New (2020) Jeep Impressions

andy29847

TJ Enthusiast
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Feb 14, 2019
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I have had 2 Jeeps in my life. My first was/is Rootie the Rubicon. Rootie is a 2004 Wrangler that I bought 4 years ago. She has taken me to some wild and unusual places, plus provided me with a place to invest my disposable income that pays the same interest as a bank. :) Rootie has become a member of the family and converted us to the Jeep life.

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Jeep number 2 is Imogene, the 2020 Jeep Gladiator. :) Imogene is theoretically my wife's ride. We sold my dually diesel pickup, threw in a little inheritance money, and bought the truck 3 weeks ago. We love it. The big surprise for me is how much more refined the ride is compared to Rootie. I don't know if it is the Fox shocks, the JL/JT suspension design, or just the added wheelbase, but Imogene is a good road vehicle. Throw in the new car smell and you can understand why Imogene is getting the call for most of our errands the past few weeks.

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The most disconcerting thing about the new Jeep for me is the complexity of the systems. Everything seems to be controlled by the radio. What am I going to do if I need to work on this Jeep in the woods? Throw in the proximity key, push button start with multiple lockouts, and a seatbelt alarm that never gives up, and I feel like I am "Lost in Space". Being an Old Fart has never been so hard.

Oh yeah. Not to worry. The new Jeep provides ample investment opportunity, just like Rootie. So far I've ordered a "Decked" system for the truck bed, a new front bumper, a winch, and a fancy cooler. It seem like these things will be a good investment. After all, the bank wants to be paid to keep your money now. All that is left is to find someone like Jerry or Blaine who will keep me on the straight and narrow when I get the wrenches out for Imogene. I'll let youse guys and gals know how it goes.
 
All of the electronics; aluminum and plastic body panels and overall poor quality on my ‘18 JL are part of the reason I went out and found a pristine low mileage TJ to replace it.......Likely when warranty is up. Love the simplicity of older models- but you are right it’s hard to beat comfort of new JLs. Nice ride(s)!
 
Geez, my '04 TJ is the newest vehicle I have ever owned. So many bells and whistles that all my other vehicles from the '50 and '60 never had. Lot's of new fangled stuff that is driving me nucking futs. Sometimes I have found myself thinking I should have bought a old CJ.

EDIT :
It's been a hard year in my 2020 Pete work truck. Yeah, everythang runs through the radio. It's got a 12 speed auto trans, smart CC. Lane control that goes beep beep. I sure miss my old '05 Pete.

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Fender flares, and all but the specifically steel bumpers.

The above items are all I have found. Of course, the flares on my 2004 TJ are plastic too. I was not concerned about the plastic bumper. I'll be replacing the stock bumper with an aftermarket item soon.

FIWIW, the new Jeep is really growing on me. I'm getting used to the gadgetry, and I love the performance and ride. The biggest plus is that my wife is happy. :)

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The above items are all I have found. Of course, the flares on my 2004 TJ are plastic too. I was not concerned about the plastic bumper. I'll be replacing the stock bumper with an aftermarket item soon.

FIWIW, the new Jeep is really growing on me. I'm getting used to the gadgetry, and I love the performance and ride. The biggest plus is that my wife is happy. :)

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The grille is also plastic, same on my JK too. Handles are weak plastic. I recall when the JLs came out, I checked them out and the handle felt flimsy compared to the JK, I yanked/ tested it for durability and it cracked... I slowly walked away.

The aluminum was flimsy too, doors have a bend/wave from factory hinge installs. Seen from an angle in sunlight. It did drive nice tho, I decided on a JK, much less and felt built better, maybe being last year of the model.

Even still I missed my TJ and finally caved and bought another TJR. Feels like a real Jeep.
 
I'm thinking about getting one for my next truck. What do think of it? From what I understand the "ammo cans" in the corners are not rain proof.

The "Decked" system is a high quality piece of gear. It come in one big box that is heavy. Think hand truck heavy. It is packaged well, and mine had all the pieces I needed for the install. The instruction are good too. You do not have to drill any new holes to mount the system. It took me several hours (working alone) to complete the install. It mounts solidly in the bed and I can't hear any squeaks or rattles while driving. The drawer hardware is good and the drawers open and close smoothly. The ammo cans are not waterproof or lockable. I was surprised how tall it is, but that is not a go/no go point for me. I plan to put my off road recovery gear in the drawers. BTW, I did not buy locks for the drawers since my tailgate locks. I bought my Decked system at Home Depot.
 
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