A neighbor asked if my Jeep was for sale this morning

DavidBT

TJ Enthusiast
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Jun 10, 2022
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637
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South East Arizona
So I was moving my tj out on the street today to hook up our travel trailer to take to the dealer for some warranty work and was approached by a neighbor down the street. He's looking for something to pull behind his motor home. It's a 05 Rubicon and pretty much unmolested. I was just planning on putting the 2" budget boost on and have all the parts in the garage. I'm retired and the tj is mostly for exploring the local trails around South East Arizona. I have a 22 Gladiator for pulling the travel trailer and for light trails when we travel. Since I have the gladiator now, I'm just thinking about only having to service one vehicle and save a little on insurance. I do have a loan on the tj and that would save a little money too. I just don't think I'll ever be able to replace it. If I take the tj to moab, I have to camp on ABB which is costly. The gladiator can do moderate trails and I can pull the camper where ever we go. Just a rant I guess.

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With you being retired, the practical side of me says eliminating any debt is a good thing. Sure you won't likely replace it, but if you're not tied to it, owe money, and the JT meets your needs, is the TJ really something to keep around? That said, unmolested TJ Rubicons bring a premium now. You'd have to pay it off to have a clear title for sale, but you'd likely get a good amount of money. Especially, if the miles are low and there are no accidents.
 
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With you being retired, the practical side of me says eliminating any debt is a good thing. Sure you won't likely replace it, but if you're not tied to it, owe money, and the JT meets your needs, is the TJ really something to keep around? That said, unmolested TJ Rubicons bring a premium now. You'd have to pay it off to have a clear title for sale, but you'd likely get a good amount of money. Especially, if the miles are low and there are no accidents.

Thanks, no accident's and just under 99,000 miles. As much as I like the thought of having both, my mind is leaning towards only having the jt.
 
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Let her go, you can do plenty in the Gladiator. Just don't cry when you go to replace it and it's the same cost or more expensive than the Gladiator was. It'll be worth it if you want another one, there will be plenty around but they wont be cheap like they are now. Valuable old cars cost more than new ones at the dealership, some people have trouble understanding that.
 
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Let her go, you can do plenty in the Gladiator. Just don't cry when you go to replace it and it's the same cost or more expensive than the Gladiator was. It'll be worth it if you want another one, there will be plenty around but they wont be cheap like they are now. Valuable old cars cost more than new ones at the dealership, some people have trouble understanding that.

Thanks, that's what I'm thinking. I've had the gladiator out on the trail and it is an amazing machine in it's stock form.
 
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A stock-ish Gladiator probably can't go where a stock-ish TJ Rubicon can go on tougher trails....but it sounds to me like you aren't doing crazy trails and body damage is something you'd prefer to avoid. If light/medium trails are your thing, the Gladiator is probably a decent compromise between offroading ability, comfort and utility. But the TJ Rubicon is still cooler.
 
A stock-ish Gladiator probably can't go where a stock-ish TJ Rubicon can go on tougher trails....but it sounds to me like you aren't doing crazy trails and body damage is something you'd prefer to avoid. If light/medium trails are your thing, the Gladiator is probably a decent compromise between offroading ability, comfort and utility. But the TJ Rubicon is still cooler.

The cool facture is what's so hard about giving it up. Also, it hasn't given me any trouble. It just goes where I ask it to.
 
The cool facture is what's so hard about giving it up. Also, it hasn't given me any trouble. It just goes where I ask it to.

Hopefully the Gladiator gives you the same service. Long term I have my doubts but I truly hope I'm wrong for your sake DavidBT !!!
 
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If the Gladiator was a rubicon I would lean towards ditching the TJ but as they both sit the gladiator will be way more annoying than fun off road on anything more than a pretty mild trail, especially compared to how nimble that rubicon TJ will feel.

If you really want to ditch the TJ, I would probably trade in the gladiator for a rubicon one, which may sound like a lot but I would still probably go that route before modifying yours to get “close to a rubicon.”

The TJ will be really fun off road, the gladiator will take some work to make fun off road. For math’s sake: TJ: 93.5” wheelbase. JT: 137.3” wheelbase
 
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If the Gladiator was a rubicon I would lean towards ditching the TJ but as they both sit the gladiator will be way more annoying than fun off road on anything more than a pretty mild trail, especially compared to how nimble that rubicon TJ will feel.

If you really want to ditch the TJ, I would probably trade in the gladiator for a rubicon one, which may sound like a lot but I would still probably go that route before modifying yours to get “close to a rubicon.”

The TJ will be really fun off road, the gladiator will take some work to make fun off road. For math’s sake: TJ: 93.5” wheelbase. JT: 137.3” wheelbase

Not to mention off road I'd much rather beat up a TJ than anything from the last decade. Not to suggest abusing the TJ, but not caring opens up a lot of fun.
 
I would love a JT for camping, but I wouldn’t want one instead of the TJ, it would have to be in addition to the TJ. I like them for totally different reasons.

I like camping out of my TJ, but I recognize the times something else would be better. It's rare enough I've not given much more time to the thought train.
 
I like camping out of my TJ, but I recognize the times something else would be better. It's rare enough I've not given much more time to the thought train.

I’ve pretty much relegated the TJ to a wheeling rig. I have a truck for camping because that involves the girlfriend and dog, and there’s simply not enough room in the Jeep for that plus gear to make an enjoyable trip.
 
I’ve pretty much relegated the TJ to a wheeling rig. I have a truck for camping because that involves the girlfriend and dog, and there’s simply not enough room in the Jeep for that plus gear to make an enjoyable trip.

I have an LJ, so maybe that changes things - but I can do a comfortable 3-4 days for 3-4 people.
 
So I was moving my tj out on the street today to hook up our travel trailer to take to the dealer for some warranty work and was approached by a neighbor down the street. He's looking for something to pull behind his motor home. It's a 05 Rubicon and pretty much unmolested. I was just planning on putting the 2" budget boost on and have all the parts in the garage. I'm retired and the tj is mostly for exploring the local trails around South East Arizona. I have a 22 Gladiator for pulling the travel trailer and for light trails when we travel. Since I have the gladiator now, I'm just thinking about only having to service one vehicle and save a little on insurance. I do have a loan on the tj and that would save a little money too. I just don't think I'll ever be able to replace it. If I take the tj to moab, I have to camp on ABB which is costly. The gladiator can do moderate trails and I can pull the camper where ever we go. Just a rant I guess.

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I wish he would have asked me- I might have sold him both of them.
 
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I have an LJ, so maybe that changes things - but I can do a comfortable 3-4 days for 3-4 people.

Let me put it this way, If I go for a night or a week, we pretty much bring the same amount of shit, just a little more clothes. It’s quite a few creature comforts. I actually just bought a small tent for the dog and I to hopefully do some primitive trips. That I could prob pull off with the Jeep. I’d probably want to mount the spare on the back.
 
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We had a Gladiator in or Moab group for a day. He had to bypass a couple of obstacles on Hell's Revenge because of his length. His rear bumper would bury in the sand when he got the front wheels up and the rear wheels couldn't get to the rocks.

But it was a stock Rubicon JT and still did okay. I still like my unlimited better, but it's a personal preference, so I'm biased.. Lifted Gladiators with larger tires make them look better, in my opinion.