Am I crazy for thinking I want a Gladiator?

[Milk Man]

To give you some back story I have always been more of a performance car guy. I've always liked having a lot of horses and always wanted more. I work hard to keep my cars spotless and car show ready. Over the last couple years I guess you could say I've matured and I have less desire to go fast. I have a Charger Scat Pack that I love but have found myself driving it less and less since I got my Maverick last year. It was my first truck(I know its no technically a truck) and I like not having to worry about scrapping or freaking out over any little rock chip or scratch because I tell myself its just a truck and and it should have some signs of being used for truck things.

Last year I took my wifes car in for some work at the dealership and they had a Gladiator Rubicon on the lot. Just killing time while they worked on her car I took it for a test drive. It had the 3 piece hard top so I took the front panels off and took it for a little cruise. I absolutely loved it almost in a it drives so bad its fun kind of way. It was a lot slower than the Maverick and was like snail compared to the Charger but I didn't care. Just driving it normally was a fun time.

Since then, I haven't been able to get the Gladiator out of my mind. When I take the Charger out for a drive and get stuck behind traffic and can never send it it feels like a wasted drive to me and I'm thinking if I was cruising in a Gladiator with the roof off I would just be enjoying the drive regardless of speed.

I'm worried though that if I go through with it I will regret it once the novelty wears off and Ill always kick myself for getting rid of the Charger. I have thought keeping the Maverick as a daily and getting a 2 door wrangler as a fun toy but I am over the time and money spent on maintaining 2 cars, (3 really since I handle all the maintenance of my wife's car)

Has anyone here been in the same shoes as me and swapped a fast car for a Gladiator? Any regrets? I don't really see myself doing anything extreme off road so i think as cool as the Rubicon and Mojave are, they would be wasted money for me. I'm strongly considering an Overland or a Max Tow to get the Rubicon gearing.

What do you all think? Is the gladiator for me or is this just a case of the grass always being greener?

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[DailyMoparGuy]

I swapped from a Charger RT (so not very fast ?). I haven’t looked back though. The Gladiator is my favorite vehicle I’ve had so far out of 8. Mine is a Sport S w/ Max Tow

If I had come from a Hellcat or Porsche then maybe I would have a different opinion though. Hard to say.

 

[kaeo_15]

I have always been into performance vehicles, and had always driven fast(er) manual vehicles. I purchased a JTR in Nov 2020 and, honestly, I have not missed a fast car. We do more stuff outside, as a family, than we ever have in the past. I love having the Sunrider open and just cruising. Probably my favorite vehicle I have ever owned.

 

[AyeCantSeeYou]

I swapped from a Charger RT (so not very fast ?). I haven’t looked back though. The Gladiator is my favorite vehicle I’ve had so far out of 8. Mine is a Sport S w/ Max Tow

If I had come from a Hellcat or Porsche then maybe I would have a different opinion though. Hard to say.

You can always get the hellcat engine put in the Gladiator.

 

[wachuko]

I swapped from a Charger RT (so not very fast ?). I haven’t looked back though. The Gladiator is my favorite vehicle I’ve had so far out of 8. Mine is a Sport S w/ Max Tow

If I had come from a Hellcat or Porsche then maybe I would have a different opinion though. Hard to say.

I come from a Porsche… my Gladiator is a very different kind of fun. I like it a lot.

 

[Jab1719]

I have a 2015 wrangler and a 2022 gladiator. 8 years later and the novelty hasn’t worn off.

 

[JeepTaco]

To give you some back story I have always been more of a performance car guy. I've always liked having a lot of horses and always wanted more. I work hard to keep my cars spotless and car show ready. Over the last couple years I guess you could say I've matured and I have less desire to go fast. I have a Charger Scat Pack that I love but have found myself driving it less and less since I got my Maverick last year. It was my first truck(I know its no technically a truck) and I like not having to worry about scrapping or freaking out over any little rock chip or scratch because I tell myself its just a truck and and it should have some signs of being used for truck things.

Last year I took my wifes car in for some work at the dealership and they had a Gladiator Rubicon on the lot. Just killing time while they worked on her car I took it for a test drive. It had the 3 piece hard top so I took the front panels off and took it for a little cruise. I absolutely loved it almost in a it drives so bad its fun kind of way. It was a lot slower than the Maverick and was like snail compared to the Charger but I didn't care. Just driving it normally was a fun time.

Since then, I haven't been able to get the Gladiator out of my mind. When I take the Charger out for a drive and get stuck behind traffic and can never send it it feels like a wasted drive to me and I'm thinking if I was cruising in a Gladiator with the roof off I would just be enjoying the drive regardless of speed.

I'm worried though that if I go through with it I will regret it once the novelty wears off and Ill always kick myself for getting rid of the Charger. I have thought keeping the Maverick as a daily and getting a 2 door wrangler as a fun toy but I am over the time and money spent on maintaining 2 cars, (3 really since I handle all the maintenance of my wife's car)

Has anyone here been in the same shoes as me and swapped a fast car for a Gladiator? Any regrets? I don't really see myself doing anything extreme off road so i think as cool as the Rubicon and Mojave are, they would be wasted money for me. I'm strongly considering an Overland or a Max Tow to get the Rubicon gearing.

What do you all think? Is the gladiator for me or is this just a case of the grass always being greener?

Trade in the maverick for a gladiator and keep the charger.

I have no issue my gladiator being my daily driver. I come from "give me a quick car and i'll send it" especially with a V8.

I'd say for me, having the gladiator has made me a more calm, slower (speed limit) driver. It's been a win win for me. Have fun driving without going fast.

 

[jac04]

I most recently went from a 2018 Golf R (too small) to a 2019 Audi Allroad with a mild tune, to my 21 JT Mojave. I really enjoy the relaxed 'vibe' of driving the JT. There never seems to be any rush to get anywhere, never the need to pass someone on the highway, never the feeling of going slow doing 70 in a 65 zone. Wherever we're going, it feels like an adventure on some level. If this sounds good, then get a JT.

Will you kick yourself for getting rid of the Charger? Maybe. That's why you should keep it. Heck, if you can swing it, get a 2-door JK orJL as well to scratch any itch you have for off-roading. But, I'm biased, I have an old muscle car, a 2014 JKR and a 21 JTM.

 

[SelfmodJT]

Sometimes it about the drive and not how fast you get there....... getting old sucks??

 

[kaeo_15]

Trade in the maverick for a gladiator and keep the charger.

I have no issue my gladiator being my daily driver. I come from "give me a quick car and i'll send it" especially with a V8.

I'd say for me, having the gladiator has made me a more calm, slower (speed limit) driver. It's been a win win for me. Have fun driving without going fast.

QFT. This has also been my experience. Having fun without going fast.

 

[AyeCantSeeYou]

I absolutely loved it almost in a it drives so bad its fun kind of way.

It's funny you say that about the Gladiator. Going from what you are used to driving to a true 4x4 .... all I can say is welcome to the wild side.

If nothing else, check with local car rental companies and rent a Gladiator for a few days or a week and drive it like you own it. Are you crazy for wanting one? Definitely not! You have to figure out if you can tolerate the "little" things that go with owning a Jeep, like making excuses to get out of the house and drive it, impatiently waiting on decent weather so you can take the fop off, figuring out if you want trail doors or no doors in the summer, etc.

 

[Barnaby’sdad]

The Gladiator is a lot of fun. I went through a fast car phase (Mustang GT and Camaro SS). My two cents…it’s a lot of fun to just take it easy and enjoy the journey. That and you’d have to really work to get a speeding ticket with a Gladiator.

 

[rconkin]

X2 on trading the Maverick. I’ve had ‘66 Impala SS, Camaro, Monte Carlo, 2 Corvettes, 72 Jeepster, numerous pickups from a Ford Ranger, 1/2 tons and 1 ton diesel duallies. I have to say my Gladiator is my favorite except the 66 since it was my first car I should have never let go of, 396 4 speed.
Be ready for mods. Since August I have done front bumper, winch, LED headlights and taillights, seat covers, tonneau cover, bed mat, grab handles, Jscan and numerous small mods. Next week is the leveling kit and rear bumper.

 

[BringTheLightnin]

I had a Mini Cooper S with a 6 speed that I had done a lot to and was pushing a lot of power for a tiny car like that. I loved doing what I could to give it that little bit more. When it was time to get something else I was looking at more muscle and sports cars and then I drove a Bronco and fell in love. Needless to say I didnt get a Bronco. Was about to pull the trigger on a 2 door Rubicon when I thought to myself that a bed would be nice to have and I would actually use it regularly. Ended up with a Sport JT with the Mopar lift and have not missed going fast yet. I love the fact I can go anywhere in this truck and off roading has become something I feel is way more enjoyable than taking out a sports car and hoping there's no traffic to really open it up or having to go to a crowded track and worry about other cars hitting me or whatever. The gladiator drives way different than anything else due to the solid front axle but I have found I actually enjoy the rough ride. Getting in my wife's car (2021 Nissan Rogue) makes me miss driving my JT immediately. I plan on keeping this truck until it dies unless Jeep comes out with a new generation that is just mind blowingly better than this one. Also, I still get to tinker with it. Maybe not so much performance wise but definitely in the sense of personalizing it and making it more capable of road.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

I totally agree with the people that have said get rid of the Maverick. Keep the Charger! Before I bought the Gladiator our lineup was JLU (wife’s), Ram 1500, and a Saab 9-3 Aero convertible. The Saab probably isn’t fast in comparison to a Scat Pack, but it’s a turbo V-6 with a tune. I sold the truck to get another truck and hung on to the fun car. So now I have a fun truck for daily driving and a fun car when I want to get rowdy at slightly illegal speeds. This is the route I recommend for you if you’re able to do it. Also, my Gladiator was in the shop for a few days last summer and I had a Charger Daytona as a loaner car. When I got home I told my wife that I was selling the Gladiator for one of those, only half serious. If we didn’t get snow I would probably have a Charger haha.

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