Thanks for all the replies.

I do enjoy doing mods to all my vehicles that's one reason I'm drawn to Jeeps. I can't say I will not off road because I'm sure I will to some degree. I don't see myself doing anything extreme.

I'm currently going back to school and keeping my payment around $500 is important. That's why I'm trying to do all my research now. I have looked at Sports, Sahara's, and Rubicons.

There are plenty of Dealerships around and lots of inventory to choose from but very little with the options I'm looking for. I'm set on Billet Silver, the Premium Soft top, 3.73 at a minimum, and Auto. Surprisingly there are not many fitting that criteria. That's the only reason I'm looking at the Saharas.

 

Love the billet silver color especially with black rims. I think it's the sickest color they have put in the jeep. I want to redo mine in that color but matte. See if any of the dealerships have any sister dealerships in other places that they can check inventory on. Hope you find what your looking for.

 

Good luck on the jeep search & welcome to the forum.

 

My stock 2008 X can outdo most Rubi drivers and I paid gobs less. It's more the driver than the trim unless you are wheeling with the hardcore group. All Wranglers are extremely capable straight from the factory.

Some major annoyances to consider with the Rubi's and Saharas:

Larger rim diameters= crazy expensive tires! which is why Rubi and Sahara owners are constantly giving away their wheels and tires as they get smaller diameter wheels after paying thousands for that wheel, which I don't understand.

4wheel drive low= crazy rock crawling gear ratio in the Rubi that costs thousands but makes absolutely no sense unless you are on some crazy trail.

Sway bar auto disconnect= not only is disconnecting the sway bar only for the hard core, but the equipment is crap. Many Rubi owners toss this expensive feature and get a manual release set that'll work on any Jeep from Home Depot for only a few bucks.

Tow hooks on the bumper= free just about any where. Costs hundreds when you buy a Rubi package.

Side steps= hundreds on a Sahara or Rubi. Free to $150 on eBay brand new.

In short, look at the for sale and give away sections on this site and you'll see mostly Rubi and Sahara items.

I just bought brand new Rubi shocks to replace my worn out X shocks with 80k miles. Guess how much I paid for all four brand new Rubi shocks? $50. That's $12.50 each.

 

I got a regular X with tow hooks on front bumper so it's not just a Rubi thing. The big thing with the rubi is the stronger gears for front axle and the 4.10 gearing so it handles bigger tires with no issue. A lot of Rubis also have the 17" rims which my X came with exact same rim and tires aren't too much more expensive in an 18" rim for that matter, wouldn't call it crazy expensive.

I would actually say if your wheeling with the "hardcore group" than buying a rubi would be useless. To go hardcore would be putting d60s and 80s in and coilover suspensions 40s on rims with 3.5" backspacing. To me that's what hardcore means.

Now I'm like you and have a regular '08 JKU X model. It's definitely capable to do what I want it to and I have it built pretty nice, but I will say that I wish I had a rubi mainly for a little better front axle and the better gearing in it would make driving on interstate a little easier and more comfortable. And you can find them in the price range he is looking in.

 

A lot of what you say is true here but since when is disconnecting only a "hardcore" thing? But I guess that all depends on what you call offroading. I've seen ppl on logging roads and dirt trails behind apartments with 6" puddles calling it offroading on here so idk

 

Hard core meaning you are into wheeling enough to where it actually makes a difference for you. Maybe hard core is too strong a term but I think you know what I mean.

 

I wouldntn consider much of what we do "hardcore". It makes my fiance cry sometimes but its not bad. I sold my sahara rims and tires for $650 on craigslist in a week and I coulda got a fully loaded jku rubi for $7000 more than a base model jku sport with tiny 28" tires and manual windows and locks. A take off rubi axle runs $1500-2000, take off rubi tcase $600-1000 rubi sway bar disco runs $600-1000. Rear rubi axle lets a another $1000. You can sell rubi take off wheels and tires for $500-1000 or keep wheels and put on 35's with spacers. Cant sell those base sport wheels for crap. Just saying its not a bad deal to get a rubi

 

After I realized I wanted a JKU, I used Autotrader and their search tools. I entered the criteria, "saved" the search, then a few times a week took a look at what was available within 200 miles. After a few months, bingo - the right JKU at the right price and about 100 miles away. The thing is, if you look often enough you will soon realize what a fair price is for a given jeep based on how it's loaded and how many miles it has on it (and so forth).

 

Same for me. Have heavy 33s right now... and the gears are about right. Will see what happens when I go to 35s.