Sport or Rubicon to start as my base

S

sawyer1370

New member
I am finally ready to start my build, after lurking around here for a while. I'm in the market to get a JKU 2012-2015. I can get a used Sport for about $25k with lower miles or get a similar Rubicon for $35k. I am leaning towards the sport, as I can take the $10k and put it towards a nice lift and suspension package and get a nice Dana44 on the front, and leave the rear as is for a while. I can also get rockers be be at about that $10k. Is there any advantage to spending the extra money for the Rubicon that I am missing?

Any tips from the folks who have done this before?

Thanks in advance!
 
sawyer1370 said:
I am finally ready to start my build, after lurking around here for a while. I'm in the market to get a JKU 2012-2015. I can get a used Sport for about $25k with lower miles or get a similar Rubicon for $35k. I am leaning towards the sport, as I can take the $10k and put it towards a nice lift and suspension package and get a nice Dana44 on the front, and leave the rear as is for a while. I can also get rockers be be at about that $10k. Is there any advantage to spending the extra money for the Rubicon that I am missing?

Any tips from the folks who have done this before?

Thanks in advance!
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Post #1 hope to see you in the waive section of the forum.

In regards to your question it all depend on how you wheel. Many guys here get the sport version and build it up. Myself I opted to get Rubi since I knew I wanted to wheel bad but I also knew it will take me some time to get to the build level I want to be at, so that being said $10k is a dissent amount on money to spend on parts so if I was to do it again I would think twice going the Rubi route.
Enjoy your build regardless of what you choose.
 
Other benefit on the Rubicon is the active sway bar. If you go with a sport, some have power accessories and some don't. Keep an eye out for that. If you look around the forum, there are many of threads like this.
 
sawyer1370 said:
I am finally ready to start my build, after lurking around here for a while. I'm in the market to get a JKU 2012-2015. I can get a used Sport for about $25k with lower miles or get a similar Rubicon for $35k. I am leaning towards the sport, as I can take the $10k and put it towards a nice lift and suspension package and get a nice Dana44 on the front, and leave the rear as is for a while. I can also get rockers be be at about that $10k. Is there any advantage to spending the extra money for the Rubicon that I am missing?

Any tips from the folks who have done this before?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

This is a question that has been asked many times on here. I'm sure you'll find a ton of opinions if you search. Welcome to WAL.


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Show me a frickin Rubicon with all the factory shit still on it. there are a lot of Rubi owners that change out the axles, wheels, gears, tires, wheels, suspension parts, and bumpers. What's left the transfer case? I just came back from a beer fest so I think I am going to bed.
 
catahoula said:
Show me a frickin Rubicon with all the factory shit still on it. there are a lot of Rubi owners that change out the axles, wheels, gears, tires, wheels, suspension parts, and bumpers. What's left the transfer case? I just came back from a beer fest so I think I am going to bed.
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Lol, fucking Pete :cheesy: Total drunk post.
 
Depends on what size tires and lift too. So that and how you plan to wheel will dictate your choices. Go to the wave section and introduce yourself, take a day or two to browse the site and think about what you really want out of a Jeep. Don't try to keep up with the big boys unless you have the desire to wheel hard and have the bank to back it up. Be realistic with your wants and needs and then we can better help you narrow it down. If you want an idea of what someone who started with a sport ended up with then check out my build below. Keep in mind that mine would be considered a mid-level build compared to many of the Jeeps on here to get an idea. You can do something just as nice for a lot less money.
 
My opinion, buy what fits the budget. All JK's are fun depending on what you are looking for. So much of this decision depends on how and where you will ride. The rubicon is just sick in its stock form. I've previously spent a lot of time and money on Jeeps just to get them to the turn key rubicon's capability. I live in the South East though, so I'm not hitting trails with the big nasty rocks they have out west. I drive mine daily by choice so my Jeep has to be street friendly. I don't have the time to tinker with building right now so, the Rubicon made sense for me. So you have to ask yourself, what trails, what tire size, is it your daily driver, and do you have time to mess with building and dialing in the perfect JK?


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If I had to do it over, I would have started with the rubicon. You can find a used rubicon for much less than 35k. My buddy just picked up a 13 jkur for 27k in awesome condition.


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I have to agree with NecessaryEvil. If I were to do it over again, I would also get a Rubicon to start with. The only reason I didn't was because of the price I got my Willys for.

Now if you plan to put 60's under it with 40's etc. then I'd definitely say go for the sport. Everyone will have a different opinion when it comes to this question. It really just boils down to your wants/needs/$ in the bank.


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AZ Explorer said:
Depends on what size tires and lift too. So that and how you plan to wheel will dictate your choices. Go to the wave section and introduce yourself, take a day or two to browse the site and think about what you really want out of a Jeep. Don't try to keep up with the big boys unless you have the desire to wheel hard and have the bank to back it up. Be realistic with your wants and needs and then we can better help you narrow it down. If you want an idea of what someone who started with a sport ended up with then check out my build below. Keep in mind that mine would be considered a mid-level build compared to many of the Jeeps on here to get an idea. You can do something just as nice for a lot less money.
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Thanks for all the feedback from everyone! AZ Explorer, I understand your point completely. I read through your build, great Jeep btw! I'm fortunate enough to be able to dedicate consistent resources towards this. I live in the Phoenix area, so doing some crawling is about 50% of what I'm looking to do. The other 50% would be for overlanding. Living here gives lots of opportunity for day trips and some really cool 2-4 day trips into some great areas in Colorado, Utah, California, etc. This jeep will be a toy, not a daily driver per say. I'm thinking 37" tires with a 3.5-4" lift. The suspension and lift options are numerous, so not sure what are my best options there.

In your build you mention wishing you had gone with Evo armor instead of the Poison Spyder, because of the extended coverage. It's things like this and other details where I could use pointers from others who have gone before me.
 
catahoula said:
Show me a frickin Rubicon with all the factory shit still on it. there are a lot of Rubi owners that change out the axles, wheels, gears, tires, wheels, suspension parts, and bumpers. What's left the transfer case? I just came back from a beer fest so I think I am going to bed.
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Amen to that!! All that's left is the engine, Trany, transfer and sway bar. Oh, and I forgot, those cool rubicon stickers on the hood! Buying a rubicon did give me time on the build so I could wheel it. In hindsight, I would have bought a used sport. The difference in cost between a used sport and the new rubi that I bought would have been the cost on the 6.4L. It all depends on how big and how fast you want to grow jeep. Just my two cents


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AZ Explorer said:
Depends on what size tires and lift too. So that and how you plan to wheel will dictate your choices. Go to the wave section and introduce yourself, take a day or two to browse the site and think about what you really want out of a Jeep. Don't try to keep up with the big boys unless you have the desire to wheel hard and have the bank to back it up. Be realistic with your wants and needs and then we can better help you narrow it down. If you want an idea of what someone who started with a sport ended up with then check out my build below. Keep in mind that mine would be considered a mid-level build compared to many of the Jeeps on here to get an idea. You can do something just as nice for a lot less money.
Click to expand...
Some of the best advice I've heard.

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sawyer1370 said:
Thanks for all the feedback from everyone! AZ Explorer, I understand your point completely. I read through your build, great Jeep btw! I'm fortunate enough to be able to dedicate consistent resources towards this. I live in the Phoenix area, so doing some crawling is about 50% of what I'm looking to do. The other 50% would be for overlanding. Living here gives lots of opportunity for day trips and some really cool 2-4 day trips into some great areas in Colorado, Utah, California, etc. This jeep will be a toy, not a daily driver per say. I'm thinking 37" tires with a 3.5-4" lift. The suspension and lift options are numerous, so not sure what are my best options there.

In your build you mention wishing you had gone with Evo armor instead of the Poison Spyder, because of the extended coverage. It's things like this and other details where I could use pointers from others who have gone before me.
Click to expand...

Well, since you're in Phoenix, maybe we can meet up and talk Jeeps sometime. Since I run 37's on a 4.5 you can look at my Jeep closer to get an idea and I can run you around the block to help figure out ride comfort. I can go into detail better about the problems I came across and how I addressed them. We really do live in a great place, central to a lot of wheeling.
 
AZ Explorer said:
Well, since you're in Phoenix, maybe we can meet up and talk Jeeps sometime. Since I run 37's on a 4.5 you can look at my Jeep closer to get an idea and I can run you around the block to help figure out ride comfort. I can go into detail better about the problems I came across and how I addressed them. We really do live in a great place, central to a lot of wheeling.
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Sounds good. The other day I was at a light and I saw a guy with a 'WayALife' sticker on his Maroon JKU, running a 4" life at 37's with bushwacker fenders. That was a great looking Jeep.
 
Interesting question as always.... Rubi---Non Rubi.....
Seems that folks either wish they had a rubi or wish they had gone with a non Rubi... They only thing I will add to this is, $10k doesn't go as fare as one thinks.... Lighting, winch, armor, tires and wheels, programmer, some interior shit if you don't have a dog, more interior shit if you have a dog...etc. good luck and enjoy whichever you choose.


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I just had this debate about 6 months ago. I ended up going with a sport, with the cash I had on hand and the pretty specific color I wanted it made sense. I put a rubi swaybar and evo manual no limits for $300 total, a rubi transfer case in it (swap with motec) for $700. Seen sets of rubi axles for for around $3500 then you need the wires switches and programmer so maybe $4000 ish. So your looking at about a 5K difference in parts depending on availability. I'm trying to hold off a bit for the dynatrac trail leader package which will set me back about about $8k so roughly $9k total to make my sport better than a Rubicon so with that in mind if the base price for the rubi vs sport you can find is a 10k difference then go with a sport and take the cash to buy a sway bar, transfer case, and dynatrac trail leader and your better off for the same $$. About the only thing I wish I could have got is factory leather seats

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