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Jeep Newbie - need advice on JL purchase

peter.lassen

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First off, hi, I'm Peter, I'm new to the world of Jeep Wrangler, and of course this forum. Thankful for any help anybody provides, and immediately apologetic for any and all rookie mistakes (am I posting this thread in the right group? are there FAQs I've missed? etc).

I'm ordering a new 2D Rubicon JL for adventures in NorCal and areas not far from there - Shasta, Lassen, Modoc, Klamath, and into Oregon and NW Nevada - Black Rock, Sheldon, etc. In particular, deep and dark winter capability, and deep back country. Driving as far as a vehicle can (or is allowed) to go, then hiking or cross country skiing from there. So that means ability in deep snow, narrow forest service roads, trees and rocks, but also occasional desert visits (summer or winter).

It's not intended as a commuter car in any way. This is not a "wannabe" config. In fact I'm likely to keep it stored near wilderness areas when not in use. I have other cars for commutes or easy road trips. Comfort is always a plus but not at the expense of capability.

My concern is that I don't know what I don't know. I'm not particularly sensitive on price, within reason, I want maximum capability. Here's what I think I've figured out. I'm hoping for comments on things to add or remove, insights on what to buy stock and what to do after market:

* 2D over 4D: the 2D has quite a bit of storage, and if not enough, you can always hitch a trailer. The 4D has distinctly worse tight trail or terrain handling.

* Rubicon over Sport or any other trip: you want the 44 Dana front axles and tru-lok.

* Manual transmission for control.

* 2 inch lift and 35 inch tires.

* Skip (stock) steel bumper upgrade, get an aftermarket with winch, as well as roof cage

* White color because that looks cool in winter.

* Black Freedom Top 3-piece hard top, and hard top headliner

* Packages: LED lighting group, cold weather group (incl engine block heater), trailer tow and HD electrical group, electronic infotainment system group, active safety group

* minor stuff: all weather floor mats, remote proximity keyless entry, uconnect 4C nav, alpine premium audio, trail rated kit

* Leather interior

Some specific questions:

* leather interior looks nice but is that impractical?
* "trail rail management system" - do i need that?

Current MSRP comes in at $46,565 per Jeep build site.

Again, thanks in advance, apologies in advance, and any and all commentary (or flaming) is welcome.
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Hi Peter,

Welcome to Jeep.... sounds like a fine configuration. Based on what you’ve given 2d Rubicon sounds like a winner.

Leather seats is a personal opinion, all Jeeps I’ve owned had cloth and it was just fine go trail use. I may suggest investing in seat covers... my one learned lesson when covered in mud and while raining. Easy to strip off and clean.

Good luck with purchase.
 

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I would argue black over white. Black will aborb heat better and help the system maintain cabin temperature. In the grand scheme of things, though, not a huge deal.
 
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peter.lassen

peter.lassen

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I would argue black over white. Black will aborb heat better and help the system maintain cabin temperature. In the grand scheme of things, though, not a huge deal.
Thank you for your comment. I was thinking a bit about that, and I don't think you're entirely correct. Black transmits heat better, which means it heats up faster, that part is true. But white retains heat better, given the same starting point. That means that on a cold winter night, once the stored heat from the day has dissipated (which it does pretty quickly), then the white will better help retain heat, e.g. from somebody sleeping in the car. Similarly during day time, setting aside the effect of the sun, white will help retain whatever specific temperature inside the cabin is desired, in either direction.

Whether or not this makes a sufficient difference on the margin is another question!
 

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peter.lassen

peter.lassen

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Hi Peter,

Welcome to Jeep.... sounds like a fine configuration. Based on what you’ve given 2d Rubicon sounds like a winner. Leather seats is a personal opinion, all Jeeps I’ve owned had cloth and it was just fine go trail use. I may suggest investing in seat covers... my one learned lesson when covered in mud and while raining. Easy to strip off and clean.
Thank you! Great to be here. :) Also good point on seat covers. I saw people commenting on skipping leather and instead investing in high end seat covers, and also that leather benefits from proactively taking care of - which is something i'm never very good at. It's a definite unnecessary luxury item. But they look so nice ... and i should definitely cover them up when i actually use the Jeep for what it's intended for :)
 

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Get the roof liners. They will help with heat retention, too.

Edit: just noticed you listed the headliner, already. My bad. Carry on...
 
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I would argue black over white. Black will aborb heat better and help the system maintain cabin temperature. In the grand scheme of things, though, not a huge deal.
I would vote White or Silver over Black, just for hiding any trail striping from brush and trees. Although, Black looks simply amazing when clean.
 

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Thank you for your comment. I was thinking a bit about that, and I don't think you're entirely correct. Black transmits heat better, which means it heats up faster, that part is true. But white retains heat better, given the same starting point. That means that on a cold winter night, once the stored heat from the day has dissipated (which it does pretty quickly), then the white will better help retain heat, e.g. from somebody sleeping in the car. Similarly during day time, setting aside the effect of the sun, white will help retain whatever specific temperature inside the cabin is desired, in either direction.

Whether or not this makes a sufficient difference on the margin is another question!
Just because I can be the devil’s advocate, you stated you were interested in the black hard top, which happens to be white on the inside except the areas that will be covered with the black headliners, so...I don’t know what all that equates to as far as heat retention in the cabin goes, but I’m guessing not enough to matter one way or another. I just thought that was a funny observation.
 

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peter.lassen

peter.lassen

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Just because I can be the devil’s advocate, you stated you were interested in the black hard top, which happens to be white on the inside except the areas that will be covered with the black headliners, so...I don’t know what all that equates to as far as heat retention in the cabin goes, but I’m guessing not enough to matter one way or another. I just thought that was a funny observation.
Yes you are right and that did occur to me when I was writing the response! And I totally respect the knee jerk devil's advocate impulse, I'm a big fan of that. I considered the impact, but I think overall it's very minor given that I'm getting the insulated liners.
 

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Based on your original post and some comments and your reactions to it, I’d say maybe reconsider JLU over JL ?
Cause first you’ll be able to sleep in JLU (more comfortably than in your 2d), and 2nd I’d rather have a longer wheel base and lose on some angles, than having to tow a trailer on some trails... width is the same for 4 and 2 doors, but if you have to go reverse or climb steep enough hills that the angles are an issue, I’d say the trailer might be a bigger one then. But just a matter of how often you’ll be needing to haul lots of stuff or sleep in your jeep I guess, and only you can tell :)
 

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I've had two door Jeeps and four doors. Both have their tradeoffs. Is the 2 door easier to maneuver and turn? Yes. Have I ever not been able to follow a 2 door due to this? Nope, it may take me a couple of extra points of the turn, but I got there too. As far as capability, a lot of things are easier in a 4 door. Steep, technical climbs tend to be ridiculously easy compared to the same thing in a two door due to the longer wheelbase. Also, if you NEED more room for gear and end up with a trailer, a 4 door is then way more maneuverable than the 2 door with a trailer...
 
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peter.lassen

peter.lassen

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Based on your original post and some comments and your reactions to it, I’d say maybe reconsider JLU over JL ?
Cause first you’ll be able to sleep in JLU (more comfortably than in your 2d), and 2nd I’d rather have a longer wheel base and lose on some angles, than having to tow a trailer on some trails... width is the same for 4 and 2 doors, but if you have to go reverse or climb steep enough hills that the angles are an issue, I’d say the trailer might be a bigger one then. But just a matter of how often you’ll be needing to haul lots of stuff or sleep in your jeep I guess, and only you can tell :)
Ugh, you’re making good arguments here ... really torn on this one.
 

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In particular, deep and dark winter capability, and deep back country. Driving as far as a vehicle can (or is allowed) to go, then hiking or cross country skiing from there. So that means ability in deep snow, narrow forest service roads, trees and rocks, but also occasional desert visits (summer or winter).
From this I get you're (most likely) going to carry a bit of gear - hiking gear, skiing gear, etc. I don't know that it won't all fit in a 2D, but I do know it would all fit in a 4D better. As others have also mentioned - sleeping in a 4D (driving out real early, catching a nap before hiking, or return late-evening) is more possible in a 4D without looking like a pretzel.

* Manual transmission for control.
this is true, but also partly preference. I don't think an auto is "not as capable"; if you get into something where you need to manually shift you can push the gearshift left into 'manual mode' and force it to stay in a gear. Don't get me wrong I think a manual (or auto) is a great choice - but I wouldn't make that choice based on the perception of losing capability if going with an auto

* White color because that looks cool in winter.
color is all about personal preference. If you're sleeping / trying to stay warm in a vehicle, relying on the color to do it for you is a bad plan. A small cheap heater (and well ventilated windows) would do the trick. Pick a color you like; if that's white (nice choice - lot of contrast with white / black) then roll with that. But I wouldn't rely on vehicle color to warm or cool a vehicle very long. And if it's running it's not an issue.

are you going with the Mopar lift on purchase? I've contemplated it, the review videos seem to speak well about it.

good luck on your purchase decisions!
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