jeepincali

Hi all,
I am a new to the JK market. I am looking at a used Unlimited Rubicon vs. a Unlimited Sahara but wondering if the Rubicon is worth the extra $. Also, the 2010/2011 Rubicon seems to have the push button Sway disconnect as well as the stronger front axle but would can they be added to the Sahara or even an 09 Rubicon? I'd love the price of a 08/09 Rubicon or a 10/11 Sahara as far as having a little extra to customize it more but is it better off to get the 10/11 Rubicon? I'm doing mainly freeway driving with some mild off-roading.
What would y'all buy? A less expensive 08/09 Rubicon or a 10/11 Sahara or is better to just bite the bullet and get a 10/11 Rubicon?

sa29560

Said it yourself, mostly highway, mild off road.

Sahara, unless you have the extra 8-10k and just want the features. By all means, buy it up. If I had the cash, I would have gone rubi too.

jeepincali

Thanks, anyone have an opinion on a 08/09 Rubicon vs a 10/11? I'm figuring that the Rubicon is probably a better choice over Sahara but I have found a few of the 08/09 Rubicons for the price of a 10/11 Sahara.

jeepwave

This is really about your preferenc and about how you will be using the jeep. As well as what you plan on doing TO the jeep.

I'm a believer that any jeep is offroad ready but the rubicon def is more than others. You won't have to worry about buying offroad tires or disconnects or lockers. So if you do not plan on putting a lift or aftermarket parts I would say get the rubi and enjoy it on your mild offroad weekends.

If this is going to be a plan for you to build the jeep up then I would personally suggest the sahara. To be honest I don't like the fender flares of a Sahara and the extra options don't suit my lifestyle. I bought a stock X and built the jeep up myself. That's just what I preferred. So my opinion here is bias as personally I wouldn't ever be interested in purchasing a Sahara. That's strictly my preference. I searched for a manual jk with manual locks and manual windows - its just what I wanted, if you catch my drift here...

Ask yourself, what are my plan with this jeep? An I realistically going to buy a lift with tires and disconnects ? Will I be doing some crazy rock crawling and eventually want to buy lockers?

If all of that is no...but you still want to have the comfort of knowing your "stock " jk can compete with the others, the rubicon is probably the better choice.

I hope this helps.

From what it sounds like (judging by your post) I think the rubicon may be the right choice for you.

Also you are speaking about buying a 07-11 vs a 2012 and remember what's under the hood in a 2012 is diff and prob worth your money!

jeepincali

Thanks, I definitely thought about just doing a stock and putting the extras on but the navi, better axles, side airbags, etc all from the factory on a Rubicon are appealing. It's just that the price tag that comes along with it isn't as appealing. I know the 09 model Rubi is much cheaper than the 10 or 11, is there any huge differences? I saw that the 10/11 have the 3.8L engine and then the 12 has a 3.6L again. I'm guessing the Sahara really doesn't make that much sense for me.

jeepwave

No I don't believe there is a difference...2012=big difference..

Does the sahara make no sense for you?...Well you need to ask yourself something ...how serious is your offroading going to be? What kind of offroading are you doing ?

There are many mild trails a Sahara can do no problem.

A rubicon, on the other hand, can tackle some more serious stuff...but will you be doing this serious stuff?

If you honestly think you're going to be playing with the bigger jeeps on more serious trails get a rubicon. If you're thinking of just going through a few mud holes and minor offroad terrain THr Sahara will shit you fine.

JKZinger

The 2011 has the new interior but everything else is the same. Also remember the Rubi has the 4:1 transfer case which is fantastic for going up and down steep hills and crawling over things.

You also get the Dana 44 axle up front which is stronger.

jeepincali

This Jeep is going to have to last me a while and I think that I may eventually be playing with some bigger Jeeps doing some serious offroading so the Rubi definitely is making more sense the more I think about it and the more advice I get. My only question is whether or not to spend the extra money for a 10/11 or go with an 07/08/09 and have money to customize it. They seem to have different engines in the older ones. I'd love to go out and buy a brand new 12 but it's just not in the cards.

Lucas

Don't go with an 11 They have same motor as 07-10 And you cant tune it to get alittle extra HP like the 07-10 I would have rather had the tuning capability over the new interior but I didn t know any better. As of now anything from 2011 up they can't tune due to security on computers in 11s & 12s. But 12s have better HP and fuel milage from what I hear

JKZinger

I would 2nd your notion that if you start going on runs with others, (especially out here in Cali) that you will start attempting bigger obstacles! I know I did. I went from not planning any mods to adding coilovers and getting 37s!