keviper

Hey all! I'm brand new here to the forum, but not brand new to Wrangler. My very first car was a yellow 1991 Wrangler SE, thing was a beast and I LOVED driving it and having some fun off road with it too. I also briefly owned a 2007 JKSU for about a year before it was totaled.

Anyways, I'm thinking of going back for another Wrangler here in the next couple months. I recently moved to Richmond, VA and would like to use whatever I buy for a bit of off-roading fun, just don't know exactly how much crawling I'd actually do...I don't know many people here yet, and would be afraid to take it out by myself.

So basically I'm in between the Rubicon and Sahara, I like the idea of everything that's included in the Rubicon that I won't have to purchase later, but I also don't want to be one of those guys who pays a ton for the Rubicon and than never uses some of the features it has, but hey, I may end up using some of those features at some point. So my questions are below.

Do I NEED the 4:1 on the Rubicon or will the 3:71:1 work just fine on the Sahara?
What's the difference between the 430n and 730n NAV system?
If I do go with the Rubicon, should I go for the "X"?

Anything else you guys can think of for me to consider would be greatly appreciated. I'm concerned with the $$$ issue, but if it's worth spending an extra few thousand for the Rubicon, I'm more than happy to go up to the Rub or Rub X.

Thanks guys, really appreciate any help!!!!!

Kevin

seribralcrow

Really it depends on how many mods you want to do. I had this same decision to make and ended on the Sahara because I don't plan on off roading THAT much. I upgraded to rubi take off wheels and tires which helped a ton. I wasn't going to benefit from the suspension and diff upgrades with a Rubicon. Im not a huge fan of the body color fenders. After the first time off-roading, I have noticeable gashes in them. I wanted the saddle interior and the interior options available with the Sahara.

As for NEED. You dont NEED any of this. Just have to figure out what works for you and start there. I am very happy with my 3.73, but I wont ever go bigger than 35's on this Jeep since it's a DD. Good luck.

keviper

[QUOTE=seribralcrow;3672005]Really it depends on how many mods you want to do. I had this same decision to make and ended on the Sahara because I don't plan on off roading THAT much.

Thanks for the advice! I use the word NEED, but we all know nothing on these are really...NEEDED

Where do you off road?

big dr

I would write down a list of all the mods you want to do in the future,, then look at the extras the Rubicon offers. If the mods you have planned will be replacing the rubi stuff,, then don't pay the extra. I bought a sport because I knew I was going to run 39'S some day, therefore, didn't want the d44's, knew I was going to go with Pro Rock 60's. To each his own,, but try not to pay extra for things your not going to use,, or eventually take off. Good luck with your decision.

ybugly

Here in ga there is not much price between the two just a little luxury items. Just keep in mind the new rubi come with 373 gears you have to request the 411. I just went from a sport to a rubi and so far love it. Good luck

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keviper

Yeah, I've noticed not a huge difference in price.

What's the advantage(s) or disadvantage to the 411? I would assume you get lower MPG with the 411, but is it also going to handle worse in snow/ice/rain? Does the 373 make more sense for most typical driving?

v8zracer260z

Me personally I went with the Rubicon as I want to be equipped to handle the trails I go on every month or so. I'll be upgrading the axles but a used set of Rubi axles is worth a lot more than a set of Sarah axles too. I like to go slow over obstacles so the 4:1 transfer case made sense as well. I feel with the Rubicon your getting something for the extra money (lockers D44 front Rock Trac etc) whereas the Sarah your getting creature comforts like Leather seats and color coded flares and top (all of which you can get on the Rubi also). So it comes down to how you are going to use it and what you want to do in the future. as for the 430n and 730n they are basically the same with a few notable exceptions the 430n is a Garmin based nav system and requires a separate module for bluetoothe and Uconnect features and the 730n has Bluetooth and Uconnect built in plus additional usb ports on the back. It also has a split screen capability.

amick218

I'm a weekend warrior at best, so I went with the Sahara, scored my 08 for 18k

Mark Doiron

Before you buy, you should really decide how you're going to use it. The east coast gets plenty of complaints about the lack of decent trails. But, are you willing to limit your new vehicle to only what you have in your local area? I think that's a mistake, but I have the luxury of being retired and able to travel all around the country to go off-road. So, do you want a vehicle that you can take to Moab and do the most demanding trails? You'll appreciate the Rubi's off-road prowess (though the Sahara or even a Sport/X can easily do many, many trails in Moab). Will you take it into forested areas where branches are going to scratch up the finish? You might not like those painted fenders on the Sahara. Are you planning on hardcore rock crawling, or is overlanding/expedition travel more your style? Once you've better defined how you will use your Jeep, I think it will be easier to decide what model better fits that purpose.

Yuriy

I decided to go with Sport S vs Sahara because I knew I didn't want Leather seats because I would buy seat covers to protect them from sun when topless, I didn't want steps, cause I knew I was gonna put ace rock rails, I am happy with 3.73 because I'm not planning on running 35 as it's my DD. I didn't want the color matched fenders cause I don't like the look and I figured the would be the first ones to show signs of wear, plus I'll put tubular once anyway!! I do want the Navigation, but i see people selling them for 700-800 bucks, so when I'm ready to buy it, I'll search the forum!

Not to beat the dead horse, but you need to decide what you want, how you going to use it, what mods you planning on getting and how much money you willing to part with!!

Good luck!