My mind is made up and I’m 100 percent getting a wrangler. I just have one more question.

[RubiSc0tt]

For the money go with the Willys XR that way you get the lift and 35s from the factory. If you do take it offroad you'll figure out if you need more lift or lockers. A willys XR is a great place to start.

Agreed. Especially for a beginner or someone who isn't sure if they're into off roading yet.

Also, warranties are of questionable value. Pay attention to comments about denied claims over dirt/mud being found under the vehicle. Even if you haven’t had bad warranty experiences with a stock vehicle, know that there are more ways for a dealer to deny claims with a Jeep. 1 dirt road could end your factory warranty if you don’t have a decent dealer around, and economic pressure could end even that (warranty work doesn’t pay enough).
I din’t say that to scare you or out of politics. Just know it can touch you. Denied warranty claims on a $19k compact are one thing, denied claims on a $60k Wrangler can be extra infuriating. So maybe avoid it by sticking with a “low trim”.

This is 100% correct. I've had a friend who is a tech tell me something was a known issue. I brought it to a dealer and have them tell me a number of BS things, such as:
"We can't fix this"
"This is the worst vehicle I've seen in 34 years"
"There is A LOT done to this vehicle" (wrong. Electrical mods were wired to Aux switches w/ heat shrink).
it basically varies widely by dealer.

Now that that's out of the way:
I think I posted this in the other thread- I went Rubicon because I knew what I was getting into. I knew I was going to be taking it off road, and building it. I wanted to pick up where I left off with my TJ's, and even upgrade. Resale value holds better on Rubicon as well- and that's general rule of thumb because there is equipment behind the package, not just a bunch of stickers. Same could be said for Willys vs. base model sport, I suppose.

You're already doing better than most, reading and seeking advice here and not on one of the FB groups. Good gods, there are like 3000 posts a week about this and half those people have no idea Rubicon is more than stickers.

Also: You mentioned you're in NY. If you do decide to venture off road- find an organized club with people well versed in legal trails. Too many people just decide they're going to go drive whereever they can and get the wrong kind of attention from DEC/ Authorities, and that gets us all in trouble, and puts any remaining trails we have left at risk.

Which ever you decide on, go with the 8 speed auto. It's the best transmission I've driven. Avoid the manual tranmission with the exploding clutch/flywheel which has burned down many a Wrangler. Jeep has turned down any warranty claims on the clutch issue. They claim it's operator wear/error even though it's statistically established to be a defect. Someone is going to loose a leg over this.

As a manual transmission user, somewhat agree. One of the big JL groups on FB Sean P Holman (The man himself, from Motortrend and the Truck Show Podcast) as well as a few Jeep engineers who lurk have spoken up and said the Centerforce Clutch kit improves and solves the factory issues. I will probably replace my clutch with that kit... unless I can swing a 392 by some miracle.

Sponsored

 

[Old Jeeper]

GO Rubicon! WHY? Ever built a Jeep? Well that is a big part of Jeeping. Rubicon has the driveline in axles, trans, lockers, transfer case…big $$$ savings letting you spend money on the other goodies…

I do suggest the 4:88 gear option. I got it on mine and love it.

Going XR will be like not knowing how to swim but trying to learn by jumping into the deep end..

In addition the OEM Rubicon w/4:88s & 37s Will accomplish any trail I know of from Texas to Cali…

NOTE: I said “Rubicon”! It will take you manny moons to rise to the capability of the Rubicon…

 

[aldo98229]

Save yourself the aggravation and just get the Rubicon. Otherwise, you will have Rubicon owners tell you to no end “shoulda got a Rubicon” whenever you hit a puddle or burn a light bulb...

 

[Zandcwhite]

Another vote for the Willys XR. There's a lot of good to be said for Rubicons, but for the situation you're in, I think the Willys makes more sense. Adding a lift and larger wheels and tires gets expensive fast, and when you add those larger tires, you're eventually going to be tempted to regear, which is even more money you'd be spending on the already more expensive of the two.

With the XR, the Willys is ready to go with the bigger tires and correct differential gears for them. As others have said, you can also add sway bar disconnects and lockers later if you REALLY think you need them, but I think you'll find the Willys plenty capable as-is.

The Willys xr package is a great option, if you never want lockers or a 4-1 transfer case. The idea that you can "just add them later" sounds appealing, until you realize that you'll spend the difference between a Willys XR and a Rubicon XR just adding those parts and you'll still have the lower resale value of a Willys. We wanted our wrangler loaded, with leather, leds, power everything, adaptive cruise, etc AND we wheel the hell out of our Jeeps so the Rubicon XR was a no brainer for us. If you don't want the creature comforts and are just getting in to wheeling, the Willys XR is the budget option that checks all the boxes. I just hate the misconception that you can buy it and build it into a Rubicon and still save, my experience says you won't save anything and you'll likely spend more. 4 doors without power windows and locks are super annoying for instance and come standard on the Rubicon.

 

[cafecito820]

I just hate the misconception that you can buy it and build it into a Rubicon...

I mean I get that, but that's not really what I was saying. The OP said he's looking more for a daily driver, with the possibility to do some offroading. People in that position aren't going to immediately dive head-first into situations where they need a super low crawl ratio and/or lockers.

I was answering my opinion of what the OP asked. I don't disagree with what you posted, but that wasn't what I was trying to say. Sorry if it came across wrong.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Save yourself the aggravation and just get the Rubicon. Otherwise, you will have Rubicon owners tell you to no end “shoulda got a Rubicon” whenever your Jeep hits a puddle, gets a flat or burns a lightbulb...

View attachment 685293

Truth!

 

[rkwfxd]

I love the Rubicon and own a Rubicon with a lift etc…..

You don’t off road. If you do, it will be dirt roads. Get the Willys XR. Leave it stock. Drive it. Enjoy it. Love it.

Welcome to the club.

 

[RELBUS]

FWIW, i went with a Willys instead of a Rubicon for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was i didn't want some of the alleged "upgrades" the Rubi would have stuck me with.

since i was hooked on the EcoDiesel from the first time i drove one, i knew that i was going to get Dana 44s front and rear with the Diesel on a Willys.
i also prefer to have a gear-driven Limited Slip in the rear for the kind of washboard Dez roads i expected to play in, and didn't see the point in paying for E-Lockers i was going to pull out. (i always planned to do an Air or E-Locker in the front when i regeared to compensate for the larger tires i planned, but didn't want to be stuck with the factory option.)
i also preferred to not have the Front Anti-Sway Bar Disconnect because i'd seen it be troublesome and it allegedly reduced articulation over just disconnecting the Anti-Sway bar completely.
i also hated (seriously HATED!) the red dashboard that came with with any of the interior colors i wanted (along with the red tow hooks), although that is admittedly a personal thing and not impossible to resolve if you don't mind putting the work/$ into replacing the red bits.
further, i don't really want the 4:1 low range that comes in the Rubicon Transfer cases; it's just too dang low for anyone not running tires larger than 37" unless they never get out of the rock gardens, and that's not the only place i play,... plus, remember Diesel? i've already got the torque down low.

all this on top of my admitted repulsion to every idiot around buying a Rubicon that's never going off the pavement because they wanted the sticker on the hood because they want everyone to know they bought (what they think everyone else thinks is supposed to be) "the best" (on their way to and from the Detail Shop); i'd be having to pull that sticker off as soon as i got it home to a hair dryer.

bottom line; too many things in a Rubicon i didn't want (and didn't want to have to pay for), so the Willys was the perfect platform on which to build what i really wanted. the XR package wasn't available at the time or i would have had to seriously consider it (as i've now done many of the same things to mine that the XR pkg comes with); in my case i had a dealer put on the Mopar Factory Lift and went from there.

What a waste of 5 minutes of my life. So much bitching about Rubicons on these forums. The only thing more hated is a 392 Rubicon. Seems like an awful lot of folks love to hate on others choices.

Guess what...my first 2 JLUR's never even went into four wheel drive! AND I just installed a winch on my third JLUR that may never leave the pavement. Hope that gets people like you fired up! I bought them because its what I wanted.

 

[CaJLMetalHead]

Get the Rubicon.. lockers and electronic sway bar disconnect for the win !!

 

[Xcoaste]

If you are set on the XR package and like the looks better with the lift and 35's go with that. A stock Rubicon does everything I have time or money for right now. I have had lifted Jeeps and dumped way too much money into them when I was younger. A lifted Jeep from the factory is a really nice option if that is what you want whether you wheel it or not.

 

[blnewt]

Whatever you end up with @migs just be sure to find a dealer that you can order from that will get you a reasonable deal, still many options well below invoice w/ low fees.

Don't want to order your dream Jeep only to find out you paid $5k more than somebody else that was willing to drive a few hours to pick it up.

FWIW, we ordered ours back in 2018 from a dealer in Las Vegas (800 miles away), and just made a great road trip out of it. Got it for 6% under invoice and came in early so the dealer put a hold on it so it was only at their lot for a couple weeks.

 

[BaconKittens]

Get the Rubicon. You're a few hours away from two off-road parks in PA (rausch creek and AOAA) and they're fun in a stock Rubicon.

 

[Rocket_Matt]

If you're looking for places to offroad, head up to Dutchess County. I grew up there and there are plenty of fun places in the Hudson Valley.

 

[Shibadog]

Good news is you can’t go wrong. Both are overkill for most of us. Hell the cheapest most basic Wrangler is overkill for most of us. So much of offroading is pure skill and technique on the trails you’ll see people do amazing things in practically nothing, and people do practically nothing with an amazing rig. Either way you can’t lose.

This. Also in NY you tend to have snow. Lockers on ice/snowy roads is, umm, “exciting”. You’ll be happier DD with limited slip. As noted, a box stocker Wrangler is more capable than most folks who drive them…

 

[TX_Ovrlnd]

If I had to live in NY full time, I'd go Willys XR with the Full time selec-trac option. That'd be a great DD through the snow/ice and still really capable on most trails out there. Throw on a set of Rokblokz mud flaps and call it good. Whichever package you go with, at least do yourself the favor of opting for the tow package, it is very worth it, even over the LEDs.

Sponsored