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Purchasing my first Jeep...and need some advice.

Dkretden

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@musicguyusa

each Jeep that you list is totally terrific and will get you down that trail or to the mall or both in the same day.

it is unclear to me why you want electronic lockers. Are you going to be going places that you will really need them and use them Regularly? If the answer is ā€œyesā€ then save up for a Rubicon. If the answer is ā€œwell, I will only use them once in a blue moon but they are kinda cool to haveā€ then I would suggest that you should not buy a Rubicon (With one caveat, below).

i own a JLUR. It is a beast, stock. There is zero that needs to be done to it for even the hairiest of trails that I will ever take. I absolutely could have purchased a Sahara with an LSD and it too would have been absolutely perfect for me. so, why did I ā€˜overkillā€™ and buy the Rubicon? Because I liked the way it looks Stock. Period. (Not kidding)...... Any jeep would have been fine for my needs. I bought the overkill because it looked better to be.

if the stock looks are not a factor:

if you are focusing on capabilities AND Intend to use all of that capability, buy the Rubi.
if you are focusing on capabilities because you find it interesting but are unlikely to ever need them, buy something less expensive. The LSD is great.
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The Fixer

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@musicguyusa

each Jeep that you list is totally terrific and will get you down that trail or to the mall or both in the same day.

it is unclear to me why you want electronic lockers. Are you going to be going places that you will really need them and use them Regularly? If the answer is ā€œyesā€ then save up for a Rubicon. If the answer is ā€œwell, I will only use them once in a blue moon but they are kinda cool to haveā€ then I would suggest that you should not buy a Rubicon (With one caveat, below).

i own a JLUR. It is a beast, stock. There is zero that needs to be done to it for even the hairiest of trails that I will ever take. I absolutely could have purchased a Sahara with an LSD and it too would have been absolutely perfect for me. so, why did I ā€˜overkillā€™ and buy the Rubicon? Because I liked the way it looks Stock. Period. (Not kidding)...... Any jeep would have been fine for my needs. I bought the overkill because it looked better to be.

if the stock looks are not a factor:

if you are focusing on capabilities AND Intend to use all of that capability, buy the Rubi.
if you are focusing on capabilities because you find it interesting but are unlikely to ever need them, buy something less expensive. The LSD is great.
I was going to say something similar, but you beat me to the keyboard. :LOL:

I'll echo @Dkretden by saying you really need to see how you're going to use the Jeep before purchasing one. If you're planning on being out on difficult trails regularly you'll want the most capable Jeep you can get. Some Mopar parts are expensive to add later, and if you have to pay someone to install, it'll be that much more. In the end, it would be cheaper to buy a Rubicon if you catch my drift.

If you're only planning on an occasional trip out wheeling and you don't see yourself wanting a lift, huge tires and all that down the road, a Sport or Willys with the factory LSD would suffice. In my case, I'm a 2-3 hours drive to any place with legal trails to go wheeling. I got a Sport that had the M220 LSD rear, and 2.0T with 8-speed because in the end, this thing is mostly a city commuter. My wife has a JLU Sport S with the open diff and A/T tires. She was out in a terrible blizzard when the Jeep was just a few months old and didn't have the muscle to shift it into 4WD (new T-case + petite wife = fail). She got home just fine in 2WD, the BLD and traction control systems did their thing.
 

BCalvin

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No. The Rubicon axle is the M220 Wide Axle, it is three inches wider. you can add an air locker fairly easily to a Willy's, and a sport should never ever be ordered without the LSD.
Are you sure it is three inches wider and not one and a half total, equaling .75" per side?
I have never physically checked it and that data contradicts everything I have read.
Narrow M220 66.50" Wide M220 68".

I'm in the process of changing axles and im going to stick with my rear M220 (air locker, chromoly)with a thin .75 spacer and pro rock 44 front for a while. I just don't want to screw that up.


OP, The Willys is a great deal for all you get. Suspension, brakes, wheels, tires, sliders, m220 axle, blacked out badges, grille. I would do it again.
 
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ToPar9

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what sort of problems have you had?
ESS - Start/Stop Service Soon - Multiple Times - was told nothing is wrong, 2-3 drives later ... she's baaaack.... has continued since.
Steering is atrocious, feels like driving a 1980 Truck, I can move the steering wheel left and right without response - "it's a Jeep" - Mentioned it again today, as the TSB was released
Check Engine Light - on/off/on - Code pulled this morning shows bad camshaft sensor
Radio has a mind of its own, volume to zero after turning it down 2-3, or moving up 2-3 it continues to go up until you turn it back down.
Code for tail lights, aftermarket lights - not a big deal
I am waiting for additional information from today's visit. They won't be able to get to it until Monday at the earliest, most likely Tuesday.
 
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musicguyusa

musicguyusa

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What is the benefit to the wide axle M220 over the narrow axle M220?

@Dkretden, @The Fixer, and @BCalvin, thank you for all the input. @BCalvin, I enjoyed reading your thread regarding your JLU. Looks great!

A little background may be in order. My last two vehicles were both Subaru Outback wagons, a 2001 model and then a 2013 model. Both would do most everything I needed an off road vehicle to do. Stuff like wheel slippage was mostly automatically controlled. However, there have been instances where I could have used a bit more ground clearance and where I would have liked a bit more control. Hence the question about lockers.
 

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nostatic

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I bought a sport s, and if i had it to do over again, I would get a Willys. I had a tough time finding one when I bought though, and Iā€™m a 2-door guy.

like you I didnā€™t want to stretch to Ruby money, for my off-roaring a willys probably covers it. As it stands Iā€™m going to just go a bit more aggressive with tires on the Sport and see how it goes. So far, so good.
 

BCalvin

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I think, im not 100% positive that the wider axle translates to 3/4" and 1/4" lost somewhere in the hubs to come out to 1/2" extra width at the tire. This can be gained or lost easily in something as minor as a wheel offset.

Wider is more stable and looks better to me.

A lot of good reasons to get any of the models.
Do not buy anything you plan to upgrade or change, that even applies to Rubicons.

You are not pigeon holed into anything because everything on these Jeeps is a bolt on or there is a stronger/better aftermarket option.

Rubicon axles sell for good money, so there is that too.

Resale and warranty should be considered too.

You could put $15,000 axles on a Willys and it still wouldn't be worth as much as a stock Rubicon.

My long game plan is to have a Jeep that will do hard trails without needing to be trailered in.
I know me and the only thing that would be left Rubicon would be the stickers.

I went Willys for the brakes, ok temp rear axle, sticker and return on wheels, tires, suspension.
 
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entropy

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Everyone dreams big of what theyā€™d like to do to their rigs. Dreaming about adding a locker to a sport s axle is ambitious and Iā€™m confident that some have done it. If you care about your warranty youā€™re going to pay someone FCA certified a pretty penny to install it. The cost that youā€™ll pay out of pocket is going to be expensive. And hope that they install it correctly.
Lol no it is not. ARB rear locker. And better than rubicon lockers.
 

Bikemobile

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Get the willys for the retro cool factor. I have a 2 door sport S automatic with rubicon springs and 285/70-17 Falkens. The LSD in the rear is nice overall.

I wish I had a rubicon but I havent found a place yet I couldnt get to without a winch.
 

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jessedacri

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If you haven't bought a Jeep yet and you're wanting to add an OEM style E-locker to a Sport axle, I would just hold off and find a lightly used Rubicon, save what you need to save, and pull that trigger instead - OR maybe find yourself a set of Rubicon axles. I just think with the amount of labor involved here the money is better spent on a light optioned Rubicon.

Air lockers are great too though. Do your setup right and you can have a really solid onboard air system to air up/down with as well as the locker.
 

entropy

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Id say get a willys. wheel it and if you see a need for lockers, get ARB. I woulve gotten willys if it was available when i bought my sport S. ARB lockers beat rubi lockers big time. Also, quick disconnects are awesome I have JKS on mine and dont have to deal with bulky electronics disconnects that are prone to failing long term. The rubi is more for the axles and transfer case.

Or wait to see if you find a Rubi deal. I know it is more expensive, but you do get what you pay for. You will most likely spend the extra money anyway if you get into wheeling. Cool thing about willys though is that you will have fun upgrading and it will be your custom build, vs. a mundane rubi.

With that said, I couldve easily afforded the rubi. I bought my jeep cash, no payments no nothing. And I couldve easily taken a small loan for a rubi. I do regret that to a certain extent. keep that in mind. But it does make me feel better dropping 10k on an offroad trailer lol.
 
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musicguyusa

musicguyusa

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I finally found a dealer who is getting a Willy's MT and I am going to be able to drive it sometime next week. I have already driven a Rubicon MT.

I really do appreciate everyone who has offered advice. The feedback has been extremely helpful.
 

Notorious

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if you see a need for lockers, get ARB.
ARB is awesome! Not expensive? Guess $1,000 for the locker must not be expensive to you. How much will an FCA certified shop charge for labor?
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