I think so. Certainly not trying to brag just help. I think we all faced the same question when making our purchases. I told myself Rubi's were a joke for a long time and now I own one

 

I've wanted a Rubi since I used to work down the street from a dealer and saw them all day long.... I fell in love with the rubi when it was a TJ!

Sent from my obama monitoring device

 

Most of the time future jeep owners are comparing prices as well as models. Unlimited's are nice due to more room. One thing not brought up much and not considered is break over angle. A JK does not need a high of a lift or as large of tires compared to a JKU. Meaning more money to spend on a JKU. Also personal preferences and type of trail you run is a factor.

 

Didn't we all...

 

Just screwing with ya!

 

I would definitely buy a Rubi...when they come down to my price level! Lol!

 

The best advice I can give is be real with yourself now and determine where you ultimately see your JK in the future in terms of mods and what you are willing to deal with between now and then.

I bought a Rubi not knowing about the whole modding and hard core wheeling thing. I just needed a good winter vehicle and then things snowballed from there. I have replaced the gears, tires and suspension leaving me with lockers, the front 44 and the trans case from the rubi package.

Figure out what parts of a rubi you plan to keep or change and then determine if the cost is worth it for you.

 

I figured but u never know

 

So.... In reading the above, I agree with both sides. I have a JKU sport, but mostly b/c I got a killer deal on it. I have had it almost 4 years and have only gotten stuck one time where lockers would have helped out. That being said, if you have the scratch to get a Rubi from the get go, do it, because you never know what you will end up doing (or wanting to do)!


2010 JKU Sport
Silver Half-doors
6-spd
3:73 gears

MTNGOAT

 

I'm with you there. The difference between my Sport and a similarly equipped Rubicon turned out to be $8k. My Sport had a MSRP of $28k and the Rubicon right around $32k. This was at the end of 2012, so 2012 Rubicons were relatively scarce in the configuration I wanted, unless I was willing to buy an automatic, and I wasn't. The incentives on the Sport were much steeper and the selling price was more than $4k off MSRP. The best I could do on the Rubicon was find a dealer who was willing to do invoice pricing which didn't amount to much off MSRP.

I felt a little lame after buying my Sport, to be honest. But then I realized I just saved myself 8 grand, and the use of my Jeep is truly dual-purpose on-road/daily and offroad adventures alike. That left a LOT of money to do modifications that wouldn't have come on the Rubicon anyway, like bigger tires, a lift, real bumpers, tire carrier, a winch, and a few other miscellaneous bits.

Now I have a Sport that will run circles around stock Rubicons in a lot of trail situations because of the ground clearance, especially the Unlimiteds. The 2.73 t-case is more usable in moderate wheeling, the 3.73 gearing is better for on-road gas mileage, and the whole thing with the lift and tires, limited slip rear, performs and rides really well. An added benefit is that it gets more attention than a stock Rubicon, even when parked next to one, and 99% of people who know little about Jeeps end up calling it a "Rubicon" anyway. At the end of the day, I'm $24k + $7k in mods, so a total investment of just over $31k, versus being closer to $40k if I had gone with a Rubicon. I mean no disrespect to people who pay high dollars for a Jeep, but $30k-ish really is the top of what I think a Wrangler is worth. It's a very capable vehicle, but it's also a very simple vehicle. The level of refinement, build quality, etc, is definitely more on par in the low $20k range. $40k buys a LOT of fun and very nice cars outside of the Jeep world.

Anyhow, I'm not saying you should/shouldn't buy a Rubicon or that a Sport is somehow better than a Rubicon, but there are economic efficiences to be realized if your needs fit more inside the Sport category and are secure in not "owning" the Rubicon name, even if it is erroneously called that by passers-by.