Digging The Gladiator, Am I Nuts?

[Murphy Slaw]

Our JL is our daily/trip machine now. I still have a 2016 Ram Bighorn 5.7 Crew 4x4. It’s been a perfect truck. I’m a redneck, builder, landowner, lawnmower and builder of fences and sheds and am the old man handyman for family and friends.

My Ram just broke 100K, no ticks, no problems, but the years and miles are making me wonder if it’s time to start thinking.

I ran a Toyota SR5 (94, the last year before the Tacoma) 2 door 2wd for 13 years before it fell apart, so I think I could work with the smaller bed and size. Plus I’m getting up there in years, myself.

Maybe I’m just nuts…

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[JeepinPete]

Not much different than a Wrangler as far as reliability, handling, etc. Seem to be well like by those that found a good example. That being said, a paid for vehicle with known history is nothing to scoff at. And the 5.7/ZF combo should be good for 200k.

 

[Whaler27]

Only you know whether the reduced bed size and other deficits will become an irritant with time. From where I sit, keeping the wrangler and adding a small utility trailer achieves about 95% of Gladiator functionality…

My wife had a Tacoma for a while. It was a trouble free vehicle, but it did nothing that I need a truck to do. Years later, I bought a Raptor, which we both loved for six years. It was great fun to drive and extremely comfortable but, again, not great at truck stuff, like carrying loads or towing the occasional moderately heavy trailer. I added a Yakima Overhaul rack, so we could carry some lumber, kayaks, and sprinkler pipe, but I still had truck projects that required more truck, so I eventually went back to a full-size truck. There are times when I might wish my truck was smaller, but now I always have enough truck for the job.

 

[jeepnodyarg]

Paid for is super nice, but see what Jeep will give you on trade in. They have a surplus of gladiators they are begging to get rid of. If the terms are not favorable to you, you can walk away.

 

[WXman]

I loved both of my Gladiators, and if the leasing deals were the same on them two months ago as the Wrangler I would have brought home another Gladiator. There is nothing a Wrangler can do that a Gladiator can't, but there's a LOT a Gladiator can do that a Wrangler can't.

While I love both JLs ad JTs and I've had a couple of each, the JT is a more useful overall Jeep to me. I haul and tow throughout the year and found the JT to actually be an excellent pickup truck. Since the rear half of the Gladiator is taken from the Ram 1500, I was able to swap some suspension bits over to my Gladiator that I had kept from my 2020 Ram 1500 which was also nice.

 

[3TV]

We have both a Gladiator and a Ram 3500 dually. The Ram carries a large slide in camper while towing the Jeep on a trailer. Or it tows a 40' fifth wheel toy hauler. Other than that, it sits in the driveway, almost never being used. It is two years old and has 4,000 miles on it. Our Gladiator gets used all the time, doing both Jeep trails and pickup truck chores. We use it for pickup truck chores far more than the Ram. The Gladiator is 3 years old and has 28,000 miles on it. Both have been 100% trouble free. I definitely enjoy driving the Gladiator more than the Ram.

For your described use I would choose the Gladiator.

 

[jadmt]

I loved both of my Gladiators, and if the leasing deals were the same on them two months ago as the Wrangler I would have brought home another Gladiator. There is nothing a Wrangler can do that a Gladiator can't, but there's a LOT a Gladiator can do that a Wrangler can't.

While I love both JLs ad JTs and I've had a couple of each, the JT is a more useful overall Jeep to me. I haul and tow throughout the year and found the JT to actually be an excellent pickup truck. Since the rear half of the Gladiator is taken from the Ram 1500, I was able to swap some suspension bits over to my Gladiator that I had kept from my 2020 Ram 1500 which was also nice.

maybe with a bit of money invested, but a stock rubicon wrangler is going to get places a stock gladiator rubicon is not going to get...

 

[WXman]

maybe with a bit of money invested, but a stock rubicon wrangler is going to get places a stock gladiator rubicon is not going to get...

I have personally seen it both ways. But what I have seen more often than not is that the longer wheelbase of the Gladiator actually makes it more stable and capable of steep rocky hill climbs and rough terrain.

 

[3TV]

For off-road use I have found that a 2-door JLR on 35s = a 4-door JLUR on 38s = a JTR on 40s.

A 2-door JLR can easily run 35s stock.

A 4-door JLUR requires significant mods to run 38s

A JTR requires extensive mods to run 40s.

They can all be equally capable, but the cost to get them there is very different.

 

[m3reno]

I ran my 09 Ram for 350,000 miles before the engine gave out. You're pretty much trouble free until the 175,000 mile range. I'm in construction also and the Gladiator just won't cut it. Even with the sliding glass you'll have issues carrying any material longer than 8'.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

a paid for vehicle with known history is nothing to scoff at. And the 5.7/ZF combo should be good for 200k.

It’s hard to argue with common sense…

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