Went through a similar review of how we want to position ourselves for the last quarter of our lives. We ended up selling all of our neat old stuff and getting a new JLUR, a Ram cab diesel and a new Northern Lite camper. It's so nice to not have to think about what preventive maintenance I need to do or what that new noise is a thousand miles from home. We just got back from a 2000 mile backroad tour to the Alpine Loop in Colorado. The Jeep was perfect for the trip, rolling down the scenic byways at 65 mph or low and locked climbing up the 4x4 routes on the Alpine Loop. We slept in the back on a storage/sleep platform that kept us dry , warm and out of reach of the bears( they did pay us a visit!). Dead stock the JKUR easily walked through everything we threw at it all the while delivering 21 miles to the gallon over the course of the trip. I would highly recommend getting a new ride, it has been a game changer for us.
When is it time to move on? XK with 180K and JKUR with 145K.
- Thread starter DesertJK
- Start date
I agree on it being a game changer. When I sold my Rover and bought the JKUR we put 6000 miles on it in about 2 months. I am looking forward to that again.
The hard thing is leaving it stock, or deciding how much to add or change. Almost everywhere I go in my JKUR on 35's with all the awesome suspension, I think that a stock Rubicon could have done this no problem. If I am out looking for obstacles, I rarely even find anything that both difficult, ethical, or legal to drive over. I think decent body and under carriage protection (aluminum skids) and a winch mounted to an aluminum front bumper will keep it light and protect it. As far as suspension, I don't want larger tires than the 33's on the Rubicon, but I can see installing slightly stiffer/taller springs once I have the winch, and upgrading shocks and bump stops. My Teraflex bump stops make a HUGE difference if you push to hard and bottom the suspension.
I think this is the first vehicle I have ever owned that I am perfectly content with the way it is. I am happy that I got the steel bumpers , led light package and the heavy tow but the base Rubicon is amazingly well balanced. Compared to my old LJ Rubicon this thing is a dream on the road and gives up little if anything when the going gets western.
I thought my 2008 Rubicon was better and more capable than the heavily modified Rover it replaced. I don't care if it can't do what my JK can do now, like I said, I built it, and now don't really use it for that much. Road manners and some amount of fuel range along with reliability is what I am after and thats what will get me back out in the woods instead of in my shop endlessly working on the Jeeps.
I used to feel that way. I have done the same thing with aircraft mostly, but they still do not compare to new metal.
As far as building new trucks out of old ones. I was intending to completely repower a Comanche I have. It's straight and rust free, and would be awesome with a new drive train and some paint.
I am volunteer/stipend fire fighter and medic. I went to a 2 car rollover partial head on collision. It was a current Tacoma vs. a 1990's Cherokee. The Cherokee came apart, no airbags, door flew off, roof was 60% lower, occupants partially ejected. It wasn't pretty. The Tacoma was also hammered. Not much left of it to the point it took us a minute to figure out what kind of truck it was. The doors stayed shut, the airbags deployed. Passenger had a nasty head wound from loose stuff in the cab (may have been an ammo box) The drivers injuries were superficial and mostly from the airbag and glass.
Old cars are neat. New cars are just better.
I have a 98 Grand Limited with 287k on the odo. In the last year I have replaced the engine with a new crate motor, got a new tranny, rebuilt the entire suspension including new axles/gears with a three link/four link se tup and replaced every moving part on the rig. and a ton of other stuff... It will go another 200k easily, go anywhere and has every amenity and feature I will ever want or need. $25k later, I have virtually a new rig with none of the problems associated with newer computerized rigs and can get anything fixed on it for very little and easily. You won't catch me in a new rig, no chance.
Last week I was out on a wheeling trip and gashed thre front pass. fender pretty badly. Went down to a pick and pull, found a color matching perfect condition one for #40 and bolted it up in less than 1/2 a day. Love it!
Last week I was out on a wheeling trip and gashed thre front pass. fender pretty badly. Went down to a pick and pull, found a color matching perfect condition one for #40 and bolted it up in less than 1/2 a day. Love it!
BritKLR
Kapitis Indagatoris
Thank you for your service! So few are actually out there doing what you do. But....while new vehicles do have great engineering and safety systems, 1 degree either way in an accident can change everything, regardless of the technology. Fate, karma and just wrong place at the wrong time can be a **********.
Tex68w
Beach Bum
I think the JTUR's look cool as hell but at $55-60K I think they are grossly overpriced. It wouldn't work for us either since we need an air conditioned space inside the cab for our two large dogs and the back seat of the JTUR is scary cramped. But for your needs and financial status it sounds like the move makes sense. I looked at a JTUR the other day at the local dealer and I'll be honest, in stock form they look like they really only need a winch and a bed rack and you can quite literally go anywhere in the US. We all like lifts and bigger tires but there doesn't appear to be much need with how these are setup from the factory. Maybe slap some 35's on it and be content?!
In closing I'd support liquidating your fleet and moving to two newer Jeeps in your case. Go enjoy going on new adventures and making new memories with little to no fuss from the rigs.
In closing I'd support liquidating your fleet and moving to two newer Jeeps in your case. Go enjoy going on new adventures and making new memories with little to no fuss from the rigs.
86scotty
Cynic
My .02? Keep the Cherokee around for fun. Trade everything else in on something new be it a Gladiator or not. Personally, for me, I don't see the draw. If you want a truck I think there are better options. Sounds like you have space to keep an extra vehicle around, in fact, sounds like you'd still have lots more with 3 vehicles. Buy her whatever she wants.
I am also currently trying to figure out what to buy my wife. She drives my 16 Rubicon some but doesn't want to drive a manual every day. Options are few.
Just remember what a good problem this is to have! As said above, enjoy that new car smell.
I am also currently trying to figure out what to buy my wife. She drives my 16 Rubicon some but doesn't want to drive a manual every day. Options are few.
Just remember what a good problem this is to have! As said above, enjoy that new car smell.
vintageracer
To Infinity and Beyond!
You could always change hobbies and visit the "National Quilting Museum" in Paducah KY.
Cheaper/easier as you don't have to liquidate or buy anything, easy to git to and nice rolling scenery on the way there!
quiltmuseum.org
Cheaper/easier as you don't have to liquidate or buy anything, easy to git to and nice rolling scenery on the way there!
Home
The National Quilt Museum presents and collects the best work by contemporary quilters from America and around the world.
quiltmuseum.org
Justincredible
Adventurer
Are you running factory wheels on your JK or have you gone aftermarket?
If the latter, swap the wheels and 35" tires over to the new JTR. No need for a lift. The dealership will even flash it for you to account for the larger tires.
It sounds to me like you already know what you want, but you're understandably hesitant going from several vehicles with no payment to two new vehicles with one payment.
MOguy
Explorer
My 01 TJ has NEVER given me problems other than a few that I created because of how I used it. I have an 04 Caviler that is like magic and even with about 230K has very few problems.
My 2011 Acadia Denali was a constant problem.
My family car is a leased 2019 Camry. In three years it turns into a leased 2022 something else, no problems.
Get what works for you, it is all a roll of the dice. There are ways to increase the odds in you favor but no perfect answer.
My 2011 Acadia Denali was a constant problem.
My family car is a leased 2019 Camry. In three years it turns into a leased 2022 something else, no problems.
Get what works for you, it is all a roll of the dice. There are ways to increase the odds in you favor but no perfect answer.
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Happy Joe
Apprentice Geezer
Re-powering is, relatively, easy, upgrading old vehicles safety is less so.
All of my rebuild have had enhanced engineered multi point roll cages , for example (If it didn't come from the factory with at least a pretense at a roll cage; are you sure you really want to risk your body in it off road?) and most have had (in the last few decades enhanced 4 wheel disc brakes, 5 point harnesses etc)... Necessary upgrades IMO.
If you are looking for something that cannot be splattered; you are going to be disappointed; especially if the vehicles have been modded by incompetents, using coat hanger welds and similar thinking.
Mod to as near, or better than, appropriate, current tech as possible (but use a vehicle with a frame or at least install an engineered roll cage and unibody frame stiffeners) IMO... the frame is for longevity more than safety; unreinforced unibodies are only good for a few years of Hard off road/extreme trail, abuse, in my experience.
Avoid Takata air bags, unless you want to drive around with something approximating a shotgun pointed at you....
Enjoy!
AbleGuy
Officious Intermeddler
Geeze, that’s one heck of a scary image! You really have a way with words.
Great advice though, as hard as it otherwise might be to avoid these...
vintageracer
To Infinity and Beyond!
We had both Takata airbags replaced in my wifes 2008 Ram 4WD truck last fall under the Federal Recall Program. I watched the tech spend about 15 minutes each to replace the drivers and passenger side bag. I asked him specifically what was wrong with the airbags to cause the problem that some describe as "Shrapnel" and led to the Federal recall.
He told me and showed me that the soft metal case that encloses the airbag assembly can surface rust and it is those rust particles that accumulate on the metal case that cause the problem when the airbag deploys and those rust particles become small projectiles. The more the rust there is on the airbag case the bigger the potential problem. That's why vehicles in humid or coastal climates were far more susceptible to this problem than those from dryer climates and why vehicles in those humid or coastal areas of the USA received priority when it came to Federal airbag recall replacement plan. He says there are no issues with the form or function of the Takata airbag with no metal at all inside the airbag itself just the issue that the exterior soft metal case into which the airbag itself is enclosed within can surface rust causing the problem of metal rust particles becoming projectiles/shrapnel when the airbag deploys during an accident.
Both airbags from my wife's truck were absolutely perfect with not one spec of rust on the soft metal case of either one. Still both airbags were replaced with new airbag assemblies installed in my wife's truck per the requirements of the Federal Recall Notice.
It all sounded good to me!!!
He told me and showed me that the soft metal case that encloses the airbag assembly can surface rust and it is those rust particles that accumulate on the metal case that cause the problem when the airbag deploys and those rust particles become small projectiles. The more the rust there is on the airbag case the bigger the potential problem. That's why vehicles in humid or coastal climates were far more susceptible to this problem than those from dryer climates and why vehicles in those humid or coastal areas of the USA received priority when it came to Federal airbag recall replacement plan. He says there are no issues with the form or function of the Takata airbag with no metal at all inside the airbag itself just the issue that the exterior soft metal case into which the airbag itself is enclosed within can surface rust causing the problem of metal rust particles becoming projectiles/shrapnel when the airbag deploys during an accident.
Both airbags from my wife's truck were absolutely perfect with not one spec of rust on the soft metal case of either one. Still both airbags were replaced with new airbag assemblies installed in my wife's truck per the requirements of the Federal Recall Notice.
It all sounded good to me!!!
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