Build what I have or New with goodies?

[MockingBird]

Howdy,
Feel like I haven't been on here in forever. So I used to do overland trips via an f650 Dakar. Many years ago I bought a 4 door 02 Taco to make into a rig but life got in the way and I had to abandon that project. I am currently in possession of a paid off 15 jku sahara with 3.73's. I am getting the itch to get back out there and away from the hustle and do some nice off road / overland trips. My wife really likes the idea of a small adventure trailer, for instance a Turtleback Getaway, and rig setup (and if she is excited about it then that is as good as GOLD ). We are based in Texas and would like to do some trips to Big Bend, Colorado, and The Ozarks for instance as a starting point. We want to be able to get to the spots that are far enough away from the normal "park" camp grounds and also be able to enjoy the trip there.

So I know I ramble but my questions are thus.... Will it be better to build my current Jeep or get something new to handle what we are looking at? Is the Sahara capable enough to start with and upgrade as needed? Will the "Upgrade as Needed" end up just exceeding the cost difference of say buying a used Rubicon or Gladiator? Sorry if this has been covered before ( I did try and do a quick search to see if I could find a similar topic). Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

 

[NatersXJ6]

If you’re going the trailer route than a decent hitch and a brake controller are all you “need” everything else is a blend of want and desire.

If it’s paid for it’s ready to go.

of course, the JL will be much nicer for towing in terms of drive ability, but my JK hauls my trailer all over California in mountains, deserts, cities, freeways… as do many others.

We also get to see many gas stations together!

many on here will argue the “need” aspects of the brake controller, but the guy not smeared in a ravine usually wins that argument

 

[alanymarce]

The JK is capable of what you want to do, I believe. Why spend money on another vehicle?

 

[nwoods]

I don't have much of an opinion on this, but you might want to talk to your fellow Texan with a JKU that pulls a trailer fairly often. Holly York, very active on Instagram

 

[zgfiredude]

Agree with all of the above.....brake controller is a good idea and a "why not" kinda thing. My other suggestion is dependent a little on how heavy the trailer ends up, you'll probably want to re-gear for more enjoyment while towing. Holler when you make it to Colorado and my wife and I and our teardrop will join you somewhere!

 

[AggieOE]

I'd recommend keeping a paid-off Jeep, add some E-rated all-terrain tires in the stock size, give the vehicle a good twice-over to make sure everything is in good operation condition, grab a Garmin Delorme (or another GPS messager) and some basic recovery gear for the Jeep and the trailer, and hit the road.

Nice to haves would be some better rear springs to handle the trailer weight. If you don't need to lift though, then don't. The bug will hit and it all goes downhill from there!

The trailer is a good idea. I like our little homemade one and the Jeep tows it just fine. Ours doesn't have brakes either. Brakes would be super nice, especially for the peace of mind.

 

[Somecallmetimm]

I'd say run what you have. It's paid for. Save the payment for upgrades or repairs as the need hits. Most importantly... enjoy!

 

[shays4me]

I’d run it! If you want to lock it up and aren’t going to run huge tires then source a pair of rubicon axles. That’s the only upgrade I’d really want from a rubicon JK.

 

[MockingBird]

Thank you everyone for the fantastic advice. Sorry it took me so long to respond but I have been away from the net for a few days. Looking like we will probably keep the JK. The only other factor is going to be seeing how well my wife does with driving it (since it is Manual). Every time she has tried to learn she gets frustrated and gives up too quickly. She has promised she is going to try again and won't give up this time. So we shall see
zgfiredude- most certainly will be reaching out to folks for trail advice and meet ups when we get rolling, so I VERY much appreciate your kind offer.

 

[AggieOE]

Thank you everyone for the fantastic advice. Sorry it took me so long to respond but I have been away from the net for a few days. Looking like we will probably keep the JK. The only other factor is going to be seeing how well my wife does with driving it (since it is Manual). Every time she has tried to learn she gets frustrated and gives up too quickly. She has promised she is going to try again and won't give up this time. So we shall see
zgfiredude- most certainly will be reaching out to folks for trail advice and meet ups when we get rolling, so I VERY much appreciate your kind offer.

I can relate to this. We bought our Jeep when we did (a couple years before I planned to) because my wife "couldn't" (wouldn't) drive our Mustang (manual). So automatic Jeep it was. Often I wish it was a manual but auto is hard to hate! If your wife truly continues to hate driving manual, that's a good non-regretable reason to sell and buy new.