Need advice from veteran Gladiator owners - thanks for your help

[TroutFishingInAmerica]

I have a Mojave with a Go Fast Camper and only can haul 2 people because my rear seat is removed. I keep the weight within rated limits, my longest time out has only been 2 months. If you have 3 or 4 people and take a lot of gear the extra capacity on the Tow would be nice.

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[PJZ]

@Geoff Massa lots of good advice for you. You might consider ordering from some of the out of state dealers that offer below invoice pricing to get exactly what you want. Its a hassle in CA, but can done and save you $$$$.

I am on my second Rubicon so clearly biased Its all in one package and ready to go the day it arrives. Most people never need lockers and a winch is good insurance. If I was tighter on budget it would be a sport with no hesitation.

 

[Geoff Massa]

PJZ or anybody else,

Can you recommend some out of state dealers that are known for good prices. Here in CA and especially in the SF Bay AREA PRICES ARE REDICULOUS.

Geoff

 

[Gvsukids]

PJZ or anybody else,

Can you recommend some out of state dealers that are known for good prices. Here in CA and especially in the SF Bay AREA PRICES ARE REDICULOUS.

Geoff

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...alers-offering-under-invoice-on-orders.49931/

 

[BA33]

PJZ or anybody else,

Can you recommend some out of state dealers that are known for good prices. Here in CA and especially in the SF Bay AREA PRICES ARE REDICULOUS.

Geoff

Kent Shurtleff at Peterson Jeep in Nampa (Boise suburb). [email protected]

Expect about 6% below invoice and an easy, straightforward process all the way around.

 

[Rocksalt]

Hey Everyone,

This is my first post. I posted this on another website before I found this site which specializes in Gladiators. I would really apricate your input.

I am trying to save money on a Gladiator purchase so I can properly outfit the Jeep for Overlanding/Camping.

I am thinking about buying a Gladiator Sport with the Max Tow Package in lieu of the Rubicon because you get the most heavy duty Dana 44 axles front and back and 4.10 gears. This saves about 16K over the Rubicon

If I add front and back air lockers, a manual sway bar disconnect, 33” KO 2 tires and steel front bumper ready for a winch I believe it will cost about $7,000. So, I am ahead about $9K and can use the rest of the funds to outfit this vehicle with other overlanding equipment.

Does this make sense to you? Am I missing something? Is the Sport with Max Tow Package suspension system going to be a problem off roading?

What are your thoughts?

Thanks,

Geoff

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[Jteakus]

I agree with the LED and aux switches. I like the cold weather package too. If you aren't in a big hurry and can order from a dealer offering 5% off look at that. I saved almost $7K vs buying from my local dealer. You can also trim some of the stuff off YOU deem unnecessary to save some more money. I opted out of the adaptive cruise control and active safety group and saved $2K which payed for half my diesel.
Don't overlook the fact that what you want to add comes with factory engineering and warranty when you buy a Rubicon. the 4.:1 T-case is also nice. Factory deeper gears easily handle 35's. Plus a greater resale value for a Rubicon if needed in the future. My .02
Good luck with whatever direction you take.

 

[PJZ]

PJZ or anybody else,

Can you recommend some out of state dealers that are known for good prices. Here in CA and especially in the SF Bay AREA PRICES ARE REDICULOUS.

Geoff

I went with Dan Cummins in Kentucky bc I wanted to get an AEV build. Around 5% below invoice - be sure to sign up for Tread Lightly as well. If you go that route I am happy to talk to you about the process so you know what it involves. Knowing ahead of time would have taken some of the stress out.

 

[NachoRuby]

I've had my Sport S non max tow with open diffs for almost 2 and a half years and 35K miles. This is my first Jeep and I'm by no means a hard core wheeler. I've added a few takeoff Rubicon parts with the wild peak m/ts, springs and shocks. I've been to two off road parks in PA, earned 3 BOH badges (albeit maybe the 3 easiest), had to move through about a football field worth of ocean on the beach once, and have done some other general green trails and beach running. I toy with the idea of adding a locker or maybe just a winch after it's paid off, but we'll see.

My point is there's nothing wrong with going with the Rubicon if you want/need the features out of the gate, but a Jeep without all those extra features is more capable than many realize or want to give them credit for. Either way you'll fantasize about spending another 20k on whatever you buy. Enjoy!

I've wheeled with this guy a few times, and can vouch for that. All gladiators are plenty capable.

 

[Divided_Wood]

I’ll say in this thread what I usually say in threads about Jeep capabilities: even a stock Sport on street tires is more capable than 95% of drivers out there. They’re amazingly capable machines that will go places that would scare the pants off of most people. And that’s bone stock!

There’s a lot to be said for a 4:1 transfer case, and lockers, and quick disconnects, but if your question is, “will this Jeep go where I want it to go?” the answer is probably yes. (I will admit that Gladiators have issues at times with breakover angle with no lift.)

My last 2 Jeeps have been Rubicons because I wanted the off road extras for crawling, but any of them will do what you want to most of the time. Good luck!

 

[kostik76]

Dude, move out of CA to begin with. You can re for me to move out of NY :-(. Frankly speaking I had JK with max tow when it was offered on a 6 speed and I was super happy with it. Only got bugged down in a long ditch with water over my wheels. I am not questioning your intended application for lockers and disconnect, but if you get sport S with max tow you will have a grace period for testing it out as it is before you start spending $ on it. I suggest you take your time with that. If you get Rubi you are already invested. I also seen some good offers through my insurance website, think it was allstate, so maybe you can search to see if something like that is available to you. Corp discount gives 1 % below dealer invoice if you have access to that.
Also if you finance or lease, get it on your own before you go to the dealer.

 

[Tommyd]

Hey Everyone,

This is my first post. I posted this on another website before I found this site which specializes in Gladiators. I would really apricate your input.

I am trying to save money on a Gladiator purchase so I can properly outfit the Jeep for Overlanding/Camping.

I am thinking about buying a Gladiator Sport with the Max Tow Package in lieu of the Rubicon because you get the most heavy duty Dana 44 axles front and back and 4.10 gears. This saves about 16K over the Rubicon

If I add front and back air lockers, a manual sway bar disconnect, 33” KO 2 tires and steel front bumper ready for a winch I believe it will cost about $7,000. So, I am ahead about $9K and can use the rest of the funds to outfit this vehicle with other overlanding equipment.

Does this make sense to you? Am I missing something? Is the Sport with Max Tow Package suspension system going to be a problem off roading?

What are your thoughts?

Thanks,

Geoff

They aren’t heavy duty axles compared to sport just wider.

 

[Marlinvx]

It really depends... the Rubicon offers more than just lockers. It has a 4:1 low range in the transfer case that you will not get. It has approx 1 more inch of ground clearance, that when coupled with leveling spacers will allow for 35's with very slight, if any, rubbing. You get the electric disconnects on the sway bar. And there is the Offroad plus mapping for the driveline.

You can run 35s on a max tow with no lift, and ZERO rub. Just do a set of flat fenders. I ran both badge trails at SMORR with that setup and never rubbed.

 

[Artsifrtsi]

You can run 35s on a max tow with no lift, and ZERO rub. Just do a set of flat fenders. I ran both badge trails at SMORR with that setup and never rubbed.

Ok... show pics of the sway bar and lower control arm on both sides too. But more to the point, I could undoubtedly fit 40's if I removed the flares altogether... and what did your flat fenders cost...

 

[ChrisNLA]

A Max Tow Gladiator will, in all likelihood, take you anywhere you want to go.

While I get it's a little different animal, I wheeled a 2016 2 door JK (Sport) on 33's on 14 badge trails in TN, NC, VA, TX, AZ, and most of the ones in Moab. All it had was the rear LSD. You don't NEED lockers and a 4:1 case to do it.

Anyway, I ordered a Max Tow instead of springing for a Rubi specifically due to that experience. In my mind, the Sport would be fine for whatever I decide to do with it, including the particular off-roading I prefer to do.

Anyway, good luck on your choice!

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