Thinking About Buying A Jeep Gladiator

[Zachanadandy]

Whichever model you decide on you should emphasize payload capacity as one of the top priorities. My WILLYS is only rated at 990 lbs. Definitely go for a Mojave or Rubicon if you really need the capacities. They’ll also hold their value more.

My mojave and the Rubicon equipped the same on the lot when I bought it have 1040lb capacities. The OP hasn't said he plans to wheel seriously so are you suggesting he spend an extra $10-20k on a Rubicon or mojave with all their extra off road goodies....for 50lbs of capacity? The max tow is the only one I've seen with an 1100lb capacity and even then I wouldn't let that sway my decision but at least it would be far cheaper. 50lbs is all of 6 gallons of gas. Only fill up to 3/4 of a tank when you're fully loaded and you now have the same capacity as a Rubicon or mojave... although all the extra weight in your wallet may need accounted for.

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[ShadowsPapa]

My WILLYS is only rated at 990 lbs. Definitely go for a Mojave or Rubicon if you really need the capacities.

Sorry, but don't go Mojave if you want the highest payload.
I really didn't care - I wanted towing and knowing that most of my times towing would be just me, I had it all figured so a Mojave with only 840 pounds of payload would work.
Willys is among the higher payloads unless you go Sport max tow.
Options also matter - a LOT. Buy with the rock rails, steel bumpers and so on - you have lost payload. Add those things later, you lost payload.
If I recall the specs correctly, A basic Rubicon will have more payload than a Mojave.

Depends how one wants to look at it but I own a 22 Bronco Sport that is the wife's daily driver. That specific vehicle has been the subject of 3 recalls to date but I did not have any of problems the recall addressed. Other than that, it has been solid.

My 2020 and 2021 JT's may have had one recall, but it was in service for a bunch of TSB niggle issues that needing taken care of.

My 2022 and current 2025 JT have been rock solid. For me, that is somewhat hard to balance calling either one better than the other in terms of issues.

Recalls don't weigh in heavily in my deciding - it only means they caught a problem and have a fix (ok unless it's a clutch issue)
Once the recall is done, the issue no longer exists. So a Jeep with no recalls and a Ford with 2 - as long as the Ford was fixed, I wouldn't really count those against it.

 

[Bigcatfish]

My mojave and the Rubicon equipped the same on the lot when I bought it have 1040lb capacities. The OP hasn't said he plans to wheel seriously so are you suggesting he spend an extra $10-20k on a Rubicon or mojave with all their extra off road goodies....for 50lbs of capacity? The max tow is the only one I've seen with an 1100lb capacity and even then I wouldn't let that sway my decision but at least it would be far cheaper. 50lbs is all of 6 gallons of gas. Only fill up to 3/4 of a tank when you're fully loaded and you now have the same capacity as a Rubicon or mojave... although all the extra weight in your wallet may need accounted for.

I’m pretty sure I am going to get the base model Rubicon.

 

[Gvsukids]

1 of 1 sample size is statistically meaningless. Comparing how reliable a car with a taller body is for trips to Starbucks vs a Jeep is even more meaningless. Our 3 Jeeps have a combined 160k miles of very hard use with 0 issues. A Bronco sport wouldn't survive a single weekend being worked like our Jeeps are. Each of them has thousands of trail miles, everything from being jumped to freeway speeds in the dirt to trails like Pritchett Canyon and the Rubicon. Are there more reliable vehicles for soccer practice and commuting? Obviously. Are there other vehicles that could even survive what the Jeeps do? Very few and the Bronco sport isn't one of them. My kids Honda civic si handles way better, gets 4x the fuel economy, is faster by a whole lot, and will probably last longer... unless he makes the foolish mistake of trying to compare it to the Jeep doing Jeep things. If I only cared about reliability and never went off road I wouldn't own Jeeps. I think we all know there are better cars. Having owned 2 modern Fords, both of which were incredibly problematic, it wouldn't be a Ford for sure. Since 2017 we've bought 4 new vehicles. My 2017 ram, which also got blasted across the desert regularly and was trouble free aside from the weak ride height sensors for the front air bags. 123k miles on it when I sold it. Even the broken sensors get a bit of a pass from me as they generally only broke when I jumped the truck or hit a wash at freeway speeds. Similar story for the Jeeps. I'll be the 1st to admit I beat the hell out of my rigs... and the FCA/ Stellantis ones are the only ones I'd trust out wheeling solo. The rental f150 I had for 3 months last year while working out of town didn't fair near as well and needed a new turbo. Add that to the fact that I felt like I had shaken baby syndrome and couldn't see straight after just a few miles of washboards in the desert and it just reminded me why I'll never buy another Ford.

We've owned a dozen over the years and aside from the 2019 that was stolen at 63k miles all of them went 200k plus miles without major issues. Aside from breaking things wheeling they've all been super reliable. And with the use I can guarantee you won't find a more reliable vehicle period.

That specific vehicle has been the subject of 3 recalls to date but I did not have any of problems the recall addressed. Other than that, it has been solid.

Our Bronco Sport is a Badlands model and recalls didn't impact ours either.
Our issues with the Jeep weren't all related to off-roading. We had engine issues, leaky seals, a broken visor, and some factory issues.

Tim,
Glad you love your JT. What extended warranty did you get? from Jeep/Stellantis directly ?
I've had so many issues that if I keep mine, I will have to have an extended warranty --I haven't researched the options yet -- seeking info from those who have.
I'm at 1 1/2 years and 17k miles, so have some time to decide.
Thanks !

CNA warranty from selling dealership. Granger sells inexpensive warranties.

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

I’m pretty sure I am going to get the base model Rubicon.

That’s a VERY good choice! My first Jeep was an 06 Rubicon Unlimited. Before the 4 doors. Amazing capabilities right out of the box and a thrill to drive.

 

[Zachanadandy]

Once the recall is done, the issue no longer exists. So a Jeep with no recalls and a Ford with 2 - as long as the Ford was fixed, I wouldn't really count those against it.

I agree with this to a point. The problem is not all recalls are the same. If I'd bought a brand new tundra and the recall to replace the entire engines hit I'd be pissed. If we were within the 1st year I'd be filing a claim under the lemon law for a buy back ASAP. Something like the steering box? Absolutely. It's like a free upgrade and it's done in a day.

 

[Jeeper44mag]

A buddy of mine told me about headliners you can buy for the Gladiator that will act as insulation to help with the noise and the temperature. Anyone have experience with any or suggestions?

Hotheadz head liners. Worth every penny IMO. One off the best mods you can make if you live in an area that ever gets either extremely hot or extremely cold. Better acoustics too. Here in Florida in the middle of the summer, a Jeep with zero insulation on the top is hard to cool down simply because of the quantity of heat coming through the roof. You can lift your hand near the roof, not even touching it, and feel the wave of heat coming off of it. The headliner insulates the top, so you don't get that effect, which makes it cool down much faster, and stay cool much more easily.

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

A buddy of mine told me about headliners you can buy for the Gladiator that will act as insulation to help with the noise and the temperature. Anyone have experience with any or suggestions?

I’m going a slightly different route than hot heads. I’m doing some products from Second Skin Audio and then the CoverKing headliner over top of that. Should be done in the next week or so. I’ll let you know. One of the first things I noticed was the oven like heat radiating down onto my head from the freedom tops. Doesn’t help the entire Jeep is blacked out but maybe my strategy will bring the temps down. I don’t ever really intend on taking the tops off anyway.

 

[#jeepstyle]

A buddy of mine told me about headliners you can buy for the Gladiator that will act as insulation to help with the noise and the temperature. Anyone have experience with any or suggestions?

I went with Boom Mats Headliner; easy to install, and if you're careful with the back seat --you can put in without taking the top off. I didn't put the side panels in by the rear roll bar because I stuff folded towels there for the dogs. It has improved the sound and temperature. (I did get body color top to not have a hot black top as I would not purchase a black car, so glad my dark blue TJ is tan inside & top) Boom Mats are peel and stick, one year and no issues, can order from Boom Mats or Amazon. They are mostly a foam type material and come in variety of colors.

 

[Stan H]

We have a 23 Bronco Sport and it's had less repairs than our 20 Gladiator.

It's a good thing the rubber band running the oil pump didnt break.

 

[Stan H]

My last F250 was ok, too, but was struggling towing a heavy load in hills, and eventually developed what was really close to death wobble and no one could figure it out even with all new steering and suspension - so away it went.

It's because every F-250 I ever seen goes down the road dog legged the axles aren't lined up equally under the frame in the front .

 

[ShadowsPapa]

It's because every F-250 I ever seen goes down the road dog legged the axles aren't lined up equally under the frame in the front .

Mine was aligned fine. That wasn't an issue (and not likely to cause the sort of wobble it had)
It was fine until about 70,000 miles.. I traded it off at about 82,000 miles and more than 2 grand in parts.

 

[Gvsukids]

It's a good thing the rubber band running the oil pump didnt break.

I think there's currently a recall for that in some models.

 

[Stan H]

I think there's currently a recall for that in some models.

Yeah worked on a site last year a guy had the 3.5 or 2.5 (can't recall ) eco boost and it blew up due to that belt breaking . It is no bigger than ½ wide or less it's the craziest thing I ever seen in an engine .

 

[Gvsukids]

Yeah worked on a site last year a guy had the 3.5 or 2.5 (can't recall ) eco boost and it blew up due to that belt breaking . It is no bigger than ½ wide or less it's the craziest thing I ever seen in an engine .

Our engine is the 2.0 turbo 4 cylinder.

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