Hey everyone, I'm looking for opinions. Currently I have a 2 door X that I'm very pleased with for the most part. Lately though, I've been thinking about making the move to a 4 door for the extra space, and the longevity of the vehicle (more of a family car than the 2 door). I guess I'm looking to see if you all think this is a worth while move, and if I should make the move to another X or jump up to the Rubicon. Any and all opinions are welcome!

 

Only you can know how important the extra room of a 4dr is to you.

For me, if it weren't for the 4dr, I wouldn't have bought a Wrangler.
I don't just off road with mine. I also carry people now and then; and stuff quite often.

I would prefer the 2dr. I just couldn't '"use" one.

 

nobody but you can know if it'll work better for you.


go test drive one and knock it around a bit. Doesn't cost anything but time and the dealer certainly won't mind the chance to try to get your money.

 

Found myself in this situation when I bought my JK. I went with the 4-door this time around for the extra space and being a new dad it just made more sense. I have only ever owned 2 doors in my YJ and CJ7 and had no idea how happy I was going to be with the 4-dr JK until I test drove one. To be honest I don't even feel the longer wheelbase when I am trailing or just driving around town.

 

The thought of starting a family was my exact reason for going 4-door rather than 2-door when I bought my JK. I'm not going to start a family until at least 2 years from now, but when I buy a vehicle I buy it to drive it into the ground. My last Jeep I drove until I was repairing it every weekend and paying the equivalent of a monthly payment on an auto loan just to keep it running and it lasted 11 years and 200,000 miles.

However, soon after I started driving around the 4-door I realized how great the extra 2 feet of interior space was. Some examples of great side effects that come to mind were about a month ago I took a road trip with 4 people, a dog, and a lot of luggage and the 4-door not only allowed everyone to get in and out easy, but it also had enough extra room to fit everything with room to spare. Also the extra length is great in that I put last year's Christmas tree (7.5') in it to get it home and it had enough room all windows and doors were closed to keep us warm. I can also haul a few full-length pieces of lumber with all windows and doors closed for those days of doing home projects while it is raining out.

 

I really enjoy my 4 door, however sometimes I miss the compactness of a 2 door.. if i wheeled a lot like i used to i certainly would want the 2 door.. there are a lot of situations where the short wheel base on the trail is a definite advantage..

in the past I always went back and forth between a 2 door jeep and a pickup.. id buy a TJ.. loved it got frustrated with no room then would sell it and buy a pickup.. first summer days came along and i wanted to be topless and doorless.. so id sell the truck and buy another Jeep...

I find the 4 door Wrangler is a 'halfway decent' replacement for a small truck... obviously people would ask me to why not just get a truck and have a Jeep.. well I also have a Hotrod.. and anyone else into HotRodding knows that there is always need to haul pieces and parts or components.. its every bit as expensive a hobby as wheeling...
im just a single guy(NEVER will have kids or wife.. maybe a partner someday but thats it). and didnt really want to have to maintain and insure 3 vehicles...

I have not driven a 2 door extensively.. although i do rent them whenever i can on business trips...

the 4 door has a better highway ride.. the longer wheel base makes it a bit smoother riding Jeep...

putting the top up and down on a 4 door is definitely a little more involved than the 2 door.. plus there are 4 doors to store...

back seat room in the 4 door is decent for average size people but for tall people the sound bar is kind of in the way.. and if there are also tall people in front with their seats all the way back.. back seat passengers will be a little cramped..

in a 2 door think of it pretty much as a 2 seater vehicle.. since Jeep doesnt have the nice tilt and release passenger seat on the JK like the TJ had its near impossible for anyone to get in and out of the back seat... and if you are travelling you pretty much need the back seat out for room to carry luggage...

on a Hot day in a 4 door with a black soft top closed up the backseat passengers will be a little warm... A/C doesnt get back there very well.. such a big area to cool..

in a 2 door backseat passengers stay decently cool as there is not such a large area to cool...

heating is a similar issue but not nearly as much as A/C.

the 4 door is much heavier therefore accelerates much more slowly and has less power out on the road... although getting the 3.73 gears or a Rubi with 4.10's surely helps that out...

I really think honestly I may go back to a 2 door in 2011... or perhaps 2012 if the 2011 changes are not what I want... I am going to quit hotrodding.. done it for over 20 years now and time to do something else..

I also may go back to wheeling some again and would like to have the shorter wheelbase...

-Christopher

 

I've had a TJ, an LJ, a 2 door JK, and now a 4 door JK, and hands down this is my favorite Jeep.

 

As most are already saying you are really the only to know how important more space is.

I have a 2 door and love it however having said that I also have 2 children and having to let them in and out all the time gets to be a pain and I would think trying to get an infant would be even more difficult.

The other issue I have is when I go food shopping, if I dont have the kids its not too bad cause i can throw stuff in the back seat but thats not so easy when they are with me. So I guess what Im saying is if you dont have kids the 2 door handles most situation but if you have them or are planning on having them Id go with the 4 door

 

I had a 2006 TJ with a 5" lift and 35's and was very happy with it. Then one day it hit me like a ton of bricks. I have two little girls 8 and 10 and I mean little, who had always had fun climbing in and out of my TJ untill the past few months. They would just climb the tire and over the fender or inbetween the two front seats. One day I was picking them up from gymnastis practice and one of the 10 year old team mates which is 3 years older than her and a lot taller too, it hit me. Not only the team mate but my oldest was having a hard time getting inbetween the the front seats without banging their heads on the roll bars. About a week after that I started looking at the JK Unlimited.

Just like a previous post I love the extra room that it has in the back. In the TJ any time we took it anywhere I would have to take my tools out just to have room for a few shopping bags or anything else. With the Unlimited I can leave my tools in the back and still have room for shopping bags. The girls have their own door to get in and out of and mama doesn't mind taking it out on the weekens vs. her Tahoe now that we have more room.

If you plan on having kids and hauling them around in you Jeep, then get the Unlimited. If not then get the 2 door.

 

I picked the 4 door because it is most fitting for my lifestyle. with the obvious of wife and kids to haul around I do a ton of building and I need the ability to load wood and tools. Add a stereo system with subs, guns, camping gear, recovery equipment I barely have enough room for that.