Why do owners never take doors/tops off or go off-road?

[Craig rubi]

Couldn't agree more

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[Desert Outlaw]

In November 2005, was rounding a hill at dusk on Hwy 1 in Baja California, Mexico when two deer presented themselves in the near distance (~1,000 ft). Both raised their heads as I got within striking distance. One ran in front of my '03 Rubicon and the second deer hesitated. That deer then ran directly into the door/rocker of the Jeep denting the door and knocking himself out.

Had my doors been removed, my left hip might have been 'modified'. I'll just stick with the freedom panels and soon the top.lol

Here is a dirt road that avoided backed up traffic one morning. My friends were moaning about, "WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE YOUR GLADIATOR TO BAJA!!". I posted this photo to show that the Fox shocks really get used. They soak up the ruts much better than the Pro-Comp MX-6s that I run on my TJ Rubicon.

The "Mission Impossible" trail in Baja California, Mexico

My wife and I are so happy for the additional space of the Gladiator..

 

[Lynn_F]

Finally took the whole top off! That thing is super light!!

 

[Jeepdude413]

This time off for a week hopefully.... still hotter than a fox in a forest fire but gonna man up and endure... Just pulled it up on a small stump cause probably be a few more weeks until i get on the trails. God I love this thing!!!

 

[Murgatroid]

I didn't buy mine to go off road, I wanted a convertible that would pull my sailboats and get me out of my driveway in the wintertime. And as far as the doors go, tried it once and like the doors on window down better.

 

[Cleankat]

I take the top off, not the doors and probably never will, and I'm way too OCD to go off-road. I had to go down a muddy road over the weekend and spent all day under it cleaning mud off yesterday. I just like the way it looks and drives and the practicality of having a truck bed. Just a fun family vehicle to me.

 

[willemlock]

I was running trails up at Big Bear CA in exactly 14 hours from time of pickup. Doors and roof came off but went back on, was fun but when its over 100 degrees outside and your crawling over rocks for 6+ hours in the desert sun I find it much nicer to get into the AC and take a deep breath lol. I'm sure the doors will come off again soon though.

 

[Jems007]

I go to Moab multiple times per year and off road. Top goes on and off sometimes on a weekly basis. Doors not as much but it happens a few times a year. I’ve also been accused of “never taking it off road” because it’s clean when I come back home.

You never know what they do with their Jeep unless you follow them around 24/7.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Well, I could ask the question - why do I see 25 year old women driving a F250 4x4 to the store to get a gallon of milk and some candy bars?
Buying vehicles is all about psychology and emotion.
Why did people spend thousands of dollars for a Buick when the Ford was hundreds in about 1914?

As far as no roof or doors - this is Iowa. Granted, taking the roof off isn't a huge deal, takes time and effort, but still not bad. Doors take more effort, still not bad - so it's supposed to be a nice afternoon but may rain tomorrow - is it worth stripping it down, driving for an hour, getting back home and putting it all back together before you head out tomorrow? Or do you wait for a week of decent temps and dry weather? then the temps hit 100 and it's windy as heck - no fun, so take a different vehicle and no one happens to SEE that you had it all apart.....

Maybe they just LIKE THE TRUCK and don't care that the doors come off?
I know people with sunroofs who have never even opened them........ big deal.
Why does it bother some so much that people buy for different reasons and use a vehicle differently than the one asking?
Vehicle purchases are based almost as much on emotional responses - sometimes maybe more - than NEED or pure logic.
Does my wife NEED, absolutely NEED a Grand Cherokee? Is it a MUST? Will she take it into sand and mud off road? Or is it peace of mind that it CAN go anywhere, is among the safest vehicles out there to drive in our winters - worse, on our roads (that somehow seem to make the news every couple of years for massive wrecks)

 

[Bbannongmu]

To each their own but if it’s concern/lack of confidence- it’s pretty easy.

 

[Sparty]

I'll throw my hat into the ring...

I have a built 04 TJ that will do everything I ask it to. From playing on the rocks (crawling) to spending a nice day riding around with the top and doors off. I don't mind if I rub a fender into a tree...hell, I'll be flat-fendering it soon most likely. If it's gets a dent/scar, I don't really care.

Now....with our Gladiator, it will serve a different purpose:

We got this because my wife needed to replace her TJ and we needed something for our 10 acres to serve as a light duty truck. This fit PERFECTLY!

The top and doors WILL come off. This won't be modified much past stock though. We also need 4WD for Michigan winters and capabilities will be nice when we're on back-road situations. We'll enjoy it and have fun.
However, I'm not about to take a $50K truck and bash it on the trails. I just can't do it, plus - that's what my TJ is for. I'm not saying anything bad about people who do - I just can't see doing that to a $50K vehicle.

 

[fun2drum]

Thanks for reviving this thread - I would have missed it otherwise and it's interesting!

As to the topic, I say to each his/her own. I see other people doing things I wouldn't do, that's for sure - but I'm sure others see me doing things that are utter nonsense to their eyes. I don't really care. Laugh a little of course! But live and let live.

One thing I do find a little amusing has been the few times somebody told me they love my Gladiator, but then followed up with "What kind of lift are you getting?", or "Why don't you put on some black wheels and mudders?". My answer is always that I like it the way it is, and they just look at me as if I just said something crazy.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

To each their own but if it’s concern/lack of confidence- it’s pretty easy.

It IS easy - as far as the roof, the bolts line up so perfectly well that once you get them about a half-turn or so loose with the tool, they come out fast via finger. Disconnect the harness for the rear window defrost - about 1 minute.
I lower my roof lift, hook it up and guide the roof up with left hand while running the winch with my right. I can take that roof off in probably 10 minutes and back on about 10 minutes. (I've not timed it, but it's fast and the roof removal and putting back on is EASY - very easy.)

Doors - the biggest issue there is the connections for the wiring - off, easy, on, a bit different.
The thing to watch is don't let that door position thing get shoved back into the door - it's a tough pull to get it back out to bolt it back to the door frame. But each door only takes a few minutes.
On takes a bit longer - at least for me - lifting, and guiding things into place and not scratching the paint around the hinges. That's where painters' tape comes in - or buy those cheap guide pin things on Amazon.
Guiding the wiring connectors back CAREFULLY is where the time comes in, IMO - I take my time and avoid bent pins or other issues and those plastic parts would break easily. I've done years and years worth of auto electric and I HATE HATE HATE the types of plastics used in these connectors. I don't know why they don't use a better plastic that is much less brittle - but it's ALL car companies. Ford started it with those plastic ignition system connectors - after a couple of years we hardly ever saw a Ford vehicle that still had the retaining clips in place on those stupid things. Even Ford has TSBs on those - how to do it and not break things, that sort of thing - I can tell them how - change the design and the plastics used! HAHA

Anyway, roof is SUPER easy, doors not bad either. For me it's not concern or confidence - heck, I'm the guy that rebuilds door hinges and does complete quarter panel replacement and makes fenders out of parts of fenders. I'll strip 'em to the bare shell and completely rewire or rebuild - it's more like - is is practical to do so with the weather as it is, or is it worth it for a few hours, then put it all back?

Would I have bought this truck if the roof didn't come clear off? Likely
Would I have bought this truck if the doors didn't come off? That's close to a yes.
Would I have bought this truck if it didn't have the "freedom panels"? Hmmm, now you are pushing it because I did really miss our t-top Camaro and the fun that thing was with the panels out - talk about EASY!! Single lever, lift, put in bag in the back, secure the strap, get in and enjoy.

I bought it mostly because it was a Jeep truck. I wanted a smaller, newer truck, and I love Jeeps.
Not really because all that stuff comes off - that's just extra icing on an already well-iced and sweet cake.

 

[93civej1]

 

[Jeeperjamie]

I'd say the main reason is because people do what they want with their vehicles, the real question is why are you so concerned with what someone else does with their vehicles.

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