inch but I don’t need nav. LED lights, steel bumpers, better looking wheels. I have these “grand” ideas in my head that I will be upgrading these in the future but I’ve had those thoughts in the past with previous vehicles and was never able to it. So do I get the rubicon and be happy with how it is stock with a 50\50 chance of making mods down the road? Or do I get a Sport S 75% happy with how it is stock with better chances to upgrade it down the road?

It’s about a $6000 swing from the Sport to the Rubicon configured how is want them and I feel like I’d be paying that extra money for an inch bigger screen and a 4.10 gearing.

I’ve got about a month left until I buy my Jeep and I think I might go insane before then.

I had the same exact thing happen to me...back and forth, back and forth. But wanna know what was the tipping point. its this:

I, like you, wont go offroad (if i do, wont be much), but the "swayer" was the fact that my payments are lower and Jeep hooked me up. For me, it was a no brainer. I've had my jeep for 2 months and couldn't have been happier. In fact, I have put Rubicon wheels, tires, suspension, rock rails, since then. If you would look at it, you wouldn't know the difference (I guess if I wanted to be a poser, I could have bought a hood decal, lol). Again, my payment is way lower and I add stuff as I go.

this might not do it for you, but it did it for me. (and i have drinking money with all that extra monthly cash!) lol.

 

[JeepJL18]

True, but still wrong. (I should have been a lawyer.) The Rubi has wider axles and that affects clearance but there are folks out there running 35s on Sports with no rubbing issues. Regardless of your decision you'll still be thinking, do I need a lift kit? Do I need a winch? Do I need an onboard compressor? Do I need a headliner? Do I need a sunscreen? Do I need? Yes, Yes, Yes, OH YES !!!!!!


We went with a Sport. No regrets.

Love that color theme...

 

[Gregodav]

Rubicon.
Part of it depends on how long you keep it and how well you execute you Sport add-ons. The Rubicon has a pretty good resale value.

 

[txroamer]

My thought is, if the cost is not that much of a concern, why not get the best you can? I have had 3 JK Sports and now my JL Rubicon. I spent over 8K in mods on the last JK and it still wasn't as nice or as capable as my JL Rubicon.

 

[JeepJL18]

An old guy one time told me, and I never forgot this.

"Be reasonable. Do your homework on things that you have to decide on. If something in life doesn't feel perfect, then don't do it. And for God sakes, DON'T LET YOUR DAMN RETIREMENT MONEY BE SITTING IN YOUR GARAGE!"

 

[future ocean blue]

Test drive both and not for just 10 miles. Tell the dealer you need each one for a day or so. They will let you take one if they know you are serious. Check with your insurance agent and see what the cost of both are. Think about what you are going to do with the Jeep. What things you want to add to it. Then go with the one you love more. ie: go with the heart and gut after using your brain.

my $.02.

I went with the JLU sport...base model.

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