Can you build a better Jeep and save money by starting with a Sport S?

[Summitsearcher]

Too bad they can’t offer ala cart ordering. I’d buy a Sport with lockers on 33’s and a 3 piece steel bumper with a manual tranny.

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[SuburbanGP88]

I don't need a Rubicon. The Sport S has more capability than I do any day of the week and twice on Sunday

Besides, all the Rubicon owners I know end up tearing out every Rubicon component and replacing them and then trying to sell the factory parts to recoup the price.

In my experience with wranglers, the $25k premium of the Rubicon over the Sport S is not recouped in a resale because the Sport S holds value as well as any other jeep.

 

[GrayGhost]

I had three sports in the past. I wanted a Rubicon this time for more than just capabilities of lockers and convenience of electronic sway bar disconnect. I prefer the Rubicon fenders and bumpers. Another thing I considered is low interest rates and purchasing at 8% under invoice. The price gap narrows with a good deal.

 

[Summitsearcher]

I had three sports in the past. I wanted a Rubicon this time for more than just capabilities of lockers and convenience of electronic sway bar disconnect. I prefer the Rubicon fenders and bumpers. Another thing I considered is low interest rates and purchasing at 8% under invoice. The price gap narrows with a good deal.

Exactly!

 

[stingrey]

You haven't seen the prices on Guam. I added ARB Lockers, forged 35 spline shafts, 4.88 gears, disconnects, switches, fenders, rockers, winch, bumpers, suspension for <8k and still have 22k in my pocket compared to nicely optioned rubi on Island.

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In this post you bring up an important point that I was thinking after I read your opening post.
"Location".
Where I live it's quite the opposite. Current prices for a base Sports S and a base Rubicon (both 8spd V6) are $51,205 and $56,440 respectively. Both currently have a $2695 and $2970 discount.

Aftermarket jeep parts, on the other hand, are not priced (anywhere in the world) like they are in the USA. An aftermarket suspension (like Mopar's), ARB locking diffs, a compressor and 33" tires would cost in excess of $8500 do DIY. I wouldn't have the factory warranty, fwiw.
A lot depends where we are and what things cost up front.

If we buy the vehicle at the 'right time' we can save money. Of course this applies to each trim level. My Rubicon was bought during the 'Employee Pricing' discount program, happening in June, so I was discounted $5904 before any negotiating started. Options/upgrades I added are MT/wheels, leather, cold weather pkg, Uconnect Nav, remote proximity, freedom top for $56,506 all-in, which was about the same as the base price Rubi at the time.

"Can you build a better Jeep and save money"? I think that depends on lots of different things and in my case and yours it's a different answer just because of where we live.

Cheers!

 

[AZCooWhip]

This discussion is as old as time. Coming from the road course racing world, its the same discussion. Just erase Gladiator and add a sports car Brand/model.

Some prefer out of the box .....and modify. Others like to start with a very basic canvas and build up.

Enjoy both worlds. Most of all, enjoy whatever you can bring to the table.

 

[5JeepsAz]

This is rock sculpture vs. clay sculpture. Do you build up, or, reveal?

Put it this way, if I had the money to buy a Rubi and take off all the parts I don't want, wouldn't I just start with the mostest and then tear down to reveal only what I want? Of course I would.

Waste of money, sure.

But it's the most reasonable approach to modify.

So it's a money question and a money answer for me.

on the other hand. If I'm being totally creative, I buy a frame and build up any damn way I want. So that would be starting with a salvage wreck and get after it adding everything.

most people want the happy meal. They add ketchup and call it modification. That's the most sensible way to own a jeep. Buy off the shelf, add some ketchup, and selling on later.

my two knickels, and a duck for everybody!

 

[Willys2Gladiator]

Everybody keeps talking about this $10k or more difference in price, which simply is not true. I took a Sport S with Max tow and added the same equipment to it that brings it even to a base Rubicon with automatic. The difference is about $6k. Beyond that it’s whatever options you add, almost all of which are available on both models. For me the 6k got me lockers, disconnects, and low range case, all of which I use, and covered under warranty.

Depends on your starting point.
My Base Max tow with many options$34K. Lots of $ for build.

Buy and start where you want and need. All these JT's are amazing and I've owned mine for almost a year and stare at ever one I see regardless of model.

 

[j.o.y.ride]

I think this is an apt show of the general values. So you spent $10k on the upgrades but got $5k back.

That said, if you but $10k into a sport, you probably won’t see much of that back in resale or trade.

So if you keep your sport a sport and just drive it, yeah, likely you will have solid resale as its an unmodified Jeep, and as its the cheapest on the lot or classifieds, market conditions dictate that you can raise the price a little as most everything else will cost more. And those at the high end, ala Rubi’s have to take a hit as the number of cheaper sports means more competition.

But if you modify it, those costs are yours to bear and theres no general consensus on “used prts and someone elses build” for pricing so that 101% helps, but it won’t recoup that $10k in gears and aftermarket choices.

I have 0 intention of ever selling this. When the warranty is up I will add a S/C. When the motor dies I will swap it. I will give this truck to my now 9yo who will have had a lot of memories in it when he turns 18 before I sell it.

 

[j.o.y.ride]

This is rock sculpture vs. clay sculpture. Do you build up, or, reveal?

Put it this way, if I had the money to buy a Rubi and take off all the parts I don't want, wouldn't I just start with the mostest and then tear down to reveal only what I want? Of course I would.

Waste of money, sure.

But it's the most reasonable approach to modify.

All depends on what the parts you don't want are. If you want to remove the bumpers, sliders, 4.10 gears, lift it, replace the shocks... then all you're really left with that are Rubi specific is the interior and some glitch prone lockers and e-sway bar.

YMMV but those aren't really great things to be left with for the entrance price of a Rubicon. The interior maybe depending on your wants... but that's why we started with an Overland.

 

[Isle_of_Man]

This has been a question on here for more than a year. I know its been talked about like a million times but I think I built a rig that has more capability dollar for dollar. The only thing left to do is get a low range box but rather than do that with a Rubicon swap (many of my parts are dealer added Rubicon part numbers), that part will probably be picked up through atlas transfer cases. What kind of mods did you guys do to make your sport a more capable rig?

-tewltalk

Your channel convinced me to start with a sport s and invest in tools and parts rather than out of the box performance. Doing my own work on the jeep also strangely helped me through a rough time in life. Now I'll have the tools and knowledge for every jeep down the line. I'm not sure how my sport s stacks up in dollars per unit of performance against what I could've got in a rubicon, but going this route has definitely been the right choice for me.

 

[kelkolb]

I looked at it this way.... My Max Tow was $7k cheaper than an identically optioned Rubicon.

1. Regardless of which I chose, it would get a lift, tires, wheels, and gears.
2. I didn't want the factory sway disconnect, so that didn't matter.
3. With the new 8 speed, the 4:1 xfer case is not necessary. 1st gear 4low is actually a touch lower in these than it is in a JKR in 1st 4low.

This meant that all I was gaining for that $7k was rock rails, high fenders, and lockers. I paid $200 for some take off rock rails, and fenders are about $900 from Jeep. This leaves $5900 for lockers. For that I can do Gears, lockers, and new rear shafts and be stronger than the Rubi.

Don't get me wrong, I do have some FOMO over not having that Rubicon decal......

 

[RodRecket]

After a JKUR and a Powerwagon with the smartbar and electronic lockers I decided to trade convenience for longevity. The smartbar died on my JKUR. The locker solenoid on the PW fried out and then the smartbar died after hitting a puddle while driving on under an overpass on the freeway.

So I traded the convenience of pushing a button for manual swaybar discos and throwing a lever on the manual ox locker for my JT. I'm regearing to 4.56 (which maybe I wouldn't do if I had 4.10s) and I dont have the low ratio T-case...but it was a worthwhile trade knowing I wont have to deal with e-lockers and discos again. Plus it's easier financially for me to spread out the spending and enjoy each improvement.

I get why someone would buy a rubi, I've done it myself, there is no "right answer" or "better" way of doing it.

 

[jwilson2899]

You haven't seen the prices on Guam. I added ARB Lockers, forged 35 spline shafts, 4.88 gears, disconnects, switches, fenders, rockers, winch, bumpers, suspension for <8k and still have 22k in my pocket compared to nicely optioned rubi on Island.

This ad is from today.

But did yours and that one have the exact same equipment/options on it? I think that’s where a lot of the bad information comes from and people get confused. They compare a moderately equipped Sport S to a fully loaded Rubicon and then yell that’s there’s $15-$20k difference. Of course there is when you add a bunch of options to it. My point was that if you compare them apples to apples, then the difference is much smaller. Believe me I priced both out before buying mine and poured over the spreadsheet many times before I pulled the trigger.

 

[red/green hawk]

I have a Sport S and I would say no. By the time I get everything I want I will have spent more than what a JTR would have cost me. But my problem is at the time I couldn't afford a $45k+ truck. I could afford a $35k truck so I am happy. I don't envy. My JT is still one bad ass machine.

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