As an owner of a SWB Rubicon and a "girly" 01 XJ, I'd say the LWB
Rubicon would be a beautiful choice. A blend of the two, if you will. It
would have been a tough choice if they had both in Aug/Sept of '02 when
I ordered mine. I'd love to have a touch more room.

I find it interesting that you degrade the 97+ XJ (my Sport is no more
plush than a Sport TJ) yet you want the creature comforts on the Unltd.
where they must seem more masculine to you somehow. :)

BTW, a CD player that will handle mp3 files would be preferred. Has DC
caught on to this yet?

L.A. Jeepster wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> Commentary in this room helped me a lot last year when I was choosing a
> barbeque grill (coal truly is the way to go), so I'm hoping to get a little
> input on the purchase of a Rubicon Unlimited.
>
> My Jeep experience thus far has been a '90 YJ 4.0L, a '95 YJ 2.5L, and a '96
> XJ 4.0L (my personal favorite, just before they started making XJs for
> girls, though I'd still take a redesigned XJ over the KJ any day). Now that
> gas prices are skyrocketing and hybrids are all the rage, I have the
> untimely opportunity to get a pretty good deal on a Rubicon Unlimited (is
> that a VJ?).
>
> I like the Rubicon options, like the tried-and-true 4.0L, the Dana 44; and I
> think the "Unlimited" extension is pretty cool. I want something I can take
> off road, but I'm basically a child of the Chrysler era when it comes to
> Jeep, so I like things like power-steering and CD players, and I'm not
> obsessed with "the good ol' days" when AMC made Jeeps... so aside from all
> the epithets against DC (which are probably true), what do you all think
> about this latest model?
>
>

--
__________________________________________________ _________
tw

71 Bill Stroppe Baja Bronco
03 TJ Rubicon - Rubicon Express 4.5"
01 XJ Sport

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
-- Dave Barry

Pronunciation: 'jEp
Function: noun
Date: 1940

Etymology: from g. p. (G= 'Government' P= '80 inch wheelbase')
A small general-purpose motor vehicle with 80-inch wheelbase,
1/4-ton capacity, and four-wheel drive used by the U.S. army in
World War II.

(Please remove the OBVIOUS to reply by email)
__________________________________________________ _________

 

As an owner of a SWB Rubicon and a "girly" 01 XJ, I'd say the LWB
Rubicon would be a beautiful choice. A blend of the two, if you will. It
would have been a tough choice if they had both in Aug/Sept of '02 when
I ordered mine. I'd love to have a touch more room.

I find it interesting that you degrade the 97+ XJ (my Sport is no more
plush than a Sport TJ) yet you want the creature comforts on the Unltd.
where they must seem more masculine to you somehow. :)

BTW, a CD player that will handle mp3 files would be preferred. Has DC
caught on to this yet?

L.A. Jeepster wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> Commentary in this room helped me a lot last year when I was choosing a
> barbeque grill (coal truly is the way to go), so I'm hoping to get a little
> input on the purchase of a Rubicon Unlimited.
>
> My Jeep experience thus far has been a '90 YJ 4.0L, a '95 YJ 2.5L, and a '96
> XJ 4.0L (my personal favorite, just before they started making XJs for
> girls, though I'd still take a redesigned XJ over the KJ any day). Now that
> gas prices are skyrocketing and hybrids are all the rage, I have the
> untimely opportunity to get a pretty good deal on a Rubicon Unlimited (is
> that a VJ?).
>
> I like the Rubicon options, like the tried-and-true 4.0L, the Dana 44; and I
> think the "Unlimited" extension is pretty cool. I want something I can take
> off road, but I'm basically a child of the Chrysler era when it comes to
> Jeep, so I like things like power-steering and CD players, and I'm not
> obsessed with "the good ol' days" when AMC made Jeeps... so aside from all
> the epithets against DC (which are probably true), what do you all think
> about this latest model?
>
>

--
__________________________________________________ _________
tw

71 Bill Stroppe Baja Bronco
03 TJ Rubicon - Rubicon Express 4.5"
01 XJ Sport

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
-- Dave Barry

Pronunciation: 'jEp
Function: noun
Date: 1940

Etymology: from g. p. (G= 'Government' P= '80 inch wheelbase')
A small general-purpose motor vehicle with 80-inch wheelbase,
1/4-ton capacity, and four-wheel drive used by the U.S. army in
World War II.

(Please remove the OBVIOUS to reply by email)
__________________________________________________ _________

 

As an owner of a SWB Rubicon and a "girly" 01 XJ, I'd say the LWB
Rubicon would be a beautiful choice. A blend of the two, if you will. It
would have been a tough choice if they had both in Aug/Sept of '02 when
I ordered mine. I'd love to have a touch more room.

I find it interesting that you degrade the 97+ XJ (my Sport is no more
plush than a Sport TJ) yet you want the creature comforts on the Unltd.
where they must seem more masculine to you somehow. :)

BTW, a CD player that will handle mp3 files would be preferred. Has DC
caught on to this yet?

L.A. Jeepster wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> Commentary in this room helped me a lot last year when I was choosing a
> barbeque grill (coal truly is the way to go), so I'm hoping to get a little
> input on the purchase of a Rubicon Unlimited.
>
> My Jeep experience thus far has been a '90 YJ 4.0L, a '95 YJ 2.5L, and a '96
> XJ 4.0L (my personal favorite, just before they started making XJs for
> girls, though I'd still take a redesigned XJ over the KJ any day). Now that
> gas prices are skyrocketing and hybrids are all the rage, I have the
> untimely opportunity to get a pretty good deal on a Rubicon Unlimited (is
> that a VJ?).
>
> I like the Rubicon options, like the tried-and-true 4.0L, the Dana 44; and I
> think the "Unlimited" extension is pretty cool. I want something I can take
> off road, but I'm basically a child of the Chrysler era when it comes to
> Jeep, so I like things like power-steering and CD players, and I'm not
> obsessed with "the good ol' days" when AMC made Jeeps... so aside from all
> the epithets against DC (which are probably true), what do you all think
> about this latest model?
>
>

--
__________________________________________________ _________
tw

71 Bill Stroppe Baja Bronco
03 TJ Rubicon - Rubicon Express 4.5"
01 XJ Sport

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
-- Dave Barry

Pronunciation: 'jEp
Function: noun
Date: 1940

Etymology: from g. p. (G= 'Government' P= '80 inch wheelbase')
A small general-purpose motor vehicle with 80-inch wheelbase,
1/4-ton capacity, and four-wheel drive used by the U.S. army in
World War II.

(Please remove the OBVIOUS to reply by email)
__________________________________________________ _________

 

"twaldron" <thomas@OBVIOUSrubicons.com> wrote in message
news:VpWee.1567$1o3.1121@newssvr12.news.prodigy.co m...
>
> I find it interesting that you degrade the 97+ XJ (my Sport is no more
> plush than a Sport TJ) yet you want the creature comforts on the Unltd.
> where they must seem more masculine to you somehow. :)

I recall that being the year when weird things started happening with
Jeep... the TJ replaced the YJ, leaf springs were abandoned for coils, and
colors like "baby blue" became an option. (People stopped waving at each
other that year, too.) Basically, Jeep was trying to appeal to the Honda
CRV -driving crowd (i.e., girls) and forgetting about its rock crawling fan
base. At least the Rubicon sales pitch attempts to reconnect with the old
guard.

Of course, I'm sure people felt the same way when the YJ replaced the CJ.
One day we'll all be 4-wheeling in battery-powered trucks anyway.

 

"twaldron" <thomas@OBVIOUSrubicons.com> wrote in message
news:VpWee.1567$1o3.1121@newssvr12.news.prodigy.co m...
>
> I find it interesting that you degrade the 97+ XJ (my Sport is no more
> plush than a Sport TJ) yet you want the creature comforts on the Unltd.
> where they must seem more masculine to you somehow. :)

I recall that being the year when weird things started happening with
Jeep... the TJ replaced the YJ, leaf springs were abandoned for coils, and
colors like "baby blue" became an option. (People stopped waving at each
other that year, too.) Basically, Jeep was trying to appeal to the Honda
CRV -driving crowd (i.e., girls) and forgetting about its rock crawling fan
base. At least the Rubicon sales pitch attempts to reconnect with the old
guard.

Of course, I'm sure people felt the same way when the YJ replaced the CJ.
One day we'll all be 4-wheeling in battery-powered trucks anyway.

 

"twaldron" <thomas@OBVIOUSrubicons.com> wrote in message
news:VpWee.1567$1o3.1121@newssvr12.news.prodigy.co m...
>
> I find it interesting that you degrade the 97+ XJ (my Sport is no more
> plush than a Sport TJ) yet you want the creature comforts on the Unltd.
> where they must seem more masculine to you somehow. :)

I recall that being the year when weird things started happening with
Jeep... the TJ replaced the YJ, leaf springs were abandoned for coils, and
colors like "baby blue" became an option. (People stopped waving at each
other that year, too.) Basically, Jeep was trying to appeal to the Honda
CRV -driving crowd (i.e., girls) and forgetting about its rock crawling fan
base. At least the Rubicon sales pitch attempts to reconnect with the old
guard.

Of course, I'm sure people felt the same way when the YJ replaced the CJ.
One day we'll all be 4-wheeling in battery-powered trucks anyway.

 

"twaldron" <thomas@OBVIOUSrubicons.com> wrote in message
news:VpWee.1567$1o3.1121@newssvr12.news.prodigy.co m...
>
> I find it interesting that you degrade the 97+ XJ (my Sport is no more
> plush than a Sport TJ) yet you want the creature comforts on the Unltd.
> where they must seem more masculine to you somehow. :)

I recall that being the year when weird things started happening with
Jeep... the TJ replaced the YJ, leaf springs were abandoned for coils, and
colors like "baby blue" became an option. (People stopped waving at each
other that year, too.) Basically, Jeep was trying to appeal to the Honda
CRV -driving crowd (i.e., girls) and forgetting about its rock crawling fan
base. At least the Rubicon sales pitch attempts to reconnect with the old
guard.

Of course, I'm sure people felt the same way when the YJ replaced the CJ.
One day we'll all be 4-wheeling in battery-powered trucks anyway.

 

L.A. Jeepster wrote:
> "twaldron" <thomas@OBVIOUSrubicons.com> wrote in message
> news:VpWee.1567$1o3.1121@newssvr12.news.prodigy.co m...
>
>>I find it interesting that you degrade the 97+ XJ (my Sport is no more
>>plush than a Sport TJ) yet you want the creature comforts on the Unltd.
>>where they must seem more masculine to you somehow. :)
>
>
> I recall that being the year when weird things started happening with
> Jeep... the TJ replaced the YJ, leaf springs were abandoned for coils, and
> colors like "baby blue" became an option. (People stopped waving at each
> other that year, too.) Basically, Jeep was trying to appeal to the Honda
> CRV -driving crowd (i.e., girls) and forgetting about its rock crawling fan
> base. At least the Rubicon sales pitch attempts to reconnect with the old
> guard.
>
> Of course, I'm sure people felt the same way when the YJ replaced the CJ.
> One day we'll all be 4-wheeling in battery-powered trucks anyway.

I remember actively searching for a Jeep in late 80s...I guess it was
1987. The dealerships still had a scant few new CJ7s on the lots with
the new YJs all lined up. I remember looking at how low the YJ was in
comparison, and also the axles were wider. I did not like the
differences, so I understand your point.

I hesitated too long and the CJs disappeared. The last one was a plain
jane tan colored with a brown soft top CJ on the lot, but I passed
because I liked the Laredos. Ugh! It was a year or so later before I
found a beautiful bright red 1985 soft top CJ7 with 900 miles on it
(non-Laredo). Later, I eventually had a 90 YJ.

When the new TJ came out, it had the opposite affect on me. I saw a
vastly improved soft top, cool round CJ-like headlights and could not
get over how well the thing rode with the new coil suspension. I
consider the TJ an improvement over the YJ. I think the Rubicon is the
creme de la creme of the TJ line, and best out-of-the-box offroader Jeep
has ever made. Everyone has their own perspective. But what do I know? I
think the XJ Sport is about as spartan and non-girly as you can get in
an "SUV".....but it ain't a '71 Bronco! :)
--
__________________________________________________ _________
tw

71 Bill Stroppe Baja Bronco
03 TJ Rubicon - Rubicon Express 4.5"
01 XJ Sport

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
-- Dave Barry

Pronunciation: 'jEp
Function: noun
Date: 1940

Etymology: from g. p. (G= 'Government' P= '80 inch wheelbase')
A small general-purpose motor vehicle with 80-inch wheelbase,
1/4-ton capacity, and four-wheel drive used by the U.S. army in
World War II.

(Please remove the OBVIOUS to reply by email)
__________________________________________________ _________

 

L.A. Jeepster wrote:
> "twaldron" <thomas@OBVIOUSrubicons.com> wrote in message
> news:VpWee.1567$1o3.1121@newssvr12.news.prodigy.co m...
>
>>I find it interesting that you degrade the 97+ XJ (my Sport is no more
>>plush than a Sport TJ) yet you want the creature comforts on the Unltd.
>>where they must seem more masculine to you somehow. :)
>
>
> I recall that being the year when weird things started happening with
> Jeep... the TJ replaced the YJ, leaf springs were abandoned for coils, and
> colors like "baby blue" became an option. (People stopped waving at each
> other that year, too.) Basically, Jeep was trying to appeal to the Honda
> CRV -driving crowd (i.e., girls) and forgetting about its rock crawling fan
> base. At least the Rubicon sales pitch attempts to reconnect with the old
> guard.
>
> Of course, I'm sure people felt the same way when the YJ replaced the CJ.
> One day we'll all be 4-wheeling in battery-powered trucks anyway.

I remember actively searching for a Jeep in late 80s...I guess it was
1987. The dealerships still had a scant few new CJ7s on the lots with
the new YJs all lined up. I remember looking at how low the YJ was in
comparison, and also the axles were wider. I did not like the
differences, so I understand your point.

I hesitated too long and the CJs disappeared. The last one was a plain
jane tan colored with a brown soft top CJ on the lot, but I passed
because I liked the Laredos. Ugh! It was a year or so later before I
found a beautiful bright red 1985 soft top CJ7 with 900 miles on it
(non-Laredo). Later, I eventually had a 90 YJ.

When the new TJ came out, it had the opposite affect on me. I saw a
vastly improved soft top, cool round CJ-like headlights and could not
get over how well the thing rode with the new coil suspension. I
consider the TJ an improvement over the YJ. I think the Rubicon is the
creme de la creme of the TJ line, and best out-of-the-box offroader Jeep
has ever made. Everyone has their own perspective. But what do I know? I
think the XJ Sport is about as spartan and non-girly as you can get in
an "SUV".....but it ain't a '71 Bronco! :)
--
__________________________________________________ _________
tw

71 Bill Stroppe Baja Bronco
03 TJ Rubicon - Rubicon Express 4.5"
01 XJ Sport

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
-- Dave Barry

Pronunciation: 'jEp
Function: noun
Date: 1940

Etymology: from g. p. (G= 'Government' P= '80 inch wheelbase')
A small general-purpose motor vehicle with 80-inch wheelbase,
1/4-ton capacity, and four-wheel drive used by the U.S. army in
World War II.

(Please remove the OBVIOUS to reply by email)
__________________________________________________ _________

 

L.A. Jeepster wrote:
> "twaldron" <thomas@OBVIOUSrubicons.com> wrote in message
> news:VpWee.1567$1o3.1121@newssvr12.news.prodigy.co m...
>
>>I find it interesting that you degrade the 97+ XJ (my Sport is no more
>>plush than a Sport TJ) yet you want the creature comforts on the Unltd.
>>where they must seem more masculine to you somehow. :)
>
>
> I recall that being the year when weird things started happening with
> Jeep... the TJ replaced the YJ, leaf springs were abandoned for coils, and
> colors like "baby blue" became an option. (People stopped waving at each
> other that year, too.) Basically, Jeep was trying to appeal to the Honda
> CRV -driving crowd (i.e., girls) and forgetting about its rock crawling fan
> base. At least the Rubicon sales pitch attempts to reconnect with the old
> guard.
>
> Of course, I'm sure people felt the same way when the YJ replaced the CJ.
> One day we'll all be 4-wheeling in battery-powered trucks anyway.

I remember actively searching for a Jeep in late 80s...I guess it was
1987. The dealerships still had a scant few new CJ7s on the lots with
the new YJs all lined up. I remember looking at how low the YJ was in
comparison, and also the axles were wider. I did not like the
differences, so I understand your point.

I hesitated too long and the CJs disappeared. The last one was a plain
jane tan colored with a brown soft top CJ on the lot, but I passed
because I liked the Laredos. Ugh! It was a year or so later before I
found a beautiful bright red 1985 soft top CJ7 with 900 miles on it
(non-Laredo). Later, I eventually had a 90 YJ.

When the new TJ came out, it had the opposite affect on me. I saw a
vastly improved soft top, cool round CJ-like headlights and could not
get over how well the thing rode with the new coil suspension. I
consider the TJ an improvement over the YJ. I think the Rubicon is the
creme de la creme of the TJ line, and best out-of-the-box offroader Jeep
has ever made. Everyone has their own perspective. But what do I know? I
think the XJ Sport is about as spartan and non-girly as you can get in
an "SUV".....but it ain't a '71 Bronco! :)
--
__________________________________________________ _________
tw

71 Bill Stroppe Baja Bronco
03 TJ Rubicon - Rubicon Express 4.5"
01 XJ Sport

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
-- Dave Barry

Pronunciation: 'jEp
Function: noun
Date: 1940

Etymology: from g. p. (G= 'Government' P= '80 inch wheelbase')
A small general-purpose motor vehicle with 80-inch wheelbase,
1/4-ton capacity, and four-wheel drive used by the U.S. army in
World War II.

(Please remove the OBVIOUS to reply by email)
__________________________________________________ _________