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Dedicated offroad rig or jack of all trades

audibahn

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How many of you consider the JT as a do-it-all vehicle that would replace more dedicated rigs?

I have an A4 as a daily driver and my LJ Wrangler for offroad and camping trips. Thought is to replace both with the JT in hopes of having a vehicle that can do it all:

- comfort
- offroad capability
- fuel economy
- towing capability
- size for a family of 4
- space and storage

The JT sounds like it could do all of it well, but not all of it great.

What pros/cons do you see owning two vehicles that are specialized in what they do vs. one that tries to do it all?

I'm considering trading the A4 for truck like a Tundra or F150 that can be used around town and for family getaways with a maybe a mild build and keep the LJ for the gnarly stuff.

Alternatively, sell both and get the JT that will not be the best at everything but good enough to get by.

Curious if anyone else is thinking about consolidating vehicles.
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Karnaj

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How many of you consider the JT as a do-it-all vehicle that would replace more dedicated rigs?

I have an A4 as a daily driver and my LJ Wrangler for offroad and camping trips. Thought is to replace both with the JT in hopes of having a vehicle that can do it all:

- comfort
- offroad capability
- fuel economy
- towing capability
- size for a family of 4
- space and storage

The JT sounds like it could do all of it well, but not all of it great.

What pros/cons do you see owning two vehicles that are specialized in what they do vs. one that tries to do it all?

I'm considering trading the A4 for truck like a Tundra or F150 that can be used around town and for family getaways with a maybe a mild build and keep the LJ for the gnarly stuff.

Alternatively, sell both and get the JT that will not be the best at everything but good enough to get by.

Curious if anyone else is thinking about consolidating vehicles.
If you consolidate you only need to spend money on one vehicle. Improvements, repairs, maintenance. . . all cost money. Less vehicles, less of that to worry about. I do believe the JT will be plenty capable off-road.
 

jeepncrowd

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I am. I plan on selling my KK (My dedicated crawler) and my ecodiesel wk2 (my family and overland rig) for a moderately built ecodiesel JT.
 

Renegade

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I would be concerned about breakover and departure angles if serious off-road ability is a primary consideration. If the utility of a truck is not necessary, a JLU might be more in line with what you are looking for. I see the JT as a good replacement for both a Wrangler and a pickup.
 

devwil68

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Looking to have an eco diesel look like a crawler but be daily driven. Probably won’t do much if any trail time, but will hopefully drive it and last forever as a daily.
 

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Wraith

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I would be concerned about breakover and departure angles if serious off-road ability is a primary consideration. If the utility of a truck is not necessary, a JLU might be more in line with what you are looking for. I see the JT as a good replacement for both a Wrangler and a pickup.
For me the functionality of owning a truck outweighs many of the shortcomings it will likely have so the JT wins out over the JL.Lbiggest issues I can see like you mentioned are the breakover angles and the wheelbase making obstacles more difficult than normal. I have never wheeled a truck so it will be a learning experience for me as well. But realistically, long haul camping trips with my kids are what I am after and whatever modifications I'll be doing will be to improve our experiences as a family. I'm a lifelong rock crawler so it will be a different approach with the JT building it as an all around decent adventure rig versus a dedicated crawler like my past Jeeps. I'm excited to put my mind to work once I get the JT and figure out what I want to do with it.

On a side note, my wife and I were talking this morning about it and I got so excited that were a handful of months away. She's just as excited as i am about it.
 

Vegas_Sirk

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For me the functionality of owning a truck outweighs many of the shortcomings it will likely have so the JT wins out over the JL.Lbiggest issues I can see like you mentioned are the breakover angles and the wheelbase making obstacles more difficult than normal. I have never wheeled a truck so it will be a learning experience for me as well. But realistically, long haul camping trips with my kids are what I am after and whatever modifications I'll be doing will be to improve our experiences as a family. I'm a lifelong rock crawler so it will be a different approach with the JT building it as an all around decent adventure rig versus a dedicated crawler like my past Jeeps. I'm excited to put my mind to work once I get the JT and figure out what I want to do with it.

On a side note, my wife and I were talking this morning about it and I got so excited that were a handful of months away. She's just as excited as i am about it.

You sound like a lot of us on here that I think are leaning more towards Overland style builds. Good off-road but more for adventures vs crawling, and also something practical for daily use
 

Karnaj

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You sound like a lot of us on here that I think are leaning more towards Overland style builds. Good off-road but more for adventures vs crawling, and also something practical for daily use
Definitely my intentions. Everything has a purpose, nothing too extreme. See me on the road and you will know what I like to do for fun, but I can still daily drive.
 

dew

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If this is a short bed that cannot be extended into the cab, why not get a trailer instead? What uses does a pick-up have that cannot be replaced by a decent trailer?

I am not convinced of that argument myself, but just throwing it out there.
 

Billy

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If this is a short bed that cannot be extended into the cab, why not get a trailer instead? What uses does a pick-up have that cannot be replaced by a decent trailer?

I am not convinced of that argument myself, but just throwing it out there.
How 'bout a JT, Overlander/DD, with a trailer to haul a dedicated crawler to and from the trails? NFW I'd buy a $50-60k new vehicle to thrash, especially when you can get an older CJ, YJ, or TJ to play rough in, for the cost of 1 repair of a new JL/JT.
 

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Vegas_Sirk

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If this is a short bed that cannot be extended into the cab, why not get a trailer instead? What uses does a pick-up have that cannot be replaced by a decent trailer?

I am not convinced of that argument myself, but just throwing it out there.
Trailers are a PIA. They are annoying to park with, you need a place to store it, and its not going to be able to go the same places a JT would. Also have you looked at the cost of these "Offroad Trailers"? They are $20K plus. For that kind of money I would rather have a JT and buy a RZR to tow behind.
 

Wraith

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Trailers are a PIA. They are annoying to park with, you need a place to store it, and its not going to be able to go the same places a JT would. Also have you looked at the cost of these "Offroad Trailers"? They are $20K plus. For that kind of money I would rather have a JT and buy a RZR to tow behind.
Pretty much my thoughts. I have no interest in a trailer or really towing for that matter. Nice to have the option to but its a recreation vehicle for me more so than a work truck or the like. I totally see the functionality and added benefits of a trailer but having one pot of money doesn't lend itself to have both. JT it is!
 

jeepncrowd

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One of the reasons I love the JT over a full sized truck (like a raptor or power wagon) or a smaller SUV with a trailer (JL) is the manueverabilty. I'm looking for an overland rig that I can occasionally crawl with. The JT should allow me to easily hold all my gear. But a lot of the trails thirst I like to go on are narrow shelf roads. The larger truck and trailers would be very difficult to manuever around switch backs.
Last year I was on a shelf road near Hancock pass in Colorado. Halfway through the pass there was a landslide completely blocking the path. We had to back down the pass and around a switchback just to squeeze into a spot to turn around. That would have been near impossible with a trailer send very difficult with a full size truck.
 

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Jack of most trades for me. There are loads of mild to moderate trails in CO that lead to some stellar camping spots and I see mid-size trucks heading up them all the time. That plus trips to the lumber yard and metal supply shop for projects will be my intended uses. The wife also recently decided she wants a teardrop camper. Who am I to argue with that?!

The main unknown for me is manual/gas or auto/diesel. My commute is 45 mins each way and we go into the mountains almost every weekend (plus the occasional longer trip to UT/AZ/NM), so I'm leaning towards the diesel.
 
 



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