Hello all. Last week I traded in my 12 year old busted up Patriot for a real Jeep. I can’t knock the patriot too hard.......12 years and 181K miles, I really did get my money’s worth out of that thing.

Brought home a 2017 Sahara winter edition. This is the first really nice vehicle that I’ve ever purchased for myself. Thought I would have buyers remorse with something like this but that did not happen. I’ve been smiling ear to ear since I picked it up on Friday. Looking forward to adding a soft top and a winch. Not sure if I’ll lift it or not. Looking forward to going broke with this thing.

 

awesome looking Jeep!!!

 

Thanks!!! I friggin love it.

 

Damn nice. I think it looks good as is.

 

Thanks! It definitely came with most of the things I was hoping for. Looking at soft tops now. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

Welcome! In regards to soft tops, do you prefer that look or do you think it's just easier to put the top down that way? Just curious. For some people's situation, a hard top can be so much easier to remove. I can have my top on/off in about 5 mins in nice clothes. That said, everyone's situation is different, and not everyone has a garage they can use a lift in to get the top off. For soft top, you really need to decide if you like the factory look or a fastback. Premium twill material is really worth the added cost if you're planning to run with that full time. My personal opinion is the 4dr soft tops are a pain in the ass. I never see them down, and when they are, they look like a big turd sitting on the tailgate. I do think that is mainly where the fastbacks are better as you can peel em off a bit easier and not have it look so awkward.

 

Thanks for your input. I have a few reasons why I was considering a soft top.

1. They do appear easier to take down. Maybe my assumption was wrong??

2. I wanted the option to bring the top with me. Just in case bad weather were to pop up, or if I needed to secure my Jeep unexpectedly.

I kind of like the fast back style, but I don’t hate the factory style either. I do want the top to be able to fold all the way back to the tail gate. I noticed that a lot of fast back style tops fold back but stay on the roof in a clump of fabric. Not a fan of that, but it looks like bestop offers a fast back style that folds completely back to the cargo area.

I would probably keep my hard top for winter months and swap.

 

That is a great reason!

 

Weather is a legit reason and the only reason I have one for a trail top and/or for trips far away where I'll want to be topless. One thing you'll come to terms with is any security you feel is false, especially with a soft top. Treat it as though your topless and don't leave anything in it that you would be pissed if it was stolen. That's just part of the life.

 

Oh I’m sure having a soft top on does little to stop a determined thief. But it might add a layer of inconvenience to discourage a quick snatch n grab situation.

As far as weather goes, I live in Illinois and only drive 15 minutes to work. Several times I have ridden my Harley to work, with little chance of rain predicted, only to be racing thunderstorms on the way home. Midwest weather can be unpredictable in the spring and taking the Jeep to work topless would be better if I knew I had the soft top ready to go back up if needed.