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Be honest — who else bought a Gladiator and said ‘I’ll keep it stock’… then immediately ordered parts? 😂

factor64

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I swore I was gonna just drive it as-is for a while… Fast-forward 2 weeks: lift kit, tires, lights, and my wallet’s in ICU 😅
Let’s see how long y’all lasted before the mod bug bit
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I said that, but I am also a predator hunter in Arizona that uses it for a purpose and a stock Mojave is great for that purpose. I know many mall crawlers like to put many upgrades they never use or need on their Jeeps.

The Jeep world is just different now from what it was 25 years ago when I got my first Jeep (92 YJ).

Edit: To clarify, purpose-built mods are totally fine and the reason many of us prefer Jeeps. My above comment was mostly directed towards people with major offroad builds that never leave the Target parking lot (majority of Jeep owners).
 
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Zachanadandy

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The light bar went in the hood scoop on day 7. Then I found 37s for $95 each so I couldn't pass that deal up. Of course that meant 2" AEV mojave specific lift. 37s and 2" lift at 1,100 miles. That was just the beginning.
 
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factor64

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I said that, but I am also a predator hunter in Arizona that uses it for a purpose and a stock Mojave is great for that purpose. I know many mall crawlers like to put many upgrades they never use or need on their Jeeps.

The Jeep world is just different now from what it was 25 years ago when I got my first Jeep (92 YJ).
Couldn’t agree more a lot’s changed since the early 90s. Mods for the sake of mods aren’t for everyone, and a stock Mojave that’s earning its keep is exactly what it should be. Appreciate the perspective
 

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factor64

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The light bar went in the hood scoop on day 7. Then I found 37s for $95 each so I couldn't pass that deal up. Of course that meant 2" AEV mojave specific lift. 37s and 2" lift at 1,100 miles. That was just the beginning.
Classic case of “while I’m at it…” 😆 The 37s and AEV lift combo is solid though bet it totally changed the feel of the Mojave.
 

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Classic case of “while I’m at it…” 😆 The 37s and AEV lift combo is solid though bet it totally changed the feel of the Mojave.
Added geo correction brackets up front and the rock krawler triangulated 4 link in the rear next. Then 3.5" metalcloak springs and their flipped drag link and raised front track bar mount. Shocks will be next.
 

Wheelin98TJ

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That’s how you know it’s serious mods before plates 😆 What lift did you end up going with
Clayton 2.5” Ride Right on mine. I thought it was one of the best values in that price range. Paired it with some cheap Bilstein 5100 shocks. 65k miles on it and I’m still happy with it.
 

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2 minutes after I brought it home I was online ordering stuff. I was going to wait a year for the lift and tires but found a good deal on the mopar lift and tires on sale at amazon.
 

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Not me. I bought a fully loaded Overland new because they had $8k off on them and not much of a discount on the Rubicons. Mojave wasn’t out yet. Sport was out because I wanted more options than available and they are hideous without a lot of work. I knew that I could black out the trim, 285s look great on the stock wheels, and I could get a brand new take off Rubicon LE suspension for $250 (actually paid $150). I did all of that immediately plus tinted the front windows to match the back. It went from awkward looking to a good looking Jeep instantly and I sold the new stock 255 all seasons for $600 almost instantly. So I got it with every available option and as capable as I’ll ever need for about $7k less than a comparable Rubicon. I’ve never once had it get stuck or not be able to make it down a trail. Just this past weekend, I was up in the mtns and had it on an unmaintained trail that got really rugged, off camber, steep muddy and a lot deeper creek crossings than I thought they were.

TL;DR. Nope.
 

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Mods for the sake of mods aren’t for everyone
Kinda feels like this is exactly what it is today from what I can see. I see so many modded out Jeeps that haven't seen a dirt road lmao.

Rubicons are a great example of something that 90%+ of the people that buy them don't need them or won't ever use them more than a Sport would serve them in the first place.
 

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Kinda feels like this is exactly what it is today from what I can see. I see so many modded out Jeeps that haven't seen a dirt road lmao.

Rubicons are a great example of something that 90%+ of the people that buy them don't need them or won't ever use them more than a Sport would serve them in the first place.
The problem is that sports look ridiculous in stock form. That’s why the more recent appearance packages are so popular. You can get a lot more options on a sport than when I bought mine in 2020 so I would have maybe bought a sport or Willys and done a few upgrades. So many people do tires first and maybe metal bumpers because they start to look how they should have come from the factory if they didn’t have to deal with so many regulations.
 

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My plan was to keep it mostly stock for the first year. I stuck to that for about 6 months and 8,000 miles
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