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Where are the Rubicon owners at?

TheViking_ZA

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Hi Guys,

IM in the market for a new vehicle, and damn the jeep rubi has all my senses tingling...

What are your thoughts on these vehicles? have you ran into any issues with them? I believe the Motor is quite reliable?


Your input would be appreciated.
 
Hi :)
I assume you are referring to the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Why specifically the Rubicon over the Sahara?
Do you plan on buying new or used? Are you aware that the JK is end of life and we wil get the JL early next year?
Will it be a daily/family carrier/weekend toy/?
Do you plan on getting a 3 door or JKU?
Diesel or Petrol? Either way, they are HEAVY on fuel...
Search for "Jeep forum South Africa" (I'm not sure if I am allowed to post the URL here) and perhaps ask there too or browse previous posts.
 
Hi :)
I assume you are referring to the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Why specifically the Rubicon over the Sahara?
Do you plan on buying new or used? Are you aware that the JK is end of life and we wil get the JL early next year?
Will it be a daily/family carrier/weekend toy/?
Do you plan on getting a 3 door or JKU?
Diesel or Petrol? Either way, they are HEAVY on fuel...
Search for "Jeep forum South Africa" (I'm not sure if I am allowed to post the URL here) and perhaps ask there too or browse previous posts.
Yes sir, the Wrangler Rubicon.
It will be used, im not spending 800k on a car :D
It would be a weekend toy mostly.
Definitely plan in getting the 5 door JKU.
Petrol, i believe the diesels are quite problematic.
 
(y)
Have a look at the forum I've suggested. Of course there are a few international forums too which are very informative.
As stated, they are heavy drinkers, but that would be less of a problem for a weekend toy.
If you plan on doing longer trips with passengers, just be aware that there certainly are more comfortable long distance cruisers out there. The rear seats are very upright (can be somewhat solved with spacers/recline kit) and it's not happy at higher speeds. The interior is also showing its age and is very plasticky. Rear visibility is compromised due to the spare wheel's location and there are no OEM parking sensors or reverse camera (can be added - google "Jippo") so parking can be an issue in the city.
They are great fun and have loads of character, but unless you plan on driving with the top down regularly or do some serious off roading, there probaly are more comfortable/modern/better value options available.

I am not trying to talk you out of buying one, but be aware of their shortcomings before you do.
 
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I own a rubi the 3.8lt V6 ... absolutely love my car ... it is an acquired taste though ... drinks juice ... 3 point turns ... turn into 8 point turns lol unless you can drive over it ... we don't buy Jeeps to keep them stock ... and the best part of owning a jeep is going where not many can follow ... there are events and groups across SA

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Not to worried about the fuel consumption as this will be a weekend toy not a daily.
i have given the long distance travel a thought. i would hate not being able to do obstacles, or what ever it may be, when i arrive at my destination
i'vé had a isuzu/hilux and a ranger. I want something different. Which is why i opted for the rubi.
 
Not to worried about the fuel consumption as this will be a weekend toy not a daily.
i have given the long distance travel a thought. i would hate not being able to do obstacles, or what ever it may be, when i arrive at my destination
i'vé had a isuzu/hilux and a ranger. I want something different. Which is why i opted for the rubi.
Standard rubi is good on a trail ... to unlock it's true potential tyres and a lift at least...



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And be prepared for the small fixes ... death wobble being the main one ... my steering box just kicked the bucket ... 5.5k fix from a 2018 write off ... not too bad if you shop properly...

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Reasons why you shouldn't buy a Jeep:
No local support since GM pulled out
Hugely unreliable
Poor interior materials
Relativity expensive considering the construction quality

Reason to buy:
Local parts can be found
Fairly easy to fix since they aren't complicated
They depreciate badly so a second hand model will be cheap
Not likely to be stolen
Good off road (Certain models)

Rather get a Mazda CX5 or Rav4.
 
While I don't disagree with some of the points above (I've brought up the Wrangler's interior quality/materials myself; less so on other models and much improved on the JL), Jeep isn't part of GM and hasn't left the country.
 
Oh right, I did some digging and they are in South Africa. My apologies. I thought they were apart of GM. They aren't.

Just do your homework on the car before you buy it. It isn't a full on 4X4 but it has presence and looks amazing, I won't lie. Just don't let the trophy girl looks fool you into putting a ring on a gold digger.

I say this with the full intention on one day purchasing an Alfa 159 3.2 V6 which is known to be as reliable as toilet paper in the rain.
 
They hold there resale very well too ... wranglers that is

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But on a serious note, why even look at a jeep if you can buy a Mercedes GL320
 
I work at a Jeep dealership as a mechanic and some of the above comments are funny AF to me. A lift kit ruins a wrangler. No matter what anyone says. The rubicon is trail rated to go over the rubicon trail in completly stock form(thats why the rubicon has the trail rated bagde on the side) I dont know what more you would want. A lift kit ruins the ride and makes it too top heavy. Even when driving on the open road it feels loose. People fit these huge tyres that stick out half a meter and expect the vehicle to handle better(thats where the death wobble comes from) They fit steel offroad bumpers with winches and extra lights that covers the entire front end then complain when they overheat while manuevering offroad(and being heavier on fuel, duh, you added 200kg to the car) I have heard all the stories there is to hear about the wrangler and how unreliable they can be. Its because people fit these ridiculous aftermarket accesories as they think that is what they need in order to go offroad in one.

Go take one for a test drive and see for yourself. You will be suprised at how capable they are. No aftermarket mods needed as it is already a go anywhere you want vehicle. Nothing compares to a Jeeps offroad ability. Not talking about sand dunes but serious rock crawling and manuevering.

Have a look at the rubicon trail vids on youtube and see what they really can do.
 
I have to agree with Chucker on this. I did all the mods to my Rubicon, then eventually sold it because it was too painful to go anywhere far away. They do look hardcore AF with the mods though!
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I heard many of the Jeep dealerships are closing down btw, like the one in Century City, here in the greatest city of all of mankind.
 
The dealers for these cars are stupid expensive especially if its out of plan.

You can use American SUV in PTA as they seem to be very good with these types of cars and are literally half the price of the agents.
American SUV Jeep ,Chrysler and Dodge Spares ,
If you're in Cape Town, call my mechanic up. There isn't much he can't fix and he's used to problematic cars.

When the Ford Focus models first had that engine block problem, he rebuild the entire engine using generic parts for the client and sold it on. He also works on those AC Shelby Cobra replicas that you see floating around in Cape Town.
 
I heard many of the Jeep dealerships are closing down btw, like the one in Century City, here in the greatest city of all of mankind.
Lets just say that after booking a test drive a week before the time and then the salesman not pitching up with the excuse that he had another customer sent me to BMW and I never looked back..now they closing down maybe they shouldt have such crap service.
Had similar experience with Hyundai Bellville when looking at a ix35. Called her 5 min before I got there to confirm and guess what, she went out for tea...
 

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