speedy64vw

Spend $40k to thrash on rocks... Spend $40-$50k on a corvette or fully loaded STi and never open it up even a little or take it to a track once.. Buy a $500k-$1mil house and never let your kids or grandkids run wild for awhile... Build a $10-$30k garage just to park cars, but never work on or clean the vehicles/toys in it...

Can do it all day!

I bought a $30k Jeep and have put a lot into it myself, I'm not going to try and thrash it on rocks... I will however take my capable Jeep with family inside- off the pavement and onto a trail or make my own tracks in order to find that perfect camping spot or to get the better view that most cars and people will probably never see.

Building it up and breaking a few things is what a hobby is all about.

I just spent my whole entire weekend building rock sliders just to better my chances dog not trashing my Jeep.

Either way, have fun with it and hopefully you will be tempted to see what it's capable of off the street.

kneeman

I know I'm gonna get all this and like the poster 2 posts up says, I'm sure once the new wears off this thing I will be taking it fishing in ponds with my little girl and to the mountains for trail riding, but I know I will never go anywhere where I will be slamming down on the sliders, bumpers and using my rock rails as pivot points. It is fun being in the vehicle though.

I was once in a new Chevy Z71 a friend bought, we went muddin the first month he had it and the local land owner was mad people were crossing his land so he dug out the big wet area people would fly through. It had about 1ft of water and was 100 yards long. We, he didn't know that and I sat in the back seat and watched water come in up to my waist in 35 degree weather with help an hour away and 3am. Joy joy that was.

kneeman

Those rails look great. Are those the ones you made?

xYike

Can't figure out if you've owned a jeep before or if you've just always wanted one. IMHO what you want will change after some time owning a jeep. I insisted on coming up with a big list like you and was glad I did not do the multi-thousands $$$ upgrades right away. Nice to do your research but you might just want to take it slower and drive the jeep for a bit first. I'm glad I did.

FrankCastle01

X2 if this is your first Jeep drive it for awhile.. Don't get wrapped up in this forum too much they will call ur shit mall crawler and question your manhood Maybe even call u a homoBut it's ur rig don't try to live up to some standard set by the Jeep gods on here. Enjoy ur rig and use this forum for good advice and to avoid common mistakes and buying junk parts.

xYike

A lot of people get sleek fancy iPhones and then buy ugly $20 plastic, bulky covers that ruin it. yes, the phone stays nice and shiny underneath but then it is nice and shiny when it is outdated for what? People call me crazy for never covering my phone but I get to enjoy it for what it is instead of some crazy plastic brick. I'm not bashing anyone for tons of upgrades and not driving the jeep that is their choice. Personally, I don't care if my jeep is dirty or gets a little trail rash ... Just my take on it. I suppose we are in agreement - to each their own.

kneeman

Wife owned one when I met her and I have friends that have off road Jeeps that go to the mountains on weekends.

That was just my total list, I was not going to buy everything in a week. btw, what was on your list you are glad you didn't get?


Great advice FrankCastle01

xYike

OK, so you started off a little more knowledgeable that I did. I had never even driven a jeep except for some ancient military models overseas and it wasn't much of a jeep experience if you ask me.

I won't get into specifics because it would be a bore - I had a wishlist of a lot of big upgrades: 4" lift, new wheels, 35" tires, front/rear bumpers, winch, fenders ... the people at ************* mostly answered with piss poor attitudes but if you could look through the aggressiveness of their posts, their point was valid. My indecision turned into paralysis, afraid of making the wrong choice. Everyone had a differing opinion and with so little knowledge myself, I could not even take people's advice and use it because I was so much in the dark. The only remedy (for me!) was a year of driving and trolling on the different forums. I won't say I know a lot more but I feel like I can make an educated decision at least. I was enamored with all of the great rigs that people had built and I wanted mine right off the bat. It was hard for the first few months or so to drive it stock but I'm glad I just ran it stock for a year.

I'm psyched about my pending upgrades (the lift and tires in my sig are installed tomorrow) and the bumpers are going to be done by yours truly. I initially installed the fenders and I just tore them off this weekend ... not much of a job but it is something. I'm more used to tearing down and building up servers or storage frames, not my automobiles.

This weekend my wife made the comment "it is a shame you are waiting until NOW to get the lift ... that is one year less that you will be able to enjoy it." I was like huh ?? and she figured I will but another vehicle in 3-4 years - a 5 year cycle like I had done with the Xterra and Titan purchases before the JKU. I told her that probably wont happen and this is a real commitment! Haha. With the understanding that I will probably stick with Jeep loooooong term, I feel that the knowledge, education and choices I am making now will have long term dividends.

Anyway, I know it is tough to do and unlikely for you in this case but I would simply drive it stock for a while. It doesn't seem like you are too worried about the naysayers and take the mall crawler comments with a laugh ... I've been a pavement princess for the last year myself. I hope to change that one day.

JK UNLIMITED

An xterra and a titan huh...well you finally wised up and bought a real AMERICAN MADE vehicle! Build your JEEP how you want and drive it how you want. I have the 300k house and my Great Dane comes flying into the house onto the white carpeting (stupid decision) with mud flying everywhere and the 30k shop out back fully equipped to fabricate anything i need and i keep it pristine...priorities I wheel mine as much as possible and i keep it detailed nicely...people are always asking me if it is new and i bounce it off trees and get it airborn once in a while so you can wheel it and keep it nice...i do stay away from the big rocks and have had to rub out a few rub marks here and there...i also own a 1966 LeMans convertible and a built up 89 Firebird Formula 350 that just sit in my heated shop with covers on them...I built both cars myself with tons of money and since i bought my JEEP 3 years ago i barely ever drive these other cars...anyway brother enjoy your JEEP!

BigMAK1

FFS folks the more folks build nice Jeeps .. mall crawling or not .. the happier our vendors and the cheaper our prices. Plus the benefit of awesome vehicles to buy used someday. SO RELAX! Drive'em how you want and more power to you!

Good luck with your build OP!