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Did I make a mistake getting a JLU instead of a JLUR?

Patsloft

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Did I make a mistake on getting a JLU instead of a JLUR?

Rubicons cost about 10 to 15k more, it does come with some nice upgrades, but I’ve always been a believer that if I buy a Sport and make it my own then it’s just a good without the higher monthly payments. You are going to replace wheels and tire, bumpers, add quick releases, skid plates, etc... to upgrade either Jeep. I agree if you don’t plan on doing those upgrades and want to off road, buy the Rubicon. Now, that I am in the stages of updating my sport, I keep being told you should have gotten a Rubicon and I keep asking myself why? Did I make a mistake?
Yes
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agpthng

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Did I make a mistake on getting a JLU instead of a JLUR?

Rubicons cost about 10 to 15k more, it does come with some nice upgrades, but I’ve always been a believer that if I buy a Sport and make it my own then it’s just a good without the higher monthly payments. You are going to replace wheels and tire, bumpers, add quick releases, skid plates, etc... to upgrade either Jeep. I agree if you don’t plan on doing those upgrades and want to off road, buy the Rubicon. Now, that I am in the stages of updating my sport, I keep being told you should have gotten a Rubicon and I keep asking myself why? Did I make a mistake?
I've heard the same thing. I bought my JLU Sport S in April and anytime I mention that I was going upgrade the wheels, oh you should've gotten a Rubicon, the gears won't be able to handle it, or changing the bumper, you should've gotten a Rubicon. This is my second Wrangler, the first an 07 JK X and we took it places where some Rubicon drivers couldn't follow us. Sometimes it about who is behind the wheel. If you're happy with your new new Jeep than so be it. I know I didn't want a Rubicon, nor did I want to pay the price for it. Enjoy!
 

BigRedVegas

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For me yes, with my luck I will make a wrong turn and end up on Black Bear Pass, and need all the Jeep I can get.
 

fat_head

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For me yes, with my luck I will make a wrong turn and end up on Black Bear Pass, and need all the Jeep I can get.
A Rubicon will give you no advantage over a Sport on Black Bear Pass.
 

RalphC

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If so, I just made the same mistake. But I don’t think I made a mistake. In my area there’s a waiting list for Rubicons and they still have 2018 Sports on the lot. I got my new 2018 JLU Sport for $5000 under MSRP and they threw in a set of Rubicon wheels and tires.

If your goals are small, then you can get a lot of Rubicon take-off parts for a song on Craigslist. Complete suspension $100, rock rails $130, front bumper $100 (not 3 piece but comes with the skid plate)

I’ve seen people go as big as 34x10.5/17 (33.5” nominal) on stock wheels and a budget boost. But I think a Rubicon is probably the better choice if you want to go bigger.
 

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If so, I just made the same mistake. But I don’t think I made a mistake. In my area there’s a waiting list for Rubicons and they still have 2018 Sports on the lot. I got my new 2018 JLU Sport for $5000 under MSRP and they threw in a set of Rubicon wheels and tires.

If your goals are small, then you can get a lot of Rubicon take-off parts for a song on Craigslist. Complete suspension $100, rock rails $130, front bumper $100 (not 3 piece but comes with the skid plate)

I’ve seen people go as big as 34x10.5/17 (33.5” nominal) on stock wheels and a budget boost. But I think a Rubicon is probably the better choice if you want to go bigger.
The big advantage of the Rubicon is the lockers and lower gearing. Those things are not as easy to add on a Sport/Sahara and cost a lot even if you do all the work yourself.

I totally get why buying a Rubicon makes sense, if you desire/need those things.
 

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You didn't make a mistake. a JLU is a very capable vehicle and you can mod it as you want.You can make it as capable as the Rubicon (or even more) through time.

The cool thing about a sport is that you can grow into wheeling with the vehicle itself and modify it as you progress. Or you might realize you are on the trail once a month and your jeep is on the road 99% of the time, in which case you will be very glad to have a sport.

A JL sport with a few mods should be able to take you wherever a rubicon can. You have the option to budget your mods, and actually spend way less than you would have on the rubicon, unless you go all mopar and try to copy the rubicon, then you'll end up spending more. Most of the rubi stuff is overpriced anyway and theyre crappy, like the rock sliders and bumpers on the rubicon, they suck and you can get way better ones for way less.
 

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Did I make a mistake on getting a JLU instead of a JLUR?

Rubicons cost about 10 to 15k more, it does come with some nice upgrades, but I’ve always been a believer that if I buy a Sport and make it my own then it’s just a good without the higher monthly payments. You are going to replace wheels and tire, bumpers, add quick releases, skid plates, etc... to upgrade either Jeep. I agree if you don’t plan on doing those upgrades and want to off road, buy the Rubicon. Now, that I am in the stages of updating my sport, I keep being told you should have gotten a Rubicon and I keep asking myself why? Did I make a mistake?
I have a rubicon and I don’t think you made a mistake. It’s all a matter of personal preference. The greatest thing about owning a Jeep is making it for own!
 

Chocolate Thunder

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This whole argument is kind of silly. I’m trying to imagine a Porsche 911 Carrera owner asking if he made a mistake in not buying a 911 GT3. Of course you don’t “need” a GT3. But if you want the the additional 130 HP and .6 seconds of 0-60 time that comes along with them and are willing to pay the extra $50K, why not? Who wouldn’t want more power, handling, and braking in a sports car? Anyone? Every 911 has more performance than most drivers have ability, so by some of your logic it’d be silly to pay for anything more than the base model, right? Yet Porsche sells as many GT3s as they can build. Just like Jeep sells as many Rubicons as they can build.
 

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fat_head

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This whole argument is kind of silly. I’m trying to imagine a Porsche 911 Carrera owner asking if he made a mistake in not buying a 911 GT3. Of course you don’t “need” a GT3. But if you want the the additional 130 HP and .6 seconds of 0-60 time that comes along with them and are willing to pay the extra $50K, why not? Who wouldn’t want more power, handling, and braking in a sports car? Anyone? Every 911 has more performance than most drivers have ability, so by some of your logic it’d be silly to pay for anything more than the base model, right? Yet Porsche sells as many GT3s as they can build. Just like Jeep sells as many Rubicons as they can build.
Wasting money on stuff you don't need isn't for everyone.
 

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Wasting money on stuff you don't need isn't for everyone.
For the overwhelmingly vast majority of us (definitely for myself), we don’t need a super capable 4WD vehicle at all. We buy Jeeps because we want them. There’s the exception for people who live or work in off grid inaccessible areas. But that’s only a few of us. My Jeep is recreational. I could drive any reliable vehicle for my needs.

And if I enjoy it, how is it a waste of money?
 

RalphC

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The big advantage of the Rubicon is the lockers and lower gearing. Those things are not as easy to add on a Sport/Sahara and cost a lot even if you do all the work yourself.

I totally get why buying a Rubicon makes sense, if you desire/need those things.
Agreed. Although lockers are easy to add, along with a small gearing change (R&P). It just costs some of that money you saved.

I just priced a Rubicon equipped like my Sport at $47385. Given the waiting lists, dealers ask over sticker. I got my Sport for $34000 with Rubicon wheels and tires. The savings can be big.

My buddies JKU Sahara with 34s, 3” lift, 4.56 gears with a rear ARB has never been outdone by a stock JKUR or JLUR. But if a Rubicon owner invested that $5000 (or less) then he’d probably be at a point where it’d be cost prohibitive to have not started with a Rubicon in the first place if you wanted to keep up.

Just my observation, your experiences may suggest different.
 

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Wasting money on stuff you don't need isn't for everyone.
Let's be honest here- the majority of us wasted money on stuff we don't need- We're on a Jeep forum. Nobody NEEDED a Wrangler- even the people who need to get into the back country for work, or whatever- I'm pretty sure there are other 4wd platforms or alternatives that would make a way more practical choice for whatever given purpose you supposedly "need" a Wrangler- so by that logic- you wasted money too.

For the overwhelmingly vast majority of us (definitely for myself), we don’t need a super capable 4WD vehicle at all. We buy Jeeps because we want them. There’s the exception for people who live or work in off grid inaccessible areas. But that’s only a few of us. My Jeep is recreational. I could drive any reliable vehicle for my needs.

And if I enjoy it, how is it a waste of money?
And THIS is the point. I WANTED a Rubicon. Plain and simple.
I started with my TJ sport in '03. Put way too much money and time into that thing, as much as I loved every second of it. My next Jeep was an '04 Rubicon I bought a decade later. It was even more fun, and closer to what I ultimately wanted my Sport to be, but with a kid on the way, and rapidly needing repairs/ upgrades, I wanted more room, and something more reliable than an ailing 15 year old Jeep with 120k on it. The overall cost of leasing (adding another vehicle to our insurance, the monthly payment, etc), or buying another vehicle (still adding it to insurance, still having a monthly payment) or buying a trailer and tow rig was asinine at this phase in life. So I traded the 04 Rubi on my '19 JLUR- because I knew what I was going to use my Jeep for: Daily driving, road trips, and off roading. I like rocks, and technical trails. The lower range in the Rubi case had proven invaluable before, and with all the technological upgrades to the JL (Electric lockers, new axles, both stronger than the TJ variants) this Jeep would get me farther down the trail with less money and more up time/ enjoyment than my old TJ ever would.

To answer OP's question: Did you make a mistake? If you enjoy your Jeep at all, the answer is no. If you're asking in terms of the cost vs. use cases over time? You'll only be able to tell after you fully figure out how you want to use your Jeep, and that can take some time. I know a couple who bought a JK Sahara, and put probably 30k into mods over the last 2-3 years. When they started, it was on 35's with a winch and was able to keep up with my '04 Rubi on 33's. They said last season "Man, if I had known how much I'd be into this, We would have skipped the Sahara and went with the Rubicon. Would have cut the cost of axles/ lockers, trusses, etc right out." Likewise, My best friend, the late great Hooligan said the same thing: "Man, if I had known how much I was going to get into off roading, I would have opted for the Rubicon package and not the stupid chrome grille and nerf bars and all that junk. Would have saved me the cost of lockers and slip yoke eliminator (TJ/LJ's needed that), I would have a stronger front axle and that low gear for the rocks". Keep in mind, both of these statements were made at least 3-4 years into the ownership of their respective Jeeps. Should you trade your non-Rubicon for a Rubicon? Probably not, but do the math. My other friend traded his 2012 JKU Sport on a 2016 JKU Rubi Hardrock because his payment wouldn't have changed, and he'd be getting more Jeep for the money. Likewise, he said he wouldn't have to keep passing on trail rides when we invited him. The Irony? He still hasn't been out with us. That said, now that I have a stock, expensive Jeep, I'm hoping I can lure him out. Way less intimidating when your buddy has a newer, more expensive version of your Jeep and he's willing to try the dumb stuff first. But I might be biased.
 

RubiSc0tt

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It boils down to this ugly fact: If you don't "need" 4:1 and lockers f/r....you aren't wheeling very tough trails for the most part and you are certainly taking the bypasses.

If you have a Rubicon and you don't actually have to use those components, you really didn't "need" a Rubicon.

In truth, you'll know if you should have bought a Rubicon by the aforementioned scenarios.

And yes, you can build a lesser equipped model up to a Rubicon, but it's doubtful you're going to save much money at all doing so.
Bingo. And can confirm: You won't really save money in the long run. We tallied up the money that my buddy and regular co-conspirator/ enabler Bobby, has into his TJ one day (35's, Clayton Long Arm, Wagoneer D44's, Atlas Twin stick, Winch, Skidplates, upgraded headlights, full cage,, Detroits front and rear) and came to the conclusion that, for the amount he actually gets to drive it- he might have been better off dumping this Jeep and going with a JK or JL Rubicon he can drive around every day with a small lift and a winch.
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