bestcoast
Member
I've been a long time lurker here and have spent countless hours reading and staring at pictures. Well yesterday was the day I finally pulled the trigger and took home my first Jeep...or new car for that matter, so I thought it would be a good time to start a thread of my own to see where this takes me. I'm from Northern California and I spent a good couple of weeks looking on craigslist and dealer websites for a decent used 2012+ JK.
My previous vehicle was a lifted 2002 Tahoe with 212k miles. While it was fun, and I felt more confident taking it on longer trips than my 1969 K10 that I owned before it, I knew in the back of my mind that it wasn't ever going to be the vehicle I wanted. Also I got an earful every time the girlfriend had to drive it.
12593452_1675047232748293_5496512880199644757_o by Daniel Hargreaves, on Flickr
The first thing I noticed was the resale value the JK's have around here. As soon as I realized they were selling used for pennies less than (or sometimes more than) what a new one goes for, I decided to start looking for a new one. I'm 25, am somewhat new in my career, and am by no means rich, so I realized it was going to be a fine balance of trying to find the vehicle I wanted and still being responsible. I went into my local dealer and checked out a JKU sport. The girlfriend and I test drove it and pretty much knew it was what we wanted right away. It was the right size, could still fit friends in the back and some gear, and I knew it would get me everywhere I wanted to go. The rub was that the local dealer didn't have any with the 3.73 gears or LSD rear. They told me they could find me one and have it there within a couple days. We left and I thought about it for a week. I looked at competitors, I test drove a Nissan Frontier Pro-4x (almost pulled the trigger on that one just based on the price), but I knew that I had already made up my mind.
I went back to the dealer a week later after work to talk numbers, and promptly had the dream shattered by the salesman who told me I would get $500 for my Tahoe and not much more for my girlfriend's accord. The next morning I looked at another local dealer online and they happened to have a JKU Sport with the max tow package/ LSD rear, and a JKUR in black with 4.10 gears. I called the dealer and was there an hour later. Seeing the two side by side, I knew of course I wanted the rubicon. I test drove it and we went inside to talk numbers. I had the dreaded conversation with the salesman about trading in the Tahoe and Accord, but much to my surprise they turned around and offered me $7500 for both. We talked numbers some more and I ended up leaving the dealer at 5PM that night, the new owner of a JKUR that I got for invoice price (making it roughly $50 more a month than the sport).
IMG_0728 by Daniel Hargreaves, on Flickr
I proceeded to drive like a grandma all the way home. I woke up the girlfriend (She works nights) and had her come down stairs. We had had the conversation about getting one but the last time we talked about it, I told her I didn't think it was going to happen. Rather than wake her up to tell her, I decided she needed her sleep and that she trusted me enough to make a good decision. Much to my surprise I still have a girlfriend and she was almost more excited than I was.
The next day I went on a small day trip with a couple friends to go explore and shoot. I figured it was the proper way to break in the jeep. We went to Cow Mountain in Ukiah and spent most of the day shooting but the end of the day I decided to branch out a bit and do some exploring.
IMG_4294 by Daniel Hargreaves, on Flickr
IMG_3102 by Daniel Hargreaves, on Flickr
[video]https://youtu.be/1VBhnrKFqj4[/video]
I found a small mud pit to try out the lockers. My "off-road" experience up to this point consisted of fire/dirt roads.
Southern Cow Mountain is an OHV park and I had only ever been to Northern Cow Mountain. I did not have a trail map and was unfamiliar with the trail labels so it was mostly trial and error. The first trail I tried I quickly realized was more than I was willing to risk given I did not have a winch or any other vehicles with us.
[video]https://youtu.be/7lG3r9d8Jcw[/video]
The second trail was more at my level and I soon came to the conclusion that the JKUR has much more capability than I am able to use given my skill level. It was a fun trip for sure and I look forward to taking the jeep on some camping trips and maybe a trip out to Utah as well if we can find the time this summer. Overall I can't wait to get more experience on more technical trails and to get out there and start exploring now that I have a vehicle I feel comfortable doing it in. As far as planned modifications go:
-Gobi Rack
-Snorkel/prefilter
-Drawer/storage for the rear
-Laptop mount up front
-Front winch bumper
-Rear bumper/ Tire carrier upgrade (Been eyeballing the AEV tire carrier with fuel caddy)
-CB or Ham radio
-Window tint
-Rubber floor mats
-Second battery
-On board air
As of now I don't plan on lifting it until it's time to replace the stock tires.
Let me know what you think. I'm all ears for suggestions on modifications, places to go, driving tips etc. Also sorry for the ridiculously long novel of a first post
My previous vehicle was a lifted 2002 Tahoe with 212k miles. While it was fun, and I felt more confident taking it on longer trips than my 1969 K10 that I owned before it, I knew in the back of my mind that it wasn't ever going to be the vehicle I wanted. Also I got an earful every time the girlfriend had to drive it.
12593452_1675047232748293_5496512880199644757_o by Daniel Hargreaves, on FlickrThe first thing I noticed was the resale value the JK's have around here. As soon as I realized they were selling used for pennies less than (or sometimes more than) what a new one goes for, I decided to start looking for a new one. I'm 25, am somewhat new in my career, and am by no means rich, so I realized it was going to be a fine balance of trying to find the vehicle I wanted and still being responsible. I went into my local dealer and checked out a JKU sport. The girlfriend and I test drove it and pretty much knew it was what we wanted right away. It was the right size, could still fit friends in the back and some gear, and I knew it would get me everywhere I wanted to go. The rub was that the local dealer didn't have any with the 3.73 gears or LSD rear. They told me they could find me one and have it there within a couple days. We left and I thought about it for a week. I looked at competitors, I test drove a Nissan Frontier Pro-4x (almost pulled the trigger on that one just based on the price), but I knew that I had already made up my mind.
I went back to the dealer a week later after work to talk numbers, and promptly had the dream shattered by the salesman who told me I would get $500 for my Tahoe and not much more for my girlfriend's accord. The next morning I looked at another local dealer online and they happened to have a JKU Sport with the max tow package/ LSD rear, and a JKUR in black with 4.10 gears. I called the dealer and was there an hour later. Seeing the two side by side, I knew of course I wanted the rubicon. I test drove it and we went inside to talk numbers. I had the dreaded conversation with the salesman about trading in the Tahoe and Accord, but much to my surprise they turned around and offered me $7500 for both. We talked numbers some more and I ended up leaving the dealer at 5PM that night, the new owner of a JKUR that I got for invoice price (making it roughly $50 more a month than the sport).
IMG_0728 by Daniel Hargreaves, on FlickrI proceeded to drive like a grandma all the way home. I woke up the girlfriend (She works nights) and had her come down stairs. We had had the conversation about getting one but the last time we talked about it, I told her I didn't think it was going to happen. Rather than wake her up to tell her, I decided she needed her sleep and that she trusted me enough to make a good decision. Much to my surprise I still have a girlfriend and she was almost more excited than I was.
The next day I went on a small day trip with a couple friends to go explore and shoot. I figured it was the proper way to break in the jeep. We went to Cow Mountain in Ukiah and spent most of the day shooting but the end of the day I decided to branch out a bit and do some exploring.
IMG_4294 by Daniel Hargreaves, on Flickr
IMG_3102 by Daniel Hargreaves, on Flickr[video]https://youtu.be/1VBhnrKFqj4[/video]
I found a small mud pit to try out the lockers. My "off-road" experience up to this point consisted of fire/dirt roads.
Southern Cow Mountain is an OHV park and I had only ever been to Northern Cow Mountain. I did not have a trail map and was unfamiliar with the trail labels so it was mostly trial and error. The first trail I tried I quickly realized was more than I was willing to risk given I did not have a winch or any other vehicles with us.
[video]https://youtu.be/7lG3r9d8Jcw[/video]
The second trail was more at my level and I soon came to the conclusion that the JKUR has much more capability than I am able to use given my skill level. It was a fun trip for sure and I look forward to taking the jeep on some camping trips and maybe a trip out to Utah as well if we can find the time this summer. Overall I can't wait to get more experience on more technical trails and to get out there and start exploring now that I have a vehicle I feel comfortable doing it in. As far as planned modifications go:
-Gobi Rack
-Snorkel/prefilter
-Drawer/storage for the rear
-Laptop mount up front
-Front winch bumper
-Rear bumper/ Tire carrier upgrade (Been eyeballing the AEV tire carrier with fuel caddy)
-CB or Ham radio
-Window tint
-Rubber floor mats
-Second battery
-On board air
As of now I don't plan on lifting it until it's time to replace the stock tires.
Let me know what you think. I'm all ears for suggestions on modifications, places to go, driving tips etc. Also sorry for the ridiculously long novel of a first post
