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returning back to Jeep

Vito92

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been reading through the post here for a few months and this weekend will be putting my order in for a new 2 door JL. After some reflections and looking at the market figured it was time to return i used to have a 2017 Renegade trailhawk that ended up being a lemon but I'd hit the trails in southern California every chance i got, afterwards I got a MK7 Golf that i lifted and ran light trails with but vowed to return to Jeep. Only went with the Golf because a friends husband was selling Volkswagens at the time and it was a good deal. however through that ownership process i got introduced to the mod culture and going to street takeovers, meets, canyon runs and what not. and knew with my next car i wanted similar experiences but more so the ability to venture far out as i did with my Renegade.

I'm torn between a Sport S and the Willys. I like the idea of the Willys since it seems as if its a "diet Rubicon" correct me if I'm wrong. the only thing i like about the sport S if the sticker delete and it seems more like a blank canvas I was wondering the limited slip comes standard on the willya and what benefits does it provide versus not opting for it? And any other pointers are appreciated 🤙🏾
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Megawatt

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If you can swing a willys it will be a nice start for off-road growth.
 

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A sport s or a Willy’s either will do anything you want. A limited slip is a big help imho. I’ve messed with them for, literally decades, and have been in a lot of nasty stuff with just a plain old Jeep with out lsd. For 99% of folks and trails you’ll be fine either way.
 

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I like the Willys a lot, especially the way it looks. I almost bought one but just couldn't justify the additional $3K+. So I ordered an S with the LSD for $595. and have some $$ in my pocket for gas.
 

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Willys will get you
-upgraded wheels and tires
-rock rails
-rubicon shocks (not full rubicon suspension, just shocks)
-upgraded D44 rear axle with the LSD
-a few bits and bobs such as the all weather floormats and sticker package

So if that sounds worth the price to you (it did to me!), go for it! It gives you a good head start and is an easy entry into slightly heavier offroading without modding anything. The stickers come off easy enough too if they're not your thing.

That said, if you plan on building it up yourself right off the bat, it might not make sense for your situation. Paying for upgraded tires and rubicon shocks for example if you're immediately going to lift it and switch to 35s anyway might not be the best use of your money.

Both the Sport S and the Willys will handle most trails in Michigan with no issue. The off road parks and more "off the beaten path" trails do exist here though, and the Willys will be more capable of handling them in stock form than the Sport S. Again though, it sounds like you're planning on modding pretty early on, so just depends on if the price tag for the package makes sense for your personal use case.
 
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OldBlue

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Willys will get you
-upgraded wheels and tires
-rock rails
-rubicon shocks (not full rubicon suspension, just shocks)
-upgraded D44 rear axle with the LSD
-a few bits and bobs such as the all weather floormats and sticker package
And LED head lights and fog lights.
 

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And LED head lights and fog lights.
And upgraded front bumper and black grill, but I was mostly just listing the mechanical upgrades so classified all that under "Bits and bobs" ;)
 

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JollieOllie

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Willys will get you
-upgraded wheels and tires
-rock rails
-rubicon shocks (not full rubicon suspension, just shocks)
-upgraded D44 rear axle with the LSD
-a few bits and bobs such as the all weather floormats and sticker package

So if that sounds worth the price to you (it did to me!), go for it! It gives you a good head start and is an easy entry into slightly heavier offroading without modding anything. The stickers come off easy enough too if they're not your thing.

That said, if you plan on building it up yourself right off the bat, it might not make sense for your situation. Paying for upgraded tires and rubicon shocks for example if you're immediately going to lift it and switch to 35s anyway might not be the best use of your money.

Both the Sport S and the Willys will handle most trails in Michigan with no issue. The off road parks and more "off the beaten path" trails do exist here though, and the Willys will be more capable of handling them in stock form than the Sport S. Again though, it sounds like you're planning on modding pretty early on, so just depends on if the price tag for the package makes sense for your personal use case.
Nice and informative post.
 
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Vito92

Vito92

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Dgr401

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The Willys is a great bang for the buck. The added features of the shocks, rock rails and lsd upgraded rear axle are well worth the extra dollars. My nephew was in the same boat recently and decided to order a Willys, now he is going nuts waiting for it lol. I have a Sport S and love it but if I were to do it again I would definitely get a Willys.
 

SAStingray

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Willys will get you
-upgraded wheels and tires
-rock rails
-rubicon shocks (not full rubicon suspension, just shocks)
-upgraded D44 rear axle with the LSD
-a few bits and bobs such as the all weather floormats and sticker package

So if that sounds worth the price to you (it did to me!), go for it! It gives you a good head start and is an easy entry into slightly heavier offroading without modding anything. The stickers come off easy enough too if they're not your thing.

That said, if you plan on building it up yourself right off the bat, it might not make sense for your situation. Paying for upgraded tires and rubicon shocks for example if you're immediately going to lift it and switch to 35s anyway might not be the best use of your money.

Both the Sport S and the Willys will handle most trails in Michigan with no issue. The off road parks and more "off the beaten path" trails do exist here though, and the Willys will be more capable of handling them in stock form than the Sport S. Again though, it sounds like you're planning on modding pretty early on, so just depends on if the price tag for the package makes sense for your personal use case.
@Vito92 , ^this is gold.
I went through the same ordeal when looking for my perfect JL. In the end, I went with a used Sport S that only had 15k miles and several upgrades from the previous owner (steel bumper, led headlamps, etc.). Going with a lightly used Sport S, I was able to save several thousands and bought a lot in the first two weeks of ownership (33s, winch, rubi rock rails, trailer hitch & harness...).

And as my first post, I've gotta send a big THANK YOU! to all the helpful members of this forum.

Jeep Wrangler JL returning back to Jeep 20220331_160400
 

Squibbles

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been reading through the post here for a few months and this weekend will be putting my order in for a new 2 door JL. After some reflections and looking at the market figured it was time to return i used to have a 2017 Renegade trailhawk that ended up being a lemon but I'd hit the trails in southern California every chance i got, afterwards I got a MK7 Golf that i lifted and ran light trails with but vowed to return to Jeep. Only went with the Golf because a friends husband was selling Volkswagens at the time and it was a good deal. however through that ownership process i got introduced to the mod culture and going to street takeovers, meets, canyon runs and what not. and knew with my next car i wanted similar experiences but more so the ability to venture far out as i did with my Renegade.

I'm torn between a Sport S and the Willys. I like the idea of the Willys since it seems as if its a "diet Rubicon" correct me if I'm wrong. the only thing i like about the sport S if the sticker delete and it seems more like a blank canvas I was wondering the limited slip comes standard on the willya and what benefits does it provide versus not opting for it? And any other pointers are appreciated 🤙🏾
I got stuck in a gravel parking lot last year in my MK7 GTI, granted o have a manual but the DSG is liable to overheat with slippage. All that said the wranglers have traction control that’ll brake the spinning wheel so a limited slip isn’t mandatory and you either have some skill or don’t run too demanding of trails or some combination of both that regardless of options you’ll fare well in 4 low.
 

Shibadog

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An S or a Willy’s will both do what you are wanting, esp with a limited slip. I’d go with the ne I got the best deal on. I’ve got an S with lsd and it’s never let me down yet. A box stock Sport, without anything, is more capable than most driver’s are. On 95% of the Jeeps you’ll see the wink link off road is the loose nut behind the steering wheel😏
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