|eric|

Hi
To make a story short my car (subaru impreza) got wrecked (totaled) by a .... well you know . and now im shopping for my next vehicule .
i am very hesitant Forester Touring package or Jeep JK 2dr ( i dont need that much space im single no kids)
i did a test drive not impresed with the highway but i wasnt expecting much anyway . looking more into it for the 4x4.

never did off roading but it was one of those dream thing frankly with the state of roads around here (bad management of public funds around here)
i think 4x4 is becoming a necessity ( got pot holes i could sink the whole weel in) with winter up here dosen't make things better

for me the jeep is more of a sentimental thing and the forester more of a logical thing. ( so far)
space wise i can fit my snowboard or a cpl of 2x4s wiich is about all i need in the jeep 2dr

now questions:
- i was under the impression that "anti-slip" and "brake locks" where refering to ESP ( nothing to do with actuall locks)
also i was thinking all jeeps had 4 low ( locking both front AND rear ) maybe only rubicon has the option to choose wich?

- jeep has a 32" tire group (here in canada) would that support 33s?
( you can get 3.73 gears on all models but standard transfer case on all exept rubi)

- jeep looks to have like 3 diffrent appelation for suspension but looks like only 2 choices : normal suspension ( sport /sport S) performance (option on Sport S) and heavy duty (sahara and rubi)

also seems that only the rubi has the sway bar disconnect (is this right?)

- does installing a Rear view camera require the 430n radio ? ( only saw ppl installing it with one or some after market display )

now next problem i have is time is short , i might have to do with what they have in stock and looks like only sport(std) and sport S are available and in crap color :-(
[i might have a work around with the dealer for more time but its a sketchy thing]


i also have a rebate on the Jeep side of thing and not on the subaru side of things right now im leaning towards jeep but they are more expensive ( like 4k more!)
i was also hesitant with wich version to go jeep wise . i dont require space so 2 door . but should i spring for the rubicon or just stick with the sport S with a whole buch of options .
doing trail /rock crawling ( noting too hardcore) is something i always wanted to do / dreamed of , but couldn't . probably not in the first years ... i mean i still want to keep the paint nice for a few years :P
i have to be honest : no idea what i am embarking on here but in short : 4x4 is required , that much 4x4 ... remains to be seen.

oh forgot i had a ford ranger 4x4 was a blast in winter :P


Sport S
---------------
- performance suspension
- convenience pkg
- connectivity
- 430n
- 3.73 gear ratio
- side steps
- freedom top
- 32" group
[did not take ESP]
[no heated seat avail.]

31685 + tx

Rubicon
--------------
same as abovew/
- heated seat
- 4.10 gear ratio
[dana 44 front and back]
39585 + tx


ps: excuse my english not very good at it, also long post i know sry .

Adgreene1

The forester maybe 4k cheaper right now but when you sell in 5-10 yrs it maybe worth 10-15k less than what you could get out of the jeep. As wranglers hold value extremely well. The stock sport will out drive you off-road and an do more than you will ever need it to do. Yes you can put 33" tires on it with stock suspension. Also negotiate the price what is on the window sticker is not the final price. Plus you can't take the doors or top off the Subaru.

urmyboyblue

Agreed! I LOVE TAKING MY DOORS OFF! I've just recently switched to the dark side from owning a 400awhp Evo 9, a 500awhp Evo X, a Speed3, Lexus, all kinds of fun cars. A Honda Fit in Modified Magazine...All this stuff. I HAVE NOT LOOKED BACK!

To give you an idea of my transition, I got tired of the wet summers here in South Florida. I got tired of wondering if I'm going to rip off my front lip, my side skirts, curb my wheels, the works. The sound of a Precious 5858 spooling with twin wastegates dumping into the atmosphere are missed, sure. But now, I don't look back when it's raining!

Now I'm far from a Jeep expert but I went with the Altitude 4dr version of the Wrangler because I am spoiled with the Bluetooth and such in my other cars. It came with leather, 430N, black accents, all of this stuff and had a sticker of around $40K. Talk them down. I "Feel" like I got a good deal walking out paying $37,500 with tax, tag, and title. It did NOT come with the lockers as is the Rubi. Wanting to always tinker with my vehicles, I opted for a modest 3.5" lift and 35" Trail Grapplers on the stock 18" wheels with spacers. Legit spacers.

we don't have hills here in FL unless I want to drive to Ocala so it's trail driving for me. Paint, in my opinion, is actually pretty solid! I took the Jeep out exploring the Everglades once I lifted and put tires on it. It held up very well. Water was close to the top of the tires in some areas and I never felt close to getting stuck. In mud, same thing. I got to some greasy muddy spots that I just crawled through like a champ. Then there were some terrain changes with some rocky earth and "dips", not real hills that she took great. The pain mind you, in my head I was cringing every time I went forward. The branches scraping the sides of the Jeep, the roof just sounded like nails on a chalkboard. I was scared to see what the Jeep looked like when she was washed. SURPRISINGLY, really nice. It could be my color of Hydro Blue or it could be the fact they (Chrysler) expects us to use our Jeeps and therein, they add a little more quality to their paint.

Regardless, if I lived where you lived, I'd probably have broken so much stuff exploring! I'd get the Jeep. I still meet up with my car buddies from time to time but I LOVE my Jeep and do not regret it.

rob_engineer

If you don't go with a rubicon, get the 3.73 rear. You won't regret it. You may regret getting the 3.21 gears as many on here have.

You should also do a search for brake lock differential (BLD). All JK's have this feature. My analysis showed this was adequate for me such that I did not opt for lockers or limited slip. I've had my 2012 JKU for almost three years and 50,000 miles. I have no regrets. We got hit hard with snow in NJ last year. The JKU just laughed at it. I barely ever had to put in in 4wd. The traction control works well.

jays14rubi

I'm also coming from mustangs and subarus. I recently bought a 14 black 4dr rubicon and couldn't be happier. I seriously don't regret getting rid of the stang. Got tired of having 2 cars. With that said, only draw back is gas milage lol. That's why I kept the harley!!

|eric|

so decided to go with the wrangler
but still waiting to see what is available to make the purchase
i asked specifically for 3.73+ and the "performance suspension/heavy duty suspension"
Sport S or sahara but if needed rubicon ( that last one is a bit expensive for me but i can swing it if need be)
and since i dont have a lot of time dont think this will be an order type of thing. probably gona be a sahara.
from what im guessing i don't think anybody would order the performance suspension /32" group (its the same for them )
on a "lot" vehicule on a "Sport S" [specially when sahara has it]

asked optionally for
- heated seat
- side steps
- 430N
- connectivity
- fredom top (black) ( or both)

but i will add them if they dont have it . only thing worrying me is the suspension id love a sport S with all the features but dont really like the sahara all that much ( chrome and flashy stuff == not my cup of tea)

rob_engineer

Is there really an option for the suspension? There wasn't in 2012 when I ordered my JKU. I got good spring rates by having the hard top and Max tow package, but there was no suspension option to choose from.

|eric|

the suspension dosen't acually exist in the order system its the 32" tire group ( same stuff one requires the other)
its only available on the Sport S on the canadian website. some of the options are not too stait forward .
like the tow group adds the 3.73 i think or something like that but you can order just the 3.73

spoke to the saleswoman i got a sahara that was pretty much all that was available in stock .
got to finalise paperwork tomorow but i should be driving it soon . didn't want some of the stuff in the sahara but whatever it at least has the stuff i want.(well most of it) the only other thing available was a "sport". so whent for the sahara .

knock on wood...

only thing missing was heated front seat but its 400$ can be added on after as per saleswoman didn't bargain too much my corporate rebate was pretty good.

305Jeep

Similar To others on here with my evolution towards a JEEP. My first car was a motorcycle lol. Actually got my first car, a fast lil civic while living in Germany. The CBR900 was more fun on the autobahn though. Then moved to Japan, had a fully modified Wrx STi GC8 and a Skyline R33. Then Acura RSX-S.... then finally went bigger and got a Nissan Titan 4x4 (move my motorcycles around) then traded for a newTundra Rock warrior. Moved down to Fl and after driving so much went with an Infiniti G37 IPL. Lovedddd that car but crashed it and thats when I started to check out jeeps.
I paddle board, kayak etc....and really liked the idea of doors and top off to the beach or keyes. I got the JKU Sport because it had the options that I wanted for now, with out the OVER CHARGED options from the factory that I would have replaced anyway. My sticker ws like $34,000. I got it for around $28.5k. (August 2014) Now I am constantly reading about the ins and outs of Jeeps and planning on my next mods.
Im a very happy new Jeep owner.

305Jeep

Wanted to add.
Like you I totaled my car and time was short. Do what I did and get the Sport. The stero doesnt matter because even the "premium" sucks. Upgrade that in time like I am currently doing. Itll save you money. The main things you should look at is Power windows and 3.73 gears. You dont need to jump 8k or what ever for a rubicon just for the Lockers. Your 4x4 in the sport will be more than capable to do alomost anything a first time jeeper can throw at it. Also for sway bar disconnects youll have to do that manually but you can get adapters that make it a piece of cake.