You're still not 100% Happy, and I get it.

[Janster]

I love the JT…have only owned it since March. I’ve owned a couple YJ’s (built & played hard) back when I was a youngster. Sure…the seating position has been something to ‘figure out’ (I have an odd right hip from a previous accident) but I’m not complaining. It’s defintely different than all the other trucks I’ve owned.

It’s fun as hell……I love jeep waves, I love ducking Jeeps…. I love to keep it clean, yet I’m not afraid to get it dirty. It’s already been buffed & ceramic coated (we do that at home). I have a vinyl cutter and more graphics ‘to come’. I doubt we’ll take it to the offroad parks….. but stick to beginner trails & dirt roads. We’re older…..We did the rock crawling thing back in early 2000’s….so we don’t need to do it again. I love taking the tops off & doors off. It is TALL and I’m short-ish….so staying with the factory 33’s is my best option (although, believe me…I’d love to put bigger tires on it. It’s just not practical for my age (and hip).

In most cases…I keep vehicles for about 8-9 years, but not afraid to trade up if the thing starts being a mechanical nuisance (Knock on wood). We are mechanically inclined and try to fix things ourselves - but again - the old age factor plays a big roll (depending on the issue). We can afford to pay someone to fix it.

Ultimately…I’m (we’re) still in our honeymoon of enjoying it. Love the new tech and all the fancy gadgets.

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[insanitize]

I disagree with a good bit of this and still love my Gladiator
I waited what seemed like forever to be able to get my Gladiator I bought a 21' the end of 21.
I bought it because....JEEP.
It's not my only vehicle but I love it because...JEEP
I use it as a pickup, replaced a RAM because...JEEP
It's used, abused, and sometimes put away wet because... JEEP
It's not my only JEEP but it's been my favorite for three years now.
I guess I'm lucky (and might be jinxing myself) that I haven't had any issues but if I do I'll fix it.
Do I expect issues? Yes, again because...JEEP

 

[DrewsJT]

You've had it for a while, or you purchased it a few months back. You feel like you got a pretty good deal, and that is a super nice feeling, no doubt. But as you try to use it, baby it, show it off and just be that proud jeep owner some of the little things you could do in your former rig are becoming annoying, bothersome and at times irritating. Auto wipers go haywire..... once in a great while, parking assist is a pain when you're allowed to enter the automatic car wash. You feel guilty scuffing up the bed when you role up that spiffy and shinny tonneau cover to put a Coscto size TP pack back there. Maybe it seems a little noisy for those Highway trips, and once those slick leather seats get broke in, I'm sure they'll be alot more comfy for the spouse, so they quit their belly aching and you can get back to enjoying your favorite ride. Then there's that thirsty gas tank, damn, 22 gallons? Why on earth is it so big?. It is super fun to drive around town, til we all get to that little parking spot at the restaurant, but at least the doors are small so it is easy to get out. I'd back into more spots but the license plate glare blinds my backup cam, sometimes rendering it useless. I'd pop the top on some of these beautiful evenings, but It's a preschooler's jigsaw saw puzzle, heaven for bid if you scratch it or your spotless bed by securing it there. Hmmm.............time to electronically make your payment (pause) ah. I wonder what the resale value is on a used JT? Hmmm, wow I wasn't expecting that, next year will be better. I'll give it a cool name ( I can't name mine her because it was deemed political, it's not, but rules are rules) and that is nice, jeeps can be personalized, which is super cool. Awesome color highlights, sweet rims, maybe even some off-road doors. But the off-road doors come with an uneasy feeling when you can't see it, no? So the expense of owning what you thought was going to be your dream Jeep/Truck/Vehicle isn't all that anymore. JT's get traded in after a year or two, very often by individuals with all these concerns. I see it here on the forum all the time, I live a life and don't camp on here like some of my haters,(S.P. for one) because I read about all the petty problems (1st world problems I might add) and I watch many of the new owners, post their hello's, like a few posts, attempt a few posts, take some super nice pics of them and their shiny new JT's and then fade into oblivion after a few months, or a year or two. Its definitely disheartening.

But wait, did you know there is a section of this forum that has longtime JT owners? Individuals that love their JT's and post regularly, and very positive posts. It's not the Daily drivers, there is no channel on this forum for Daily Drivers, and for good reason, the post would be of nothing but short term owners, complaining about their JTR always having some irritating discomfort and some spontaneous intermittent problem that is always grinding on them, like a tooth ache. I'm probably going to sound like a broken record to my haters with this next statement. Build your JT for adventures, and ditch it as a daily driver, its not only good at adventures, its great for them. The memories you make with it, when off pavement will have you falling in lust with it all over again. If you are still considering it your "Pavement Princes" and your adventures stop at Walgreens, then I predict once you aren't financially upside down in it, you will trade it in and you will be amongst the group when jeep talk arises, you will say "been there, done that" and "its not all that its cracked up to be." All I can say is, how unfortunate, not for you, but for the wasted life of a daily driver Jeep JT. I,m sure everyone has their opinion on this post, but the true jeep lovers, the true JT lovers get it, and the ones building their ride as they can afford it are the owners I can't wait to meet and share some real adventures with. I started with 33's and the mopar 2" leveling kit. Off to Ouray Colorado I went, and I did all the BOH trails there, and the true meaning of the jeep seed was planted. I could write more, ramble on, but I won't. It doesn't take much to get you out and off the pavement, treat your JT like a Lambo, take it out for jeep stuff and it will pay you back with many smiles, drive it as a DD, the lust will evaporate and you will move on with your vehicle evolution, and thats your loss.

See ya on the trails.
(I'll re-read, correct and edit this at a later time, but thanks for reading)

Strange, I don't have any of your "gripes" after 2 years.

 

[Gvsukids]

No your Jeep Gladiator won't make you king of the world,

20" wheels or 6" lift will.

it won't make you cooler to your wife

My wife thinks so.

 

[AmishMike]

If you're scared to hurt it, don't get it. I bought my JT Mojave on a Friday. Saturday morning, I woke up, ordered my tires, bed cover, and a few other things online, then proceeded to out into the woods, rubbed the truck against a tree, put it in a 3ft deep mudhole rooster-tailing mud off all 4 tires to get it out, and did some donuts in a rock pit. lol.. I figured I'd get the initial scratches out the way. Initially the wife was pissed. Now, she's happy I did it. It doesn't bother her so bad when we go on a trail ride with a group and I scuff a tree/berm..

Love it! I had 600 miles on it at Rausch Creek testing out the skid plates.

2020 Rubicon, Daily Driver, 75K miles, 20K of that pulling a trailer, 35"tires and LCA skids, lots of repainting the undercarriage.
Probably will own it until one of us dies (it or me). Pretty damned reliable to me, never let me sit anywhere. I guess people around here don't remember when 100K was all you would get out of a vehicle without major repairs?

 

[Bonanza]

You've had it for a while, or you purchased it a few months back. You feel like you got a pretty good deal, and that is a super nice feeling, no doubt. But as you try to use it, baby it, show it off and just be that proud jeep owner some of the little things you could do in your former rig are becoming annoying, bothersome and at times irritating. Auto wipers go haywire..... once in a great while, parking assist is a pain when you're allowed to enter the automatic car wash. You feel guilty scuffing up the bed when you role up that spiffy and shinny tonneau cover to put a Coscto size TP pack back there. Maybe it seems a little noisy for those Highway trips, and once those slick leather seats get broke in, I'm sure they'll be alot more comfy for the spouse, so they quit their belly aching and you can get back to enjoying your favorite ride. Then there's that thirsty gas tank, damn, 22 gallons? Why on earth is it so big?. It is super fun to drive around town, til we all get to that little parking spot at the restaurant, but at least the doors are small so it is easy to get out. I'd back into more spots but the license plate glare blinds my backup cam, sometimes rendering it useless. I'd pop the top on some of these beautiful evenings, but It's a preschooler's jigsaw saw puzzle, heaven for bid if you scratch it or your spotless bed by securing it there. Hmmm.............time to electronically make your payment (pause) ah. I wonder what the resale value is on a used JT? Hmmm, wow I wasn't expecting that, next year will be better. I'll give it a cool name ( I can't name mine her because it was deemed political, it's not, but rules are rules) and that is nice, jeeps can be personalized, which is super cool. Awesome color highlights, sweet rims, maybe even some off-road doors. But the off-road doors come with an uneasy feeling when you can't see it, no? So the expense of owning what you thought was going to be your dream Jeep/Truck/Vehicle isn't all that anymore. JT's get traded in after a year or two, very often by individuals with all these concerns. I see it here on the forum all the time, I live a life and don't camp on here like some of my haters,(S.P. for one) because I read about all the petty problems (1st world problems I might add) and I watch many of the new owners, post their hello's, like a few posts, attempt a few posts, take some super nice pics of them and their shiny new JT's and then fade into oblivion after a few months, or a year or two. Its definitely disheartening.

But wait, did you know there is a section of this forum that has longtime JT owners? Individuals that love their JT's and post regularly, and very positive posts. It's not the Daily drivers, there is no channel on this forum for Daily Drivers, and for good reason, the post would be of nothing but short term owners, complaining about their JTR always having some irritating discomfort and some spontaneous intermittent problem that is always grinding on them, like a tooth ache. I'm probably going to sound like a broken record to my haters with this next statement. Build your JT for adventures, and ditch it as a daily driver, its not only good at adventures, its great for them. The memories you make with it, when off pavement will have you falling in lust with it all over again. If you are still considering it your "Pavement Princes" and your adventures stop at Walgreens, then I predict once you aren't financially upside down in it, you will trade it in and you will be amongst the group when jeep talk arises, you will say "been there, done that" and "its not all that its cracked up to be." All I can say is, how unfortunate, not for you, but for the wasted life of a daily driver Jeep JT. I,m sure everyone has their opinion on this post, but the true jeep lovers, the true JT lovers get it, and the ones building their ride as they can afford it are the owners I can't wait to meet and share some real adventures with. I started with 33's and the mopar 2" leveling kit. Off to Ouray Colorado I went, and I did all the BOH trails there, and the true meaning of the jeep seed was planted. I could write more, ramble on, but I won't. It doesn't take much to get you out and off the pavement, treat your JT like a Lambo, take it out for jeep stuff and it will pay you back with many smiles, drive it as a DD, the lust will evaporate and you will move on with your vehicle evolution, and thats your loss.

See ya on the trails.
(I'll re-read, correct and edit this at a later time, but thanks for reading)

Interesting take. Even more interesting when i don't see a single scratch on that Jeep that would evince having ever been offroad. No chunks in the tire lugs, no scratches on the wheels, no scratches on the bumper, nothing on the sliders. No pinstriping. Cleaned, and sitting right there on the pavement driveway....

Just teasin'.

I DD'd my gladiator (regeared, 37s, etc. etc.) and it's a miserable truck to drive. It's slow, gets terrible mpg, and the head toss is a near constant. But I got an electric Chevy bolt (used) as a tossaway commuter, and that is definitely the way to go. The gladiator sits in the driveway until I need to tow, camp, or wheel, and it's fun for those purposes. Dead bang reliable, does it's job.

But if I get T-boned, it catches on fire, etc. would I buy another one brand new? Nope. I'm just not in love with it for any particular reason and have fallen out of love for it. I'd be absolutely open to try a Colorado ZR2 or Rivian. But my Jeep is paid off, it does it job, and there's no reason to replace it other than a novelty of something else. So I'll keep it.

 

[JTGuy]

I bought mine on a whim, a guy offered me a very good offer on my '14 JKUR so I jumped and bought this JTR off the lot. Then I started modding it myself, fun times. Pretty much done now but not real happy with the very firm ride. I'll keep it for a while cuz I am so much upside down with all the mods. It's all paid for. I have had zero problems with it but would not get another.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I bought mine on a whim, a guy offered me a very good offer on my '14 JKUR so I jumped and bought this JTR off the lot. Then I started modding it myself, fun times. Pretty much done now but not real happy with the very firm ride. I'll keep it for a while cuz I am so much upside down with all the mods. It's all paid for. I have had zero problems with it but would not get another.

The ride is likely self-inflicted...............Rubicon has an "ok" ride, IMO, but by the time you swap tires - often with stiffer sidewalls, add lifts without correcting for geometry, odds and ends like that, you have unengineered the thing.

A lift over 1.5-2" for example can lead to road imperfections being transmitted upward to the frame instead of the arm simply pivoting - it's pushed against the frame by a pot hole.
Shocks - watch the type of shock vs. the road or off-road conditions you plan on.
I figured the rear shocks I got would be a help - wrong. They added harshness when the truck isn't loaded with weight in the back. Horrible on an unladen truck.
There's a few other examples but people don't like to hear them.

 

[Gladiatorx2]

I am on my third Gladiator. In between I had a new Grand Cherokee L, an F150 Super Crew 4x4 and a Challenger Scat Pack. I keep going back to a Gladiator . Not for everyone but for me....I really like mine!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I am on my third Gladiator. In between I had a new Grand Cherokee L, an F150 Super Crew 4x4 and a Challenger Scat Pack. I keep going back to a Gladiator . Not for everyone but for me....I really like mine!

Time for a screen name update?

 

[Gladiatorx2]

Didn't know that could be done. I purchased number three after joining. Like I said, I keep coming back to a Gladiator!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Didn't know that could be done. I purchased number three after joining. Like I said, I keep coming back to a Gladiator!

I'm on #2 myself and was awfully tempted by a 2024 but the work to move things over........
2025 the prices are lower and with luck, hopefully interest rates will follow, or Stellantis will make some more tempting incentives after winter.
I have to at least get through snow season. No way possible to move the snow plow stuff over now - not enough time (or help) available.

 

[Xx~007~xX]

I started out with a JKUR with full AEV package, I traded in a Chevy Trail Boss for it. My wife has a 15 JK and we just love that thing, so I had to have a JKU. I never used all the goodies the Rubicon offered, mostly use the Jeep for getting out to choice gun ranges out here in the desert and only had to just put it into 4W drive to do that. then I realised it may have been a mistake to get rid of my Chevy truck and found myself needing a truck but didnt want to leave Jeep. so I decided to get the JT Willys. Ya it aint as fancy as my Rubicon, but as the days go by, the more and more I really like this thing, it is great to have a truck AND have the amenities of a Jeep Wrangler that I am used to. Yes it is my daily driver, but it sure does its job when it comes to my offroading needs.

 

[HopSlammer]

Purchased my JT as a post apocalyptic preemptive attack survival war machine. I love it! But ya know, mostly for good ol’ topless fun in the sun and camping

 

[Gvsukids]

new Grand Cherokee L

So much quicker than the Gladiator, even though it has the same engine.

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