Figured it was about time I share my "build" on here. Its a slow progression of my 2008 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon that I picked up over the summer. I've had a lot of different rigs ranging from Suzuki Samurais, Jeep Cherokee XJ's, and a buggied out Jeep Wrangler YJ on 1tons and 42's. After going the whole buggy route I decided that for now its too expensive and doesn't really fit my desires or that of my family. I first went back to an XJ a built a 2000 into a Adventure Wheeler/Baby crawler of sorts on 35's and beadlocks. I was able to get back to enjoying the easier trails and get into camping with the family (something I hadn't done since I was in middle school) with it. With my daily driver Audi S4 creeping up on 230,000 miles and the XJ at close to 210,000 miles I decided it was time for a new car. I was originally going to get another 1/2ton truck but upon realizing how expensive they had become I decided to get the JK. I'd been drooling over them for years and finally went for it. The following posts will get us caught up to the present.
Cross Posts will have their original date in bold at the top
14Oct2013
This summer I decided it was time to get myself a newer car. My daily driver S4 was 13 years old and had over 220,000 miles on the clock and my family wheeler/camping rig was also 13 years old with over 208,000 miles on it. After going back and forth on what I wanted to do I decided to go with a JKU as my 1 and only vehicle. I wasn't set on a Rubicon or a specific color but I new I wanted the cheapest one I could find that had less than 100,000 miles and was as bone stock as possible. I wound up finding a 2008 Rubicon w/ 72,000 miles on it that was completely stock reportedly never taken off road. I talked the owner down a few more thousand and wound up paying what KBB said the trade-in value was on it. Good enough for me, and bonus it was 1 of the 3 colors on the top of my desired list.
This is after I got it home
The first weekend after I got it I took it up to Middle Saint Vrain and Coney Flats for some wheeling. This is a fun trail system for mild to moderately built rigs and I still enjoyed it with my YJ on 1 tons and 42's. Its just a pretty area with a sweet water crossing, good camping spots, and close to where I live.
Some "carnage" from its first wheeling trip
Our group
One of several small water crossings
A little "flex" shot
All in all I was really impressed with how it did stock. My only complaint was that there is a significant lack of ground clearance. I quickly got used to hearing the rocker guards or skid plates making contact with the ground. It never did hang the thing up though and despite how much longer than my XJ's or even my YJ it turned amazingly well and didn't seem nearly as school bus-like as I feared when wheeling.