Sponsored

Considering a new JL

mbarnett1112

New Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2018
Threads
2
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Location
East Tennessee
Vehicle(s)
Future Sahara JL
Hello all,

I'm new to this forum and new to Jeeps. My wife has always wanted one and now we are looking. We have both driven the new JL but not a JK. So we are trying to decide between the new JL or go with a better deal on a JK. I was impressed with the drive ability of the new JL and reviews say it is better than the JK. Is that true?

It will be her daily driver and we will not do any major off roading. My main concern is safety and I know the JK doesn't come standard with side air bags. I have found some though. I'm just looking for some real world opinions other than professional reviewers. Thanks!
Sponsored

 

Jrbrannan

Well-Known Member
First Name
Joe
Joined
Jan 2, 2018
Threads
39
Messages
583
Reaction score
703
Location
Bloomington, Il
Vehicle(s)
2018 JLUR Ocean Blue 2008 Highlander Hybrid (previously several CJ-7, YJ, TJ, JK)
Vehicle Showcase
1
Hello all,

I'm new to this forum and new to Jeeps. My wife has always wanted one and now we are looking. We have both driven the new JL but not a JK. So we are trying to decide between the new JL or go with a better deal on a JK. I was impressed with the drive ability of the new JL and reviews say it is better than the JK. Is that true?

It will be her daily driver and we will not do any major off roading. My main concern is safety and I know the JK doesn't come standard with side air bags. I have found some though. I'm just looking for some real world opinions other than professional reviewers. Thanks!
So a few things to consider- the JK was developed in 2007 with a interior refresh in 2011, and power train refresh in 2012. The main structural parts of the Jeep are the same from 2007, so although the new JL has not been crash tested one can assume it will be a bit safer with a complete redesign and being 10 years newer.

I think the JK drives pretty decent, I drove a friends several days and I was impressed overall. But after taking the JL out and driving it for just a few minutes I was hooked. Even my wife who did not particular "love" the JK was wowed by the JL, and is even considering one herself. I am not buying or selling what you should do, but I would say drive them back to back and decide what works best. If you shop around you can get a decent deal on the JL and history shows they hold their resale value really well so do not worry about the initial costs because I have a feeling it will be closer to a wash later on down the road. If you look at the 2011 models- they are much less expensive than the 2012 with the new motor. I assume you will see the same thing with the JK and the JL with all the added features and functionality of the JL.
 

RussJeep1

Banned
Banned
Banned
Joined
Oct 12, 2016
Threads
139
Messages
2,544
Reaction score
2,057
Location
Westchester, NY
Vehicle(s)
JLU Sahara
Hello all,

I'm new to this forum and new to Jeeps. My wife has always wanted one and now we are looking. We have both driven the new JL but not a JK. So we are trying to decide between the new JL or go with a better deal on a JK. I was impressed with the drive ability of the new JL and reviews say it is better than the JK. Is that true?

It will be her daily driver and we will not do any major off roading. My main concern is safety and I know the JK doesn't come standard with side air bags. I have found some though. I'm just looking for some real world opinions other than professional reviewers. Thanks!
OP, an analogy: are Treasuries a good investment? Certainly the likelihood of you getting your initial investment back, plus some interest is pretty strong considering they are backed by the same government that has license to print money.

Are commodity contracts good investments? You could make a killing, all while interest on Treasuries barely matches cost of living increases...but you could also lose your shirt.

The analogy is hardly perfect but the lesson is that I can give you the factors on which to make a solid decision, but only you can decide things like your own personal tolerance for risk, expenditure, bleeding edge product, tried and true less than state of the art gear, etc.

I'm a numbers guy. But I'm also, contrary to that a "everyone so often you have to say WTF kind of guy."

I got the JL. It's a better vehicle than the JK but the gremlins that only might appear when the rig's been truly battle tested by the owning population and time haven't surface yet, despite its extensive testing.

Had I got the JK I would have saved some money, but regretted it if the JL wasn't a lemon. Plus, no saying I couldn't have gotten a lemon JK: but the odds would have been less.

Some people say warranties are what problems are for. But getting unscheduled service ties up your time and rig, and causes aggravation.

I haven't answered your question have I--just given you more to consider if not help you make an informed decision so now I'll offer opinion: life is short, get the smoother riding JL.
 

Jjirish

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jenne
Joined
Feb 9, 2018
Threads
20
Messages
1,594
Reaction score
3,534
Location
Florida
Vehicle(s)
2021 Jeep 392, 2024 Jeep 392, 2023 BMW X7C
Occupation
Lurking the forum
My 17jk recon is my dd.... and i highly give 2 thumbs up to getting your wife a jl. The added convenience features, optional safety features, and smoother ride will greatly be appreciated by her. Cant wait for mine!!!
 
OP
OP

mbarnett1112

New Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2018
Threads
2
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Location
East Tennessee
Vehicle(s)
Future Sahara JL
Thanks for the replies. I'm definitely leaning towards the new 2018. I think she will be much happier in the new one. I did find a fully loaded with side air bags 2018 Sahara for $32k, but I still think the ride improvement of the new one will be worth the extra.
Sponsored

 
 



Top