I went from Rubicon to Sport. AMA

[Uhdinator]

I went from a 2003 Rubi auto with LSD, no Elect Disco no trac control, to a Sport with HT window tint and AC. Not disappointed. Never needed used the lockers much. The BLD works nicely with some practice. Have gone same places the Rubicon would go. Clearance is about the same with 2.5 OME lift on the TJ and 2" spacer's on the Sport. The JL drive train is tucked up in the frame more than the TJ. The interior is much nicer on the JL as well and the JL has more fender well space.

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[Capricorn]

I went from a 2003 Rubi auto with LSD, no Elect Disco no trac control, to a Sport with HT window tint and AC. Not disappointed. Never needed used the lockers much. The BLD works nicely with some practice. Have gone same places the Rubicon would go. Clearance is about the same with 2.5 OME lift on the TJ and 2" spacer's on the Sport. The JL drive train is tucked up in the frame more than the TJ. The interior is much nicer on the JL as well and the JL has more fender well space.

The 17 year old TJ looks like new and in mint condition!

 

[Uhdinator]

The 17 year old TJ looks like new and in mint condition!

It had the original exhaust system still on it (though the muffler was starting to come apart along the seams), and 174,000 miles. One front u joint replaced, and new axle seals at around 100,000 miles. The windshield was changed so many times and not sealed correctly. There was a big hole where the windshield frame rusted thru from the inside above the passenger side dash Lol. Needed some rehab for a rust hole in the driver side top of fender too. But yea it held up pretty well for 17 years in Maine winter salt.

 

[theice44]

Good choice. I factory ordered mine and triple checked that it was ordered with the manual transmission. My '18 JK was my first manual transmission vehicle I bought new and I feel it was taken from me too early in an accident that was 0% my fault. It was a long wait, but I also wanted to have the 2 door bikini pearl with the dark saddle interior to make it more of a unicorn and because I like the colour combo.

 

[Wabujitsu]

I’m glad I got a Sport JL and not a Rubi. I’ve been upgrading it slowly in the 8 months I’ve had it, with the money I saved. And, as my Rubicon brothers on this site can attest to, I’ve negotiated the same obstacles they have, or tried to , without lockers. BLD and LSD have been sufficient for my skill set. If I ever get stuck, I always have my winch!

 

[Uhdinator]

I was originally shopping for a 2 dr Rubicon..........Then found a new Sport on a lot with dealer added lift, wheels, tires, lites and running boards that looked pretty sweet/beefy compared to a stock Sport. Started thinking that most of the off roading I have done, I rarely used lockers.......so maybe this will do. The last Jeep was a 2003 Rubi and I did not realize all the tech updates since then on JK's and JL's. Was pleasantly surprised when I discovered my Sport had this new thing called BLD and it has worked fine for me so far. The 8 speed Auto is nice. My first YJ and many base models never even came with tow hooks on them. When you come from 30 years of owning Wranglers the JL Sport offers a lot for a base model. Its all about perspective. I think the JL is much nicer in many ways than the First year Rubicon I had so going Sport instead of Rubicon was still quite an upgrade from that.

 

[LIVESTRONG]

Thanks for sharing your story - this is one of my favorite builds on here. It is just perfect - so clean! I'm not normally crazy about silver wheels, but those Mopars are absolutely PERFECT! Love it!

 

[JL Fan]

I loved the Rubi. Drove a Rubi 2L 4 banger...awesome. Paired with an 8spd, obvi. It felt much quicker than the 3.6 L. But went with the Sport S, 3.6 L with 6 sp b/c as much as I loved the Rubi, I’d never use it’s OR capability. Also, Rubi is $52K?!! The fact is all Wranglers are extraordinarily capable. And a Sport was plenty. But I needed a/c, so I had to add the “S.” I go off-pavement, sometimes...but never rock crawling. My Jeep is a DD...can’t afford (time or money) costly repairs. But i did immediately added 34” Nitto Terra Grapplers. And I knew I was going to customize it. Gonna add an exhaust and maybe a CAI next. Bottom line is I love what I got. I also love Rubi’s, but my Jeep fits me. Glad you got what you want. That’s all that matters. Enjoy it!!!

 

[Wabujitsu]

I loved the Rubi. Drove a Rubi 2L 4 banger...awesome. Paired with an 8spd, obvi. It felt much quicker than the 3.6 L. But went with the Sport S, 3.6 L with 6 sp b/c as much as I loved the Rubi, I’d never use it’s OR capability. Also, Rubi is $52K?!! The fact is all Wranglers are extraordinarily capable. And a Sport was plenty. But I needed a/c, so I had to add the “S.” I go off-pavement, sometimes...but never rock crawling. My Jeep is a DD...can’t afford (time or money) costly repairs. But i did immediately added 34” Nitto Terra Grapplers. And I knew I was going to customize it. Gonna add an exhaust and maybe a CAI next. Bottom line is I love what I got. I also love Rubi’s, but my Jeep fits me. Glad you got what you want. That’s all that matters. Enjoy it!!!

That’s so weird to me down here in FL. I have a Sport with AC, LSD, and a few other things. FCA does not sell ANY Jeep down here without AC. You don’t have to ask for that option. Attached is my window sticker. It shows AC as a standard feature, not optional. By the way, don’t pay much attention to the MSRP; I got it last year in July for 21% off MSRP.

 

[mgroeger]

I love those wheels haven’t seen them before

Brett

Look like Jeep is taking a page from AEV's book... lol.

 

[Gringostarr]

I've also gone from a Rubicon to a Sport S.

Rubicon was a 2004 TJ, dark blue. Only mods I did were a 2.5" suspension lift, quick disconnect, and 33" tires.

Picked up my 2020 JLU Sport S Diesel (also dark blue) 3 weeks ago. Yes the Diesel is an expensive add, but the only things a Rubicon would have upgraded past what the Diesel option gives you is the lockers, sway bar disconnect, lift, and armor.

I maybe used the lockers on my Rubicon 5 times total, and all 5 I could have gotten by with just engaging my brain without them so didn't see the need to get it this time around. The armor is easy as hell to install over a weekend as well as a quick disconnect should I want one. As for the lift, I honestly don't see myself doing anything but a leveling kit since I'm planning on only mounting 295/70/17's which will fit under the stock suspension just fine.

 

[future ocean blue]

That’s so weird to me down here in FL. I have a Sport with AC, LSD, and a few other things. FCA does not sell ANY Jeep down here without AC. You don’t have to ask for that option. Attached is my window sticker. It shows AC as a standard feature, not optional. By the way, don’t pay much attention to the MSRP; I got it last year in July for 21% off MSRP.

Yours is an unlimited wrangler. The 2 door sport does not come standard with a/c. You have to add a/c to the base sport 2 door. Guessing they figure most will just upgrade to the sport S at that point due to the cost difference. Then you can add even more options and make that $30k wrangler a $35k wrangler. lol

 

[lordcon]

My last Jeep was a '14 JKU Rubicon I bought off the lot. Didn't want the soft top, had to pay extra $$$ down the road to swap to hard top. This time I did a custom order for a JLU Sport with the exact options I wanted. I went with a Sport this time because of 2 basic reasons. I used the lockers exactly 1 time during the ownership of my previous rig, and the sway bar disconnect never, so didn't need that feature. 2nd reason is the Rubicon suspension is a moot point to me since I will build my rig anyway and replace all the suspension parts.

I don't do anything crazy in the offroad arena that the M220 LSD in 4LO won't be able to handle.

 

[JL Fan]

Yours is an unlimited wrangler. The 2 door sport does not come standard with a/c. You have to add a/c to the base sport 2 door. Guessing they figure most will just upgrade to the sport S at that point due to the cost difference. Then you can add even more options and make that $30k wrangler a $35k wrangler. lol

You're right...and I'm an idiot. HA! Actually, I didn't realize that the options would be different from JL to JLU. I went to the dealership to get a 2-door. But came away with a 4-door because i have a fam of 4 and a dog. (still love the 2-door...such an original, nothing like it).

 

[Wabujitsu]

Yours is an unlimited wrangler. The 2 door sport does not come standard with a/c. You have to add a/c to the base sport 2 door. Guessing they figure most will just upgrade to the sport S at that point due to the cost difference. Then you can add even more options and make that $30k wrangler a $35k wrangler. lol

My “ah-ha!” moment for this morning! Thanks!

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