slowstang305
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Well, I did it. After owning 3 JKU's over the past years and switching each one of them for a sports car I decided to come back to the Jeep side with a new Gladiator. So... what did I trade for the Jeep? I traded in a Dodge Viper that I barely drove because it was hot inside the cabin, low to the ground, and felt like an 80s Dodge.
Day 1 went very well! I started looking for flights and found the best day in the week to fly there when tickets were dropped down to $21.70 including fees and taxes. Yes, I'm unsure of how that is profitable for the company but big thanks to Spirit Airlines! I love these guys!
I flew to Atlanta and grabbed a beautiful (.... just kidding) Altima for my 2 hour trek to Stivers Chrysler Jeep. I had a deal made on the phone and met with my salesperson who was absolutely amazing. He went over the car explained all of the details and sent me on my way. Here is the new Gladiator Sport with no power windows/door locks but with the Max Tow. After owning a few Jeeps I love the feel of roll up windows etc. It's not an Escalade, but I wasn't looking for one! (My beautiful rental, pump #4).
The scenery was absolutely great and I barely hit any rain on the way down. Alabama treated me well! I alternated my speed between 65-80 and averaged 17.5MPG according to the computer when i rolled back in in FL.
Before I left for the trip, I had browsed all of the local social media to see if there was anything of interest and finally struck gold. Really wanted a Rubicon hood and was VERY lucky to find one already painted black in Tampa. I flew into ATL with nothing but some money in my pocket and a wallet. When I got to Tampa it was already 10PM but luckily the owner waited for me. I hit up the local Walmart for my $17 roll of packaging bubbles and wrapped up the hood pretty well. For those interested, the hood is a PERFECT fit inside the bed. with less than 1/2 an inch to spare on each end after the bubble wrap. Woke up the next day and started the installation.
Luckily my bullet antenna had come in as well so I was able to knock that out at the same time....
So whats next? The Jeep is going to receive a 4.5 EVO lift on 38x15.5x20's. I think I'm going to go with Black Rhino wheels this time around. I know they had some rusting issues back in the day but from what I understand they got a lot better at it.
What do I think of the Jeep? I think it is absolutely amazing! It rides really soft on the stock suspension components and small wheels. I know I will not retain this when the build is complete but wow I'm impressed. I went with a soft top specifically this time around as well. I liked my hard top on my last JKU but I did not like the freedom panels. They were a pain to remove and store in the back and inevitably gained some scratches during my ownership no matter how careful I had been. The 8 speed seems to be doing its job well and with the 4.10's it has pickup and go. I love the small bed but my only regret is that I did not go with the bedliner from Jeep directly. I think I'm going to see about getting it done sometime this week. I have been seeing a lot of you guys rolling around with the Rugged Ridge. I find the key funny because it has absolutely no buttons! I'm excited to continue my journey into Gladiator ownership and continue building the Jeep exactly to how I want. I took it for its first ride with the soft top down yesterday and remembered why Jeeps are so damn special. Thanks for reading!
Day 1 went very well! I started looking for flights and found the best day in the week to fly there when tickets were dropped down to $21.70 including fees and taxes. Yes, I'm unsure of how that is profitable for the company but big thanks to Spirit Airlines! I love these guys!
I flew to Atlanta and grabbed a beautiful (.... just kidding) Altima for my 2 hour trek to Stivers Chrysler Jeep. I had a deal made on the phone and met with my salesperson who was absolutely amazing. He went over the car explained all of the details and sent me on my way. Here is the new Gladiator Sport with no power windows/door locks but with the Max Tow. After owning a few Jeeps I love the feel of roll up windows etc. It's not an Escalade, but I wasn't looking for one! (My beautiful rental, pump #4).
The scenery was absolutely great and I barely hit any rain on the way down. Alabama treated me well! I alternated my speed between 65-80 and averaged 17.5MPG according to the computer when i rolled back in in FL.
Before I left for the trip, I had browsed all of the local social media to see if there was anything of interest and finally struck gold. Really wanted a Rubicon hood and was VERY lucky to find one already painted black in Tampa. I flew into ATL with nothing but some money in my pocket and a wallet. When I got to Tampa it was already 10PM but luckily the owner waited for me. I hit up the local Walmart for my $17 roll of packaging bubbles and wrapped up the hood pretty well. For those interested, the hood is a PERFECT fit inside the bed. with less than 1/2 an inch to spare on each end after the bubble wrap. Woke up the next day and started the installation.
Luckily my bullet antenna had come in as well so I was able to knock that out at the same time....
So whats next? The Jeep is going to receive a 4.5 EVO lift on 38x15.5x20's. I think I'm going to go with Black Rhino wheels this time around. I know they had some rusting issues back in the day but from what I understand they got a lot better at it.
What do I think of the Jeep? I think it is absolutely amazing! It rides really soft on the stock suspension components and small wheels. I know I will not retain this when the build is complete but wow I'm impressed. I went with a soft top specifically this time around as well. I liked my hard top on my last JKU but I did not like the freedom panels. They were a pain to remove and store in the back and inevitably gained some scratches during my ownership no matter how careful I had been. The 8 speed seems to be doing its job well and with the 4.10's it has pickup and go. I love the small bed but my only regret is that I did not go with the bedliner from Jeep directly. I think I'm going to see about getting it done sometime this week. I have been seeing a lot of you guys rolling around with the Rugged Ridge. I find the key funny because it has absolutely no buttons! I'm excited to continue my journey into Gladiator ownership and continue building the Jeep exactly to how I want. I took it for its first ride with the soft top down yesterday and remembered why Jeeps are so damn special. Thanks for reading!
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