Why do owners never take doors/tops off or go off-road?

[tweak89]

The Gladiator is my first Jeep. It's my daily driver, and it will be used to tow my RV. Will it ever go off-road? Maybe. Will the top and doors come off? For sure. Do I care if someone thinks I'm a poser? Nope.

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[MadManMoheenid]

Most people buy jeeps, so they are ready for a zombie apocalypse.....

 

[JeepDreams]

^^^ Or as a bug out vehicle.

 

[LongTimeListener]

^^^ Or as a bug out vehicle.

I'm 99% sure a dirt bike is a better bug out vehicle.

 

[Uparms]

I off road a little, sand and snow a lot here in Delaware. Tops off and Bikini top 8 months out of the year ( top up in July/August and Jan and Feb. Once drove down to he deer fields in the snow with the TJ-L with bikini top on.

I am on my 5th wrangler and have never had any interest in removing the doors. Closest I come to no doors is my CJ5.

 

[Uparms]

Hi. I am on my 3rd Jeep. Had 2 Hummer H3s in between that. Bottom line, Jeeps are just fun to drive and very versatile. I will be buying my 4th soon, a 2020 JL and at 60 years old, just driving them is still an absolute thrill. So that is my answer. My biggest offroad ventures are Jeeping on the beach, air down to 12lbs type beaches, not just the hard sand that any car can negotiate and also an occasional woodsy two-track and of course, winter blizzards. I am done removing doors and risking breakage on hard technical offroad trails, but I have done that. I think people basically buy Jeeps because they are fun whether they go to the mall with them or take them out into the wild.

What he said.....

 

[RIPLER]

I take my doors and roof off occasionally, I would drive with the doors off more if is was legal to do so here in PA.

 

[JS2]

For my use, I went with the soft top and Sport S package. I live in Georgia and from April through October, we have a 40% chance of rain each day. The Soft Top allows me to drop it in the morning and close it at any time rain may come. Being my daily commuter, I would not want to commit to the top off all day if I went with a hard top, especially going to work M-F. One example is on Saturday it rained all day. We decided to take the kids out for ice cream after supper to get them out of the house a while. I dropped the top and kept an eye on the radar (didn't have this tech on my phone when I had my '97 Wrangler). It didn't rain any more so I did not have to worry but if I did, I could easily close the top.

I don't plan on going offroading during my ownership. There is a lakehouse we go to that has dirt roads with some rough areas and the beach we go to has a park where you can drive out on the beach. Other than that, pavement only.

I also don't plan on removing the doors often. I may do it a few times here and there.

I bought mine to ride with the top down and to use the truck bed for various weekend projects. Nothing to tow either but an 8 foot flat trailer.

But I do get what you are saying. I have a lot of friends who go with the Rubicon model on Wranglers or spend $10k-$20k in offroad upgrades and never go offroading. Some also have the hard top and remove it once or twice per year.

 

[Jowen]

Road queens

 

[spazzyfry123]

I’m buying one to be my wife’s car. I don’t know if she’ll do as much as roll down the windows. But I’m buying for when the time comes, she gets something new and I get to turn it into a toy!

 

[ATLalien]

I do actually think the OP raises a fair point; afterall, if one never plans to take the tops off, or doors, or go off road, then a Tacoma or Ranger is a more practical choice (and cheaper to boot).

I'm betting a lot of Wrangler/Gladiator owners aren't very different from me. I don't think its correct to say that a lot of owners NEVER put the top down, take the doors off, or go off road; that's just not what they're doing MOST of the time. My JT will spend 90% of it's time commuting as a daily driver. However, I will take the freedom panels out quite often as those are very easy and quick. Once I find a good Bikini top, I'll spend some time driving without the big piece of the hard top as well. Removing the doors doesn't appeal to me that much. I will also do light off-roading 2-3 times per year, but nothing with any real risk of breakage; mostly forest service roads to access fishing, camping spots, or light wheeling for fun. Also will come in handy in the once every 2-3 year snow/ice storms we get here in North GA that shut down entire towns. It may also occasionally be seen with a Canoe on the roof.

But still, my Gladiator will most often be seen with Top Up, AC on, commuting to work and back, clean as a whistle, looking like a poser !

 

[akdare]

A lot of us buy them because they are super easy to tow 4 down behind a motorhome. And it’s too f’ing hot in Texas to go without top & doors.

 

[Uparms]

Let's not forget, how we build it and drive it the first year or two may be very very or even just a little different then how we build it and drive it in 3-5 -7 and 10 years!! Dam I love this truck and every Jeep I have owned before it.

 

[lynelle8604]

I bought a Gladiator because I’ve always wanted a Jeep but I love the versatility of a truck. I’m the one in the family that does the home improvements and Home Depot runs. I haven’t taken it off road (yet). I bought a Rubicon because I have the money and I like the way it looks over the Sport or Overland .

I take the doors off whenever I can but have to wait for them to come out with a hoist specific to the Gladiator. I also don’t care what anyone thinks. At the end of the day I love my Gladiator because it’s fun to drive and puts a smile on my face

 

[Bekah]

My best friend, who I love to death, has four-door Wrangler Sahara with the hardtop and panels. He's got the lift, the tires, the bully bar and winch, had it re- geared and tons of other engine work that I don't know a lick about and works pipelines all across the country so it definitely sees a lot of off road just for work. He's never removed the doors and won't even pop out the panels. I asked him why a few months back and he said he didn't want to chance the seals leaking! He's a crazy hoot!

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