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JL sport not really that bad

Pig-Pen

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i got my JL Sport with the intention of putting the doors in the garage and getting some tube doors. eventually probably getting a bikini top and putting the factory soft top in storage as well. so no need for power windows/locks or any other goodies. all i needed was A/C and auto. i got the anti-slip package with the D44 rear end. this is not a DD so i dont need any of the other goodies. already picked up some rubi wheels/tires. will add some sliders/steps and probably Rubi lift down the road. maybe some other aftermarket goodies here and there.
the only other jeep that would be on my radar would be a rubicon for the extras for off roading it comes with but those are more bonus items than necessities. and for $10k more, i had to pass this time around. it was tough enough talking the mrs into spending $32k on a weekend toy (we have multiple vehicles as it is. #carguylife). now that she is in love with driving it she said she would be possibly interested in getting a rubi next time (in a few years).

the new Sports are certainly more well equipped that Sports of the past. i did a ton of research and shopping. from TJ to JK to finally JL. the base Sport has many nice, standard features now that makes them a real bargain if you dont need all the extras.
 

That One Guy

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the new Sports are certainly more well equipped that Sports of the past. i did a ton of research and shopping. from TJ to JK to finally JL. the base Sport has many nice, standard features now that makes them a real bargain if you dont need all the extras.
Word. A touchscreen stereo is standard now, as are 32" tires, push-button ignition, and a vastly improved softtop, among other things.

By my research, cruise control was not standard on late base model 2 door JKs. Cruise control!

That being said, I would find it reasonable to not skirt 2 door buyers on A/C as standard.
 

Pig-Pen

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Word. A touchscreen stereo is standard now, as are 32" tires, push-button ignition, and a vastly improved softtop, among other things.

By my research, cruise control was not standard on late base model 2 door JKs. Cruise control!

That being said, I would find it reasonable to not skirt 2 door buyers on A/C as standard.
yeah thats ridiculous that a/c isnt standard on 2 doors. i thoughts how it was on JLUs till i finally figured it out. at first i thought i was going to have to buy a Sport S to get a/c which i was not willing to spend. gotta have a/c in so cal. even with the doors off and top down. gotta have some cold air blowing on me while i sit and stew in traffic lol
 

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I ordered a 2-door JL Sport back on 6/8... I wanted as simple as possible, but with just a couple of options:

  1. hard top -- I prefer the added security of the hard top because it just might be enough to deter the casual thief and as such, that would be one less person I would have to shoot. I really don't want to have to deal with the paperwork associate with putting a criminal in his proper place after he tried to break into my vehicle.
  2. air-conditioning -- I'm in the Texas Gulf Coast area, so air-conditioning is not really an option. We don't really have a winter, so that whole cold weather package, heated seats, heated steering wheel, etc is just a waste of money.
  3. anti-spin rear differential -- Whether truly needed or not, extra traction is *good*. I had it on my Ram 1500 and noticed it kicking in a few times, so I guess it is something that I sometimes use. Of course, this also gave me the option for the all-terrain tires.

End price was $29,622
  • I actually *prefer* the manual transmission since I *hate* automatic transmissions.
  • I have no problem with manual door locks or manual windows. It's a small vehicle, so reaching over to unlock the passenger door is not that big of a deal.
  • I don't care if it has a small radio screen, I would be perfectly happy with *no* radio if the price was reduced accordingly. I'm an old fart with crappy hearing from the Navy and too many years on gun ranges and hunting without hearing protection, so I can't hear the difference between a good stereo and a poor one anyway. Besides, my taste in music is at least 10-20 years older than my wife's. My wife has *no* taste... Otherwise, why would she have married *me*? Hell, she actually liked *disco*... <blech>
  • Unfortunately, there's a lot of other things that I don't like about the new JL that those damn kiddie engineers put in the vehicle, just so that they could pad their resumes for future jobs. I ordered it anyway and I'll just continue to complain because as we used to say, "a happy sailor is a bitching sailor"... or was it the other way around... hmmm...
Now, get off my lawn, dammit!
 
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I love my sport s 4 door.
 

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What I always found was that a Sport with the A/C option ended up being so close to the price of the Sport S that it was stupid not to just go ahead and get the Sport S. That way you also have the alloy wheels, interior appointments, etc.
 

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I know it's weird (I'm AB normal) but I'd rather have a Sport S with a few bells and whistles than a stripped down Rubicon. If we were doing any serious off road that wouldn't make sense but since we are usually on forest roads the Sport S suits us just fine. We are loving it !!!!
 

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I know it's weird (I'm AB normal) but I'd rather have a Sport S with a few bells and whistles than a stripped down Rubicon. If we were doing any serious off road that wouldn't make sense but since we are usually on forest roads the Sport S suits us just fine. We are loving it !!!!
For my configuration, the Sport S model would have an MSRP of $33,830 vs $31,925 for the Sport model with the options that I considered important (air-conditioning, hard top, anti-spin rear differential). That's an extra $1905 for things that I did think that I need. It's a 2-door, so I don't think power locks and power windows are all that necessary, especially since rarely have to roll down the windows anyway. Besides, if you got the power locks, that would also give you the keyless entry and that is something I did NOT want. If I had the option, I would get rid of the keyless ignition too. And from a durability standpoint, I think the steel wheels are a better choice. And besides, the current steel wheels don't look that bad anyway.

Interestingly, the JLU Sport model comes with air-conditioning whereas the JL does not. Configuring the JLU similarly, I would get a MSRP of $34,130.
 
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citzen z

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For my configuration, the Sport S model would have an MSRP of $33,830 vs $31,925 for the Sport model with the options that I considered important (air-conditioning, hard top, anti-spin rear differential). That's an extra $1905 for things that I did think that I need. It's a 2-door, so I don't think power locks and power windows are all that necessary, especially since rarely have to roll down the windows anyway. Besides, if you got the power locks, that would also give you the keyless entry and that is something I did NOT want. If I had the option, I would get rid of the keyless ignition too. And from a durability standpoint, I think the steel wheels are a better choice. And besides, the current steel wheels don't look that bad anyway.
that is the same configuration i chose and for pretty much the same reasons. i would not mind power locks but not if i had to get power windows and more stuff i didnt want. manual locks and windows is what i grew up on anyway.
 

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NavyVet1959

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that is the same configuration i chose and for pretty much the same reasons. i would not mind power locks but not if i had to get power windows and more stuff i didnt want. manual locks and windows is what i grew up on anyway.
My wife had a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited (WJ) at one time. Bought the car brand new and she always pampered it. Pretty much as soon as the warranty ran out, the electric window controller on one side of the vehicle died and she had to pay a few hundred dollars at the stealership to get it replaced. A few weeks later, the same thing happened to the window controller for the other side of the car. I never had a problem with the power windows on my XJ though, so something changed over the 6 years between them and made it less reliable. Considering the cost of getting them fixed, the added cost of a package that includes them on a new vehicle, and my distrust of Jeep's reliability with respect to this, I figured I would simplify things and not have them. And besides, if someone *really* wanted electric windows, they could install one of those universal kits for around $50 and since you installed it, if anything ever goes wrong, you'll know how to fix it. And, if you prefer your electric window switches in the center of the dash instead of on the doors themselves, that would be entirely possible. For my own use though, I suspect that I'll just stick with the manual windows. I see electric windows to be useful for:
  1. Toll booths -- The ones that I go through are set up to use the EZPass system (basically an RFID reader), so no need to roll down the windows.
  2. Parking garages -- I seldom go somewhere that requires me to pay for parking, but if you do, being able to use a button to operate the windows to get the parking ticket could be useful.
  3. Fast food drive-thru windows -- I seldom use them since I often find it quicker to just walk inside the store.
  4. When stopped by traffic cops -- If you are getting stopped so often that you need electric windows, I think you might be having other problems and maybe you should take a close look at *why* you are being stopped so much. I'm an old fart, don't drive that many miles each year, and I am not in that much of a hurry anymore, so I just don't have many of those types of encounters.
 

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You tall guys with the base Sport and manual crank windows, does your left knee uncomfortably rest on the crank handle when driving? I have the Sport S with power windows and at 6'4'', my knee rest were the crank handle will be. Wife has fallen in love with the Hella Yella and debate ordering one and on the fence about the manual/power window thing because of my knees. Local dealer has no manual ones to check out.
 

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I know it's weird (I'm AB normal) but I'd rather have a Sport S with a few bells and whistles than a stripped down Rubicon. If we were doing any serious off road that wouldn't make sense but since we are usually on forest roads the Sport S suits us just fine. We are loving it !!!!
Well I feel the same way. Not saying anything bad about a rubicon but i like my Jeep to have a more stripped down feel. The additional plastic accents, stickers, and suped up hood are not my style. I also think the granite Sport S wheels go great with Sting-Gray and are a little more unique.
 

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You tall guys with the base Sport and manual crank windows, does your left knee uncomfortably rest on the crank handle when driving? I have the Sport S with power windows and at 6'4'', my knee rest were the crank handle will be. Wife has fallen in love with the Hella Yella and debate ordering one and on the fence about the manual/power window thing because of my knees. Local dealer has no manual ones to check out.
I noticed that when I test drove a JK. I figured the Jl would do the same. I'm hoping that it's just a case of removing the crank handle and reindexing it a a few degrees out of the way.
 

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You tall guys with the base Sport and manual crank windows, does your left knee uncomfortably rest on the crank handle when driving? I have the Sport S with power windows and at 6'4'', my knee rest were the crank handle will be. Wife has fallen in love with the Hella Yella and debate ordering one and on the fence about the manual/power window thing because of my knees. Local dealer has no manual ones to check out.
I'm 6' 1" and haven't really noticed it so I'll have to say it's not an issue for me.. I do have the 4dr though so maybe the cranks arms are in different spots on it?
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