Some questions before placing an order

[JeepWannaBe]

Newbie looking for a big brother here...

I don't go to malls and am married with two little kids and have never been off-roading. But after lurking for some time, I think I'm what you guys call a 'mall crawler'. So I'm sorry in advance if my desire for a Jeep offends anyone

I've had a love for lifted Wranglers for at least two decades but have never owned one. Now that I might be facing a mid-life crisis but can afford toys, I'll likely be ordering one. Being new to the Jeep game, I am not sure where to start. I am 100% convinced that I'll order the Sky-One Powertop so that boils it down to Sahara vs. Rubicon since that option is only available in these two models. Besides that, I'm stuck.

Is the Sahara Unlimited more practical for a daily driver? I'm in Southern California and would be open to off-roading but I'd need some handholding at first. I do know that for cosmetic purposes, the first thing I'll do is add a lift and 35 or 37' tires. Is the standard for this the 2" Mopar lift and would you order this through the dealer to maintain warranty? Is anything else considered 'essential' to add to the Jeep?

Thanks!

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[grady2hig]

Newbie looking for a big brother here...

I don't go to malls and am married with two little kids and have never been off-roading. But after lurking for some time, I think I'm what you guys call a 'mall crawler'. So I'm sorry in advance if my desire for a Jeep offends anyone

I've had a love for lifted Wranglers for at least two decades but have never owned one. Now that I might be facing a mid-life crisis but can afford toys, I'll likely be ordering one. Being new to the Jeep game, I am not sure where to start. I am 100% convinced that I'll order the Sky-One Powertop so that boils it down to Sahara vs. Rubicon since that option is only available in these two models. Besides that, I'm stuck.

Is the Sahara Unlimited more practical for a daily driver? I'm in Southern California and would be open to off-roading but I'd need some handholding at first. I do know that for cosmetic purposes, the first thing I'll do is add a lift and 35 or 37' tires. Is the standard for this the 2" Mopar lift and would you order this through the dealer to maintain warranty? Is anything else considered 'essential' to add to the Jeep?

Thanks!

Get the Moab maybe...a little of both.

 

[JeepWannaBe]

Get the Moab maybe...a little of both.

That MOAB thread made it seem like a bastardized Wrangler

 

[Dewey]

FYI Lift kits don't void warranties. I run the Mopar lift, because I like it not for the warranty!

 

[Gregodav]

The Rubicon has a little higher fenders if you are going to keep them.

 

[ResponsibleAdult]

That MOAB thread made it seem like a bastardized Wrangler

Everyone on here has strong opinions. There will always be someone who hates what you do with your Jeep, so do what’s right for you.

My advice is to browse the threads - particularly the colour ones, and look at what people are doing to their rigs. See what appeals the most to you. There are some fantastic Saharas and drool-worthy Rubicons. Learn what does it for you.

I’m much like you. One kid. Two dogs. I explore off road, but don’t do anything that would be considered serious. This will be my daily driver.

I bought a Rubicon because that’s what appealed to me, and because it’s what I really wanted.

Jeeps are fun. Ignore the threads that take that away, and discover which Jeep speaks to you.

Enjoy!

 

[mikej]

One thing to think about is that a stock Rubicon can take 35's without really needing a lift and the tires really fill the fenders. 35's will rub a bit under articulation, but if you're not planning on regularly stretching it out, it would probably be just fine. I've had my Rubicon for less than a week, but put 150ish miles on it yesterday and thought it was a fine driver for that trip.

I think both would make a fine daily driver. The Sahara would probably be just fine for you, and so would the Rubicon. You can't go wrong with either, unless you're looking to be heavy, hardcore off-roading. If so, you would likely save money in the long run by starting with a Rubicon. But even if you decide you want to do that hardcore off-roading in the future, a Sahara can certainly turned into an off-road monster.

The only thing that you would be unhappy about is if you don't buy a Jeep at all.

 

[Kadonny]

Wait, so you want a DD with no major plans to off-road and you’re talking lift and 37s? Just for looks? If you want DD driveability a lift and bigger tires is not the best course of action.

 

[JeepWannaBe]

Wait, so you want a DD with no major plans to off-road and you’re talking lift and 37s? Just for looks? If you want DD driveability a lift and bigger tires is not the best course of action.

Yes. After looking at a ridiculous number of pictures & videos, it'd most likely be 35s +/- lift. I understand it takes away from the drivability, but I don't mind that in exchange for driving what I've drooled over for so long. Who knows, maybe I'll enjoy off-roading too!

 

[Saejin]

People buy Porsche and never take them to the track.
They buy trucks and never tow or haul anything in the bed.
They buy Tahoe’s or Suburbans but only have a family of three.

So what I’m saying, buying a Jeep doesn’t mean you have to go off road. I think the majority of owners buy for looks and enjoy having the option to off road if it ever comes up.

On a side note, once you get and go off-road you’ll be hooked. I’d get the Rubicon.

 

[Goin2drt]

First of all welcome. I would like to think that all Jeep owners welcome all and just because you want to be a “mall crawler” you are still welcome.

Now onto your questions. As this is just my opinion like everyone we all have them. I say if you have the means then go all out and get the Rubi. Why, because what if all of a sudden you go on that handholding first off road trip and you get bit by the those bugs in the woods. You will now already have the platform to allow the sky to be your limit, no regrets because you all the top of the heap.

Now if you are on a budget the Sahara is also perfectly capable to do most everything. I would get all the options you will want and for me especially since mine is a DD first and foremost I wanted them all. Keyless entry, all the electronic gadgets, alpine upgrade etc etc. I think I checked just about every option.

As other have said, do whatever lift you want and do wherever you want. For what you are doing, it’s fine and I personally will not be spending the increased premium to have the dealer do that on my rig. For 35 or 37 inch I would think pretty standard lift is a 2.5”.

Either way congrats early and enjoy the madness. I hope you come around after you buy it and I think the new Wrangler is getting more SoCal based people involved so who knows maybe we meet on the trail.

 

[RavenJeep]

So I copied my thoughts over from the MOAB thread. You get more bang for your buck with the MOAB edition if you want all the bells and whistles and are buying an Automatic.(about $4000) If you are planning on lifting either the MOAB or the Rubi, you'll be able to fit 35's, though with the Rubi you'll be able to fit 35's without the lift but my understanding is it's a little tight. Sounds like whatever you order you'll be getting new tires so that's a wash. And people will be getting rid of their Rubi fenders as soon as their are more fender options out there so you could pick those up cheap if you really wanted to though with a lift you don't need them. One more thing people haven't mentioned, should you get bite by the "hardcore" offroading bug, where you NEED sway bar disconnect and lockers, they are fairly easy to add aftermarket and less then the $3000 price difference. At that point, if you added them and did a lift, the only capability difference would be the heavier front axle a Rubi has, which to be honest it's unlikely you'd ever notice. Either way you can't go wrong. Hope this helps your decision, and I agree with that there is always someone who will hate your Jeep but it's yours so do/get what makes you happy.

So first I think this idea that there are only 2 types of Wrangler owners- Mall Crawlers and Hard core Rubicon owners is totally false.

Most of us fall somewhere in between. For instance, mine's my daily driver so yes it goes to the mall, I also offroad with it at Rausch in PA 6-10X a year but frankly I'm not doing blacks and what not there as It's my DD and I can't afford to break it, so to be realistic I can handle any of the trails I'm going to do there- blues mostly, without all the Rubi goodies. My pretty stock Backcountry ( SE 2016 Sahara) has handled every trail I've thrown at it just fine. Mine also pulls my camper (2800lb Vicking BH) frequently 6-8 times a year, and it spends about 60+ days a year driving on the beach.

If I had to classify my main reason for why I have a Wrangler it would be because it's a 5 person convertible with 4 wheel drive that I can drive on the beach. I can't get that anywhere else, with anything else. The offroad capabilites and ability to go offroading at a park are bennies to me, not it's main purpose for my use. I've grown to really enjoy doing that but it's not actually why I own one. There are probably a lot of owners like me. Too be honest, the person who convinced me to buy one has never taken theirs off the pavement at all, no sand, no off-roading but still loves it. I've also really grown to love the Jeep community ( some would say cult) and that for sure been a bonus but again, not strictly why I own one or why I bought one.

Which brings me to this MOAB edition. Had I not already ordered a Rubicon, that should be delivered soon, this would have been my pick probably.
I want all the option it's coming with. (If you don't want all the goodies this is obviously not the Wrangler for you but given the fact that the dealerships are ordering alot of their stock with all these goodies I have to assume there are alot of people ordering them.)

I'm hoping this is my last wrangler and I'm going to drive it until it just won't go anymore, so I want it with all the bells and whistles. Pricing it out, with all the options that the MOAB is coming with standard, adds $12, 030 to the Base Sahara price, By buying the Moab, you get all those same options for $10,905 plus you get Steel bumpers $1295, Rubi hood $900, and upgraded rock rail $995, none of which you can even get on a Sahara and was one of the reasons I didn't order one. That saves you a whopping $4,315 dollars compared to building it out with all those options. That seems like a no brainer to me, if you, like many wrangler owners are never going to actually need your sway bar disconnect and lockers.

Now obviously if you want to hardcore offroad you're better off going with the Rubicon but it's going to price out at $54,075 comparing apples to apples ( same options etc) for the $3000 dollar difference, I'd choose the Special Edition. You get the looks of the Rubicon, the Steele Bumpers, all wheel drive, and it's still really capable off road.

So for everyone who's wondering who is going to buy this, that's my take on it. I think it's a great addition to the line up and I wish it had been available when I ordered, though I'm totally sure I'm going to love my Rubicon when it get's here.

(One last thought I agree with not liking the body color hard top, especially for the really loud colors, ( I ordered the Mojito) but truthfully I'm positive you could trade that to someone who didn't get one and gt a black one and probably even make a little money on it. That alone wouldn't keep me from ordering because in worst case scenario you could do an even trade, someone would jump on it,)

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