buying a rubicon or sport package unlimited ?

Tmitchell798 · May 11, 2014

I've always been into exploring the outdoors , I have previously done my outdoor exploring on four wheelers and or motorcycles but i think the jeep way of life would be much more relationship friendly than me taking off and leaving my girlfriend to sit at home , got some dogs that id love to put in the jeep and take with us . My biggest question at the moment is what i should buy , I know i want a unlimited for the extra space and wheelbase , but I plan on doing so much to the base vehicle i don't know if spending the extra money on a rubicon is worthwhile since i want to put dana 60's or possibly even 70's under it and run gears in the 5's , thinking of a double throw down set up suspension wise and 40" tires . I'd love to be able to pick up a dealer installed lifted sport package with 35"s on it to hold me over until i have the money to do it all the other mods at one time , but am concerned the 30 in the front might not hold up to what i may get into in the desert until i upgrade the drivetrain. I have a good friend in bakersfield ca who has done extensive modifications to a tj and he says buy a rubicon x and go from there , but he probably has 90k invested in his and he loved to spend money on his toy , id rather not spend money i don't have to as i do travel across the country welding on gas pipelines for a living i won't get the use out of a jeep that he did.. any input would be greatly appreciated and hopefully will ease the decision making process ! thanks everybody hope to see some of you out on the trails !
TJ

ghostryder · May 11, 2014

Tmitchell798 said:
I've always been into exploring the outdoors , I have previously done my outdoor exploring on four wheelers and or motorcycles but i think the jeep way of life would be much more relationship friendly than me taking off and leaving my girlfriend to sit at home , got some dogs that id love to put in the jeep and take with us . My biggest question at the moment is what i should buy , I know i want a unlimited for the extra space and wheelbase , but I plan on doing so much to the base vehicle i don't know if spending the extra money on a rubicon is worthwhile since i want to put dana 60's or possibly even 70's under it and run gears in the 5's , thinking of a double throw down set up suspension wise and 40" tires . I'd love to be able to pick up a dealer installed lifted sport package with 35"s on it to hold me over until i have the money to do it all the other mods at one time , but am concerned the 30 in the front might not hold up to what i may get into in the desert until i upgrade the drivetrain. I have a good friend in bakersfield ca who has done extensive modifications to a tj and he says buy a rubicon x and go from there , but he probably has 90k invested in his and he loved to spend money on his toy , id rather not spend money i don't have to as i do travel across the country welding on gas pipelines for a living i won't get the use out of a jeep that he did.. any input would be greatly appreciated and hopefully will ease the decision making process ! thanks everybody hope to see some of you out on the trails !
TJ

a rubi has lockers, sway bar disco, and dana 44 front axle that is all so if you plan on replacing these parts then get a sport.

you can actually buy a sport and transform it into a rubi for less than what a rubi costs

sean.m.adams33 · May 11, 2014

Welcome to wayalife! I would say buy the rubicon. As you upgrade you can sell the take offs. You will be a lot happier with the rubi.

Tindeuchen · May 11, 2014

I guess it depends on what type of trails you want to tackle between getting the Jeep and doing all the upgrades. A stock Jeep is already pretty capable off-road. If I were in your position, I'd say go for a sport over the rubicon and put the 10k you save towards your mods.

ghostryder · May 11, 2014

Tindeuchen said:
I guess it depends on what type of trails you want to tackle between getting the Jeep and doing all the upgrades. A stock Jeep is already pretty capable off-road. If I were in your position, I'd say go for a sport over the rubicon and put the 10k you save towards your mods.

:beer::beer: here here i agree 10 grand upgrades a lot and like i said for 10 grand you would be upgraded past a rubi:thumb::thumb:

NV375 · May 11, 2014

Don't bother with the dealer installed lift. It most likely would be what a local shop wanted to move not what is good for you.

I was going to do the sport route to save money for parts and my wife insisted I get the Rubicon. It was not hard for her to convince me.

Think about ordering a jeep just the way you want it. When I purchased mine the fleet guy I bought it from tried to get me to order instead of buying off the lot. Since the Wrangler does not have to use incentives to sell there is no monetary advantage to take one off the lot. This way you don't pay for power windows and heated mirrors if you will be doorless most of the time.
If I had it to do over I would have half doors. Aftermarket doors are available but I miss just opening the door and lifting the window out.

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Tmitchell798 · May 11, 2014

i don't plan on taking on anything too serious like I've seen in the jk experience videos , just some mild trails throughout the desert in arizona , I just want to get out and explore and find new places to go shooting and exploring ,but I may get a little overzealous and get myself into something more than that , but when it breaks ill just have a good reason to fix it , and make it the way i want it ! thanks to everyone for the input , I'll make sure to post the take off parts on here and craigslist when they come off !

newtdog · May 11, 2014

Tmitchell798 said:
i don't plan on taking on anything too serious like I've seen in the jk experience videos , just some mild trails throughout the desert in arizona , I just want to get out and explore and find new places to go shooting and exploring ,but I may get a little overzealous and get myself into something more than that , but when it breaks ill just have a good reason to fix it , and make it the way i want it ! thanks to everyone for the input , I'll make sure to post the take off parts on here and craigslist when they come off !

If that's all you plan on doing, get a Sport and upgrade it. Like it was said above...the Jeep is a very capable off road vehicle bone stock. Add a few upgrades and you'll be good to go!

2010 MANGO TANGO SPORT JKU

Tmitchell798 · May 11, 2014

NV375 said:
Don't bother with the dealer installed lift. It most likely would be what a local shop wanted to move not what is good for you.

I was going to do the sport route to save money for parts and my wife insisted I get the Rubicon. It was not hard for her to convince me.

Think about ordering a jeep just the way you want it. When I purchased mine the fleet guy I bought it from tried to get me to order instead of buying off the lot. Since the Wrangler does not have to use incentives to sell there is no monetary advantage to take one off the lot. This way you don't pay for power windows and heated mirrors if you will be doorless most of the time.
If I had it to do over I would have half doors. Aftermarket doors are available but I miss just opening the door and lifting the window out.

Sent using the WAYALIFE mobile app

the dealer I've been talking to at this point said they could take any vehicle off the lot and put whatever lift i wanted on it , their sales manager is a jeep guy and seems like he understands exactly what I'm planning to do with the one i buy , might be in my best interest to just buy a stock one and throw the lift i want on it myself , seems fairly straightforward and in my ability to put a weld on lift kit like the off road evolution kits on myself , minus the alignment issues . from what I've read mel wade at o.r.e. is a great guy and could get me the right parts to do the lift without too many speed bumps mid process , no sense paying for a lift i know i won't be happy with from a dealer . did you buy mopar half doors ? I'm thinking an arizona jeep won't need heated mirrors , much less windows at all unless I'm going to be wheeling in the summer and need the a/c but i am usually on the road for work in the summer

Smokinjoe · May 11, 2014

I would go Rubi !! You would be in 10K
In Dana 60's or 70's or unless you got a ton of $$ laying around for upgrades for sport I still get the Rubi

NV375 · May 11, 2014

I had factory half doors on both of my YJs and full doors on both my JKs I miss the half doors but will not pay the price for OE doors now. If I had ordered my JKUR I would have likely done half doors. Factory half doors are not for everybody. I like half doors over no doors most of the time.

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David1tontj · May 11, 2014

Tmitchell798 said:
I've always been into exploring the outdoors , I have previously done my outdoor exploring on four wheelers and or motorcycles but i think the jeep way of life would be much more relationship friendly than me taking off and leaving my girlfriend to sit at home , got some dogs that id love to put in the jeep and take with us . My biggest question at the moment is what i should buy , I know i want a unlimited for the extra space and wheelbase , but I plan on doing so much to the base vehicle i don't know if spending the extra money on a rubicon is worthwhile since i want to put dana 60's or possibly even 70's under it and run gears in the 5's , thinking of a double throw down set up suspension wise and 40" tires . I'd love to be able to pick up a dealer installed lifted sport package with 35"s on it to hold me over until i have the money to do it all the other mods at one time , but am concerned the 30 in the front might not hold up to what i may get into in the desert until i upgrade the drivetrain. I have a good friend in bakersfield ca who has done extensive modifications to a tj and he says buy a rubicon x and go from there , but he probably has 90k invested in his and he loved to spend money on his toy , id rather not spend money i don't have to as i do travel across the country welding on gas pipelines for a living i won't get the use out of a jeep that he did.. any input would be greatly appreciated and hopefully will ease the decision making process ! thanks everybody hope to see some of you out on the trails !
TJ

ghostryder said:
a rubi has lockers, sway bar disco, and dana 44 front axle that is all so if you plan on replacing these parts then get a sport.

you can actually buy a sport and transform it into a rubi for less than what a rubi costs

And a 4:1 transfercase, and rock sliders, and......

Op- you do know that EVO1 started life as a Sahara right?

And as far as the front 44 in a rubicon goes- it has the same wimpy axle tubes as the 30 and as far as bending goes (which is the main problem with them) the 44 will bend just the same as the 30.

I say save your money from the rubicon and get a pr44 that won't bend and would handle 37s just fine. With a four door on 37s you can go just about anywhere And it's a lot cheaper than going to 40s.

You should also be able to find a rubicon t case from one of the motor swap companies for around $1,000.

My ride- 2001 power wheel, 11" plastic tires, upgraded battery, boat sides, custom bumpers, tow hooks, new paint.

wayoflife · May 11, 2014

What I can tell you is that after building up a 2007 Unlimited Rubicon and then a 2009 Unlimited X with the same idea in mind, I made sure to buy my 2012 as a Rubicon again. As mentioned, you just can't beat the fact that it comes with an e-disconnect that I love, a 4:1 transfer case that is very capable, nicer interior, MyGig option and this is to say nothing about the lockers you get.

turbineguy · May 11, 2014

I have a sport unlimited that I upgraded. If I had to do it again, I would of gone with a Rubicon as a starting point.

1. Rubi's have better resale value (even if you have replaced the axles with something better)

2. T-Case (a rubi t-case saves a lot over an Atlas)

3. Resale of axles (I got $1500 for my takeoff Sport Axles, and I got fairly lucky in finding someone to buy the front 30).

4. Even if you plan on doing 60's, life sometimes gets in the way, and F/R 44 rubi axles are solid.

Stalter08Rubi · May 11, 2014

NV375 said:
I had factory half doors on both of my YJs and full doors on both my JKs I miss the half doors but will not pay the price for OE doors now. If I had ordered my JKUR I would have likely done half doors. Factory half doors are not for everybody. I like half doors over no doors most of the time.

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I love the factory half doors, many times I've been driving around and realized "huh it's beautiful out today, I'll take my top half off the doors" and it's amazing how much more free it feels

TheStick · May 11, 2014

Tmitchell798 said:
i don't plan on taking on anything too serious like I've seen in the jk experience videos , just some mild trails throughout the desert in arizona , I just want to get out and explore and find new places to go shooting and exploring ,but I may get a little overzealous and get myself into something more than that , but when it breaks ill just have a good reason to fix it , and make it the way i want it ! thanks to everyone for the input , I'll make sure to post the take off parts on here and craigslist when they come off !

But for this you want a DTD on 40's?

And I am still waiting for the first person to convert their front axel to a D40, gears, T-case, lockers, e-disco and sliders for less than the $5k up charge for a rubi. But it does make for one hell of an Internet legend.

Marauder · May 11, 2014

TheStick said:
And I am still waiting for the first person to convert their front axel to a D40, gears, T-case, lockers, e-disco and sliders for less than the $5k up charge for a rubi. But it does make for one hell of an Internet legend.

Im still waiting for the rubi that only costs 5k more than a Sport....lol

If I were to do it again, I would have bought the Rubi. It makes a better starting point in my opinion.

ghostryder · May 12, 2014

David1tontj said:
And a 4:1 transfercase, and rock sliders, and......

Op- you do know that EVO1 started life as a Sahara right?

And as far as the front 44 in a rubicon goes- it has the same wimpy axle tubes as the 30 and as far as bending goes (which is the main problem with them) the 44 will bend just the same as the 30.

I say save your money from the rubicon and get a pr44 that won't bend and would handle 37s just fine. With a four door on 37s you can go just about anywhere And it's a lot cheaper than going to 40s.

You should also be able to find a rubicon t case from one of the motor swap companies for around $1,000.

My ride- 2001 power wheel, 11" plastic tires, upgraded battery, boat sides, custom bumpers, tow hooks, new paint.

my bad i did forget about the 4:1 as far as the rest its the first thing everyone replaces i was merely getting to the fact you can buy a sport and build it into a rubi for less than what you can buy one for. and he was talking about all the mods he had lined up to do which would have nullified the rubi perks anyways lol

jeeeep · May 12, 2014

Tmitchell798 said:
I've always been into exploring the outdoors , I have previously done my outdoor exploring on four wheelers and or motorcycles but i think the jeep way of life would be much more relationship friendly than me taking off and leaving my girlfriend to sit at home , got some dogs that id love to put in the jeep and take with us . My biggest question at the moment is what i should buy , I know i want a unlimited for the extra space and wheelbase , but I plan on doing so much to the base vehicle i don't know if spending the extra money on a rubicon is worthwhile since i want to put dana 60's or possibly even 70's under it and run gears in the 5's , thinking of a double throw down set up suspension wise and 40" tires . I'd love to be able to pick up a dealer installed lifted sport package with 35"s on it to hold me over until i have the money to do it all the other mods at one time , but am concerned the 30 in the front might not hold up to what i may get into in the desert until i upgrade the drivetrain. I have a good friend in bakersfield ca who has done extensive modifications to a tj and he says buy a rubicon x and go from there , but he probably has 90k invested in his and he loved to spend money on his toy , id rather not spend money i don't have to as i do travel across the country welding on gas pipelines for a living i won't get the use out of a jeep that he did.. any input would be greatly appreciated and hopefully will ease the decision making process ! thanks everybody hope to see some of you out on the trails !
TJ

how soon do you plan to modify everything? do you have the budget to take it from showroom to full mods the way you want or are you looking at future upgrades?
10k difference in the sport versus rubi sounds like a lot but when you when you do the math of the mods you mentioned (I assume you've priced what your mods will cost) and the price of a rubi, the rubi does justify the difference if you have to wait to complete your mods, not to mention rubi axles etc...sell better and faster than sport parts.

as mentioned in other responses, Rubi is not only d44's, there's more there for the price

13_gecko_rubi · May 12, 2014

Also remember many options aren't available on the sport. Nav, heated seats, etc etc. i mean one of best things about a jk is it is a great daily driver with lots of frills too. Love wheeling in middle of no where with top down, heated seats on listening to sirius :cheesy:

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buying a rubicon or sport package unlimited ?

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