Considering Buying a 2005 or 2006 Rubicon Unlimited...

[WFTW]

Some people have brought up some good points for you to consider.

1. Removal of the rear seat. I took the rear seat out of my 3 prior Wranglers and never missed it. Haven't decided if I'll remove the rear seat in the JK yet, though I'm considering it.

2. Re-gearing. I don't know how many times I've seen people pay a LOT of money for a lift, tires, and other items, yet never bother to put in new gears. Is it because nobody can "see" and therefore admire the gears? Who knows.

While the JK isn't the most powerful 4x4 out there, there are things you can do to help it out...re-gear, air intake, muffler, jet chip, throttle body spacer, etc. While it's not going to turn the JK into a race car, it's not supposed to be...it's a JEEP.

 

[nwoods]

Okay, we drove both of them over the weekend. The White one is a bit rougher around the edges, but that's to be expected because it's been well used. The owner was blowing dust out of the trunk with an airhose when we drove up

The White LJ on 35's had absolutely no power on the street. It desperately needs regearing, which I priced out at about $1200 to drop in 4.88 gears front & rear. The Silver LJ on 33's ran fine with the stock 4.11 gearing for comparison. If I go White, which we are leaning towards, we are assuming a regear kit as part of the cost.

I can't take the seats out, as I will be wheeling with the whole family when we go out. Towards that end, I actually fit in the back seat which is impressive (6'-7", 300 lbs), however, the low back design of the seat is pretty unconfortable for anyone of any size after an hour or two. Did a quick search and did not see any replacements for this, which I found surprising.

Big Daddy, I really want to see a photo of your packing arrangement to get all that gear into the Jeep, with four people in it too! Fortunately, the White LJ has a rack on the back above the rear tire, and also peices that attach to the sides (currently removed in the photo below) for additional storage.

I want to thank all of you for your thoughtful opinions and shared experiences. They have been very valuable.

Last night my family voted and the White LJ gets the nod. It's just too cool, with some thoughtful modifications (front and rear air connections to a Viair 450 and 2 gal tank, brake light plug interface socket mounted near the winch control socket for easy towbar hookup, Currie Anti-rock pneumatically disconnected swaybars, Magellan 540c hardmounted, iPod interface controllable through a new Alpine headunit, waterproof seat covers, tummy tuck and skids from Terraflex, siders, swing-away tire rack, etc... The White truck is built to be used, and if he accepts our offer, we will use it accordingly!

And most importantly, my wife likes it!

 

[WFTW]

Nice looking wife...I mean Jeep!

FWIW, I think you made the right decision between the two you were looking at. How big are your kids? Ages? That will help determine how much you'll need to pack.

Personally, with 4 people in there, I don't think you'll have room for everything unless you get a roof rack or trailer. But, that's another discussion for another day.

Hope your offer is accepted...will be nice to get a Jeep that already has a lot of the necessary upgrades, including a Warn winch.

 

[nwoods]

Nice looking wife...I mean Jeep!

FWIW, I think you made the right decision between the two you were looking at. How big are your kids? Ages? That will help determine how much you'll need to pack.

Thank you, I quite agree!
Kids are 10 and 6, and tall for their age.

Personally, with 4 people in there, I don't think you'll have room for everything unless you get a roof rack or trailer. But, that's another discussion for another day.

I completely agree. We recently did a long trip throughout Utah, and it was an amazing, positive experience, but it highlighted to us the difficulty of overlanding with a family of 4 in one vehicle (see the photos below). I love my Land Rover and plan on keeping my LR3 or possibly replacing it with a newer one, but for family off roading trips, it makes more sense to use our Nissan Armada that holds EVERYTHING with room to spare and tow a Jeep behind it for dedicated trail use. It fundamentally changes our offroading style to more of a base camp mode, instead of overlanding mode. This is not really what I yearn for, but it keeps the family together and we enjoy it so it's a good compromise. It's important to me to teach my kids to enjoy our outdoors and cherish it as I do.

 

[Mudpro]

Wow :Wow1: VERY Nice! (Jeep ain't bad either...) :hehe:

You'll love the LJ, but I highly recommend that Tummy Tuck (for the Jeep...), with the extra long wheelbase, it makes the stock break-over angle pretty poor.

:clapsmile

 

[WFTW]

Holy Moly that's a ton of stuff!

The reason I asked your kids ages is because you won't have to pack a lot of "entertainment" for them if they're old enough to entertain themselves. Your son is probably old enough to try whittling with a small pocket knife...would keep him busy for hours if he takes to it. Don't know about your daughter though...not sure what girls like about the outdoors...all my sisters ever did outside was lay in the sun getting a tan. :xxrotflma

With over 10 years in the military and 4 deployments, I'm use to what some would call "roughing it." For example, I'll be sleeping in a hammock during my 6 month adventure next year. I'll be jumping from place to place nightly, so I don't want to have to set up a tent and tear it down every day for half a year. The hammock will be quick to put up and take down. The hammock will save on space too when you figure in the amount of space a tent, ground cover, sleeping mat, and sleeping bag take up.

I realize that kids and a wife need to be comfortable, but have you gone through the "what did we take that we didn't use" drill? You might be able to save some space that way.

Also, if the Jeep is able to travel the miles you want to go, you should be able to get by with a trailer. Sure, the Jeep probable gets less gas miles than your other vehicle, but with the other vehicle towing the Jeep, it might be about even.

Just some suggestions. Always good to see a family enjoying the outdoors.

EDIT: Forgot to add...there's a plethera (that word just doesn't get used enough...hahahaha) of ways to cut down on space. Another good way is if you're going to travel as a family, do so in the warmer months. This will cut down on space needed for clothing. Skip out on the rainy months too...you then won't need 2 pairs of shoes/boots per person (if one pair gets wet), and can get by with just a parka which can be balled up to the size of your fist when not in use (for the occasional, unexpected shower). I could go on and on...but you get the idea.

 

[BIGdaddy]

1. your wife's hot
2. good choice on the white one...thats the one i would have picked, too
3. I'll see if i have "loaded" pics of mine

-Brian j.

 

[SMD]

Nathan,

IMHO, good choice on the white one. I sold my TJ 5 years ago and moved into the LR camp (have or had a D1, D2, and D3), but from what I recall (and re-affirmed here by at least 1 Jeeper) the aftermarket components on the white LJ are a bit better quality. That could obviously be debated by more experienced and knowledgeable folks on this particular category of ExPo. Plus, it's white and would look better behind your LR3! (But what color is the Armada?)

I've been drooling over LJ's for a year or so, but just can't see myself without the Disco. Great to see your evolution though, as my family is growing and I'm contemplating the trailer-with-D1 vs build-up-the-LR3 argument.

Stephen

 

[nwoods]

Nathan,

IMHO, good choice on the white one. I sold my TJ 5 years ago and moved into the LR camp (have or had a D1, D2, and D3), but from what I recall (and re-affirmed here by at least 1 Jeeper) the aftermarket components on the white LJ are a bit better quality. That could obviously be debated by more experienced and knowledgeable folks on this particular category of ExPo. Plus, it's white and would look better behind your LR3! (But what color is the Armada?)

I've been drooling over LJ's for a year or so, but just can't see myself without the Disco. Great to see your evolution though, as my family is growing and I'm contemplating the trailer-with-D1 vs build-up-the-LR3 argument.

Stephen

Well, I've got a lot of thoughts on the LR3 if you ever wanted to chat about it. I know quite a bit about them, and have trained many on how to drive them well (they are SO different from solid axle trucks!). If you ever felt the desire to go full tilt and build up an LR3, I've got a good platform to start with (mine being a base model coiler), but custom suspension mods would be something you'd want to consider if you were serious about building a true Overland style rig out of an LR3, with or without coilovers.

Sadly, the Armada is silver, but if the Jeep is being towed behind it, no one will be looking at the Armada

And my wife says Hi to BigDaddy, and she's a little curious about the name... LOL

 

[Purple People Eater]

Those tires are directional. Get another spare or just replace the one with an all-terrain.

 

[nwoods]

Those tires are directional. Get another spare or just replace the one with an all-terrain.

The XTerrians on the white LJ? I think they are radial, or am I misunderstanding the term?

Oh, never mind, I looked it up and sure enough you are right on: "Super Quiet Computerized Directional Pattern"
http://www.procomptires.com/xterrain2.html

 

[BIGdaddy]

Sadly, the Armada is silver, but if the Jeep is being towed behind it, no one will be looking at the Armada

And my wife says Hi to BigDaddy, and she's a little curious about the name... LOL

LOL...lets just say i've been married happily for 6 years, and i'm not that charming...LOL...

still looking for those pics, buddy...i'll get back to you. working 12hours days is killin' me.

-B

 

[nwoods]

... Another good way is if you're going to travel as a family, do so in the warmer months. This will cut down on space needed for clothing. Skip out on the rainy months too...you then won't need 2 pairs of shoes/boots per person (if one pair gets wet), and can get by with just a parka which can be balled up to the size of your fist when not in use (for the occasional, unexpected shower). I could go on and on...but you get the idea.

I live in Southern California, where your ideal camping weather is our everyday existence. We go camping to experience the seasons! The cold, rainy, snowy, diverse weather conditions are a real treat to us

 

[BIGdaddy]

I live in Southern California, where your ideal camping weather is our everyday existence. We go camping to experience the seasons! The cold, rainy, snowy, diverse weather conditions are a real treat to us

x2...very true. socal rocks for good weather.

i find myself missing the 40 degree days right now, though. i didn't get to go out to the wildy-ness much at all this season.

 

[outdoors]

I like my LJ platform

I have enough room in my LJ and some trails just aren't wide friendly as I get cascade pinstriping at times as it is..lol

So for me a Jk doesn't my needs..
But for those people who use their Jeep with four people a lot then the Jk is good 4-door. and especially with it costing more to own multiple vehicles, I would see a place for others to consider it..
But wait for a diesel or V8.. Or if they go cheap even the newer 4.0L V6.. I don't seriously think the 3.8 will last as the only engine option for more then three more years at best. so imo wait if you are wanting one..
unless you cant.:Astrologist: