New Jeep Uncertainty?

[Oldbear]

Welcome to the forum!

To answer your questions:

• People love the 2.0T. I have the V6 and love it, too. The 2.0T feels spunky but high-strong and a bit unrefined IMO. The V6 feels more relaxed and is buttery smooth. You didn't specify transmission; if you want manual, V6 is the only way to go. If you want automatic, all powertrains are available.
• ESS can be disabled with a button on the dashboard, with an OBD programmer, or with a sensitive foot on the brake pedal
• Mopar offers a lift with Fox shocks that can be installed by the dealer. MSRP on it is roughly $1,500, plus 5-7 hours of labor. My dealer had a special of lift + labor for $2,000 so I took it. It is an excellent lift; worth every penny. It gets you a lot more than the promised 2 inches, though: I got 4 inches of lift in front and 3 inches in back.

Many on a budget get a Sport and buy Rubicon "takeoff" springs, shocks, wheels and tires. This gets you about a 1-inch lift and gets rid of Sport's small-tire syndrome.

Sport S gives you most of the popular options like AC, power windows and locks, alloys, etc. Since you want leather seats, play around with the other trim levels; you might find a better value on one of those.

Given that you are in PA, I strongly recommend getting the Cold Weather Group. It adds remote start, automatic climate control, heated seats and steering wheel. They all come on automatically whenever you start the Jeep remotely at temps below 40 degrees. I'd also look into getting the Selec-Trac full-time 4WD and the rear LSD; they work amazingly well in snow. If you decide against the Selec-Trac, the rear LSD alone will make a ton of difference in winter driving.

You will have many recommend you buy a Rubicon. It is overkill IMO unless you plan to do extreme off-roading. Any Wrangler is amazingly capable right out of the box. By the time you add a rear LSD, a lift and bigger tires, it will be capable of tackling 80% to 90% of the trails out there.

Good luck!

Good advice. I’ve got a Sport S with Rubi take off wheels and tires. 2.0 T engine And limited slip. It is FAR more capable than my old TJ’s and sets nicely. I’d bet the tires on the one you drove were overinflated by 6-10 lbs. that alone will make the steering wonky. The good news on mine anyway is that going to the Rubicon wheels and KO2’s I had NO need to have the speedometer corrected. It’s dead on, per GPS at 70. The Rubi, as stated, is overkill for 99% of the folks, and a Sport S, set up as you want, will make you a darn good vehicle.

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[NewJLU2019]

This is my other car. Does it count?

I wonder if you like RED Aldo!!!!

 

[aldo98229]

I wonder if you like RED Aldo!!!!

I wanted a Spider in red or white; the Wrangler in Firecracker Red just happened.

 

[azbobver]

Not in Central PA…try Jeff D’Ambrosio in Downingtown PA. High volume dealership that treated me right when I lived in SE PA.

 

[Ghost7th]

I think I am going to go down the Willys path. It has everything I want except for leather and I can go aftermarket for that.

Of course I have a few more questions:

Am I better off ordering the headliner through the dealer for $495 or buying the one from Hotheads?
.
Is there a hard top roof rack for the 2 door? I looked on Quadratrac and don’t see one. There doesn’t seem to be a factory option.

 

[Yaak392]

I

Hello all:

I am one of those guys from that other forum and I am coming to the realization that after almost a year of waiting I will probably not see my new "other vehicle" until the second quarter next year.

I am getting to the age where retirement is looming in the not so distant future and I want to buy one last fun vehicle while I can still justify it. I'm currently running a '19 Tacoma and I don't really like it. The Toyota seats are terrible and on long trips my back and hip are in constant pain.

I've had three Jeeps ('56, '72 and '90) and loved everyone of them. I sold the '90 about three years ago; the frame and suspension rust was out of hand and it was starting to get to the point of unusable.

I visited a local dealer and he had two identical 2 door Sports in stock. I drove one and I have to say that I wasn't thrilled about the amount of oversteering that I had to do on a brand new vehicle. I am not sure if this is just on the "base" vehicles or if this is something that is on all of them. I've had a lot of Mopars in my past so I am used to the constant steering correction; I just thought it would be eliminated by this time.

Honestly, I really hated the look of both of them; the wheels seemed like they were too small for the fender wells. Maybe it's just me but I really didn't like them. I want a two door; I'm just not a big fan of the four doors.

I have tried the factory build website but it is underwhelming. I can't seem to find the different options that I want. I found a few on the dealer search but some are a few states away and I can't justify the trip unless I am getting a "can't pass it up" deal. I am located in central Pennsylvania and I can't seem to find any large dealers with great reviews as far as service and price.

I want a Jeep with a nice stance; not sure how to describe what I like. I don't need lockers or sway bar disconnects but I want some height over the Sports that I saw and I want some larger tires.

What I'm looking for:
2 door
remote start
leather
heated seats
AC
Cruise
Auxiliary switches
auto
33" tires

What I am not sure of:
Which engine? Is the 4 turbo enough or am I better with the 6?
Can the "start/stop" feature be disabled?
Can I get factory lifts or can I add one without voiding the warranty?

I know it's near the end of the model year: do I try to order one now before the price increase or do I wait and see if there will be any changes in '22?

Thanks!

I'd expect a price jump for 2022
Love our JL Rubicon.

 

[CWRUYOTE]

I think I am going to go down the Willys path. It has everything I want except for leather and I can go aftermarket for that.

Of course I have a few more questions:

Am I better off ordering the headliner through the dealer for $495 or buying the one from Hotheads?
.
Is there a hard top roof rack for the 2 door? I looked on Quadratrac and don’t see one. There doesn’t seem to be a factory option.

I'm biased here, but absolutely go Hotheads. They're a forum sponsor and have not only great products, but outstanding customer service.

 

[zouch]

good choices.

i went with Hotheads because with one of their occasional discount deals, i was able to get what i thought was superior materials and more coverage for about the same price as what the factory headliner cost. (note that the factory headliner does not have an option to cover the side panels.) bonus; if you're financing your J**p, you will not be financing the headliner if you go aftermarket.

i would also recommend the Sound Assassin option; i installed that stuff and ran around for a few days before putting the panels in, and found it did more of a job of reducing perceived wind noise, etc., than the panels themselves did when i finally installed them.

plan on it taking a while to do the install, and follow the instructions. don't hurry; the time you take to prep will pay off in long-term enjoyment.


i'll let someone else pitch in on the roofrack (as i have limited experience with that on the JLU), but there seems to be a bajillion choices available in the aftermarket.

I think I am going to go down the Willys path. It has everything I want except for leather and I can go aftermarket for that.

Of course I have a few more questions:

Am I better off ordering the headliner through the dealer for $495 or buying the one from Hotheads?
.
Is there a hard top roof rack for the 2 door? I looked on Quadratrac and don’t see one. There doesn’t seem to be a factory option.

 

[aldo98229]

I think I am going to go down the Willys path. It has everything I want except for leather and I can go aftermarket for that.

Of course I have a few more questions:

Am I better off ordering the headliner through the dealer for $495 or buying the one from Hotheads?
.
Is there a hard top roof rack for the 2 door? I looked on Quadratrac and don’t see one. There doesn’t seem to be a factory option.

I got the Mopar headliner. If I could, I would have them install it at the factory; I didn't save anything in terms of cost. The only reason I did it myself is because the Jeep didn't have it.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

I have the Mopar headliner, the Jeep already had it when I bought it. It’s okay, but the back panel above the rear window doesn’t fit the best. It’s come lose a few times and I had to add more velcro. I would go aftermarket.

From some of the posts I’ve seen here, beware of roof racks that mount to the hardtop. Damage will likely result.

 

[CT_LFC]

I wonder if you like RED Aldo!!!!

it is well known that red is the best color

 

[Bulletbill]

I am in central Pennsylvania: almost dead center of the state. I posted in the dealers section looking for info but no responses yet.

I talked to a saleslady at Criswell and she checked with the manager: they can still order '21's. I sent her my build and she is going to see what she can do about the price. She said she will not be able to do much with what is on the lot but can with customer builds/orders. She is also looking for incentives/coupons and whatever else may be available to me. The local dealer this morning told me that there "are never discounts on Wranglers". Sounds like I need to avoid that dealership.

Thanks again to everyone that has responded. It has all been very helpful!

Hi, I am in the same boat as you with the Bronco order. After the endless delays and wait I 99’d my order and built a Jeep.

I used Jeeps inventory search and scrubbed dealers in a 100 mile radius of Harrisburg PA to see if there was anything out there. Everything that showed up in dealer inventory was already sold, so I looked for vehicles in transit instead.

I ended up at Faulkner Jeep in Mechanicsburg PA. They had my build with the majority of my options, and one extra which was the sky one-touch in transit. I went to see them and lucked out, with the Jeep fresh off the truck.

3 days later I had what I wanted and have no regrets. Faulkner was great to work with and gave me an excellent deal.

With all the shortages, I expect it will only be harder to get everything you want. I recommend that you search for your must haves and a selection of suitable colors and look for vehicles in transit. When you see what you want don’t wait.

 

[Ghost7th]

I tried a search on the jeep.com site and it’s hard to use. I’ll select 2 door and it shows all of the 4’s also. I tried searching for leather and most of them were cloth. I looked atFaulkner earlier this morning and they have a 2 door rubicon but no leather. Their online trade estimate is over what I paid for my truck in ‘19.

 

[aldo98229]

Yes, Jeep.com’s Inventory Search feature is not very user friendly. You are likely getting only partial matches, that’s why it shows 4 doors. Make sure to the search radius at 250 miles; that’s the widest search it allows.

Try using cargurus.com or cars.com. They distinguish between “Wrangler” and “Wrangler Unlimited.” Make sure to specify “New.” Cargurus also allows you to filter by trim level —i.e., Willys. Cars.com keeps it all at the Sport/Sahara/Rubicon level. They likely classify Willys as a Sport.

Autotrader is another popular search site. They don’t distinguish between Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited; you gave to filter for Body Type. They do allow you to filter for Wrangler’s extensive list of trims and editions, though.

A shortcoming of the independent inventory search tools is that they won’t show vehicles that are in transit; only those already on dealer lots that have been PDI-ed.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

Try looking on eBay. Some dealers advertise their inventory there

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