Is it a sign that I'm just growing up or getting boring?? Soon to be Wrangler-less...

[Septu]

Well after driving nothing but JKs for the past 12 years (07 JKU, 2012 JKUR, 2010 JK), I just committed to buy a 2014 WK2 (5.7L Hemi). Really wanted a diesel, but given that I drive my work truck 90% of the time... figured it sitting for weeks on end would be even worse then a gas vehicle doing the same. Plus I was able to (after a ton of looking) find the V8 loaded, but with a spring suspension instead of the air suspension, which I wanted nothing to do with. I've been paying attention to WK2s since Nov and while there's plenty of Limited's in the US that had the diesel option and no air suspension, I've never seen one for sale in Canada. So the V8 it is.

Build plan will be pretty mild as I've found in recent years that I'm not wheeling all that much. I like going down gravel roads and seeing where the trail goes... but when Dan Grec and I did Whipsaw this summer (which while technical and bumpy and challenging in places for a stock JK (MTs/winch) with open difs towing a trailer), I found that once it got to the more technical and bumpy stuff, the less enjoyment I had. So being forced to skip that in the future shouldn't bother me too much.

Anyway here's a picture of what will be here in the next 2 weeks...

 

[jeepgc]

Congratulations on your WK2 Septu, very nice.

A good choice I think, diesel only pays for itself if you do enough mileage and it's nice to hear that V8 growl.

Only need to build to what you need, maybe some diff protection etc just in case.

 

[Dan Grec]

Nice man!!

I think a change can be as good as a holiday, and we all suffer a bit from grass is greener syndrome.
Who knows, you might love this for years, then get a sports car, then a pickup then one day find yourself back in a Wrangler.
Or not.

As long as you enjoy along the way, that's what really matters!

-Dan

 

[billiebob]

I predict another Wrangler in your future.

 

[Septu]

I predict another Wrangler in your future.

Potentially. But I've thought for a while that a mildly built Cherokee (2" lift, winch, armour) would do 90/95% of what I've been doing the last several years (4-5?). The GC is a little bigger, but given that the trails around where I live are not all that tight, I do not see that being a barrier to me using them if I wished to do so. So yeah it'll need a few things (winch!, 2" lift and some armour), but overall I think it'll be fine to get to most of the places I've been going to lately. Obviously there'll be some places it won't go, or where I won't even bother attempting to take it... but I don't really think that's an issue.

I know I found out really early on in adulthood that I find long trips more interesting than short ones and that meant prioritizing for the hundreds or thousands of miles between home and the destination, and then enjoying a walk or bike ride if the last few miles are too rugged.

Conquering a pile of boulders or a muddy field was exciting the first time, less exciting the second time, down by half every subsequent time after that. So I'm glad they make Wranglers and I could afford one if that was what I wanted. I don't.

I had fun doing that all throughout my late 20s and early 30s. But as the people I was going with stopped going and were getting out of jeeps (either into side by sides or selling them completely for various reasons), I realized that I was just fine driving down a gravel road seeing where it went and that I didn't need to try and go through that huge mud pit just to say I did. Ideally just finding a nice quiet place with a view or some history and interesting things to look at... or both is just as enjoyable. Add in that living in the remote north where everything is a drive and putting on 5-6,000 miles a road trip isn't unusual and I finally decided that moving away from an off roader that was okay on road to something that was great on road and could still do the mild stuff was probably just fine. I know I could have made the 2010 2dr I had far more comfortable and such... but I also knew that it wasn't going to be a vehicle that I was going to keep for more then a few years as a 2dr was always just a tad too small (went from a built 4dr to the stock-ish 2dr to buy my house), and as such I always struggled with the idea of sinking real money into it. Hopefully this vehicle sticks around longer then the 2 years I had the 2dr.

One thing I know I will miss is how rugged the 2dr was and that I knew I could attempt most things and if I got stuck or scratched it, not a big deal. The other thing is the 6 speed. Given how little I had been driving my wrangler (sat for 3 months after camping season ended), I forgot how much fun the manual was. That was something I missed in my 2012 JKUR and something I know I'll miss in the WK2. Although having command start for days like today sure will be nice (-10F).

 

[Jeep or Tacoma]

Well I am 67 and I have been driving a jkur 2008 then a jlur 2018. Now a gladiator on 37s. My wife had a grand Cherokee limited? With a hemi! She got a ticket in the first month ?. It was a very nice ride. But when I drove it I lost all thoughts of

I wonder where that trail goes I think I’ll find out

just something about a wrangler that gets in your blood stays there. Every time I look at my gladiator I just smile

 

[Grassland]

Depends how wealthy your are.
For us, having a dedicated off road vehicle isn't plausible.
In 2014 I had a 2008 ranger that was the camper and rock crawler. Sold it for a 2002 wj and lost money just trying to keep the wj road worthy.
Couldn't even begin to afford a JKU that would have towed trailers worse or been just as intensive to keep road worthy.
Some time went by and I still couldn't afford to keep up with the rock crawling crowd, and have a separate daily driver.
WK2 my wife has now can do mild trails and tow a trailer, daily drive, and comfortably seat four.
Wrangler has its place, but sometimes you have to prioritize the 95% of miles you drive a year vs the 5%

 

[s.e.charles]

that new rig will look just fine parked in your podiatrist's office lot!


(seriously; you're evolving!)

 

[autism family travels]

Yep, one wrangler and you're hooked. I got rid of my first one, had 3-year hiatus, and I am back into one again. It's awesome. I could never downgrade. I was looking at going to a truck, but NOPE. JK unlimited is my favorite vehicle.

 

[pith helmet]

Yep, one wrangler and you're hooked. I got rid of my first one, had 3-year hiatus, and I am back into one again. It's awesome. I could never downgrade. I was looking at going to a truck, but NOPE. JK unlimited is my favorite vehicle.

Wranglers are somehow greater than the sum of their parts and, like motorcycles, once you get into them, they get in your blood.

 

[86scotty]

@Septu, my wife is currently in a 2016 WK2 (Overland) which is almost identical to your pic above. I wish it was a 5.7 when I drive it but I rarely drive it. She doesn't need a hemi or care.

Anyway, it replaced my JKUR and at first I liked it but I got over it. It just feels so much smaller and has too many electronic nannies. I HATE the auto stop start that you can't turn off and the constant dings and beeps of info that isn't important to me. The Uconnect is a pain in the ********. It will reliably connect to whatever phone you don't want it to and when you do want it to connect up on entry in to the vehicle it reliably turns on loud radio static on a station we don't have programmed. The console is lousy too, not enough cubbies for my kind of EDC, no decent place to sit a phone, etc.

The seating position and visibility are not nearly as good as a Wrangler either.

Yes, I'm mentioning a lot more 'convenience' features here than meat and potatoes or performance but these would bother me even more if it were my daily.

I do like the 3.6 mated to the 7 speed auto, not sure what your 14 hemi will have transmission wise.

 

[autism family travels]

Depends how wealthy your are.
For us, having a dedicated off road vehicle isn't plausible.
In 2014 I had a 2008 ranger that was the camper and rock crawler. Sold it for a 2002 wj and lost money just trying to keep the wj road worthy.
Couldn't even begin to afford a JKU that would have towed trailers worse or been just as intensive to keep road worthy.
Some time went by and I still couldn't afford to keep up with the rock crawling crowd, and have a separate daily driver.
WK2 my wife has now can do mild trails and tow a trailer, daily drive, and comfortably seat four.
Wrangler has its place, but sometimes you have to prioritize the 95% of miles you drive a year vs the 5%

Not sure where you buy your vehicles to. The total cost of "keeping my JKU on the road" is 1 3-dollar hose clamp besides brakes and tires that you must purchase no matter what vehicle you drive. My current 2014 JKU has 145,000 kms on it. My previous JKU was a 2011 with 298,000 km on the clock with only wear items again. Brakes, tires and a set of ball joints.

 

[Septu]

@Septu, my wife is currently in a 2016 WK2 (Overland) which is almost identical to your pic above. I wish it was a 5.7 when I drive it but I rarely drive it. She doesn't need a hemi or care.

Anyway, it replaced my JKUR and at first I liked it but I got over it. It just feels so much smaller and has too many electronic nannies. I HATE the auto stop start that you can't turn off and the constant dings and beeps of info that isn't important to me. The Uconnect is a pain in the ********. It will reliably connect to whatever phone you don't want it to and when you do want it to connect up on entry in to the vehicle it reliably turns on loud radio static on a station we don't have programmed. The console is lousy too, not enough cubbies for my kind of EDC, no decent place to sit a phone, etc.

The seating position and visibility are not nearly as good as a Wrangler either.

Yes, I'm mentioning a lot more 'convenience' features here than meat and potatoes or performance but these would bother me even more if it were my daily.

I do like the 3.6 mated to the 7 speed auto, not sure what your 14 hemi will have transmission wise.

2014 and up has the 8 speed automatic. The 2012-2013 have the 6 speed, and before that they had a 5 speed. It was the sole reason I limited my searches to 2014+ with a 5.7L. I figure I'll need all the help I can get to boost the mileage, and more specifically the increase in range that goes with that.

Financially I could afford to hang onto the wrangler. However I drive my work truck home almost every night and do not go too many places in the evenings after work. Last spring I think my jeep used 2 tanks of gas between Jan 1 and mid April when I got a call to go rescue a buddy. After Sept long weekend this fall, I didn't touch the jeep until early Dec. And while that's a little unusual and was driven by an insane work schedule, given that a tank of gas lasts a month plus as it is... I don't think keeping the wrangler just so I can occasionally wheel it a couple times a year makes a lot of sense. Especially given that I'm more prone to drive pretty easy trails then anything that I truly need a wrangler for.

The only thing I'll connect to the stereo system is my ipod, or when doing longer drives my kindle (aux in) to read me a story. I can't imagine that it's too much different then what I had in my 2012 JKUR. My phone is always in my pocket unless I'm plugged in and charging it. The increase in electronics I know will be a pain... but something I'm willing to accept for now for an increase in on road comfort. Pretty much every road trip south (or to AK) that I've done (which is more or less every summer or so) is a 5k+ mile trek towing my little trailer (~1600 lbs loaded). The built 2012 JKUR could tow it just fine, however the gas mileage was horrific. The 2010 I currently have struggled towing it and the mileage and even more important, the range was significantly worse, while the ride quality was awful. And given that I knew that the 2dr was never going to be a 10yr+ type vehicle, spending money to regear it and upgrade the suspension made little sense.

Wranglers are somehow greater than the sum of their parts and, like motorcycles, once you get into them, they get in your blood.

I never really had any regrets until I had my current 2010 2dr. I've owned 3 and they've been my DD for the past 13 years. However the lack of comfort, options and power/driveability with the trailer really got to me after my road trip this summer. And yes I thought about going back to a JK or maybe even a JL/gladiator, but the used prices are high and finding one with everything I was looking for was challenging while trying to stick to some kind of budget. Add in the fact that every wrangler I've owned has leaked at the A Pillar and I decided that if I wasn't going to be wheeling it like I had in the past when I was in my early 30s, then why get another wrangler? I actually looked at some Taco's before deciding to stick with a jeep. A Cherokee Trailhawk or a GC with a couple of mild mods (lift, winch/bumper and some armour) would do everything I wanted it to do... while being far more comfortable on the highways... at which point why go back to a wrangler? The biggest advantage they have aside from the options to customize one is their capabilities... something I haven't been using for years. And the one time I did use it (last summer with Dan), I quickly realized that currently I like the exploring, camaraderie, camping and road tripping more then I liked the more challenging wheeling.

Besides... worse case if I don't like it and need to go back to a wrangler... it's just a vehicle - sell it and go get something else.

 

[axlesandantennas]

Tastes change. I wanted a Wrangler for a long time and finally bought a new one in 2018. I can say that after owning quite a few vehicles, that it is the one vehicle that after 3.5 years, I am still completely happy with it. But in the future, that may change. Nothing wrong with that either. Sometimes something new comes out that blows the competition out of the water (looking at you bronco and defender). Who knows, maybe I'll test drive one of those when the bugs are worked out and get one.

 

[86scotty]

2014 and up has the 8 speed automatic. The 2012-2013 have the 6 speed, and before that they had a 5 speed. It was the sole reason I limited my searches to 2014+ with a 5.7L. I figure I'll need all the help I can get to boost the mileage, and more specifically the increase in range that goes with that.

Besides... worse case if I don't like it and need to go back to a wrangler... it's just a vehicle - sell it and go get something else.

Wow, you are indeed correct, 8 spd auto not 7. I guess that tells you how little I am in or near my wife's GC.

Anyway, I completely agree, with your last point. If you don't like it over time do something else. She absolutely loves hers. I've just gotten used to bigger vehicles nowadays with tons of space.