Sponsored

Now It Gets Interesting. Tommy's Dad Purchased A Bronco With Sasquatch Package.

omnitonic

Well-Known Member
First Name
Michael
Joined
Apr 20, 2021
Threads
37
Messages
992
Reaction score
1,734
Location
Southwest Virginia
Vehicle(s)
2021 JLU Willys in Sarge Green
Occupation
truck driver
I bet you would have a hard time making a Rubicon for cheaper. If you could it would require a lot of free labor and wouldn't come with a warranty, if that is important to you.
Obviously, this is only plausible with free labor, and all warranties are null and void. I just think it would be an interesting video series. If I had the money, this is something I could see doing to break into Youtube world. I've got the gear to make videos, but I never have much inspiration.

I ran the numbers... you can't turn a Sport into a Rubicon cheaper than you can buy a Rubicon.
If you're paying full retail for new parts, this is definitely true. Using takeoff and salvage parts, I come up with about $18,000 in stuff needed to do this conversion. $53,000 is a lot cheaper than any Rubicon I've seen for sale.

Of course you're going to wind up with an inferior product compared to buying the real thing. I'm not arguing that this is a good idea. I just think it would make for an interesting project. I'd love to have the budget to do a build like that, and the time to shoot and edit all the video. It would be a cool video series. Of course, I have neither the capital nor the time, so all of this is nothing more than pointless daydreaming.
Sponsored

 

TFL

Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2017
Threads
0
Messages
8
Reaction score
92
Location
Colorado
Vehicle(s)
2016 Jeep Wrangler Sport S
Very honored our little video is being passed around, much appreciated!

So yeah as I mentioned in the vid we DID take the Bronco off-road against a wrangler and Defender (yesterday). The goal is to publish on Wednesday. Honestly I’m surprised to see the support for putting a loaded bronco against my willys, we were very concerned there’d be some pushback against us doing that so we did the comparison against a 4xe rubicon. Will do that in the future for sure now though!

We did unfortunately have to abandon one of the three on the trail overnight (the one that rhymes with Sand Dover). I fixed and recovered it today and it was difficult to say the least (that’s for another vid tho)! I Feel fortunate though as I watched someone take out the quarter panel of a $70K+ new Tacoma build on a rock garden we crossed so could have been much worse.

I’ve got to give Ford credit, it is a very impressive rig off-road. I think there are some areas, primarily driver position/seat comfort that could definitely be improved upon in the wrangler.

Having said that the size of the Jeep really had big advantages out on the trail. And even though Ford claims better front articulation with the sway bar disconnect after flexing them both out in an obstacle I’m not buying that at all.

The crazy thing is over the rock garden that took out the lifted tacoma, the same one that caused the 4xe and Bronco to struggle and just about killed the Defender, my little two door manual scampered up (when I went to recover the abandoned vehicle today). I nearly fell over in disbelief, the power of two doors and light weight!

Really appreciate you all watching!

-Tommy Mica
(TFL)
 

TFL

Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2017
Threads
0
Messages
8
Reaction score
92
Location
Colorado
Vehicle(s)
2016 Jeep Wrangler Sport S
Oh and just to set the record straight that little willys sport IS mine! Not purchased/insured through the company at all. So yes I did have to pay taxes and all, no write offs here

As a young dude who didn’t want a car payment it is what I can afford (and then some probably ha!) Would a Rubi be nice? Sure. But honestly I think 95% of people really have no need for the extra cost (okay except maybe folks on the forum) and hopefully over the next few years I’ll be able to prove you can have fun for $30K too!
 

HungryHound

Well-Known Member
First Name
Rick
Joined
Dec 24, 2020
Threads
17
Messages
1,301
Reaction score
2,776
Location
TN & FL
Vehicle(s)
1975 CJ-5, 1983 CJ-5, 1998 TJ, 2021 JLURe
Obviously, this is only plausible with free labor, and all warranties are null and void. I just think it would be an interesting video series. If I had the money, this is something I could see doing to break into Youtube world. I've got the gear to make videos, but I never have much inspiration.

If you're paying full retail for new parts, this is definitely true. Using takeoff and salvage parts, I come up with about $18,000 in stuff needed to do this conversion. $53,000 is a lot cheaper than any Rubicon I've seen for sale.

Of course you're going to wind up with an inferior product compared to buying the real thing. I'm not arguing that this is a good idea. I just think it would make for an interesting project. I'd love to have the budget to do a build like that, and the time to shoot and edit all the video. It would be a cool video series. Of course, I have neither the capital nor the time, so all of this is nothing more than pointless daydreaming.
My Rubicon was $50,200 before taxes. Then I get a $7,500 tax credit. Of course, I got it early in the year before the market went crazy for new Jeeps.
 

viper88

Well-Known Member
First Name
Nick
Joined
Apr 22, 2018
Threads
44
Messages
5,510
Reaction score
5,588
Location
IL
Vehicle(s)
'19 JLR 2.0T (past), '22 JLR 3.6 (present)
Obviously, this is only plausible with free labor, and all warranties are null and void. I just think it would be an interesting video series. If I had the money, this is something I could see doing to break into Youtube world. I've got the gear to make videos, but I never have much inspiration.

If you're paying full retail for new parts, this is definitely true. Using takeoff and salvage parts, I come up with about $18,000 in stuff needed to do this conversion. $53,000 is a lot cheaper than any Rubicon I've seen for sale.

Of course you're going to wind up with an inferior product compared to buying the real thing. I'm not arguing that this is a good idea. I just think it would make for an interesting project. I'd love to have the budget to do a build like that, and the time to shoot and edit all the video. It would be a cool video series. Of course, I have neither the capital nor the time, so all of this is nothing more than pointless daydreaming.
You can get 5%-8% under invoice on orderd Wranglers with Affiliate. Figure about 10%-13% off the msrp depending on how loaded options are. You can order a base Rubicon with a 2.0T automatic and hard top for around $40K. Even a couple of thousand less if you go manual and soft top. Brand new with a full warranty and 36 months of paid oil changes and tire rotations,.
 

Sponsored

HungryHound

Well-Known Member
First Name
Rick
Joined
Dec 24, 2020
Threads
17
Messages
1,301
Reaction score
2,776
Location
TN & FL
Vehicle(s)
1975 CJ-5, 1983 CJ-5, 1998 TJ, 2021 JLURe
Oh and just to set the record straight that little willys sport IS mine! Not purchased/insured through the company at all. So yes I did have to pay taxes and all, no write offs here

As a young dude who didn’t want a car payment it is what I can afford (and then some probably ha!) Would a Rubi be nice? Sure. But honestly I think 95% of people really have no need for the extra cost (okay except maybe folks on the forum) and hopefully over the next few years I’ll be able to prove you can have fun for $30K too!
If you get a chance to run Rabbit Ears Peak trail outside of Steamboat, do it. Don't listen to the guidebooks, there's plenty of room at the top to turn around. Did it in our 4-door Rubicon 4xe. The view is fantastic from the top.
 

omnitonic

Well-Known Member
First Name
Michael
Joined
Apr 20, 2021
Threads
37
Messages
992
Reaction score
1,734
Location
Southwest Virginia
Vehicle(s)
2021 JLU Willys in Sarge Green
Occupation
truck driver
My Rubicon was $50,200 before taxes. Then I get a $7,500 tax credit. Of course, I got it early in the year before the market went crazy for new Jeeps.
The market is so crazy that the place where I bought my Jeep only has a total of six JLs and JTs in stock today. They want $50,000 for a Sport S, and have no Rubicons to sell. That's insane!

It makes me wonder what I could get for my Willys. It also makes me even more annoyed that I can't get anything like a good price for my perfectly-maintained F150.
 

wranglerbro

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2019
Threads
8
Messages
261
Reaction score
499
Location
Mountain Top
Vehicle(s)
Wrangler
Very honored our little video is being passed around, much appreciated!

So yeah as I mentioned in the vid we DID take the Bronco off-road against a wrangler and Defender (yesterday). The goal is to publish on Wednesday. Honestly I’m surprised to see the support for putting a loaded bronco against my willys, we were very concerned there’d be some pushback against us doing that so we did the comparison against a 4xe rubicon. Will do that in the future for sure now though!

We did unfortunately have to abandon one of the three on the trail overnight (the one that rhymes with Sand Dover). I fixed and recovered it today and it was difficult to say the least (that’s for another vid tho)! I Feel fortunate though as I watched someone take out the quarter panel of a $70K+ new Tacoma build on a rock garden we crossed so could have been much worse.

I’ve got to give Ford credit, it is a very impressive rig off-road. I think there are some areas, primarily driver position/seat comfort that could definitely be improved upon in the wrangler.

Having said that the size of the Jeep really had big advantages out on the trail. And even though Ford claims better front articulation with the sway bar disconnect after flexing them both out in an obstacle I’m not buying that at all.

The crazy thing is over the rock garden that took out the lifted tacoma, the same one that caused the 4xe and Bronco to struggle and just about killed the Defender, my little two door manual scampered up (when I went to recover the abandoned vehicle today). I nearly fell over in disbelief, the power of two doors and light weight!

Really appreciate you all watching!

-Tommy Mica
(TFL)

Dude, very cool to post your thoughts on the forum prior to dropping the video! Actually shocked you even had the time as busy as you guys are. Big shout out to your video/editing crew too. TFL's production quality has improved immensely.

Hopefully we'll see some more 4XE content/testing in the near future from you guys, alongside the Willy's and Bronco stuff.
 

displayname

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2020
Threads
4
Messages
430
Reaction score
610
Location
DFW
Vehicle(s)
TBD
Oh and just to set the record straight that little willys sport IS mine! Not purchased/insured through the company at all. So yes I did have to pay taxes and all, no write offs here

As a young dude who didn’t want a car payment it is what I can afford (and then some probably ha!) Would a Rubi be nice? Sure. But honestly I think 95% of people really have no need for the extra cost (okay except maybe folks on the forum) and hopefully over the next few years I’ll be able to prove you can have fun for $30K too!
Thank you for promoting being frugal and staying out of auto debt, all while proving it doesn't need to be boring to do so. Great lesson in so many ways.

And extra thanks for joining in the conversation here!
 

omega145

Well-Known Member
First Name
Eric
Joined
May 9, 2019
Threads
1
Messages
204
Reaction score
448
Location
NH
Vehicle(s)
2020 Rubicon Recon
Occupation
Engineer
$53,000 is a lot cheaper than any Rubicon I've seen for sale.
While Rubicon's are expensive, you can find plenty used for under 50K and you can even order brand new ones with less options for under 50K.

Oh and just to set the record straight that little willys sport IS mine! Not purchased/insured through the company at all. So yes I did have to pay taxes and all, no write offs here
Cool to see Micah from TFL posting here. I like seeing a channel where they beat on the vehicles equally and test out any manufacturers vehicle void of bias (although I do see some Jeep bias on TFL sometimes from some of the people there :LOL:). People need to remember sometimes that its ok to like Wranglers AND Broncos. That tribal feeling makes people not think rationally at times.....Wrangler vs Bronco, Ford vs Chevy, BMW vs Audi.....never ends. Much easier to just like everything (except for my wallet) and appreciate the competition.
 

Sponsored

viper88

Well-Known Member
First Name
Nick
Joined
Apr 22, 2018
Threads
44
Messages
5,510
Reaction score
5,588
Location
IL
Vehicle(s)
'19 JLR 2.0T (past), '22 JLR 3.6 (present)
The market is so crazy that the place where I bought my Jeep only has a total of six JLs and JTs in stock today. They want $50,000 for a Sport S, and have no Rubicons to sell. That's insane!

It makes me wonder what I could get for my Willys. It also makes me even more annoyed that I can't get anything like a good price for my perfectly-maintained F150.
Most new car inventory is low now. Does not matter what brand. It is not uncommon for dealers to have less than a weeks supply on their lots today. Normal levels are 90-120 days supply.

Brand new Wranglers, on the lot and ready for delivery "now", is a totally different animal than a new ordered Wrangler. Dealers can charge a premium for in stock inventory because they have something someone wants or needs "now". The Wrangler line is producing vehicles at a near normal pace. Unlike other brands and models like Ford pick up trucks and the Bronco.

Used car prices were at record highs. Prices are just starting to go back down. I do not think it's too late to sell a F150 at a premium. You should still be able to sell your F150 for a premium now. Shop it to Vroom, Carvana, Carmax, and to local dealers for a base wholesale price. Sell to one of them or private party for 10% more. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
 
Last edited:

viper88

Well-Known Member
First Name
Nick
Joined
Apr 22, 2018
Threads
44
Messages
5,510
Reaction score
5,588
Location
IL
Vehicle(s)
'19 JLR 2.0T (past), '22 JLR 3.6 (present)
Very cool to hear Micah stuck to his personal budget and bought a base Willys for his personal vehicle. There are not many vehicles that offer so much capability and fun for $34K. Maybe the Bronco...

I think he is right about most Wrangler owners not needing the capability a Rubicon offers. I can see this thread moving from Wrangler verses Bronco to Sport verses Rubicon soon. :LOL:

Everyone gets the upgrade bug sooner than later. Lol. I predict Tommy from TFL will upgrade his wheels/tires first. The logical budget-conscious purchase is probably a set of new take-off Rubicon wheels and tires.
 

viper88

Well-Known Member
First Name
Nick
Joined
Apr 22, 2018
Threads
44
Messages
5,510
Reaction score
5,588
Location
IL
Vehicle(s)
'19 JLR 2.0T (past), '22 JLR 3.6 (present)
A base Rubicon is the better buy then a base Willys with A/C in the long run.

Out of curiosity I ran the numbers for both a base Willys w/ A/C and a base Rubicon. A base Rubicon is actually a cheaper vehicle to buy and drive than a base Willys if you take depreciation into consideration. I am not taking into consideration the time value of money or financing interest. I also used msrp even though it is fairly easy to buy either for 4%-8% under invoice. You would actually make money on the base Rubicon if you take that into consideration.

A new base Rubicon has new msrp of $41,040. A new base Willys with A/C has a msrp of $33,935. KBB used values on a 2020 with 5K miles are $41,132 for the Rubicon and $30,344 for the Willys.

NEW MSRP
$41,040 Base Rubicon.
$33,935 Base Willys with A/C

$7105 difference in cost new.

KBB used values for 2020 with 5K miles
$41,132 Base Rubicon
$30,344 base Willys with A/C

Depreciation
-$92 Base Rubicon
-$3591 Base Willys with A/C
 
Last edited:

MrKnowitall

Well-Known Member
First Name
Guenther
Joined
Oct 4, 2018
Threads
0
Messages
96
Reaction score
87
Location
Detroit
Vehicle(s)
14 JKU-R
The two platforms are worlds apart in differences that any direct comparison is unrealistic.
While the 2 vehicles in question are definitely worlds apart, There are definitely apples to apples comparisons- The Badlands trim is targeted item for item to match the Rubicon. Further down the ladder, the Willys and Black Diamond are very comparable. Regardless of the loyalties within an enthusiast forum like this, it is going to be a toe-to-toe slug fest.
 

VNT

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mike
Joined
Jul 22, 2018
Threads
9
Messages
864
Reaction score
1,040
Location
Maine
Vehicle(s)
SRT Challenger, 2015 Hemi Overland, 02 WJ 4.7, 2000 Durango, PT Cruisers, 2018 Punkn Sahara 2020 OB Rubicon
Ahh

Do this in 5 years when the market is normal, and what does a used 5K SUV have to do with a new purchase? yes I guess if you have a 1 yr old Rubicon the trade as a % of MSRP is better verus a 1 yr old willys. So maybe if the market is TFUd in a year and he wants to dump it, maybe the Rubicon is better value.

He bought what he could afford and wanted.

I do think it is stupid comparing a 33K willys to a bronco with a sticker over 65K
About as dumb as comparing a V6 Mustang to a Hellcat ;)
Sponsored

 
 



Top