Thinking about a Jeep

This may be the wrong place to get a non bias opinion on purchaseing a jeep but I'll ask anyway. lol  This past summer I took my wife's street stock, loaded Tahoe up in the mountains in Ouray, CO. We did fine on some of the trails but drug bottom on several. We were following others with Jeeps that was helping us along the way. Now we have the bug! Since we will be traveling to all parts of the nation we're not sure we want to trade the comfort of the Tahoe for the ride of a Jeep.

You might say I'm in the research stage for now, our trips for this year center around areas where the Tahoe will work fine, but next year we plan heading West, Moab, Quartzite, Colorado hopefully. Will I regret not having a Jeep when I visit those areas? If I raise the Tahoe with bigger tires could I get by? I know that Jeep owners seem to have their own lifestyle but we really like having the Tahoe and hate to give it up!

Stock or fairly stock SUVs can do many of the trails in the San Juans and you could even run a few trails in the Moab area but as you discovered you have some limitations.  We ran our Jeep Liberty in the San Juans a few years ago and I struggled on some fairly easy trails, like you I really enjoyed running trails and that was the catalyst to buy a Rubicon.  With our built-up Rubicon, every trail in the San Juans is fairly easy (including Poughkeepsie) and just plain fun.

If you really want to run trails, buy a Rubicon, with a Tahoe, most of the trails in Moab would be off-limits to you.

The newer JK/JKU's are a fantastic compromise of being a comfortable driver and a very, very capable off-road SUV.  If you are after the ride of a Cadillac then the Tahoe is about as close as you are going to get.  If you want a vehicle that will tackle about any trail then a heavily built Jeep or a buggy is fits the bill.  The newer Jeeps are a very nice balance.

We went from a Grand Cherokee which I had set up for daily driving/weekend wheeling and it worked great.  When we first started looking to get a Wrangler, I readied the wife for the slight lack of creature comforts that the Wrangler would have in comparison to the GC.  I found a few that were good candidates but as soon as the wife rode in a 2011 that we test drove, she had made up her mind.  The 2011 with the new interior was actually nicer than the GC and then when I set it up with a long arm suspension system it even rides better on pavement and really shines off-road.

We have had so much fun with the JKU Rubicon the last 2+ years that we have now decided to sell all of our sand toys because we are simply having so much fun.  We look for trails and areas to get off-road everywhere we travel.

I highly recommend a Jeep as a tow vehicle especially here in the western U.S.

Mike.

I'll sell you a Jeep. Might be more than you are looking for?

Jeeping (off roading) is a blast. Our while family loves it. We do day trips, over night trips and even two week trips with the RV as home base.

All the above information is good!

Good luck!

Go test drive the longer wheel based new Wranglers to see if they give you the on-road comfort you need. The after market suppliers offer such a vast array of modifications that you can easily upgrade the already impressive off-road performance as your tastes for adventure expand.

With John Canfield as mentor (Devil?) Barbara and I purchase an 05 Rubicon Unlimted. We have been happy as can be with it, and are having fun doing modest performance upgrades. It does not ride like a limo, but we did not expect it to. It has been a terrific toad.

I have a 13' JK and it's not too bad on the road. Last week DW decided she needed a new car and got the new Cherokee. The new Cherokee Trailhawk is trail rated and gives many options only found in high end SUV's

Jeep claims that they have run the Trailhawk on the Rubicon trail. With the right transfer case it is towable 4 down.

Thanks everyone for your replies, as I stated this year is pretty much planned and very Tahoeable. This gives me plenty of time to test drive and research to find what I need vs what I want!

Going to the Jeep website I still have trouble understanding what they mean.

Limited?  Does that mean 4 door?

X ?  Not sure what the x means?

I've figured out the Rubicon is the only one with diff. Lock.

Does Hill Stop come on Rubicon and do I need it?

Lift kits needed or not?

Winch I assume needed but what else?

Unlimited in the Wrangler is the 4-door.  Limited has other connotations for different models - for our Jeep Liberty the Limited was the top trim line.  The X model - I have no clue, the only important name for you is Rubicon. Hill stop would be with a manual transmission - you do not want a manual tranny for the trails.

If you buy a 4-door, it needs 35" tires and a 2" lift.  A two door is pretty much ready to wheel right off the lot.  Winch - a good thing to have if you wheel alone or on harder trails.

What else - tools, air compressor (always air down before the trail), tow strap, CB radio, first aid kit.

Huntnski,
We just picked up our new 2014 Rubicon X that is just the best stock off road Jeep available. It is set up ready to go do the Rubicon Trail or any others in stock form.
We love it! The ride is great and it goes where you want to go in comfort.
No complantes at all!


Good Luck
Dave

huntnski said:

Thanks everyone for your replies, as I stated this year is pretty much planned and very Tahoeable. This gives me plenty of time to test drive and research to find what I need vs what I want!

Going to the Jeep website I still have trouble understanding what they mean.

Limited?  Does that mean 4 door?
Actually it is "Unlimited", which is the four door version of the Wrangler.  The JK is the two door the JKU (Unlimited) is the four door.

X ?  Not sure what the x means?
"X" is a sub-model.  So is Rubicon, Sahara, Moab.

I've figured out the Rubicon is the only one with diff. Lock.
The Rubicon has locking differentials in the front and rear axles.  They are Eaton E-Lockers.  The previous model Rubicons, 2004-2006 used air lockers.

Does Hill Stop come on Rubicon and do I need it?
The hill start feature is on all the new Wrangler models.

Lift kits needed or not?
This really depends on the level of off-roading you intend to do.  You will be surprised what a stock Wrangler can actually do.  However, usually what happens is that people get the "bug" so bad that suspension systems are soon in the works to be able to conquer even more difficult terrain.

Winch I assume needed but what else?
Not necessarily but it does depend on the rating of the trails in which you intend to tackle.  We went on many moderate to mildly difficult trails with our last Jeep without a winch and never put ourselves into a situation where we needed one.  That said, they are a nice accessory if you intend on upping the level of trails that you frequent.

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Tried to answer based on personal experience and opinions in red.  If you would like to get a good feel for Jeeps I would recommend getting onto a forum where I will tell you most questions that you have or will have are discussed frequently.

I am the technical moderator on ForbiddenJeeps.com and we have a wide range of members, some who are new to Jeeps and off-roading an many who are seasoned veterans.  On our particular forum we welcome newcomers and try to answer questions as honestly as possible and most do a pretty good job of checking their egos prior to logging on.

Mike.

If you get the "Jeep" disease, then this is just the beginning. I can attest to that (i own 3) and I know John can too. And most likely Mike.

huntnski said:

Thanks everyone for your replies, as I stated this year is pretty much planned and very Tahoeable. This gives me plenty of time to test drive and research to find what I need vs what I want!

Going to the Jeep website I still have trouble understanding what they mean.

Limited?  Does that mean 4 door?

X ?  Not sure what the x means?

I've figured out the Rubicon is the only one with diff. Lock.

Does Hill Stop come on Rubicon and do I need it?

Lift kits needed or not?

Winch I assume needed but what else?

Click to expand...

Might wanna check out a regional 4 Wheelin' Club... Usually they will have a mix of Jeeps and other four wheelin' vehicles, some modified, some not so much, some highly modified, even custom designs.  In any event, you get to see 'em in action, talk about them and generally get a feel for the type of vehicle for you.  Of course there are a slew of magazines and discussion forums that will add their perspectives.  There is no shortage of opinions and examples.

One aspect of the Jeep Wrangler line that is different from most of the other options is the almost unlimited availability of after-market parts, modifications and accessories that are readily available, for a price, of course.  The number of shops that specialize in Jeeps is really amazing and they can fix anything that might get damaged or make modifications that prevent damage.  They can also tell you which models would do what you want to do... yet another opinion, of course.

In my opinion,  the wrangler line, while very acceptable to most Jeep owners as a daily driver, will never challenge the comfort and roominess or towing capacity of a full sized SUV such as the Tahoe.  By the same token, the full sized SUV will be hard pressed to do what the Jeeps can do, by design.  There-in lies the trade-off that results in many people owning more than one vehicle. 


Good luck.

taoshum said:

In my opinion,  the wrangler line, while very acceptable to most Jeep owners as a daily driver, will never challenge the comfort and roominess or towing capacity of a full sized SUV such as the Tahoe.  By the same token, the full sized SUV will be hard pressed to do what the Jeeps can do, by design.  There-in lies the trade-off that results in many people owning more than one vehicle. 

Good luck.

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Very well said on the trade-off.

Mike.

Thanks for all advice and info!

I too shopped for a Jeep for several months, I wanted to buy a new 2013 JK but had to settle for a 2005 TJ because I could not find a Jeep dealer that would negotiate on price. New Jeeps are too expensive IMO, but they hold their resale fairly good to, which is surprising considering their intended use.

Oscar Mike said:

I too shopped for a Jeep for several months, I wanted to buy a new 2013 JK but had to settle for a 2005 TJ because I could not find a Jeep dealer that would negotiate on price. New Jeeps are too expensive IMO, but they hold their resale fairly good to, which is surprising considering their intended use.

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Not anyway near the negotiating stage yet, still learning. Not sure what the Jk vs TJ  is! Guessing difference in year model?

huntnski said:

Not anyway near the negotiating stage yet, still learning. Not sure what the Jk vs TJ  is! Guessing difference in year model?

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Correct, the TJ's were built from 1997-2006.  They are identifiable by the turn signals in the front fenders and more importantly by coil springs.  They made a TJ Unlimited or LJ between years 2004-2006 which have a longer wheelbase and longer tub.  These were also very highly sought after.

The JK is a two-door model from 2007-present and the four door is identified as the JKU.  The "U" for Unlimited or four door.

Mike.

  The shorter the wheelbase, the better offroad capabilities BUT you trade the smoother ride for a choppier one. I need a truck, so I got a small Nissan Frontier. It has the locking differential in the rear and goes anywhere I usually want to go. A Jeep Rubicon has TWO locking axles, AND a shorter wheel base. Most people still put a suspension lift for clearance.  I added a lift kit to my truck for clearance. 

I would buy the Jeep with the maximum you can afford. Locking differentials, hardtop, etc., etc., load the thing up.

Regarding the lift kits. If you have sampled the new JK's you will notice that to get in the Jeep it is a higher than normal door height (as versus other SUV's). If you do the lift kits it becomes an even higher climb to get in the Jeep. Its great for off roading but for everyday use it can be challenging to get in and out. The nice thing about the 4 door Wrangler is the extra room for passengers and storage in the back. 

Desertfront said:

The shorter the wheelbase, the better offroad capabilities BUT you trade the smoother ride for a choppier one. I need a truck, so I got a small Nissan Frontier. It has the locking differential in the rear and goes anywhere I usually want to go. A Jeep Rubicon has TWO locking axles, AND a shorter wheel base. Most people still put a suspension lift for clearance.  I added a lift kit to my truck for clearance. 

I would buy the Jeep with the maximum you can afford. Locking differentials, hardtop, etc., etc., load the thing up.

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I don't 100% disagree nor to I 100% agree with this.  It is a trade-off.  Personally, I feel the "ideal" wheelbase for off-roading in the manner in which we do seems to be approx. 106"(closer to the LJ or 2004-2006 Wrangler Unlimited).  Yes the shorter wheelbase of the two-door JK (even the previous YJ's and TJ's) is better for tighter turns and in SOME cases manuevering between obstacles. 

That said, I routinely am able to go up obstacles with my 116" wheelbase where a standard 93" wheelbase Jeep struggles or has to throw a strap on to keep the front end down.  Also, with my 4" lift and 35" tires I have found on a couple of our local trails where I cannot make a certain couple of turns without making them a 3 or 5 point turn, I simply go over the obstacles with my tires and make it in one shot.  The longer wheelbase really smooths out the trails when traveling along (multiplied even more by deflating the tires) and makes for a very comfortable day.

When we travel we routinely have my in-laws travel with us with their TT.  When we get to our campground, they park their truck and we all hop in our Wrangler Unlimited which is quite comfortable for carrying four adults even off road.  I have a small folding step that I carry in the back to assist my mother in law when getting into the Jeep but she has no complaints, she just sits back and enjoys the scenery/outdoors.

Mike.