It's been fun but the JT had to go

[dfwxjer]

I 100% agree with your decision. Sounds like it was well thought out and planned.
I personally am in a love/hate relationship with my gladiator going on 2 years now But I also feel I have ocd and split personalities so we match up pretty well together!
For everything I don’t like there is at least 2 things I do like. I drive 85mi per day and on 40’s.
if I sold it today would be replaced with another lifted Jeep.
I’ve never claimed to be the smartest, most economical or most practical but I like it and have fun doing it.

Haha if I had the budget for it that would have certainly been a great way to go! Built Gladiators look so damn good.

That said, there’s something to be said about cruising the highway in a Lexus, and clunking around in the jeep for pleasure.

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[jac04]

34k miles

Wow! Similar to my 2014 JKRX, which recently hit 30k miles.

 

[Falcor]

34k miles

That’s awesome you got it for $30k. I’ve been checking that year range for basically the same Jeep except an automatic, and ones within 500 miles of SE Kansas have close to 100k or more.

For me, now that we have moved to a small town, it’s like 4 1/2 miles to work. We also lease my wife’s Forester, so we have that for anything long distance.

I’m still on the fence, but I have 6 months or so to decide. It’s great hearing real experiences on the JT to help make an informed decision.

 

[npgeorgeuw]

Yikes man, $30K for it? Isn't the 2022 2door $34K out the door?
Nevertheless good luck with the new fleet. My bet is you'll spend a lot more money maintaining all those vehicles than enjoying 1 gladiator. At one point I had 5 cars, never again. 2 is the max.

Yep, there is a balance here between extra cars that are perfect for a given purpose and just narrowing down to what you just need. With us, we had one hatchback EV that was perfect for all errands and most 2-300 mile trips but it wasn't AWD and useless on our mountain with even a dusting of snow, an Outback for the worst weather (ice/snow/nasty) and the gladiator. Each of those was/were perfect but it was annoying to deal with 3 cars on our mountain. Since then we got an AWD EV, sold the outback and other EV. Since about 80% of our trips are done together (we work/own our own business) this is the perfect setup. I can still use the Jeep if I need it and on the Mopar lift and 35s it's a perfectly fine daily driver or errand truck. If I'm doing a ton of city driving then I'd just use the EV.

Everything's a compromise and having yet another car to cover each and every single use-case scenario just wasn't doing it for me. If something changes and I have to deal with long-distance commutes, then I'd probably get a small long-range EV or god-forbid hybrid or something. Something small and super-easy to park away from my real love/toys.

 

[dfwxjer]

Yep, there is a balance here between extra cars that are perfect for a given purpose and just narrowing down to what you just need. With us, we had one hatchback EV that was perfect for all errands and most 2-300 mile trips but it wasn't AWD and useless on our mountain with even a dusting of snow, an Outback for the worst weather (ice/snow/nasty) and the gladiator. Each of those was/were perfect but it was annoying to deal with 3 cars on our mountain. Since then we got an AWD EV, sold the outback and other EV. Since about 80% of our trips are done together (we work/own our own business) this is the perfect setup. I can still use the Jeep if I need it and on the Mopar lift and 35s it's a perfectly fine daily driver or errand truck. If I'm doing a ton of city driving then I'd just use the EV.

Everything's a compromise and having yet another car to cover each and every single use-case scenario just wasn't doing it for me. If something changes and I have to deal with long-distance commutes, then I'd probably get a small long-range EV or god-forbid hybrid or something. Something small and super-easy to park away from my real love/toys.

Agreed that everyone should identify their specific needs and get what works best for them.

I was using the Gladiator on 35s as a daily kid hauler/commuter/errand runner/etc as well as weekend trail running. It really wasn't the best for any of those tasks, although it certainly did get the job done. I could have left it stock for better commuting, or built it up for better wheeling but there was always going to be a compromise one way or the other. Sadly, I rarely used it as a pickup truck which is on me. I figured I would have used the bed way more than I ended up.

So getting the 2 door JK for my weekend toy, and the Lexus hybrid for commuting makes sense for me. The wife and I can both use it to run errands without firing up the Navigator to run to the grocery store.

My wife daily drives our Navigator L that we also use when our whole family is riding together, or if I'm towing anything. I loved the JT but it didn't hold a candle to the Navi for towing or family hauling. Short of another full size 3 row SUV there's really not much else that can replace this one. We have 3 kids and drive a lot so there's no getting around the family hauler.

My 63 Impala is a passion project as I bought the car from my dad. It's been in the family since 1972 and had a decade of deferred maintenance to address. It's kind of a pain in the ass, but way too many memories in this car to give up.


I guess living in Texas has spoiled me, because I have no issues with 4 cars at the house. The Jeep and the Impala are ridiculously cheap to insure since neither are daily drivers, and maintenance is pretty easy to keep up with. Of course ymmv

 

[Derby]

I get it. My downsize was going from a Ram 1500 crew cab with 6'4" bed to the Gladiator. The Ram was a lot more comfortable, but as a daily driver the Gladiator works better and is definitely more fun.

 

[chrisandrews]

That’s one thing I’m looking forward to—everything was easy in my 2020 JLUR after I did all the mods—not a brag, just a sad fact. Can’t wait to feel that thrill of the challenge in finding the best line and trying not to destroy my tail end! Picking up my 2022 JTRD in a few weeks.

All the easier trails I was bored with are fun again. Good luck and enjoy the short wheelbase.

 

[npgeorgeuw]

I get it. My downsize was going from a Ram 1500 crew cab with 6'4" bed to the Gladiator. The Ram was a lot more comfortable, but as a daily driver the Gladiator works better and is definitely more fun.

I think that fun is an often underrated component. Sure there are more economical options from an MPG or cost perspective but to drive to work with the top and doors off in sunny 70+ weather (it rains here for most of the year) is unmatched. To be able to drive to work then off-road afterwards to my favorite fly-fishing spot and pitch a tent....--Well, you know...

 

[dfwxjer]

I think that fun is an often underrated component. Sure there are more economical options from an MPG or cost perspective but to drive to work with the top and doors off in sunny 70+ weather (it rains here for most of the year) is unmatched. To be able to drive to work then off-road afterwards to my favorite fly-fishing spot and pitch a tent....--Well, you know...

Being able to do that when I choose is pretty solid too

There's no rules about when I can take the JK out and about.

 

[jac04]

My 63 Impala is a passion project as I bought the car from my dad. It's been in the family since 1972 and had a decade of deferred maintenance to address. It's kind of a pain in the ass, but way too many memories in this car to give up.

^^This is so true. I still have a 68 Camaro convertible that my father special ordered brand new. I rode home from the hospital in it after being born. I drove it through high school. Now that it is restored, it mostly just sits in a sectioned-off area of the garage. I've thought about selling it, but I just can't bring myself to. Like you said, too many memories.

 

[Blkout50]

I made a switch also. Traded the 2021 JT Rubicon for a 2021 JLU Rubicon 4xe.

I had a 2021 JT Rubicon with 2” Mopar lift, 35” KO2’s (should have done 37’s), OEM steel bumper with Badland Apex 12k winch. In addition, I made lots of other small upgrades.

The long wheel base was a problem when trying to make turns on tight trails. The break over and departure angles caused some problems also.

The JT did a lot of things okay, but not great at all of them. For a mid size truck it is best in class.

I really didn’t need a third “truck”. By that I mean I already have an F350 Platinum SRW crew cab long bed 6.7L Power Stroke diesel for all of my towing and hauling needs. My wife has a F150 XLT Screw with a 3.5L EcoBoost that serves as our daily driver

My JT would get about 14mpg in town and 16~17mpg at 65mph on the hi-way after adding the 35” KO2’s. That‘s $0.19/mile average for the JT. (Edit: $3.02 average price/gallon.)

My Super Duty is $0.177/mile average. (Edit: $2.46 average price/gallon.) That’s including towing my 5th wheel trailer the majority of the time.

My wife’s F150 is $0.142/mile for mostly city driving. (Edit: $2.48 average price/gallon.)

My new (one month old and still stock) JLU Rubicon 4xe is $0.104/mile for a 28.4mpg average. Yeah, 28.4mpg average, not a typo. (Edit: $2.96 average price/gallon) That average is plugging in to a level 1 charger every night. The 4xe is still too new to pass judgement, so time will tell.

On a side note:
The JLU Rubicon 4xe 2.0L turbo combined with the electric motors has 375hp and 470 lb ft of torque. The 4xe has a 20” shorter wheel base and is 30” shorter overall length than the JT Rubicon. The 4xe is a little heavier (6400 GVW) than the JT due to the electric motors and batteries.

 

[Gvsukids]

The long wheel base was a problem when trying to make turns on tight trails.

Hence the Tazer addition of the trail turn assist.

 

[Blkout50]

Hence the Tazer addition of the trail turn assist.

I still don’t think it will turn as well as the JLU Rubicon 4xe. In addition, if Tazer supports the trail turn assist on the 4xe, it would be able to turn as tight as a 2 door wrangler on the trail. That would be awesome!!

 

[dfwxjer]

Hence the Tazer addition of the trail turn assist.

That's certainly a cool feature of the Tazer but in practice it doesn't quite work as well as a SWB

I made a switch also. Traded the 2021 JT Rubicon for a 2021 JLU Rubicon 4xe.

I had a 2021 JT Rubicon with 2” Mopar lift, 35” KO2’s (should have done 37’s), OEM steel bumper with Badland Apex 12k winch. In addition, I made lots of other small upgrades.

The long wheel base was a problem when trying to make turns on tight trails. Also the break over and departure angles caused some problems also.

The JT did a lot of things okay, but not great at of them. For a mid size truck it was best in class.

I really didn’t need a third “truck”. By that I mean I already have an F350 Platinum SRW crew cab long bed 6.7L Power Stroke diesel for all of my towing and hauling needs. My wife has a F150 XLT Screw with a 3.5L EcoBoost that serves as our daily driver

My JT would get about 14mpg in town and 16~17mpg at 65mph on the hi-way after adding the 35” KO2’s. That‘s $0.19/mile average for the JT. (Edit: $3.02 average price/gallon.)

My Super Duty is $0.177/mile average. (Edit: $2.46 average price/gallon.) That’s including towing my 5th wheel trailer the majority of the time.

My wife’s F150 is $0.142/mile for mostly city driving. (Edit: $2.48 average price/gallon.)

My new (one month old and still stock) JLU Rubicon 4xe is $0.104/mile for a 28.4mpg average. Yeah, 28.4mpg average, not a typo. (Edit: $2.96 average price/gallon) That average is plugging in to a level 1 charger every night. The 4xe is still too new to pass judgement, so time will tell.

On a side note:
The JLU Rubicon 4xe 2.0L turbo combined with the electric motors has 375hp and 470 lb ft of torque. The 4xe has a 20” shorter wheel base and is 30” shorter overall length than the JT Rubicon. The 4xe is a little heavier (6400 GVW) than the JT due to the electric motors and batteries.

The 4XE was a strong contender when I initially decided to swap out of the Mojave but we couldn't find one that wasn't severely marked up over sticker. Very cool Wranglers with awesome power. Congrats on your new JL!

 

[Blkout50]

That's certainly a cool feature of the Tazer but in practice it doesn't quite work as well as a SWB





The 4XE was a strong contender when I initially decided to swap out of the Mojave but we couldn't find one that wasn't severely marked up over sticker. Very cool Wranglers with awesome power. Congrats on your new JL!

Thanks! Dealer made me a super offer on my JT. That made it worthwhile for me.

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