Please Critique my New Gladiator Configuration

[Mr._Bill]

Hi!

I am purchasing my first Jeep and need some help to choose the configuration best suited to my needs. Thanks in advance for your patience with someone new to Jeep's and off roading.

My uses for the vehicle are:

1. I still have to drive to work - ~20mile commute each way, mostly highway.
2. Taking my kids to and from sports practice with their gear. (4-10 pairs of crosscountry skis, poles, boots etc. in the winter and 2-5 bikes in the summer for mtb and triathlon club).
3. Household hauling needs with and without a trailer.
4. Recreational off-road use (camping, Trans Wisconsin Adventure Trail, 7 Hour Plane Crash Trail, logging trails, forest service roads in WI where I live)
5. Once a year trip out west?

Gladiator Willy's Sport with:

- 3.6 Gas Engine
- Automatic
- Soft Top (bad idea in the winter???)
- Half Door Package (not planning to use, just to sell and get the power locks/windows cheaper)
- Roll-Up Tonneau Cover
- Spray in Bed Liner
- Grab Handles to help the kids get in.

I would also buy a set of used take-off wheels with all-season or all-terrain tires to use for street driving and save the Willy's mud terrain tires for trail use. As of right now I don't have any plans to go bigger than 33" tires.

Is this a good plan?
What other options am I overlooking?
Is it a good idea to buy and resell the half doors?

BTW - Even though it is really cool, I can't afford the Rubicon.

Thanks!

Order it the way you want it equipped, especially with electrical equipment. Jeep does not install extra wiring for future options. The vehicle harness is customized for each truck based on the options ordered from the factory. Unless Mopar sells a kit to install it, there is no support from Jeep for added options. I know you are trying to keep the cost down, but it is usually better to order the upgrades and have it all financed together. Otherwise, you are trying to come up with chunks of cash from the monthly budget to do the upgrades later on.

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[Rocksalt]

OP- your configurstion is fine. Drive it for a while then decide on things. BTW soft top is fine year round. I only have soft top and it has been in Northen MN many times in December.

 

[Jteakus]

Add Hard top
Heated seats/Steering wheel (cold weather group)
Aux switches
LED lights are very nice

 

[redriderjf87]

Any comments regarding buying and selling the half doors as a cheaper way to get the power locks and windows without stepping up to the full Willy's? Am I trying too hard to pinch pennies? If I can sell the half doors for $3000 the savings over the full Willy's is $4100.

How much does the half door package cost? I think the savings might not be worth the hassle of buying/selling the doors and then having to put in the electric controls yourself (or hiring it).

Personally, I think the premium soft top does very well in the cold and windy weather I have in Iowa.

The only concern I'd have potentially, is if you would be somewhere where you'd be getting a lot of heavy/wet snow sitting on it. I haven't had to deal much with that scenario, someone else could probably comment with their experience.

 

[Dim]

Hi!

I am purchasing my first Jeep and need some help to choose the configuration best suited to my needs. Thanks in advance for your patience with someone new to Jeep's and off roading.

My uses for the vehicle are:

1. I still have to drive to work - ~20mile commute each way, mostly highway.
2. Taking my kids to and from sports practice with their gear. (4-10 pairs of crosscountry skis, poles, boots etc. in the winter and 2-5 bikes in the summer for mtb and triathlon club).
3. Household hauling needs with and without a trailer.
4. Recreational off-road use (camping, Trans Wisconsin Adventure Trail, 7 Hour Plane Crash Trail, logging trails, forest service roads in WI where I live)
5. Once a year trip out west?

Gladiator Willy's Sport with:

- 3.6 Gas Engine
- Automatic
- Soft Top (bad idea in the winter???)
- Half Door Package (not planning to use, just to sell and get the power locks/windows cheaper)
- Roll-Up Tonneau Cover
- Spray in Bed Liner
- Grab Handles to help the kids get in.

I would also buy a set of used take-off wheels with all-season or all-terrain tires to use for street driving and save the Willy's mud terrain tires for trail use. As of right now I don't have any plans to go bigger than 33" tires.

Is this a good plan?
What other options am I overlooking?
Is it a good idea to buy and resell the half doors?

BTW - Even though it is really cool, I can't afford the Rubicon.

Thanks!

good start for sure...

3,6 V6 yes and no .... ( 1 have a 3,6 V6 but if fuel price isn't an issue ( I don't know diesel and gas price in the US... I drive with LPG big difference so thats the reason why I took this one.) for sure diesel torque is very very attractive
Automatic YES awesome gearbox if you can choose the 8HP75
Soft Top don't worry about that ( I started with the hard top + headliner and now soft top and I didn't noticed huge difference... maybe a bit more noisy but nothing that bad)
Instead of the half door package why not to go on the Willys
spay redline yes good choice
grab handle of course yes ( even if you can take it after)

if it was for me I would add some package

cold weather group .... heating steering wheel is soooooo cool
LED Group
Active safety group ( just to have the LED Tail lamp)
8,4 radio with alpine premium
adaptative cruise control

Total around 62K vs 46K for your configuration.

 

[Dim]

I am favoring the Willy's sport over other models because I am trying to keep the cost down and felt that it was less expensive to choose the Willy's Sport than to add the limited slip, aluminum rims, off road tires, and rock sliders to the sport. I also really like the look of the color matched fenders that come on the Willy's Sport vs. the black fenders of the Sport. The only features that I really want that are not on the Willy's sport are the power locks.

Regarding the diesel, I did compare the annual fuel costs for driving 16,000 mi/year:

Regular Gas $3.42/gallon, 21 mpg = $2605 per year
Diesel $4.25/gallon, 27 mpg = $2518 per year

These numbers could be off a bit either way, but I didn't see the savings adding up to cover the increased initial cost and ongoing maintenance of the diesel. It would be cool though...

As I am configuring them it looks like the Willy's Sport comes out way ahead of the Willy's in terms of price by adding the half doors to get the power windows, locks and mirrors.

Willy's Sport, Auto, Soft Top, Tonneau Cover, Bed Liner + Half Doors = $47,690
Willy's, Auto, Soft Top, Tonneau Cover, Bed Liner = $48,830

The half door thing seems almost too good to be true, so I am skeptical. What am I missing with this?

Thanks for all the detailed replies! Very helpful!

i skipped this about the prices... based on this go for diesel for sure.
21mpg with a Gas seems a sweet lovely dream ( again based on my experience , maybe someone will confirm he can do that)

 

[Pescatoral Pursuit]

Hi!

I am purchasing my first Jeep and need some help to choose the configuration best suited to my needs. Thanks in advance for your patience with someone new to Jeep's and off roading.

My uses for the vehicle are:

1. I still have to drive to work - ~20mile commute each way, mostly highway.
2. Taking my kids to and from sports practice with their gear. (4-10 pairs of crosscountry skis, poles, boots etc. in the winter and 2-5 bikes in the summer for mtb and triathlon club).
3. Household hauling needs with and without a trailer.
4. Recreational off-road use (camping, Trans Wisconsin Adventure Trail, 7 Hour Plane Crash Trail, logging trails, forest service roads in WI where I live)
5. Once a year trip out west?

Gladiator Willy's Sport with:

- 3.6 Gas Engine
- Automatic
- Soft Top (bad idea in the winter???)
- Half Door Package (not planning to use, just to sell and get the power locks/windows cheaper)
- Roll-Up Tonneau Cover
- Spray in Bed Liner
- Grab Handles to help the kids get in.

I would also buy a set of used take-off wheels with all-season or all-terrain tires to use for street driving and save the Willy's mud terrain tires for trail use. As of right now I don't have any plans to go bigger than 33" tires.

Is this a good plan?
What other options am I overlooking?
Is it a good idea to buy and resell the half doors?

BTW - Even though it is really cool, I can't afford the Rubicon.

Thanks!

My opinion is the diesel stands out as a commuter especially now that fuel prices have equalized.
It also makes for better towing and is more forgiving with larger tires.

Second choice for your plans would be a Max tow with full time 4wd option.

Things I love:
Convertible (soft) top.
Heated seats,
Safety package/ Adaptive cruise. (Saved my bacon once and paid for itself then.)

Things I wish Ida ordered:
Brown leather or cloth then converted with PRP or similar (save $1k)
Trail cam.
Select Trac full time 4WD! (This option is a bargain!)

I think there's much better aftermarket switch options than factory.

 

[LouisvEarlleJT]

You should spring for the Willys. The heated mirrors and power windows are worth it.

plus the body colored flares are awesome IMHO

 

[puddleglum]

Thanks for all the feedback! Looks like common themes are:

Consider the Diesel - I will look into this further
Factory Aux Switches - Not available on the Willy's but I will make a Sport configuration to compare
Soft Top - Works in the winter, but hardtop is probably better
Add more amenities - Just can't afford that right now

Really appreciate everyone's help!

 

[Kajo]

Sounds like you are thinking things through which is great and there is some great advice above. Just one question. How are you planning on carrying 4-10 sets of skis with the soft top? I would opt for the hardtop so you can add crossbars for the Ski rack in the winter and be able to haul the rest of the gear protected under the tonneau. Another option would be to have some sort of 1/2 rack over the bed for them.

 

[Pescatoral Pursuit]

Thanks for all the feedback! Looks like common themes are:

Consider the Diesel - I will look into this further
Factory Aux Switches - Not available on the Willy's but I will make a Sport configuration to compare
Soft Top - Works in the winter, but hardtop is probably better
Add more amenities - Just can't afford that right now

Really appreciate everyone's help!

Don't forget to look into Max tow (poor man's diesel) and you have rocks in your head not to get full time 4wd (select Trac) it's like free money.

 

[puddleglum]

They are "skinny" skis (cross country) and fit diagonally across the bed, which is how I carry them in the back of our minivan. I have a roof top ski box, and I ended up not using it because it can't go through the car wash, and I don't plan ahead well enough to take it off before heading out on a day that I end up wanting to wash the car.

I wasn't considering the select Trac because it is not available as an option on the Sport or Willy's Sport and the $5000+ upcharge to go from Willy's Sport to Willy's doesn't seem like a good value.

 

[Mr._Bill]

They are "skinny" skis (cross country) and fit diagonally across the bed, which is how I carry them in the back of our minivan. I have a roof top ski box, and I ended up not using it because it can't go through the car wash, and I don't plan ahead well enough to take it off before heading out on a day that I end up wanting to wash the car.

I wasn't considering the select Trac because it is not available as an option on the Sport or Willy's Sport and the $5000+ upcharge to go from Willy's Sport to Willy's doesn't seem like a good value.

You really need to research this more, especially the size of the cargo area and your planned use. The Gladiator may not be a good choice for you.

 

[WillVra]

Thanks for all the feedback! Looks like common themes are:

Consider the Diesel - I will look into this further
Factory Aux Switches - Not available on the Willy's but I will make a Sport configuration to compare
Soft Top - Works in the winter, but hardtop is probably better
Add more amenities - Just can't afford that right now

Really appreciate everyone's help!

Factory aux switches were available on the 21 Willys unless they accidentally put them in. I wouldn’t see why they wouldn’t have them now.

 

[coalcracker]

I would consider the hard top, even though I know it adds to the cost. Only reason is this — if you reallllly want the soft top, it’s easy to find/buy a used one and/or buy a Bestop or similar. I think it’s more difficult to find someone willing to part with a hard top if you decide you want that later.

Not that the soft stop is horrible or anything, but with the way the hard top comes off (it’s 3 pieces), it’s not that difficult to take off and put back on, and in my opinion, it’s nicer to have in winter.

One other thought … have you looked at buying a vehicle off the lot? Maybe there’s one out there at a dealership that is willing to deal, and brings the cost of one with a few more amenities down to to what you’re planning to spend on your custom build.

Either way, I know you’ll love the Gladiator once you get it! I have a Rubicon now, but I had a barebones Sport as a rental last weekend oddly enough and it was great! I really loved driving around in it. On the rental lot, it was parked next to a Willy’s, and I could tell the Willy’s had more options on it.

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