Does nobody love bare bones Jeeps anymore?!

[Ronin]

Decided on a Willys Sport Unlimited because I wanted a utilitarian off road vehicle rather than a Jeep loaded with unecessary (for me) comfort/convenience features. All I needed was A/C and standard cruise control.

I do like the performance upgrades of the Rubicon, but unfortunately, those aren't available without all the other "stuff" like power windows and locks. A Rubicon Sport would be nearly perfect for my use. Oh well, lucky we have such an awesome aftermarket.

All of my "street" vehicles are/were loaded models, though...

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[Jebiruph]

I'm with you. Crank windows, manual locks and mirrors, then you don't have to play around with that door harness. The only option on my Rubicon was proximity locks, which I like. The dealer said "we always order some base versions because we know people are going to modify them anyway."

Even the fully manual doors have a harness for that light that no one can see by the arm rest and probably the door switch too.

 

[mtu1293]

Just me?!

I've had some higher end Jeeps but it seems like everyone loves the Sport S and above now a days lol. I currently have a '18 2dr Sport in Punk'n and a 2dr Willys Sport in Snazzberry on order. I love bare bones Jeeps... crank windows, manual locks, soft top and manual! Who is with me?

lol - that's no bare bones, you have a top, doors, etc
Now my 46 3A, that's bout as bare bones as you can get.
No electronic ignition, no seat belts, no doors, no roll bar, rolling death on wheels and it is awesome. Now to just get er out of storage and start restoring it...……..

 

[iznthesky]

I also have a TJ that I drive daily...it’s bare bones basic and I love it. I also love my loaded Rubicon.
If I could have ordered a JL with bare bones......and locking Differentials...that’s what I would have purchased.

No need for electric window........Really, who is constantly rolling their windows up and down so much that they need electric windows ?
Matter of fact my first Jeep....doors and top were an option to purchase.
Is pushing a “lock” button so difficult that you need to make it power?

whats the need for power mirrors ? Once you have your mirrors adjusted you not moving them again.

power seats.....same thing....who is constantly moving their seat ?

YES....If I could get a bare bones Jeep.....with lockers .....
and without any of the electronic accessories....I would buy one.

make mine a 3.6, manual 6 spd transmission, analog gauges, manual locking front hubs, non-power: seats, windows or mirrors. Soft top
Soft doors, No infotainment....just manual heat and vents

yes count me in on the bare bones......but gotta have lockers.

 

[Hayseed_JLUR]

You mean that you expect me to manually roll down my window for my Starbucks drivethrough?

 

[EugenesAJeep]

Just me?!

I've had some higher end Jeeps but it seems like everyone loves the Sport S and above now a days lol. I currently have a '18 2dr Sport in Punk'n and a 2dr Willys Sport in Snazzberry on order. I love bare bones Jeeps... crank windows, manual locks, soft top and manual! Who is with me?

After paying to replace window motors on past cars, I don’t mind winding em down when needed. But tell me you have air conditioning?

 

[EugenesAJeep]

I have always been into barebones Jeeps and my current JK is a Willys "K" model - similar to the JL Willys sport. So, it has roll down windows, manual locks. Also, manual trans. However, I have been gradually getting to like more of the creature comforts. I also, am getting sick of unlocking the back doors for the kids to get in. Over time, I went from 2 door no-option soft top jeeps, to 4 door(when I had kids) and then to hardtop 4 door.
Now with my JL - I ordered a 4 door Rubicon with hard top. Still will have manual trans, but now it will have power locks/windows/mirrors. I even added cold weather group with heated seats/steering wheel.
Having said that, as I wait for my order to build, at least once a week I think that I should have just gotten a base sport or Willys Sport, maybe even a 2 door... Would save money and get the real Jeep experience.

You still have plenty of time, Jeep will be around for a while.

 

[wibornz]

I also have a TJ that I drive daily...it’s bare bones basic and I love it. I also love my loaded Rubicon.
If I could have ordered a JL with bare bones......and locking Differentials...that’s what I would have purchased.

No need for electric window........Really, who is constantly rolling their windows up and down so much that they need electric windows ?
Matter of fact my first Jeep....doors and top were an option to purchase.
Is pushing a “lock” button so difficult that you need to make it power?

whats the need for power mirrors ? Once you have your mirrors adjusted you not moving them again.

power seats.....same thing....who is constantly moving their seat ?

YES....If I could get a bare bones Jeep.....with lockers .....
and without any of the electronic accessories....I would buy one.

make mine a 3.6, manual 6 spd transmission, analog gauges, manual locking front hubs, non-power: seats, windows or mirrors. Soft top
Soft doors, No infotainment....just manual heat and vents

yes count me in on the bare bones......but gotta have lockers.

No need for electric window........Really, who is constantly rolling their windows up and down so much that they need electric windows ?

That would be me. Heck I open and close my Bestop Sunrider about 15+ times a day. With out Power windows my routine would be open the Sunrider, park the Jeep get out open the back doors and partially open each rear window, get back in the Jeep, put the front windows down. Fuck it's Michigan and the weather changes every five fucking minutes. Wake up to snow, then 60 degree by noon. and 12 degrees at 3 in the afternoon. Also at my age, my wife will be hot flashing. Freezing one moment, overheating the inside of the Jeep the next moment. Power windows are a necessity for this guy.

Must not have any of the BRO ham trucks around you. bright lights blinding you in the mirrors. just a simple adjuestment of the mirrors, saves me from getting out the Jeep and busting the headlights out of the BRO ham trucks.

Not that my wife drives the JLUR often on the road, but our car has two preset you can program for the seats. It is so nice to jump into the car and click a button and the seat adjust to exactly the way you like it. Would love this in the Jeep. My wife drives most of the difficult obstacles on the trail while I spot our groups through the obstacles. I go to jump back into the drivers seat, and then slide the seat back, then lower the seat, then adjust the back rest. My struggle is real after the 15th time in one day.

Also, I test drove a JLUR with a manual..... FUCK THAT. I have had many manual vehicles over the year and by and large love driving manuals. Just spend some time on a ZX10 ninja over the weekend. 14,000 rpm redline, about 103 mph in first gear. That is my kind of manual. I think I shifted the JLUR with the manual about 50 times in ten miles. It seemed like that was I was doing. I would never be able to drink coffee while driving the manual. The auto saved at least 30,000 people lives this year because I was able to drink coffee while driving. No coffee, no tolerance, people would die from my own hands.

Yup I think you can go bare bones because your weather is just better than what I get.

 

[SolarWizard]

I made it across the rubicon trail pretty much unscathed in my 98 TJ Sahara. Power windows and doors weren’t even available back then, nor were lockers. 5 speed and some crafty 3 pedal driving along with a 2” lift and 33/9.50R15 bfg mts

back then it seemed like 35” tires were hardcore hA

 

[CaJLMetalHead]

Benw711 question for you since it seems you omitted it on your original post.. why do you love a barebones Jeep JL ?? .. we all seemed to have jumped to replying about creature comforts and technology and such... but the simple original question why loving a barebones rig, motorcycle, RV , etc. has a deeper meaning for any of us.. and here is my take:

I bought a barebones Sport JLU... . why? because I am budget-conscious (A.K.A. a cheap bastard LOL ) ... I love barebones anything because is way cheaper.. and then I can add what I really need.. for example.. I don't care for electric windows .. but as my JL gets taller is making it almost impossible to unlock my rear windows .. so I will add power door locks eventually .. also.. I don't care for fancy infotainment and fancy audio ... so why pay extra for it?.. to summarize I love barebones for the budget-conscious aspect of it... Imagine if you could only get JLs as fully loaded options?

Other people might love barebones Jeep Wranglers because of the nostalgic value... or because they are brutally anti-technology... or don't care for the fancy stuff... or are budget conscious .. or they are not sure they are going to keep their rig... etc...

Your take???

 

[SirMagnus89]

Just me?!

I've had some higher end Jeeps but it seems like everyone loves the Sport S and above now a days lol. I currently have a '18 2dr Sport in Punk'n and a 2dr Willys Sport in Snazzberry on order. I love bare bones Jeeps... crank windows, manual locks, soft top and manual! Who is with me?

THIS GUY!!!

Mine is an 18, with manual everything. The only options i have are AC and the Deep Tint Windows (I would have opted out of AC but it was already on it.) I am a firm believer of "Wranglers should be as simple as possible."

 

[geem03]

Bare bones all the way..... only perk was hardtop.....

Now I'm not saying it stayed that way!!!!

Made her my own.....

 

[S2k Chris]

I like creature comforts (PW/PL, heated seats/wheel, good stereo) but don’t like a lot of driver aids. So I spec’d my Jeep accordingly.

I do wonder how many people have had to pay to fix broken power windows on a vehicle made in the last, I dunno, 20 years? In more than 20 years of driving and probably a half million miles, often on cars with 100k+ miles, I’ve never had a power window failure. It isn’t really a significant problem these days.

 

[txj2go]

I do wonder how many people have had to pay to fix broken power windows on a vehicle made in the last, I dunno, 20 years?

I've owned my Cadillac for 10 years, no problems with any of the power windows. My wife had a 1999 Grand Cherokee- I replaced 3 of the 4 window motors on that one.

 

[Heimkehr]

I do wonder how many people have had to pay to fix broken power windows on a vehicle made in the last, I dunno, 20 years?

My neighbor, last month. I assisted with the repair.

The esoteric parts were shipped fast by Rock Auto. We also found a related YouTube video on the repair that wasn't made by a rube using a clickbait title. A good day.

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