It's been fun but the JT had to go

[dfwxjer]

Almost breaking a taillight convinced you to switch? Easy there...ha ha. If you truly off road your going to break something on any rig. The length isn't a big deal it actually helps more then hurts. Unless your really getting into some crazy rock crawling which I highly doubt since your worried about breaking things. Hopefully you enjoy a 2 door which is too small for off-roading I think. 4 door JL is just the right amount of length. Anything shorter is too unstable.

Ehhh slightly more nuanced than that but it was the straw that broke the camel’s back to get me to start looking.

This is my 7th jeep so I fully expect to break things and I’m familiar with wheeling SWB Jeeps. My realization was more that treating my daily driver as a weekend toy resulted in a compromise across the board. I don’t want to worry about breaking a $500 taillight with blind spot monitoring and whatnot.

The length on 35s got me high centered quite a bit. Areas where my buddies in wranglers on 35s were walking up no problem. Could I have lifted it higher, beefed up the axles/steering, regeared and run 40s? Sure and I had considered it. Then I’m in $70-80k investment and still spending $6-700 a month in fuel, putting heavy mileage on expensive tires and trying to keep it presentable as a daily.

Instead I bought a Lexus as a daily, and the JK as a weekend toy I can trailer to the trail if I need to. The wrangler was $30k and the Lexus $15k so I walked away from the gladiator with $10k. I already need my navigator to haul the family around and it’s a superior tow rig to the JT so when I had to choose one to go it was the JT.

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[jac04]

Hopefully you enjoy a 2 door which is too small for off-roading I think. 4 door JL is just the right amount of length. Anything shorter is too unstable.

I guess it matters what type of off roading you are doing. I know the OP is from DFW, and I'm not familiar with the terrain in that area, but here in New England, the 2-door is very well suited for our tight & twisty trails. I've never felt any instability due to wheelbase. Another 6"-8" of wheelbase and 35s would be close to perfection IMO.

 

[dfwxjer]

Yup the 2 door works very well for my off-road needs.

Somewhere down the line I may extend the wheel base and cut the rear fenders out but in stock form it will do most of what i want it to.

 

[Tuggernuts]

I'm running 5.13 gears and I'm only at about 13mpg. I average around 50 miles of daily driving. Luckily I'm a business owner and I factor the cost of gas into my bids.

That’s what I’m getting with 4.10s and 35s. All city stop and go driving though.

 

[Falcor]

Instead I bought a Lexus as a daily, and the JK as a weekend toy I can trailer to the trail if I need to. The wrangler was $30k and the Lexus $15k so I walked away from the gladiator with $10k. I already need my navigator to haul the family around and it’s a superior tow rig to the JT so when I had to choose one to go it was the JT.

How many mile are on that JK?

 

[dfwxjer]

How many mile are on that JK?

34k miles

 

[ilovebikes99]

34k miles

Yikes man, $30K for it? Isn't the 2022 2door $34K out the door?
Nevertheless good luck with the new fleet. My bet is you'll spend a lot more money maintaining all those vehicles than enjoying 1 gladiator. At one point I had 5 cars, never again. 2 is the max.

 

[Trippin01]

I completely agree with your thought process, from every angle. The JT is just not an "All round vehicle" or a good daily driver if you drive a lot of miles ( and I'm not dis'n it on the JT's comfort or ride quality) Its to long without heavy mods to make it tolerable off road, and the mileage is horrible once it is off road capable, compared to a Lexus CT200 (excellent choice for a DD by the way) A stock gladiator is mediocre, at best, for any basic task. When enough $'s are thrown at It, it will morph into an awesome 3rd vehicle RV for small trailering, off roading, and adventures on jeep trails, but only when it is modified well beyond daily driver needs. I've often thought of doing what you have done (trading it for a 2-door Rubicon) but I have a trailer and minibikes to haul to the hills, and, with my RTT on, it makes a great Overlanding rig too. That said, mine sits in the garage most days, just waiting for the next big adventure. I really do love my JT, but it is a specialty vehicle. My friends that bought one have all sold theirs because it just doesn't fit the needs of an urban family and it cost alot to modify from stock. I know some here will argue, in an attempt to justify their payments & love of the JT as their "dream, do-it all vehicle", but if given the finances to have a 2nd car for DD needs, they would embrace it much more as a utility "Jeep" for Jeep things than an "Only vehicle". I hope to see you on the trails with your "new-to-you" JKR! Safe travels to you and your family. I think you made a very smart & logical choice.

 

[dfwxjer]

Yikes man, $30K for it? Isn't the 2022 2door $34K out the door?
Nevertheless good luck with the new fleet. My bet is you'll spend a lot more money maintaining all those vehicles than enjoying 1 gladiator. At one point I had 5 cars, never again. 2 is the max.

A 2022 rubicon with similar options is about $49k. It’s a 2014 rubicon X so not quite a base sport.

15mpg driving 3500 miles a month at $3.15 a gallon is over $700 in fuel alone. Add in the wear and tear on those $300/each 35s and it didn’t make sense to me. Of course everyone’s situation is different and the gladiator is a great do it all vehicle. Just not for me.

 

[dfwxjer]

I completely agree with your thought process, from every angle. The JT is just not an "All round vehicle" or a good daily driver if you drive a lot of miles ( and I'm not dis'n it on the JT's comfort or ride quality) Its to long without heavy mods to make it tolerable off road, and the mileage is horrible once it is off road capable, compared to a Lexus CT200 (excellent choice for a DD by the way) A stock gladiator is mediocre, at best, for any basic task. When enough $'s are thrown at It, it will morph into an awesome 3rd vehicle RV for small trailering, off roading, and adventures on jeep trails, but only when it is modified well beyond daily driver needs. I've often thought of doing what you have done (trading it for a 2-door Rubicon) but I have a trailer and minibikes to haul to the hills, and, with my RTT on, it makes a great Overlanding rig too. That said, mine sits in the garage most days, just waiting for the next big adventure. I really do love my JT, but it is a specialty vehicle. My friends that bought one have all sold theirs because it just doesn't fit the needs of an urban family and it cost alot to modify from stock. I know some here will argue, in an attempt to justify their payments & love of the JT as their "dream, do-it all vehicle", but if given the finances to have a 2nd car for DD needs, they would embrace it much more as a utility "Jeep" for Jeep things than an "Only vehicle". I hope to see you on the trails with your "new-to-you" JKR! Safe travels to you and your family. I think you made a very smart & logical choice.

Agreed. I was at the crossroads of go all in on the gladiator or trade it in for something that fits my needs better. Thanks for the kind words and happy Jeeping!

 

[Blackjeepjk]

I 100% agree with your decision. Sounds like it was well thought out and planned.
I personally am in a love/hate relationship with my gladiator going on 2 years now But I also feel I have ocd and split personalities so we match up pretty well together!
For everything I don’t like there is at least 2 things I do like. I drive 85mi per day and on 40’s.
if I sold it today would be replaced with another lifted Jeep.
I’ve never claimed to be the smartest, most economical or most practical but I like it and have fun doing it.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Ford dealership close to me told me whatever price the bronco builds for on the site is what I'll pay for that they ain't marking them up.

That's because Ford CEO said dealers caught marking anything up above MSRP lose allocation.
Ford CEO is PO'd.

 

[dfwxjer]

I 100% agree with your decision. Sounds like it was well thought out and planned.
I personally am in a love/hate relationship with my gladiator going on 2 years now But I also feel I have ocd and split personalities so we match up pretty well together!
For everything I don’t like there is at least 2 things I do like. I drive 85mi per day and on 40’s.
if I sold it today would be replaced with another lifted Jeep.
I’ve never claimed to be the smartest, most economical or most practical but I like it and have fun doing it.

Haha if I had the budget for it that would have certainly been a great way to go! Built Gladiators look so damn good.

That said, there’s something to be said about cruising the highway in a Lexus, and clunking around in the jeep for pleasure.

 

[jac04]

34k miles

Wow! Similar to my 2014 JKRX, which recently hit 30k miles.

 

[Falcor]

34k miles

That’s awesome you got it for $30k. I’ve been checking that year range for basically the same Jeep except an automatic, and ones within 500 miles of SE Kansas have close to 100k or more.

For me, now that we have moved to a small town, it’s like 4 1/2 miles to work. We also lease my wife’s Forester, so we have that for anything long distance.

I’m still on the fence, but I have 6 months or so to decide. It’s great hearing real experiences on the JT to help make an informed decision.

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