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Please Critique my New Gladiator Configuration

GOT FLOYD

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Go Rag Top, I'm completing my 2nd winter here in Michigan with NO issues. Takes 10-12 minutes to remove by yourself! Good luck to ya
 

BearFootSam

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Thanks Kris and Vincent - Glad to hear a couple voices saying the soft top works in the winter. The soft top I drove was a base sport with automatic transmission. It had the stock all season tires which were very quiet. Does the hardtop do a better job blocking out road noise from more aggressive tires? I did test drive a hard top Rubicon (JLU) with the extreme recon 35" stock tires and I would say it seemed similar to the soft top Gladiator sport regarding noise in the cabin.

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.
Live in WA, soft top is no issue in the winter. I've driven it in 5*F temps and it was a non issue. The heater is a beast, you only feel the cold if you like to rest your hand on the roll bar which will be cold.
 
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puddleglum

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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.
Thanks for making me think about this more. I think I will be ok putting the skis in diagonally, the box is 60" x 56" with a diagonal of 82". Our longest skis are 78". I will bring a few pairs to the dealer and make sure the wheel wells don't cause an unexpected problem.

I think my last real question is about the half doors. How much could I reasonably expect to sell them for? The few sets that I see on ebay are listed for $6000+ (which seems crazy to me). If I could get $3000 or so by selling the half doors and benefit from the addition of power windows and locks on the full doors that would put me way ahead and is an attractive savings to me.

Thanks for all the thoughtful input!

Jeep Gladiator Please Critique my New Gladiator Configuration 1681753920080
 

Gvsukids

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How much could I reasonably expect to sell them for? The few sets that I see on ebay are listed for $6000+ (which seems crazy to me). If I could get $3000 or so by selling the half doors and benefit from the addition of power windows and locks on the full doors that would put me way ahead and is an attractive savings to me.
Wonder if you could buy four full doors from the junkyard and cut them in half for less money.
 

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Mr._Bill

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Thanks for making me think about this more. I think I will be ok putting the skis in diagonally, the box is 60" x 56" with a diagonal of 82". Our longest skis are 78". I will bring a few pairs to the dealer and make sure the wheel wells don't cause an unexpected problem.

I think my last real question is about the half doors. How much could I reasonably expect to sell them for? The few sets that I see on ebay are listed for $6000+ (which seems crazy to me). If I could get $3000 or so by selling the half doors and benefit from the addition of power windows and locks on the full doors that would put me way ahead and is an attractive savings to me.

Thanks for all the thoughtful input!

Jeep Gladiator Please Critique my New Gladiator Configuration 1681753920080
I'm not sure I understand your intentions. Are you looking to buy with manual windows and door locks, and then sell the half-door kit to finance an upgrade? If so, you will be quite disappointed. The wiring will not be there to support an upgrade to power windows and locks.
 

Phan7omk7

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If you are daily driving it, I would recommend getting Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) on the Gladiator. I love using it especially on the highway.
 

mpsoldier

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Thanks for the reply - I did test drive a Gladiator with a soft top and thought it was fine on the highway and the kids are excited about being able to open it up during the summer. The biggest negative I saw was the inability to mount a roof rack for our canoe and the lack of a rear window defroster. This being said, if the cost was equal, I would choose the hard top.
Depending on the
Thanks for the reply - I did test drive a Gladiator with a soft top and thought it was fine on the highway and the kids are excited about being able to open it up during the summer. The biggest negative I saw was the inability to mount a roof rack for our canoe and the lack of a rear window defroster. This being said, if the cost was equal, I would choose the hard top.

You might be able to get around the issue on the roof rack by going with something like an Adventure Rack System (ASR). I just bought one for my Mojave that builds a cage around the cab with an added "catwalk" across the front of the bottom of the windshield. Holds 600lbs static weight. I ordered mine from Metal Cloak, got it delivered within a week. It is sitting in my garage waiting for my LineX appointment next week. That type of rack would work perfect with a soft top because it doesn't bolt to the roof at all (one of the reasons I wanted it). https://metalcloak.com/jeep-jt-gladiator-parts-accessories.html#subCategory7
 
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puddleglum

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I'm not sure I understand your intentions. Are you looking to buy with manual windows and door locks, and then sell the half-door kit to finance an upgrade? If so, you will be quite disappointed. The wiring will not be there to support an upgrade to power windows and locks.
I got the idea from this thread on the JL forum: 2 Door half doors | Page 5 | Jeep Wrangler Forums (JL / JLU) - Rubicon, Sahara, Sport, 4xe, 392 - JLwranglerforums.com

My understanding is that the half doors only come with the power locks and mirrors. Ordering this option forces the switches and wiring to be installed in the vehicle to be compatible with the half doors. The full doors also get these power items even if you order a sport or willy's sport.

This youtube video showing the half door install may be helpful in understanding. Half Door Installation on a Jeep JL Wrangler - YouTube

I am totally new to Jeep's which is why I am trying to verify my understanding on this issue.

Another better video (start 8:35 into the video): Back to Basics - What Jeep JL Wrangler did We Buy and Why? - YouTube
 
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Dougstdig

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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.
I was originally thinking this as well, then saw that he has a trailer. Stuff that wouldn't fit in the bed may fit in the trailer...
 

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Beemer533

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I live in upstate NY and I originally wanted the hard top for the winter (my only previous soft top experience was with my 77 CJ7...).

I found a Mojave with everything I wanted that had just been built, only without the hardtop.

As I am impatient lol, I bought it and had the dealer add the cost of the hardtop to the final purchase price.

This was October 21 but the hardtop ended up taking almost 6 months to show up.. During this time I realized that the soft top was much nicer than I expected. I didn't feel any colder and I could make phone calls just fine in the highway.

Now that I have the hardtop on I really miss the soft top actually. Stowing the freedom tops is a bit of a hassle compared to just flipping back the roof..

For me, the primary advantage to the hard top would be security, if that matters to you.

For switches, there are quite a few options, some of which look pretty factory.

Lasfit

Voswitch

The half door thing seems strange to me, but if it gets you power locks/windows you'll be able to sell those half doors for definitely more than $3k. Most of the ones I've seen sold for well over $4k.
 

Dougstdig

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I live in upstate NY and I originally wanted the hard top for the winter (my only previous soft top experience was with my 77 CJ7...).

I found a Mojave with everything I wanted that had just been built, only without the hardtop.

As I am impatient lol, I bought it and had the dealer add the cost of the hardtop to the final purchase price.

This was October 21 but the hardtop ended up taking almost 6 months to show up.. During this time I realized that the soft top was much nicer than I expected. I didn't feel any colder and I could make phone calls just fine in the highway.

Now that I have the hardtop on I really miss the soft top actually. Stowing the freedom tops is a bit of a hassle compared to just flipping back the roof..

For me, the primary advantage to the hard top would be security, if that matters to you.

For switches, there are quite a few options, some of which look pretty factory.

Lasfit

Voswitch

The half door thing seems strange to me, but if it gets you power locks/windows you'll be able to sell those half doors for definitely more than $3k. Most of the ones I've seen sold for well over $4k.
Wow did they miss the boat on the lasfit unit. They offer the left switch pod with the CAT plug, but what about those of us that don't have switches but drive a Rubicon... Perfect opportunity to add the network cable plug for the right switch pod...but they didn't.
 

Joalche

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Thanks for the reply - I did test drive a Gladiator with a soft top and thought it was fine on the highway and the kids are excited about being able to open it up during the summer. The biggest negative I saw was the inability to mount a roof rack for our canoe and the lack of a rear window defroster. This being said, if the cost was equal, I would choose the hard top.
I recommend the HotHead Headliner for the soft top - it made a world of difference in the summer keeping the heat out and the noise down.
 

2kXJ

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Are you opposed to buying used? I picked up a 2020 overland pretty much loaded last month for way less than what you’re looking at paying. Pristine 1 owner, 33k miles (powertrain warranty still has 2 yrs/27k left), mopar factory lift, aftermarket wheels/tires, soft tonneau, spray in bed liner, slush mats, color matching hard top, leather, cold weather group, alpine audio/nav, prox entry, LEDs all around, blind spot monitoring, rear parking sensors….
 

Beemer533

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Wow did they miss the boat on the lasfit unit. They offer the left switch pod with the CAT plug, but what about those of us that don't have switches but drive a Rubicon... Perfect opportunity to add the network cable plug for the right switch pod...but they didn't.
Yeah, I'm not sure why they did that. Seems like it would make more sense to include it with the black switches..
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