So i'm looking at ordering a 2dr X this week (my first Jeep). thought i had it all figured out:

rescue green 23s w/khaki interior, soft top, power group, side airbags, 4.10 axle, rear locker, maybe the electronic disconnect...

was looking forward to some off-road fun in hawaii later this year when we move. i was even looking at the webpage of a jeep club out there and decided to browse through their pictures. my wife walked by and was like "omg maybe we should get the Rubicon instead??"....crap

These are the pictures that sparked her comment

http://www.oahujeepers.com/pics/w062...ver/index.html

http://www.oahujeepers.com/pics/w053...Day/index.html

Oahu Jeepers homepage: http://www.oahujeepers.com/


i was planning on doing some minor mods, nothing too crazy - 16 or 17" pro comp rims on 32 or 33" tires. maybe a 2+" lift. looking at these pictures, is my X gonna make the cut, or do i have to consider getting a Rubicon if i want to avoid finding myself sideways in a river (amongst other problems in those albums)?

obviously, the Rubicon is the overall better idea, but i'm on a military paycheck. configured the way i'm looking at, the X invoice price would be about $20,850 + whatever the cost is for the added disco option - well within range. the Rubicon would be around $25,662 @ invoice - affordable, but i'd probably end up paying on it a few months longer to keep the payments down. i'm anticipating around $2000 extra in taxes and fees for whichever i buy.

with the pictures of "typical" trails on that island taken into consideration, i'd really appreciate any opinions and insight. please substantiate; i'm supposed to be ordering this wednesday

THANKS!!

 

Get the rubicon--or wish you did !!

 

Rest assured that an X will handle any of those trails in the pictures. I have had 9 Jeeps, 3 of which had lockers. Right now my X Unlimited ranks right behind my '82 Scrambler (Detroit Lockers, 4.56 gears, Chevy 350, 35" Swampers) for off road ability. The traction control system on the JK applies the brakes to the wheel that is spinning fastest so that all 4 wheels get traction. Is it as good as front and rear lockers? No. But if money is a factor, an X will perform just fine. With either one you will want a good winch, and that will get you out of more situations than even lockers can. $5000 over 5 years is about $100 per month with interest if you finance it. Is it worth $100 a month to you? Only you can decide.

 

Looks like it was driver error. it looked like it would take alot of effort to roll on that hill.

Just because its a ruby doesnt mean its not going to roll. If you dont plan on building it over 33" tires... which you can fit on the JK stock. Check out the modified forums. for tons of threads on tires on 3" lift or no lift. 3" lifts you can fit 35's.

 

my thing is that i won't forgive myself if i get out on a trail and get in a situation where i'm cursing myself for not getting the ruby. plus, getting the rubicon now would save me the trouble and stress of doing a bunch of upgrades "as the money comes" over the next 2 years. i don't *want* to get to hawaii and have to wait for my X to be ready for some of the rocks and backcountry trails i might encounter. i mean, i'm no serious rock crawler, but i'd like to be able to handle whatever comes my way.

on a side note, tonite i got approved for my loan and the blank check (i get to fill in the amount up to a really high number) will be here wednesday. PLEASE throw some more insight/perspective at me people! the rubicon would be awesome, but do i need it?? i mean, after all, it's basically another year of payments for me at the same amount.

thanks!

 

i guess, if anything, i was hoping to see posts from X owners that wish they'd gotten a Rubicon and from Rubicon owners that realized they spent more than they needed to - along with accompanying experiences describing situations where people discovered that the X wasn't up to snuff or that the investment in the Rubicon was more than what was necessitated. like i've said, this is going to be my first jeep, so i don't have any of my own experiences to base off of. i seriously need some guidance for the more experienced off-roads and jeepheads.

my wife and i plan to go to the beach, go camping, kayaking, surfing, mountain biking, and ride the trails - a lot of things - we wanna get deep in the foliage to discover what hidden wonders the island has to offer. i'll repeat that i'm not the most auto-mechanically inclined, yet i'm willing to learn - but in the short term i'd rather spend more time behind the wheel getting to where we want to go and doing what it is that we want to do rather than spending all of my time and money under the Jeep trying to eek out the extra 1% performance that it's capable of. once we get a more "road/family-centric" ride, the jeep is moreso going to be my baby. but the jeep is also going to be our daily driver for at least a year. i'm not a serious rock crawler in hobby (and i doubt i ever will be), but we do enjoy our outdoors adventures. i don't plan to put 37" tires on the jeep, 35" is a slight possibility, but not before we try 32-33" first. anything more than a 3" lift is pretty much out of the question, 2-2.5" along with a spacer up front (i like the evened out look) is more likely. after looking at the pictures i linked to above along with the wonderful replies i've already received, i can justify some off-road bumpers and a winch and diff covers, probably even some side armor.

i can afford the ~$450 a month payments on a Rubicon, though ~$350 on the X is a lot easier to swallow. but regret is a tragedy.

Jeeperts, please shine your would-be-much-appreciated light. the situation is very much getting desperate (t-minus 48 hours and counting til the deal needs to be closed to ensure me getting it on time for hawaii). will the Rubicon prove to be shoulda-gotten-the-X-til-you-decide-to-climb-boulders champion or a wtf-are-you-doing-on-this-trail afterthought? jeez, i sound like the announcer from the original Adam West Batman :confused:

 

SuperBoo, assuming everything checks out on my third test drive of the Rubi Unlimited, and assuming I hammer out the fine points of a deal acceptable to me, I'm golng for the Rubicon, over loaded Saharas and X's the dealer has to choose from. Flame Red bro. Bring it on. You and I are the same. Go for the Rubicon. What color are you looking at?

Patriot
'07 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon (Flame Red, Power Convenience, Auto, Sirius, Deep tint, In-Dash 6 disc, Soft top)
Probably buying it today

 

Sounds like you want to hear from people who are unhappy with their Jeeps. Those types are probably not on this board. Most of us had the option of going with whichever one we could and made the decision (mine was the extra $6000 it would have cost for the Rubicon) after careful thought. After taking my X off road I am even more happpy with my decision. Good luck with yours.

 

to be honest, the great feedback i've received from happy X owners has been the most helpful. if anything, a lot of the Rubicon owners (not all!) seem to be overpraising the rubi (not that it isn't worth it) just to validate the extra pocket paper in their own minds. we've decided to go with the X.

though now another question looms on our minds. we're a young couple planning to start a family late next year. how much of a pain would the 2dr be with baby seat, etc. mind you, we're not buying another new/late model vehicle until this one gets paid off (4-5 years). there's the possibility of buying a bigger "get's around" vehicle for a few grand once we get to hawaii, but i'm not sure if i can justify putting my would be child into a "beater" when i'm riding around in a 2007 SUV...

:under:sized (2dr) and perhaps :over:sized (unlimited) are the major concerns. hearing from Unlimited and 2dr owners with kids would be very helpful.

 

There have been several threads on this, i did a quick search and hit on about 10 or so, but didnt see the exact one i was thinking of to refer you to.

I have the 2door, and I have a 10mo. old in a rear facing seat.
She is behind the drivers seat as the passenger side is the, and i use this term VERY loosely "easy entry" side. It is a bit of a chore to get her in there. One of us holds the baby, the other fights ther way into the back seat through the less than adequate space allowed and around the dumbest seatbelt attachment point they could have devised. Hand the baby off, get her strapped in, let the other person climb back through the Jungle Gym entry point, THEN we get in and drive away.

This will only be an issue until we can flip the seat around, then it'll be a snap to get her in and laced up. I temporarily installed the seat forward-facing at the dealership to see how easy it would be, BEFORE i bought it.

To alot of people this would be a make/break on the deal, but to me it is a temporary annoyance so that i can still have the 2dr that i wanted, and use it for occasional progeny conveyance. We have a mini *cough, gag, wheeze* van for more mundane tasks of grocery shopping and such.

Because we have the other more family oriented vehicle, i was able to get the 2dr i desired. If we didnt have that, the 4door would have been a far better choice.

I do hate to say it, but, for ME, if it would have came to a 2dr vs. 4dr choice, i would not have gotten a Jeep at all.
I would have purchased a moderately used "whatever" to haul the family, and waited to get the Jeep i wanted when it was more practical.

So, yes, you can do it with a 2door, it will suck for about a year, then it will get better. It isn't a grocery hauler in 2dr form, little to no cargo space to speak of. The minimal recovery gear that I carry, work clothes/hardhat/boots fills the "trunk" up and then some.

With all that being said, I am TOTALLY glad i bought the 2dr.

That is just my 2c.

Edit: BTW, i have three more daughters besides the 10monther. One of the plus sides to the smaller vehicle is that i cant always take so~n~so's 18 friends and flavor of the week boyfriend along for the ride! This to me, was a huge selling point.