Picked up my wife a Gladiator Again tonight

[PunknJLBlackJT]

I’m considering the same base Gladiator. How is it living with the manual locks and windows? All of my CJ’s/Wranglers have been manual except our 07’ Rubicon.

It’s not bad really, both of our previous wranglers were base sport models. My only gripe is in the passenger seat my knee hits the hand cranks but besides that no issue. She parks it in the garage at home so we don’t worry about locking it. It’s not as comfortable as the trx but it is weirdly just as fun to drive with the top back. I drove it to camp this weekend instead of my trx. Fuel economy is surprisingly great in it with the baby wheels and lower gears. My drive to camp is 100 miles door to door and 60 of that is straight, flat, with little to no stops. It averaged 24.7mpgs for that drive. And normally it’s around 20mpgs in town. Which is actually the same as the new Santa Fe xrt she traded in on it. The bigger tanks nice too, the Santa Fe only had a 13 gallon tank so she was filling it up almost every other day driving the kids to practice and school.

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[Florida Mojave]

The ULTIMATE driveway!!! Both trucks are very nice!!!

 

[PunknJLBlackJT]

The younger two both passed out in it driving to practice on the high way with the top down last night.

 

[PunknJLBlackJT]

So far added some KCs, steps, and a bed cover. Going in for the scrambler stripes on Monday. Plan on either picking up a set of rubicon takeoffs or some wagon wheels, with some 33” BFGs on it. I originally wanted white wheels but my wife wants to keep them black so they arent always filthy looking. May do a level or pickup some rubicon take off suspension as well. This one mainly will be a mall crawler besides some forest roads and maybe schnebly hill trail when we go out west next summer.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

I'd skip the Rubicon suspension. It's the same as yours.

If you just meant Rubicon coils, I'd skip those too. Not enough change to warrant the effort.

I think a leveling kit or coil spacers is a worthwhile change. It'll be noticeable.

 

[PunknJLBlackJT]

I'd skip the Rubicon suspension. It's the same as yours.

If you just meant Rubicon coils, I'd skip those too. Not enough change to warrant the effort.

I think a leveling kit or coil spacers is a worthwhile change. It'll be noticeable.

Thank you, that’s kinda what I was thinking too. I had a Rubicon gladiator before my trx and don’t notice a huge difference between the two besides the “cool” factor/ better looks on the fox shocks. I’ve seen some pretty cheap take offs by me and debated picking a set up. This one’s my wife’s and mainly getting used to pick up and drop the kids off and drive up to our camper on the weekends with the top and doors off.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Thank you, that’s kinda what I was thinking too. I had a Rubicon gladiator before my trx and don’t notice a huge difference between the two besides the “cool” factor/ better looks on the fox shocks. I’ve seen some pretty cheap take offs by me and debated picking a set up. This one’s my wife’s and mainly getting used to pick up and drop the kids off and drive up to our camper on the weekends with the top and doors off.

Those Rubi Fox shocks have a lot of mixed reviews. Probably not worth gambling on those either in my opinion.

The newer Mopar 2” lift with the Bilstein remote reservoir shocks might interest you. But it does keep the factory rake.

 

[Willpower1]

Neighbors kid…. It drives me bonkers, he’s got 3 cars and lives at home still but only ever drives one of them. All three of those cars across from my drive all belong to the same house in the culdasac with 3 cars in the driveway….

He has very bad taste in car collecting…

 

[PunknJLBlackJT]

Picked up a gladiator for the kids as well

 

[PunknJLBlackJT]

Scored some brand new gladiator take offs for it for $1250. Seemed like a good deal. Got the kcs smiley face covers on order and the, scrambler stripes on order. I have to keep the top closed now to it into my garge or it hits. My last one I could leave open and it was a rubicon but had a hard top and just the front sunrider. Besides that its the perfect height for my wife. She’s happy with it.

 

[PunknJLBlackJT]

 

[Falcor]

Already making good use of the new truck.

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