So, I had to take my 2017 JKU Rubicon to the dealer to replace a seal on my rear diff(still under warranty.) I drop it off on Saturday around noon and they ask if I am going to wait till they are done. I knew it would not be ready till Monday so I tell them no, and to give me something to drive while they are fixing it. What do they do? They give me a 2019 JLU Sahara to drive as a loaner. So I drove a brand new JL for 3 days, and now I want one! I love my JK and the way I have it built out, but, the JL was so nice. Do I really want to start over on my build? None of my accessories will fit the JL(racks, bumpers, steps, even seat covers.) What to do? Why didn't the give me a Charger or something like that to drive?

 

 

They gave me a new JL to drive as well (after the Cherokee and compass). I was not impressed with the JL. It's nice but it isn't what I've come accustomed to in my Jeep. It's lost all of the rough edges.


I also HATE how the soft top folds down.

 

The thought of starting over hurts my head. I'm not swayed at all by the JL. Mine is finally getting to where I want it after 6.5 yrs!

 

I have purposely avoided talking to my neighbor who is the gm at the local jeep dealer. If he knew how I have been eyeballing the gladiator I know he would be have one parked in my driveway to drive lol. the force is strong have to fight it.

 

Just V8 swap the one you have. Problem solved. Ok that doesn't really solve any problems.

 

I drove a 2 door JL for a week on vacation. I was surprised to not come away with even the slightest urge to trade up.

 

I drove TJs for twenty years and had a CJ-7 in there for a year or two for fun. I never had an urge to move up. I bought a '08 JKU and hated it so much I literally gave it to my sister with only about three hundred miles of my ass in the seat on on it. I despised the interior, the ride, the bad gas mileage and gutless 3.8 lump, the ... pretty much everything. Happily kept driving my TJ. I didn't want to be one of the grumpy old farts that are all "every new Jeep sucks compared to what I'm driving now." I think it's fair to give one a chance though and just go "nope, I don't like it.".

I finally had a chance to see a >2012 JKU this year however and OH BOY. There was the JK I thought I was buying when I got the '08. Nice interior, nice ride, felt "right". I immediately bought a nice used 2012 sport and have been loving it for several months now. The gas mileage is great compared to my TJ and '08 JKU also.

I haven't sat in a JL yet but I'm really not feeling the body lines and "softness" of it. If I wanted a Lincoln Navigator, I'd have bought one. I see Jeremy Renner running around in that one-touch soft top JLU and all I can think about is the look on his face when he's out on a trail and that top binds up broken.

I'm the type that doesn't want to buy a computer. I want to buy a truck.

The 12 <-> 18 JKU is the sweet spot for me right now. JLU hasn't tempted me. Guess I'll wait for what Jeep has to offer on the next go around.

 

I am going back and forth. I like the ride quality, better mpg, the 8 speed auto, the new soft top, the seats, and a few features on the nav screen. I don't like the push button start, the ESS, or the door stops,or the outside door handles. Anyway, the wife says I should at least wear out the stock tires on this Rubicon before I buy a new one. I've been trying. 35k in 16 months. Maybe they will have a tan or green color option by the time I wear them out. But if we buy a new jeep we will save $1500 from not buying new tires.

 

I'll likely be purchasing a JL or JT in the future. I haven't decided which yet. What keeps me from making the plunge are 3 things, the last one is my biggest deterrent.
1. I still love my JK
2. My JK still runs great
3. The JL/JT is made by FCA. Expect annoying problems for the 1st 2-3 years of production.

For the last one, think of the JK after every major update. 2007 JKs had major water leaks around the soft top header in the front. In 2012 when they changed to the 3.6L, it was known for engine problems. All these problems eventually got fixed under warranty or until the 2009+, or 2014+ JKs came out. Both 2 years after major changes to the vehicle before the fixes made it into production. My wife purchased a 2015 Renegade, the 1st year of production for the Renegade. Constant problems of having to go back to the dealership, and the transmission shift problems still aren't fixed on it, we just caved in and learned to live with it. So yeah....I can easily convince myself to stay away from these vehicles for at least 2 years. I'ld buy a temporary hoopty for transportation before purchasing an FCA vehicle within the 1st 2 model years of production. I can live without those type of headaches when making a new vehicle purchase.