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OldGuyNewJeep

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Jeez... what do you care what strangers on the interwebz say?

Did you buy your Jeep to impress others, or so you can do what YOU want?

One advantage of getting older... you care less and less about stranger’s opinions.

Respectfully debate positions with those whom you disagree (learning might occur for one or both of you), but do it realizing that in the end, their opinion of you and your chosen vehicle is none of your business.

:beer::beer:
This is so true. The older I get, the less effs I give. It’s liberating! Trying to teach my teenagers that “nobody cares,” but their inexperience makes them resist the concept.
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Sean L

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Agreed. If you're going to spend that much coin, why wouldn't you get the decked out Rubicon? Is there anything other than Selectrac and LSD that you can't get on the Rubicon?
I think one of the main appeals of the Sahara and the MOAB is the select-trac transfer case. Also the 3.45 axle lends itself to better daily driveablilty.

I would say the main advantage the Rubicon would have over the MOAB for my personal use is the option of the 2.0 engine. I have yet to find a trail near me that has made me wish for the electric sway bar disconnect or locking diffs. Contending with mud rather than rocks is what I have to deal with, and I find the limited slip diff to be more than adequate for that job. Adding the Mud Terrain tires on the MOAB would just be icing on the cake :)

This is not to say I would throw a Rubicon out of my driveway though, I've driven one with the 2.0 engine and it has my approval. :like:
 
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robaw

robaw

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Is there anything other than Selectrac and LSD that you can't get on the Rubicon?
Nothing really functional that I know of, just styling. Black wheels, badges and grille accents. Also McKinley leather for seats (I've heard they're softer and better quality compared to Rubicon) and leather wrapped dash. And the rock slider with step-assist FWIW.
 

rogo

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Nothing really functional that I know of, just styling. Black wheels, badges and grille accents. Also McKinley leather for seats (I've heard they're softer and better quality compared to Rubicon) and leather wrapped dash. And the rock slider with step-assist FWIW.
You are wayyyy over thinking this rob, and that's understandable.

You would be happiest with the Sahara with the leather and selectrac. This is a no brainer. There is ABSOLUTELY nothing the Rubi has that you need. And to be honest...you haven't even put any time in offroading. You nor us know what you want there yet.

What we do you know is you appreciate luxury, but DO want the off road capability and more endless options in the future. I think anything in the Sahara trim is the perfect fit for you.

I myself have a sport. Wish I had a Rubi too. But I am very, very happy with and grateful for my Sport. I will slowly build it into something better than a dealer's lot Rubicon.
 

apprweb

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Your good - Jeeps are like Harleys, buy the one you like and customize to fit your needs. For a reference, your ride is at 80% and a Rubicon is only at 85% due to the lower gears and lockers, you still have to do a bunch of stuff to make it your own. Go out with friends and get it stuck and no regrets.
 

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jruss

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If you have an auto you’re at 50 something to 1 in first. Let’s look at that vs the old jk rubicon....which was about the same as the now non rubi autos or the original rubicon which was way worse with an auto. So you’re what and what there.
You have cv shafts up front, well rcv upgrades the model 30 and 44 shafts to cv shafts because of the off-road durability so there’s that.
You don’t have lockers but I’m sure there’s a boat load of traction control.
An electronic sway bar disco is about $1000+, a set of aftermarket sway bar discos is like 150 or something.
A non 44 trash locked rear axle is a 29 spline 35, which is about what an old school amc 20 was, and those axle ls were actually pretty damn tough.
I think you’re gonna be okay.
 

ThirtyOne

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Your Moab will do more than you are willing or capable of doing. Don't worry about it. If you ever actually find yourself doing more on a trail than your Moab can handle then upgrade it or trade it for a Rubicon. For most people this never happens.
 

Sean L

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Disagree on the rear axle. D35s are c-clip design. Probably one of the worst designs ever conceived for an offroad vehicle. At the very least the OP should opt for a D44 if available for his trim model. I'd be surprised if the Moab edition didn't already come with the 44 rear.
MOAB comes with the Dana 44 as standard because of the limited slip diff.
 

jruss

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Disagree on the rear axle. D35s are c-clip design. Probably one of the worst designs ever conceived for an offroad vehicle. At the very least the OP should opt for a D44 if available for his trim model. I'd be surprised if the Moab edition didn't already come with the 44 rear.
From my understanding it’s a non c clip 35, like the 87-90 wranglers. Opting for a 44 is always a better idea though.
 

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ChrispyJL

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MOAB Sahara is very capable, I saw one on my dealers lot when I was there last week.
Comes with MTs, LSD rear, d44 rear, think front is a 30 though?
IDK where you heard only Rubicons can leave pavement.
Go get her on a trail, she will surprise you, take it easy, learn what your jeep is capable of, and upgrade if needed to conquer your trails.
Stock, every trim lvl is very capable, rubicons being the most capable(d44s, lockers, electronic sway bar disco)
My JLU sport s with no LSD upgrade rear, stock Bridgestone dueler all season tires surprised me, took her up a trail I frequently ran my Cherokee up(old fire access road) and only felt her slip once up a pretty steep rocky climb.
 

cjaama

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I've just read so much about the fact that I spent way too much on a vehicle that can't lock the axles, disconnect the sway bar, and has too low of a gear ratio. I didn't really think I needed any of that, since as I said it's mostly for flat land not rocky mountains (and 95% of the time getting my kids and me where we need to go). Was I wrong?
Few things:
You can still disconnect the sway bar, just not electronically
You'd be hearing your gear ratio is too high or "tall", not too low.
Your LSD rear will put you at an advantage over a Rubi when they're not locked (4hi)
Your M/T tires will also put you at an advantage over a Rubi's A/T's in certain terrain
 

Raylan Givens

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I'm pretty new here (been a few weeks) and I've read through a ton of information on this site (it's actually probably a ridiculous amount of time I've spent reading on here). I recently took the plunge and ordered a new Wrangler. I'll totally admit I'm definitely not a "Jeep Guy" and have never done any real "Off-Roading" (mostly flat land - mud/snow/dirt, nowhere to rock-climb near me for several hundred miles), but I have wanted to do both for a long time and so I thought I made a good decision with a Wrangler.

Anyway, one thing that sticks out that has been mentioned on several posts throughout the forum is the fact that my Wrangler is apparently not capable of being driven off-road. It's a JLU Sahara (Moab to be specific). From what I can gather, only a Rubicon can actually leave pavement. The only thing I can do with mine is take my kids to soccer practice and to the mall.

I guess I need to do both of those on a somewhat regular basis anyway, but I had bigger plans for it on the weekends. Too bad I'm in for such a disappointment, I wish I had joined the forum way before buying a Jeep so I would have known this.
Don't be stupid, your Jeep can go to either the Sahara or Moab. Why else would it be call the Sahara Moab? If you plan to go to anywhere else you won't make it very far. The bad news is your wife is going to leave you for a real man with a Rubicon

Do you really need a bunch of random people on the internet to tell you that Sahara's still make you cool? It seems you don't actually have a question about capability, but are more concerned with not winning a popularity contest
 
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robaw

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Don't be stupid, your Jeep can go to either the Sahara or Moab. Why else would it be call the Sahara Moab? If you plan to go to anywhere else you won't make it very far. The bad news is your wife is going to leave you for a real man with a Rubicon

Do you really need a bunch of random people on the internet to tell you that Sahara's still make you cool? It seems you don't actually have a question about capability, but are more concerned with not winning a popularity contest
Quite contrary - I really wanted to know about the capabilities (or lack thereof), and from several of the replies I have definitely learned some things. I was mostly being sarcastic about the other stuff.

The point of the thread was not me looking for validation for my choice, I know I'll be more than fine with it even though it may have some limitations.
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