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

gotime4

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We had a sport s JL, sold it 4 months ago and just bought an ocean blue rubicon yesterday. I would say yes, but to each their own.
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Gropax

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yea but i got my Sport S 24s package with tech group, cold group, safety group, convenience group, and a mopar lift kit all for 36,900. that is way below the price of a Rubicon and the money i saved i put into new tires and wheels just a few weeks after i bought it. now my Sport s did have a MSRP of 45,400 before i got them to lower the price.
 

Bryce

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yea but i got my Sport S 24s package with tech group, cold group, safety group, convenience group, and a mopar lift kit all for 36,900. that is way below the price of a Rubicon and the money i saved i put into new tires and wheels just a few weeks after i bought it. now my Sport s did have a MSRP of 45,400 before i got them to lower the price.
Nobody pays full price. I surely didn't pay sticker price for my JLUR. Similar to what Sean K. said, it's a base line for comparison.
 

stil2low

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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.
Somewhat disagree with the first part. Location has a big role on the need part I find. If I was down south, Moab for example rubicon all the way with the 4:1 locked front and rear bit up here, especially as a daily locked front, limited slip rear and sport 2.72.1 case is perfect. We have the unfortunate trails that have mud and require wheel speed to get through so your forever in and out of 4lo. My brother has a Rubi JT and gets the joy of that. After one trail, his t case is smooth as butter now tho! Hahaha

Each are definitely capable rigs and shine in their own light. I’ve got a sport and don’t take the bypasses, unless it’s deep water involved. Swamped my JK last fall due to a failed crank seal and still have a bit of PTSD from it lol
 

Remmy

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I have a 19' Rubicon and I've engaged the lockers probably 40 times already. Sometimes Rear only and during those Oh S$%# moments front and rear. I'm also able to run an aggressive 37" tire and the axles are holding up great, even though it's wheeled hard. Last weekend I spun out at the top of a mountain and had to back down a pretty intense slope. Hit it again with more speed and RPMs and we scratched and clawed to the summit. All while locked up and aired down to 11 PSI.

There is no doubt that the Rubicon is set-up from the factory. Gearing, Transfer Case, Brakes, Lockers, SB Disconnect exc. For my purposes I use it. In fact I've still had to winch on multiple occasions. Some of these comments are comical to say the least.

Not everyone needs a Rubicon, I get that but to those with Rubi envy, maybe quit talking crap.
 

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Thill444

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It just comes down to how much off-roading you do and how difficult the trails are. The rest of this is just silly. No doubt for the people who like to off-road the Rubicon is really the way to go.

No doubt. For people who don’t off-road much at all but just want the Rubicon because they want the Rubicon, I got zero issue with that too. It’s your money.

The only people I think are silly are the ones that buy a Rubicon and then throw 20”+ wheels on it. But again, it’s not my money.
 

stil2low

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Sorry, that argument doesn't wash. The JL has a 6 speed MT or 8 spd. AT. The AT has a manual mode. You can simply upshift if you need more wheel speed. And the AT doesn't even start in 1st gear unless you have it in manual mode anyway.
Mine and my brothers Rubi will start 1st gear in auto all the time, and yes you can up shift to gain a better wheel speed obviously but it is a lot more limited with the 4:1
Just saying my experience wheeling up here that 4:1 is often too low. Not bashing a Rubi or anything, just saying up here a good set of tires, line choice and wheel speed when it’s muddy will get you places you need to be:like:
 

Hitthegopedal

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It all comes down to what kind of owner you are. I know plenty of folks who drive stock sports that love it because it's "a jeep". Me? I can't leave stuff alone, I need to get anything I drive the way I like it, and I guess I'm more of an enthusiast than say a hardcore offroader that wants a no-frills trail monster. I want the capability to have fun with it offroad, get the look and feel I want, have confidence in my parts, and stick out so I've been down the road of the high-dollar upgrade process once or twice. I never owned a Rubicon until now.

Honestly, with my TJs and JK I played the "I can't make my sport even better for cheaper" game. Made that argument all the time and I'm not sure how right I was. Truth is, yes, you absolutely can make it comparable and/or better, but the latter "cheaper" part isn't necessarily true without a lot of effort. One caveat though is that my time is worth money, and well, my money is worth money. It took a lot of time in researching and wrenching, not to mention spending to make non-rubi models comparable to the out of the box variants. Was it part of the fun? Sometimes.... other times it was just overcoming necessary hurdles. I had a ton more time then compared to now.

This time around I said "screw it" and got a loaded Rubicon that has a good baseline for what I'd like, has all the bells and whistles that I want in a new vehicle that I drive daily, and I don't find it lacking until I figure out which route I want to go with it. I could have gone with a lower model but I'd be right back where I was with the previous generations: hunting for parts or spec-ing out future purchases to be able to do what I want to do. Going all-in put me at at advantage to start where I want, which let's be honest, for the most of us is the goodies like lift, wheels, tires, and weight adding junk. Plus, the older I get the less I can drive something that doesn't feel "nice" on the interior, so it was Sahara, Moab, or Rubicon with leather for me, and the other two options still put me having to gear, so the choice wasn't that hard.
 
 



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