mtbjeeper
Well-Known Member
I think the original question is a fair question to ask, especially on this forum. This group seems to be far more balanced and intelligent that some of the facebook groups in my opinion. The original question seemed more objective to me than subjective. That being said, from an objective standpoint, I think one has to look hard at the value of this product for their intended use. It does some things better than any other mid-size truck on the market; but if those things aren't important to you, it may just become a frustrating ownership experience.
It is the perfect vehicle for people who are familiar with wranglers. It is the perfect vehicle for those of us who like to explore off the pavement and off the beaten path but also have to take the trash to the dump on Saturday. It is the perfect vehicle for driving on the beach without doors or a roof yet still have that ability to pick up that odd shaped armoire your wife can't live without. It's the perfect vehicle for people who want to easily modify their vehicle, with fantastic aftermarket support, and turn their vehicle into something amazing. I also believe it's the perfect vehicle for camping, and it is definitely an amazing option if you want to do all of the above with a manual transmission. There is no other vehicle that I am aware of that can do all these things and do them fairly well.
However, if you don't plan on taking the doors off (many people don't), don't plan on wheeling or camping, don't want a manual transmission, don't care about lift kits or offroad capability and just want a basic vehicle that can get you to the office mon-fri and do dump runs on the weekends, I wouldn't buy it. They are many better options; colorado, ranger, tacoma, frontier, santacruz, ridgeline, etc. And sure every brand can have problems but I have been driving a long time and this gladiator takes the cake for bullshit problems. You have to love the vehicle to live with the problems.
Again, as to the brand. I love my jeep. I love the things that jeep did to make these vehicles, but I don't care if they revive Oldsmobile and sell them the rights to manufacture the Gladiator. I'm not going to deny myself this vehicle simply because it doesn't say jeep on the tailgate. No way.
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You must have the premium sound package, right? My almost bare bones JT came with just an AM/FM and the speakers were absolute paper mache garbage. One of the first mods I did was replace the whole system. It sounds amazing now. But before, oh heck no, it was terrible.
