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Soft top only folks- any regrets?

Waitin_on_a_JL

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Wondering if any members that have purchased a JL with only the soft top, premium or standard, have had any buyers’ remorse in not getting the dual top option from the factory? I know the inherent dangers of getting the windows slashed, but I’m wondering if the hard top is worth the extra cash given the soft top redesign and the sporadic wind noise with the new hard top design.
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rkammer

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I love the soft top on my 2 door Sport. Even with the cold weather in western PA.
 

Firecracker18

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My previous Jeep had both tops - soft top pre-installed. The below hits the nail on the head. If you want to load anything in rain, sun, snow, etc getting that back window undone to open it up more is a PITA. And your fingers WILL get dirty. Otherwise the soft top is great. Don't worry about getting slashed - only happened once in the past 15 years of owning convertibles. Why? No idea other than vandalism. Hardtops rock but are much much harder to take off so it's a give and take I guess.

The only thing that irks me is having to undo the back window when loading things into the back. Other than that, I love the premium soft top.
 

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jhonn236_AZ

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The only thing that irks me is having to undo the back window when loading things into the back. Other than that, I love the premium soft top.
Agreed on that. Could be annoying specially when you have to open it and close it quite often during the day - I just leave it open and drive it like I stole it. Fak it. Lol

I bought mine with the dual package (since that's how it was built) but I put the soft top almost immediately and I've never looked back. Sometimes I think of selling my hard top since it's only collecting dust in the garage, and also very bulky.

Pros:
- You can open to the sunrider position in less than 1 minute.
- you can lower the whole thing in less than 5.
- put it back up in a blink of an eye.
- Honestly, you look way cooler when you have the top down.
- If you want to go naked, the windows aren't as bulky and heavy as the freedom panels on the hardtop... and we all know you cannot get the hard top off your Jeep by yourself, whereas the soft top is easy-peacy.

Cons:
- Back window is a PIA.

Mid-ground:
- Noise level. Let me put it this way, in a scale from 1 to 10 where 1 is bad and 10 is good - I'd give the wind noise a 5... maaaaybe a 4 if you are going 70+ MPH, but c'mon it's a Wrangler, so chances are you will only do this once or twice in your lifetime, lol. The few days I was running the hardtop, the wind noise was also noticeable so in reality there's not a very dramatic difference between these two.

OP - Go for it! Fak it. YOLO.
 

jhonn236_AZ

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oh - and it can get kinda chilly at night... but what do I know about chilly? I live in AZ so whenever it gets below 70 - I am already putting a jacket on :giggle:
 

stangken

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I live in CO and it may just be me, but the heater is amazing. Heats up right away.
oh - and it can get kinda chilly at night... but what do I know about chilly? I live in AZ so whenever it gets below 70 - I am already putting a jacket on :giggle:
 

Zazoh

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I hate the Hardtop. Too bulky and slow to get on and off. Waiting on my fastback soft top.
 

dwoodwo1

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No regrets at all. If it is warmer than 60 and not raining, I have it down... no matter what. It starts raining? Back up immediately. Hard top just would not work with my lifestyle at all.
 

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imapseudonym

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The only thing that irks me is having to undo the back window when loading things into the back. Other than that, I love the premium soft top.
This. And having limited roof rack capabilities. But I’m not damaging that dang hard too anymore ha
 

buckscop

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4 wranglers, all soft tops. points that others have made, but absolutely no regrets.
 

ryanv

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Zero regrets. Been below 30 degrees already this fall and within a minute or two I’m more than warm enough. At 70 mph on the highway I have the radio between 10-12 volume and can hear it just fine.

Two complaints: back window as others have said, and the gutter that drips rain into the footwell when you open the door. But nothing’s perfect and the hard top was never an option for me - it’s my first Jeep and I wanted the classic soft top look.
 

TrailTorque

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No regrets but I live in Florida so no use for a hard top in this state. Will I ever get a hard top? Maybe one day but my standard soft top is perfect. I have (0) experience with actually owning a Jeep and took the soft top on and off by myself for the first time in like 4 minutes. Also you can shove the panels in the cargo area on the go no problem.
 

Litfuse

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With the new design and no longer using zippers, I love the new soft top. I like the look and functionality of the safari top. On my past Wranglers, I would always get the hardtop. But like others stated, hardtop are a pain to remove and store.
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