TJ vs JL

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Mike Z

TJ Enthusiast
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I have an 02 Jeep Wrangler TJ, 5 speed manual, 4.0 and a 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. As far as flash, the Rubicon turns heads. As far as fun, the TJ wins all day long in my book.

When I drive the TJ, it feels connected to the road, a bit grimy with a mix of smells from oil and old vinyl. It feels like a Jeep.

The Rubicon feels like a Cadillac, soft and clean with a buttery smooth clutch. When I drive it, I try hard not to yawn.

My wife loves the TJ because it's fun to drive. I asked her to describe the Rubicon and she said it's really nice and comfortable, dependable and safe.

My thoughts exactly.

Am I missing something?
 
I don’t think you’re missing anything, I sold my BMW and don’t miss it one bit. The LJ is just fun to drive every time for me. Though mine doesn’t smell and it drives rather nice.
 
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I am a new Jeep owner (1 month) and have been loving the ride.

My other car is a 2020 Audi S3 so the Jeep provides a nice alternative. I do love the Jeep so much I have thought about going all in and getting a JK or JL but feel like I would lose the fun. I am at the point where I’m considering putting a good amount of $ into the TJ or keep it as is and move up to a newer Jeep.

Your post has me thinking I have the car I need/want and should go all in.
 
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Photocycler said:
I am a new Jeep owner (1 month) and have been loving the ride.

My other car is a 2020 Audi S3 so the Jeep provides a nice alternative. I do love the Jeep so much I have thought about going all in and getting a JK or JL but feel like I would lose the fun. I am at the point where I’m considering putting a good amount of $ into the TJ or keep it as is and move up to a newer Jeep.

Your post has me thinking I have the car I need/want and should go all in.
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How do you like the S3? I've been a VW driver for a few years now and my really enjoy my girlfriend's A4. The S3 seems to pack a lot of punch for the price point, and I haven't seen a manufacturer beat VW's build quality for the price yet.
 
chuck47 said:
How do you like the S3? I've been a VW driver for a few years now and my really enjoy my girlfriend's A4. The S3 seems to pack a lot of punch for the price point, and I haven't seen a manufacturer beat VW's build quality for the price yet
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Love it. I have had multiple Audi‘s. 2015 A3, 2018 A3, 2019 A4 and now the 2020 S3. Similar to the TJ with the small size, the 3 series are my favorite.

1AE62D5B-8F59-4F32-8211-30791FB521A5.jpeg
 
Photocycler said:
Love it. I have had multiple Audi‘s. 2015 A3, 2018 A3, 2019 A4 and now the 2020 S3. Similar to the TJ with the small size, the 3 series are my favorite.
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Awesome. Is that a nardo grey? Safe to say from my experiences with VW/Audi that I'll be buying their cars for quite some time. Although I think an SQ5 is more in line with my desires!
 
Photocycler,
I think you should go all in with the TJ. I have put a good amount of money and time into mine and it has been a blast. They are very easy to work on and the more I work on it, the more I am connected to it. All I did for the Rubicon was to write a check, but with the TJ, I’ve put time, thought, frustration, passion and sweat into it. Thus, it brings me great joy to drive it.
 
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Tob said:
Not mine.
I couldn’t care less about the million JK/JL’s I see rolling around every day. The only Jeeps that catch my eye are TJ’s and older.
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A JL Rubi would still make my head turn, but I'm never going to stop them to chat about their vehicle. It seems like the JLs are mostly status symbols in my neck of the woods.

I'll never understand why people spend 50k+ on a JLR and never take it off road. I would much rather have a garage full of TJs for that price.
 
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Mike Zimmermann said:
I think you should go all in with the TJ. I have put a good amount of money and time into mine and it has been a blast. They are very easy to work on and the more I work on it, the more I am connected to it. All I did for the Rubicon was to write a check, but with the TJ, I’ve put time, thought, frustration, passion and sweat into it. Thus, it brings me great joy to drive it.
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I really do think The TJ is an enthusiast car. If the JLs with 37s and flat fenders didn’t look so damn good it would be easy lol.

Lets see some pics of the 2, curious what you have done to each.
 
I started with a JK that I put quite of bit of money and time into. Had a chance to pickup a stock 06 Rubicon for next to nothing. I quickly realized the TJ fit my personality better. It's rude and crude compared to the JK, but I love it. We've got the JK, TJ, 2019 F150, and a 2019 Honda Pilot. With all those options, the TJ is my favorite. The thing just puts a smile on my face.
 
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Billy06 said:
I started with a JK that I put quite of bit of money and time into. Had a chance to pickup a stock 06 Rubicon for next to nothing. I quickly realized the TJ fit my personality better. It's rude and crude compared to the JK, but I love it. We've got the JK, TJ, 2019 F150, and a 2019 Honda Pilot. With all those options, the TJ is my favorite. The thing just puts a smile on my face.
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We have a 2020 pilot, best family vehicle made! Love that car with the 3 rows of seating and captain chairs.
 
Photocycler said:
We have a 2020 pilot, best family vehicle made! Love that car with the 3 rows of seating and captain chairs.
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So, the Pilot is the fiancés that she bought previous to us meeting. It's got the 3 rows and the captains chairs, but we've got 5 kids between the two of us and it's a tight fit, and will only get tighter as they grow. We've been looking at Suburban's and Excursions. I'm leaning towards a diesel Excursion. Her response is "but the Suburban is prettier". I didn't even know how to respond to that comment.
 
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Billy06 said:
So, the Pilot is the fiancés that she bought previous to us meeting. It's got the 3 rows and the captains chairs, but we've got 5 kids between the two of us and it's a tight fit, and will only get tighter as they grow. We've been looking at Suburban's and Excursions. I'm leaning towards a diesel Excursion. Her response is "but the Suburban is prettier". I didn't even know how to respond to that comment.
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Lol, yea that’s a big family. With current gas prices shouldn’t be hard to get a good deal on a gas guzzler
 
Photocycler said:
Lol, yea that’s a big family. With current gas prices shouldn’t be hard to get a good deal on a gas guzzler
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I hear that. Seen $4.99/gal today here is California. Luckily, neither one of us drive a ton outside of work, which the company pays for that.
 
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