gump9005

I originally planned on a 2012 Sport but I keep looking at the Rubicon (which is a little past the upper limit of what I can afford). I keep telling myself it would not only be cooler to own but it would save the pain in the ass and cost of labor of installing all the goodies a Rubicon has on my future Sport.

The deal is, I would mostly use this as my daily driver and would not go off-road a lot. I'm also realizing that a lot of off-road situations that would require the tools the Rubicon has, would be a situation I would not want to be in with a new, nice looking Jeep.

I'm not experienced with off-roading so I can't really fully appreciate the differences between the Sport (which I would plan on putting 32" mud tires on) and the Rubicon.

The_Yeti

If i did it again i would get a Rubi for a DD. and an X if i was going to build it up with axles Atlas transfer case etc. Also the 4.1 gears would be a help on larger tires.


looks like i suck at talking people down

94formulabird

im pretty savy with spreadsheets....i have a parts list of owned and still to purchase parts for my Firebird that totals over 9k....if u could sit down and total up the goodies u wanna add that might be already covered somewhat by the rubicon...then factor in interest rates of ur car payment vs interest rates of ur credit card....it might be worth it to just get the rubicon....

just my .02

chuck_unleaded

Buy what you want bro. You only live once might as well get what you want the first time. If you want a Rubicon get the Rubi.

Bonedoc

You say that a Rubicon is a bit past what you can afford. In my opinion..buy the sport then. To me it doesn't make sense to strap yourself financially and to not be able to do any mods...just to have a Rubicon.

Both are cool to own...why because it is a Jeep...end of story. To most people out there who don't own wranglers or know them...it is cool and it doesn't matter that it says Rubicon or not.

To me, buy the vehicle you can AFFORD, then you can do your mods and make it your OWN. After all...isn't that what this is all about. None of us have the exact same JK...we have all turned then into an extension of ourselves...our personalities. Which makes them all similar...yet different.

Good luck in your decision-

miker

I went through the same decision 1 year ago but was looking used and in the end I bought a new Rubicon. For me the cost to build up something used was about the same (or more) as a new Rubicon granted the build would have included 35" tires, wheels, a lift and gears but would not have had the front dana 44 or the 4:1 low range or the super cool Rubicon logo ;-). So I decided to go new Rubicon since it would have no miles and be solid out of the box. My biased recommendation is to get a Rubicon and get a Tera Flex leveling kit and go have fun!

I just put a lift on mine, the leveling kit served me well for a year and would have much longer if I didn't like to modify stuff...

Dynatrac

Unless you're going to travel out of state a lot, there aren't a ton of places to wheel near you. Brown's camp is fun but, in a new rig, it may be more aggressive than you want to do. You have great sand dunes west and south of you and you won't want the Rubi t-case for the sand. Down in Bend you'll find some great wheeling but, like Brown's camp, it may be a bit rough on a new rig.

In the end, if off road isn't a huge part of your life, go with whatever you want for your DD and suffer through the short time you'll be wheeling.

BKGM Jeepers

Ok, I went through this exact conundrum in 08 when I bought mine. I ended up with a Rubicon, even though I planned to run dual 60's and eventually install a hemi. Here is why:

Be sure to factor in what you can sell your old parts for as you upgrade. In 08, the difference between the base and the rubicon vehicle was about 3300. This didn't include some options I could get on the Rubicon not offered on the base. But apples to apples, the difference was 3300.

I then factored in the cost of getting a 4-1 t-case (The Rubicon case is stronger than the base 231 in all other models). I didn't want to upgrade only the gears and chain. The Rubicon T-case can handle a 5.7 hemi, so I don't need to blow the bank on an Atlas. The front D44 can fetch over $2K used, while a front D30 will get you about $350 or so. The rear axles are the same, but re-selling my Rubicon axle got me more money becuase it came with the e-locker and 4.10 stock gears.

Just the T-case + the front axle difference paid for the price difference between the two jeeps and that didn't count things like what I can sell the e-swaybar for and other items like wheels and tires, rock rails, front bumper, etc. all the rubicon components are worth more in re-sale than what's on a base rig.

I got a Rubicon and have since replaced both axles, the wheels an tires, rock rails, both bumpers and other stuff. If I had it to do over, I would follow this exact same route unless jeep began offering the 4-1 and a front D44 with lockers in their lower models. But who knows what the future holds!

Christine

I wanted a Rubicon but just couldn't afford one. I bought a Sahara. It's my DD plus I do the occasional trail ride. I have 33's and a 2.5" lift. The only thing I upgraded was quick sway bar disconnects. Its an 07 so i have the 4.10 gears already. I can do everything the Rubi's do, so far. I have not regretted my decision. I love my Sahara.

jkwade

I also vote go for the Rubi - Check around for a slightly used one. I bought a 2007 X because it was inexpensive and I didn't know if I'd like Jeeps. 3-4 months later I traded it on a slightly used 2008 Rubicon. It's my DD, so I wanted power windows, better stereo, and the drivetrain stuff like the lockers, bigger front end, etc...

Believe me, there's still enough opportunities to modify a Rubicon as much as you'd like.