Hello from future JK owner in Alexandria, VA

ScottC said:

Hello everybody,
As the title says, I live in Alexandria, VA and am going to buy a JK in the next 6-8 months. I owned a '90 Sahara when I lived in San Diego, CA but a move to the east coast, monster commute, and a couple of kids made it impractical as a daily commuter. Sadly, it was replaced in the mid-90's. Now that my situation is different, it is time to get back in the Jeep world. I am looking for some advice from those who have travelled this path before so I can avoid some common mistakes. It is just my wife and I now, and our dog who goes with us when we travel. I own an '05 GMC Sierra, and am currently debating keeping it vs. trading it in to reduce the cost. Sometimes, it is nice to have the big truck bed to haul 'stuff', though, so I am leaning towards keeping it. It is paid for, so no loss. My questions for you all are pretty typical. 1) Any strong feelings for manual vs automatic? 2) Anyone buy the 2 door and wish they went with the Unlimited (or vice versa)? 3.) Any factory options that you would consider as unnecessary or "must haves" (Nav system, tow package, etc)? 4) Is a CB radio worth the cost, or is there another option for communication (other than cell phones)? If it is worth the cost, any recommendations on brands/models? 5) Is the hard top worth the extra cost? We are desperately short of storage space, so if it was not on the Jeep, we would have to abuse family relationships and try to keep it at someone else's house. Out of state.

The JK will be my daily commuter. I am getting 10-15 MPG with the truck right now, so fuel economy isn't at the top of my list of important things. I would like to be active with some local clubs here in NOVA so I can learn where the local trails are and travel in a pack as I improve my off-road skills. I have a few mods in mind, but for the near future, I need to avoid anything that would void part or all of the factory warranty. I am somewhere between the Sahara and Rubicon right now. The Sahara would work...but I 'want' the Rubi. I'm all ears if you have opinions on this subject, too.

Finally, I am curious if anyone has any lessons learned from building/special ordering their JK as opposed to finding one on the lot.

Thanks in advance for any input. Fire away with your advice or questions.

Semper Fi,
ScottC

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1. I love the manual. Don't get me wrong, the auto trans is (finally!) a good transmission in the new Wranglers but the stick just gets you in touch with your Jeep a little better. For my money, there's nothing quite like rowing your own gears.
2. I went from a 2 door TJ to a 4 door JK. I really like the extra space and cushy ride on the road. On the trails, a shorter wheelbase is easier to wheel with imho. Better turning radius and much harder to high center it. Basically, ask yourself how often you plan to put stuff or people in that back seat.
3. • I love the 430n head unit. In fact, I'm shocked how much I like it and it's something I didn't expect.
   • Things that I find completely pointless (no offense to the guys that have 'em) are the body color fenders and the body color hard top.
   • If you can swing it, get the Rubi and the 4:10 rear end. That's a great combo imho.
   • Don't spring for the extra money on the 10th anniv package unless you like everything about it b/c odds are you are just gonna swap the bumpers as soon as you get it anyways.
   • Don't get the dual top group. If you want the hard top, get the hardtop and just pick up a Trek Top NX after the fact. You can always pull your hardtop later and swap out, but wiring for a rear window wiper/washer/defroster is overly complicated if you start out with a soft top.
   • The Max Tow package (which I foolishly purchased) is a $400 option that includes a receiver hitch and wiring you can do yourself for $100 after you buy it. However, if you want the factory to do it for you then that's cool too.
   • Stay away from the Mopar parts bin. Buy it first, then look around. If you see some Mopar parts you like, do them yourself after the fact. You'll save your self a good bit of money.
4. Yes, Yes, Yes! Always have a CB if you plan on going out on trails. There are TONS of choices on the market, just make it one of your first to-do's. Everyone has plenty of opinions on CB's, wiring, and antenna's. I've run a midland, a uniden, and a cobra. They've all done well by me. Currently running a Cobra set up that's tucked out of the way. I've got a write up on it on my build thread if you want to see more.
5. I love my hard top. It's very quiet on the road and since I spend a lot of time in the city and parking garages, I don't worry about things being borrowed out of it. That being said, there are days when I miss my soft top but I can have plenty of fun in the hard top with no doors and the roof panels can be removed at a long traffic light.
6. Unless you plan to swap out the axles for D60's in the near future and build it into a BEAST, the Rubi is a great place to get started.
7. I shopped every dealership in a 500 mile radius and ended up having mine built to order. Again, feel free to PM me to discuss off thread as I've already gone on and on and on.

ScottC said:

Thanks for the input! I have a lot to think about over the next several months. Since I've held on to my truck for over 8 years and 190k miles, I think it is better to get what I 'want' as opposed to just what I 'need'. I have been leaning towards the 4 door Rubi with the premium soft top.

I have leather seats in the truck, and they have been great (as long as the sun hasn't been shining directly on them). Easy clean-up, no fading, etc. How do Jeep's leather seats hold up to the weather? Any advice on cloth vs. leather?

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ScottC said:

Hello everybody,
As the title says, I live in Alexandria, VA and am going to buy a JK in the next 6-8 months. I owned a '90 Sahara when I lived in San Diego, CA but a move to the east coast, monster commute, and a couple of kids made it impractical as a daily commuter. Sadly, it was replaced in the mid-90's. Now that my situation is different, it is time to get back in the Jeep world. I am looking for some advice from those who have travelled this path before so I can avoid some common mistakes. It is just my wife and I now, and our dog who goes with us when we travel. I own an '05 GMC Sierra, and am currently debating keeping it vs. trading it in to reduce the cost. Sometimes, it is nice to have the big truck bed to haul 'stuff', though, so I am leaning towards keeping it. It is paid for, so no loss. My questions for you all are pretty typical. 1) Any strong feelings for manual vs automatic? 2) Anyone buy the 2 door and wish they went with the Unlimited (or vice versa)? 3.) Any factory options that you would consider as unnecessary or "must haves" (Nav system, tow package, etc)? 4) Is a CB radio worth the cost, or is there another option for communication (other than cell phones)? If it is worth the cost, any recommendations on brands/models? 5) Is the hard top worth the extra cost? We are desperately short of storage space, so if it was not on the Jeep, we would have to abuse family relationships and try to keep it at someone else's house. Out of state.

The JK will be my daily commuter. I am getting 10-15 MPG with the truck right now, so fuel economy isn't at the top of my list of important things. I would like to be active with some local clubs here in NOVA so I can learn where the local trails are and travel in a pack as I improve my off-road skills. I have a few mods in mind, but for the near future, I need to avoid anything that would void part or all of the factory warranty. I am somewhere between the Sahara and Rubicon right now. The Sahara would work...but I 'want' the Rubi. I'm all ears if you have opinions on this subject, too.

Finally, I am curious if anyone has any lessons learned from building/special ordering their JK as opposed to finding one on the lot.

Thanks in advance for any input. Fire away with your advice or questions.

Semper Fi,
ScottC

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dis_dis said:

Welcome.

Rubicons come with a lot of offroad features already built into them and you could take one without mods to a park and will have a lot of fun with it. That's not to say that Sahara or something else won't be fun. But better crawl ratio and lockers are a big plus when offloading. Of course you pay for it upfront .... I have heard that one way to mod the jeep and keep the warranty is to have the dealership install the mods for you when you buy the jeep but that's not cost effective ...

What I did in my case was buy a used one and with the money saved put in some mods ... So that's always an option. I did buy extended warranty too, but no idea if they will honor it since the jeep looks nothing like when I bought it

Sent from my Nexus 4 using WAYALIFE mobile app

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ScottC said:

I've thought a lot about buying a used Jeep, too. Still on the fence about it. I love the fact that every mile on my truck (except for the first 16) are mine. I know exactly what maintenance was conducted and when. But the money saved...it is tempting. My plan is to stick with a new one unless that magical used Jeep comes along.

One of the local dealers told me that if the mods are done by an approved vendor, the warranty stays intact. However, I will need to see a little more proof of that than just the word of the salesman.

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