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Non wrangler owners, why the JL?

stinggray

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It seems like there are a lot of people who are going to be first time wrangler owners with the JL. I’m wondering, what are you all leaving for the JL, and why?
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bodegabandit

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I've always wanted a wrangler since I was a kid. After the years of owning my current car, I have grown accustomed to having a backup camera and other standard amenities. I've always known that wranglers lacked in that department. Now, with the JL, almost everything I've wanted in a car and more are now included.
 

thx1138

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Had a CJ5 in college and took it everywhere, but it was a very unsafe vehicle. It eventually needed repairs that I could not afford so I had to sell it. I’ve always wanted another Jeep since then, but every time I looked at them, I was dismayed at the low level of components/ build for the price. The last time I looked at them until recently, they still had a 4 speed automatic. Since I will want my wife to be a driver, that is a requirement. I recently started looking at them again and discovered that an updated version that is more current in terms of safety and basic features was on the horizon. 25 years later, I’m looking for a fun vehicle that I can enjoy, go camping and hiking with, and do some Jeep jamboree events with. Seems like a good time to own a Jeep again.
 

FCrackerJLRubi

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I personally wanted the off road tough look but will never go off road, so I elected for the Rubicon...its top of the line right? Somebody else asked me if I was going to buy a Wrangler and I said no I want one of those Sahara Sport models.

Yes im kidding....I cant tell you how much nonsense I heard at the recent car show.

"Alex wanted a Wrangler right, but this says Rubicon so thats not it."
"They have not changed the Wrangler in two decades, its still the same crap."
"My Samurai can go more places than that"
"Why would anyone want one of these, they get horrible gas mileage"
"OMG Becky look the purple one is soooooo like totally awesome"

Wranglers are great vehicles, yea they are quirky, yea they are noisy (well they use to be anyways, time will tell here). Jeep has done a fantastic job of bringing in the entire non wrangler owning community on this revision. The JK with the introduction of the 4 door kind of did that, ya know lets get the family oriented daily vehicle thing going....but the JL has really caught the appeal of folks that would have just turned a blind eye for say an Explorer, BMW, Tahoe, etc etc.

Us decade+ owner fan boys and girls still love it, while it welcomes a whole new era of customer that previously would have passed it over.
 

RonH

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In my case, I'm not replacing anything (unless you count the Focus that I got wiped out in...lol). I have spent the past year healing and looking at different vehicles. I've looked at several, but it pretty much came down to 4...Raptor, Tacoma, 4Runner, Wrangler. I wanted something I can go pretty much anywhere I want with confidence I'd get back. So, my thought process goes pretty much like this...

Raptor: As much as I love my '06 F-150 FX4, I just cannot stomach paying over MSRP, in many cases, a lot over MSRP...not for a desert runner that, due to its size, won't fit down several tight trails. I think it's a very cool truck, just not for that kind of money.

Tacoma: I was almost set to pull the trigger when the rear end recall came out. The recall itself didn't bother me as much as how Toyota handled it...stonewalled most owners telling them the weeping from the rear diff was "normal"...until a couple of 'em locked up. Add to that the Atkinson cycle 6 cyl. Nope.

4Runner: See above with Toyota's treatment of their customers. I do have to say that most big auto manufacturers are going to try and engage in CYA, but Toyota just seems to me (my opinion only) to be beyond the pale.

JL: Well, here we are. It checks the boxes. It isn't the fastest, it isn't the very most comfy of all vehicles (although coming from an '06 F-150, it'll ride as good or better). It does, IMHO, all things good for a daily driver, and some things great (offroad). I tend to keep my vehicles for 12-15 years, so I shot the moon on this one as 15 yrs down the line, I'll be 70...land yacht time after this...lol

The above is just my .02, so YMMV.
 

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iki4life

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Culturally speaking, the term "Jeep" has been loosely associated for a variety of vehicles in my motherland (India). Everything from the Mahindra THAR, to Nissan Jonga, to Maruti Gypsy, to self-made vehicles--they have all collectively been called a Jeep.
I've always liked the concept of a Jeep. The only one I've ever owned was a Hot-Wheels Jeep when I was about 4-5 years old. And it was the coolest thing ever.
Recently, I got married, and my wife and I loved the FJ Cruiser. The build, quality, mobility, space--
Everything about it seemed so fascinating
Too bad they stopped building it. But the Wrangler was something that was the FJ PLUS SOME. I've refrained from American vehicles due to lack of dependability, but it just looked so damn awesome. Offroading and camping was a mutual desire for me and the wife, and a child on the way only made things more interesting.
We were starting to close in on a JK until I found out that the JL would launch just a few months later. So I figured I might as well get the latest and greatest if I'm really deciding to plunge into a Wrangler.
Now here I am....anxiously waiting for a ride I should have owned years ago.
 

Man-of-methods

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I've always wanted a wrangler since I was a kid. After the years of owning my current car, I have grown accustomed to having a backup camera and other standard amenities. I've always known that wranglers lacked in that department. Now, with the JL, almost everything I've wanted in a car and more are now included.
Everything this person said ^^ pertains to me as well. I'll be replacing a Nissan Titan Pro-4X. I only have one kiddo left in the nest. I've spent all my time and money on them... Club volleyball and wrestling. It's my turn. Their inheritance is going to Jeep funding. Besides.....YOLO!
 

apettit7

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For the last 12+ years I have been driving a Honda Element which is as ugly as they get but it is also incredibly reliable and great for hauling the kids around. The kids are all grown up now off to college so I'm going to buy a Jeep. I was about to buy a new JK when I found out about the JL and decided to hold off and wait for the JL. Its more of a reward-for-me sort of thing, climbing the walls all these years and now I'm financially able to get the vehicle I really want. Daily driving but also 4X4 trails, do a lot of backroad trips, weekend vacations, etc.
 

Covfefe

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Because I never liked the ancient JK interior, but also because I'm a convertible die hard and I just found out this year about MyTop's powered convertible top. If I knew about this sooner, the JK probably would have been my first vehicle. My dream car is a 4 door, awd/4wd convertible SUV with good ground clearance.
 
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Carolina88

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I've wanted a Wrangler for at least 20 years now, probably more. (I'm 42.) I don't plan to do any off-roading; I just love its ruggedness and the look of it. I decided that at some point I want to drive a fun car, not a boring one, and the Wrangler is the one car I've also wanted. Some people dream of someday having a Porche or BMW or Mercedes. I always wanted a Jeep.

My current car is a Chevy Traverse (2012); only reason we got that is because we have two kids and it's great for family trips. But it's a pretty vehicle (though practical for my needs). I did, however, have a Nissan Xterra for a few years and really liked it a lot. The Xterra has the same rugged appeal of the Wrangler, but I've liked the Wrangler a little bit more.
 

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Jrbrannan

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So it has been nearly 4 years since I owned my last Jeep which has been the longest drought since I turned 15 and bought my first one. So for me it seems like I have basically never owned one. For me it is quite simple. I was not willing to buy a 3rd vehicle for weekend fun that my family, as a family could not fully enjoy. What I mean by that is this- I have owned several Jeeps in my life, in fact I think the number is approaching 15, everything from bone stock JKU's to fully modded TJ's that would go anywhere I pointed the hood. None of them had the feel of an all in one solution. The TJ's were great offroad but stunk as a family hauler to family of a weekend trip away. So the TJ basically became my "motorcycle" like car that other people would occasionally ride in.

The JKU was better (I owned a 2008) but it still suffered on longer trips and being bone stock it suffered off road as well. I was close a couple years ago to starting to look at another JKU with the new motor and interior but I knew the 10 year cycle was coming up soon for the JK so I decided I would wait. My thinking was I would wait and if Fiat ruined the Wrangler with IFS and a non-removable top and doors I would grab up one of the last JKU's and be happy. Once I saw the new JLU Rubicon I was hooked, especially after watching some interviews at the revel with the guy who designed the JL. It was clear this was a guy who loved Jeeps and did not want to see it ruined. I think it is best encapsulated by the front windshield design. He said the engineers said we couldn't do it, and the production line said it was a PITA, customers were not asking for it in large numbers but I decided it HAD to be a feature and I had to make it easier and faster to do so people would actually use the feature. He threw reason and logic out the door because that is what a Jeep is. It is throwing reason and logic out the door and driving something everyday that means so many different things to different people.
 

J.R. Quimby

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I fell in love with the TJ in the early 2000s but being a McDonalds worker barely supporting my apartment, that wasn't happening. Later on the JK came out and I just didn't like it at all so that squashed my Wrangler craving, or so I thought. Now the JL comes along and the Wrangler is proper handsome again, and has all the features and specs now 37 year old me will appreciate. So, its finally time!
 

tatarin

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Diesel in Jeep for me. That’s why JL
 

STL J-Hawk

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I have always, always wanted a Jeep....from all the way back when I was in high school, but it the timing was never good and it just never happened. I just turned 50, so now is the time! I cannot wait to have the top off, doors off and just go driving!! :clap::rock::)
 

MojitoJLUR

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Just like most of the others, I've always wanted a Jeep. About 1 year ago, I was trying to decide between a BMW and a Wrangler. I went with the BMW and I was rear ended about 2 weeks ago and it's totaled. With the JL just coming out at the same time, I figured it is a sign and it's time to give it a go! I can't wait to get it, but I'm waiting until Feb to order the Mojito.
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