Allow myself to introduce...... myself

[Nixolus]

Hi Folks,

I'm Nicholas. I've quietly joined your forum, because I have decided to buy a Jeep. I'm hoping to do this before summer, and I would then be looking to join some trips to learn more about off roading and about my vehicle.

What I want it for:

having a bit of fun,
getting to great off road camping sites,
Fulfuilling life long dream of mine, and my wifes, to have a jeep. In fact it is the last remaining unfullfilled pre-wedding promise I made to her.

What I know so far:

I want a jeep Wrangler JKU
I want a 2012 or 2013 (nothing earlier than that)
Quite like the white colour


What I don't know:

Given that I'm not especially keen to do after market enhancements, should I get a Rubicon up front as being the more capable stock offroader?
Should I buy second hand or new from a dealer? (wonder what sort of wriggle room dealers have price-wise)
Should I get it stock and source accessories from the US or locally (things like the tow bar, offroad bumper/winch) or have them supplied/installed by dealer?
Should i deal with SVM Suttons in Mosman?

[DanD]

Welcome!

You definitely will get out and have fun in a JKU! I have a 2 door 2012 and the motor *in Borat voice* is very niice

Re your questions
a) You need to have a really good think (and after 6 months of ownership, this might change completely hehe) about what type of offroading you want to do - the rubicon is great, but if you're only going on milder trails, not worth the extra cash - you can sink that into more luxurious camping gear, etc - if you want harder trails, the rubicon might be a good place to start as it has the swaybar disconnect as factory and lockers
b) I bought my JK as a dealer demo - in all honesty, the wrangler is an offroad vehicle - if you buy second hand, you will learn how to fix things on your own that a dealer would / should normally cover under warranty
c) I would personally avoid having *anything* fitted by the dealer - my personal example - the uConnect that the dealer fitted cost me about 700 - Aust mopar *supposedly* only brings in the old model that does not support streaming music over bluetooth, yet all of the factory fitted uConnect modules offer this option - so I have a uConnect module that handles calls, but cant stream music... for 700... a Yaris gets that as standard. (yes, I'm still angry about this after 1 year heh) I'm sure that the dealers have very nice people working for them - but i'd rather go elsewhere for anything aftermarket...
d) I can't help you with this one sorry, I purchased mine through Nepean Motor Group who have been great to deal with, but I have not had any major issues apart from a seat-belt tensioner that took almost six months to 'arrive' due to their computer system not registering correctly (my airbag light was on for all of that time and the only thing they told me was to "not get into an accident" - I'm was patient, and it all got straightened out - if it was a major issue, I would have been annoyed though)

All the best!
Dan

[Paul-JK]

Welcome and good choice! I've had mine for nearly 4 years now and still love it.

You say your not keen to do after market enhancements but then mention getting bumpers etc so I'm not entirely sure what you mean here but in general terms I'd say:

Rubi or Sport
- If you know you're going to drive the sort of trails that need lockers but you don't want the hassle of fitting them later AND you're not really going to change tyre size too much (so you don't need to re-gear) then go the Rubi. If you don't usually need lockers to drive the trails you go on then for me a Rubi is overkill. The standard traction control on the sport is very effective in most conditions, especially with the flex you get with the sway bars disconnected.
- The electronic sway bar disconnect on the Rubi is handy but can break if it gets wet (!) and I don't think it allows quite as much flex as a manual disconnect.
- Rubi gets lower diff gearing and lower transfer case gearing so it's obviously better in the real rough stuff but if you're not rock crawling that could be overkill/unnecessary
- Rubi only comes with the petrol engine. The 3.6 isn't a bad engine mind but if you were after a diesel then you can't get a Rubi

New or second hand
- There are some great second hand JK's coming up, some not very old and barely used on road let alone off road so second had is worth a look. Not seen as many Rubi's advertised though.
- New is nice obviously but depending on your specification choice you might have to wait a while for delivery, especially on the Rubi's

Accessories
- As Dan said, do not get anything from a dealer. The dealer accessories are usually not very good and are always overpriced.
- Have a look at the local suppliers as well as the US ones. I've certainly bought from both for different things. Local guys would be Wooders, Stu Murchuson, SBR Offroad, Uneek 4x4, DBOR, to name a few. Buying from the US can be cheaper in some cases, even after shipping, but not always, and it's often nice to have some local backup.
- If you're getting JKU then I'd also recommend a suspension lift. The 4dr does tend to drag it's belly over everything, especially if it's loaded with camping gear. As an added bonus you'll also get a better ride and handling as I thought the stock suspension was woeful. They may have improved it since I bought mine but mine was awful.
- Your best bet is keep it stock for a little while, get out on some runs with SJC and check out what other people have done. That'll give you a better idea of how much certain mods help or are needed. Suspension wise, there are more kits than you can poke a stick at, some good, some bad. Suspension and ride are very subjective decisions though so rather than just listening to opinions, try and get a ride in someone elses JK who has a similar set up if you can. That way you can feel how it rides before you buy.

SVM
- I used SVM Mosman for my dealer servicing and they're OK, but they're not cheap. I don't think any dealers are but SVM really aren't. They were very accommodating with any/all minor warranty claims I made which was great (until I started adding suspension lifts etc) but they are not very knowledgable about anything aftermarket (in other words they're not really Jeep enthusiasts).
- They're not a bad dealer by any means. There are far worse, like the muppets I bought mine from down in Wollongong.


Have fun choosing!

[Wolfe]

If I were you I'd keep my eye out for a good second hand vehicle. Occasionally modified one come up. We recently had a member sell his modified two door jk for a very good price.
If you buy new and don't intend to go harder trails then I'd suggest buying the Rubicon.
Apart from minor service don't get anything from a dealer. Go see Wooders

[Wolfe]

And welcome aboard.

[redrubi]

Go the rubi!!!

[Nixolus]

Hi guys, thanks for the advice.

lets see;

Dan, So you're saying that unless i am planning to go out hard straight up, I don't need a Rubicon, If I get more serious later I can add sway bar disconnect and lockers through someone like Wooders. And i should source everything else aftermarket as well, like sat nav and so on. Right?, because my wife does want the uconnect sat nav with touch screen. What kind of built in satnav would I look at aftermarket?

Paul, To clarify, I don't consider bolting on a new bumper bar to be any big deal, or adding a snorkel or something, i was more talking about lifting, adding lockers and so on, think undercarriage work. I'm not very mechanical, and I'm pretty sure that i am not going to have spare thousands after this purchase with a young family, and considering the economy. It's likely that, as now, i will always have something better, or at least more pressing to spend the money on.

You seem to be agreeing with all that Dan said, and suggesting I just buy a stock vehicle and then wait and see how my requirements for enhancement develop.

Wolfe,
reading between the lines it seems you are suggesting that if I really want to go on hard trails then i would probably want after market work done, but if I'm not then a Rubicon would be a good idea, which is kind of what I was thinking originally.

I appreciate whats being said about 2nd hand versus new, but I'm seeing pretty similar pricing, second hand JKU Sport 2013 start at around $35,000 and new at $40,000, and we've had some very dodgy luck with second hand vehicles, I think we would just like to buy new and have the warranty and know that no-one has driven like an idiot in the car before.

Redrubi, you are waving the Rubicon flag, as a loyal Rubicon owner should I suppose.

[Wallyd]

I originally had a 2 door sport, loved it, lifted it, spent a fair amount on it. Shit happened and long story short, It went away.



Now I own a 2 door rubicon. In hind sight, I should have gone the rubicon straight off!!! I thought i loved my sport, but man the sex is awesome with the rubicon!!!

[DanD]

Thats not WallyD's daily drive there in the second photo either :P (sorry bud )

[DLE068]

Rubicon. There's no other choice.ImageUploadedByTapatalk1378565609.270721.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1378565812.781890.jpg