I have decided to buy a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (4 dour model) I am trying to decide between the Sahara and the Rubicon. There is about a $3K difference but that is not the concern. My wife and I have toured the country on a Honda Valkyrie motorcycle. There were many times that we wanted to explore areas off road and couldn't because of the bike. We also want to drive to Alaska in a Jeep. The Rubicon has a lot of off road equipment we probably will never use but, I would hate to have to buy that same equipment after the fact. We will go off road, but I cannot see us ever climbing rocks, etc. So, I am guessing that the Sahara is probably good enough. Also, we are just selling a POS Ford F350 dually that has cost me almost $14K in repairs (it is a 2006 6.0L) and it is still within the extended 200K engine warranty. (My 30 year relationship with Ford is over). Having that experience, we are worried about Jeep relability. Any thoughts or suggestions? The biggest attraction for the Jeep besides the legend is that we can completely remove the tops.
Wife had an '05 Wrangler Sport (2 door). No problems at all with the straight 6. Great little buggy. Only thing about the Sahara is that it's an automatic tranny right? I wouldn't want that.
My brother used to build them (buy cheap, fix up and sell) and restore from skeleton frame to finish. Jeeps are amazing vehicles, and are one of my first choices for a BOV. The older CJ series are just awesome, but I guess it's all about geographic locale and those Jeeps aren't exactly increasing in numbers. The newer models are decent, and with a few modifications, you could have a pretty solid vehicle. I wouldn't count on EMP-proofing a newer model, but I suppose a person could do it if they had a year or two to kill. The short wheel base makes it an excellent climber, but it will not hold a great deal of equipment compared to a full size 4wd. The Rubicon is worth the extra cash. And Females love Jeeps, but many realize after riding in one long enough, that their chests ache from the...uh..."BUMPINESS". Stiff ride. No pun intended.
My son had a CJ5 as his first ride. Was a ground up rebuild with a fiberglass tub. V8 Was like driving a bullet
RUBICON!!! You will save significantly over actual upgrades, by buying the rubicon package ahead of time. The Sahara package is basically looks, IMO. Perhaps there is a little more on the current models, but that is the way it always was, with the YJ and TJ models. The rubicon will also give you more resale value, if you ever get rid of it. The air lockers, Dana 44 axles (front and rear), taller ride height (tires and suspension), Lower axle ratios (4.10?), and 4:1 transfer case will help you in more than just rocks. It'll help in mud, brush, trails, and any place that traction is an issue. You have an incredible low range too! You just need to know when you need it, and engage it! I currently own a cj8 scrambler with an EFI 302, and 35" tires. It is an awesome BOV. It is not EMP hardened though. You may also want to look at the previous model TJ or LJ. The rubicon package was awesome in there, without all the fancy traction electronics. Simpler is better IMO. However, both of those are two door only. ... some of the numbers that I quotes above for axle ratios and TC ratios where valid on the TJ and LJ models. I assume that they are the same on the current models, but we both know what assumptions lead to ....
I'm not totally familiar with the new generation Jeeps, so I checked out the specs on Jeep's website. If it was me I'd spend the extra cash on the Rubicon and be done with it. The Sahara is just a luxury upgraded Wrangler, while the Rubicon is a factory off-road package. Well worth the money, you could not upgrade a Wrangler yourself for the $3000 difference between the 2 models. The Rubicon is the only Wrangler that comes stock with Dana 44 front and rear differentials, air lockers, 4.10 axle gear ratio and an amazing 73.1 crawl ratio. All the other Wranglers come with a Dana 30 front, Dana 44 rear, no air lockers, 3.21 axle gear ratio and a 38.9 crawl ratio. If you were to just price out the Dana 44 front differential, swapping out the the gear packs from 3.21 to a 4.10 axle gear ratio and air lockers in addition to the labor, I think you'll find that the Rubicon is the way to go. There are other upgrades on the Rubicon but thought I'd just point out the drivetrain alone, to put things into perspective. If you are not buying new, try not to buy a used one that was molested by the previous owner. This is mainly in reference to lifted vehicles, there is the correct way to lift a vehicle and the thrifty route. It is my understanding that a stock Rubicon will clear 33" tires. Lifting a Jeep that clears 33" tires, so it can clear 35" tires is a waste of money, IMO. All you will gain is a 1" higher clearance on the differentials, seems silly to me.
I don't claim to be an expert on EMP's, far from it. However, there is a lot of controversy on this subject.
Out of curiousity, what repairs were done that cost you that much not covered by the warranty. So far my pickup has been in for the usual engineering failures that most have experienced. Other than the EGR cooler, oil cooler and head gaskets, my truck has been a good truck. I have yet to pay more than the $100 deductible for factory repairs. Did they void your warranty because it was modified? If so, then I can see how you would have spent so much. It has 108K miles on it, with 4 yrs. and 40K miles of warranty left. After it is out of warranty, I will be upgrading the EGR cooler and oil cooler with the better designed aftermarkets parts, install the ARB head studs, remove the EGR valve and remove the catalytic converter. Everybody I know that has done these upgrades hasn't had any issues since, crossing fingers. Don't blame Ford for what was forced upon them by the Federal Emissions standards. They tried to get the 7.3 liter to pass the new emission standards, with no avail. I would not recommend anybody to purchase a 6.0 leaker Ford, unless they could do the upgrades themselves and purchased the vehicle for a price that made it worth it. The 6.0 leaker is a decent engine with the upgraded parts, do the repairs yourself or know somebody that owns a diesel repair shop for advise. When I purchased mine a year ago, I could not find an equally equipped/mileage Dodge or Chevy within $10K-$15K of what I paid.
Buying any newer vehicle can be a crap shoot, being all of them including diesels have a huge amount of sensors and electronics in them. Regardless of what you buy a person can save themselves a few bucks by purchasing a good OBD II code scanner.
I currently own an 94 wrangler, sprung over on 35"s, detroits, 4.56s, full cage, belt drive compressor, I have 44's and 37's waiting to install. Bigger tires have less rolling resistance and make big obstacles into small obstacles. Also a 92 cherokee 4.0 HO Limited and an 06 Commander, all wheel, 4.7L yeah I like my jeeps. I used to work at a custom jeep shop and have scratch built many vehicles. The TJ and newer SWB's are coil sprung and ride much nicer than old YJ's and CJ's. The Rubicon is well worth the money.....new cars are a crapshoot as mentioned before. I prefer the older stuff as nothing I cant' fix by hitting it with a rock.
There are so many jeeps around. you would have spare parts through the wazooo in a SHTF sit. I never liked them, too stubby looking, but off road they are respectable. The freeways would be a parts market for all lol
