I'm hoping to buy a 12' JK at the end of the model year and trying to decide what all I need/want beforehand. I've seen all the threads about the advantages/disadvantages of having just one top or both and, normally, I would say "Get dual tops". But, I'm thinking only the hard top seems to make sense for me and I could use the money saved for other goodies. Being retired and on SS, I need to be a little more careful on what I spend. I'd like to get your feelings and see if getting dual tops still makes any sense for some reason I'm overlooking. Here's my reasoning for just the hard top:

I live in New England. To me, that dictates right from the start that I need the hard top for the winter season. I'm also a fly fisher and kayaker and have some pretty expensive gear with me in my vehicle the other 3 seasons. So, security is a big issue. As much as I would like to have and use a soft top on occasion, I can see where it would be a PITA to continually be switching from the soft top to the hard top because I want to go fishing and/or haul my kayak.

Now, the only possible reason I can think of for having both is if I decided to sell the JK and have both available for the new buyer. But I tend to keep vehicles a long time. The last car I got rid of I had for 19 years. Besides, with the readily available after-market tops, getting one isn't a problem for anyone.

So, hard top only or dual tops?

 

tl;dr but I opted for just the hardtop and plan on going with the Besttop Trektop NX. I feel like it absolutely changes the jeep with a slanted back

 

Seems like the hardtop is a better option for you. You can remove the 2 pieces off the front for a bit of open air feeling. I can't recall how much it is to add the hardtop option in place of the soft top, but it is about $1600 msrp to add the dualtop option. However I ordered the dual top as the soft top will be on for 6-7 months and I live in the northeast as well. I think for re-sale the hardtop is better. Someone can easily add a new soft top, plus old soft tops are usually a bit beaten up too.

 

I voted dual, but only because you forgot the third and best option - soft top ONLY!

 

get the hard top and order a trek top for the summer

 

Not forgotten! Soft top only isn't even a consideration in my mind simply because of the security issues, let alone living in snow country.

 

I recommend just a hard top for YOUR application.
Besides, aftermarket soft top options abound - trex top, bikini, oem, topless, etc.
That said, with the freedom top, you may never even look into soft top options.
Spend your money on something else.

 

That's what I've been thinking. But, I just didn't want to overlook something.

 

Sounds like for your situation/needs, hardtop is all you need. I hate to say it but a local dealer typically only orders hardtop jeeps for stock as they figure none takes the top off, lol.

 

By the sounds of it hard top only is a good choice for you.

I live in Michigan and have similar weather to deal with and I use the hard top the majority of the time. Personally, I wanted both tops and am glad I got both. However, I do use the hard top more often than the soft top. I bought a crank lift so taking the hard top off is not a problem. I usually keep my soft top mounted under my hard top, so when I do take off the hard top, I just throw the windows and other stuff in the back so that it's available in case of rain....which happens out of the blue in our climates all the time. So take that into consideration if you want to drive around topless during the good weather months. You don't want to be caught in the middle of a rain fall and have to dash to the nearest gas station with a shelter and find yourself having to wait hours for the rain to stop. The gas station owners won't appreciate that.

Really, other than being a safety precaution for when I am out topless, the other use I like about using the soft top is that going topless on my way home from work is an option. When I'm at home, I find it actually easier to remove the hard top than taking down the soft top, due to having the hard top hoist in my garage. Maybe that isn't a need for you since you're retired....but then again maybe it is.

I would do this if I was you. I would shop around and find a dealer that carries dual top options on their lot. Negotiate the price and see if you can get them down to a price which is comparable to just having the hard top option. You didn't say what your price point was, but I was able to get my 2009 New Sahara JKU with dual tops for $28K. Sticker was $34K. It also had remote start and a towing package which was everything on my "must have" list. It also helps to shop starting at the end of July through to November because that's when they are trying to clear out the previous year inventory to start bringing in the new year inventory. So they're a little more willing to negotiate a lower price. Now is not a very good time for price negotiations......spring is coming up and people are going to be wanting those topless Jeeps in your area. So the demand is high, and price is all about supply and demand. Thus, the reason you have better negotiation power come the end of July when fall is just around the corner and the demand starts to drop and the new model year JKs start rolling in.

P.S. Just read you are waiting until the end of the model year....good choice. Start near the end of July and let the negotiations begin. Since you're in no hurry, you have the ability to walk away, come back in a month and see if they're willing to come down further. If you end up getting the dual tops, and find you definitely have no need for the soft top....there are plenty of people on this forum that will happily buy it off of you.