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Going from WK2 to Wrangler Unlimited

5K views 21 replies 16 participants last post by  inverse121 
#1 ·
So I had a 2012 Grand Cherokee Overland Summit and liked it bough thought I wanted more luxury and traded it in for a 2014 Summit Diesel which is very nice but it's too nice. I'm afraid to do much with it and really wish I got an Overland. At this point I am considering getting a Wranger Ulimited. Has anyone made the switch?

I'm going to lose some money on the trade but not a ton.

I don't drive much (around 8,000 miles a year) so MPG is not a concern.
 
#2 ·
Well, I guarantee you that the Overland will scratch just as easily as an Overland.
Just as some of us want to add to our Limited and Overlands bits and pieces from the Summit/SRT trims (like front parksense sensors) so can you add the beefier tire/wheel combo and the skid plates and enjoy your Summit off-road.

I had a Wrangler rental. You will not be happy going from a Grand Cherokee to a boxy car with less creature comforts and fewer, much fewer buttons to push.
 
#4 ·
I always contemplated switching to a Wrangler, you're going to lose all luxury switching to that car. Manual seats, no cooled seats, no technology package (Adaptive Cruise, Blind Spot Monitoring), no reverse camera, outdated navigation, etc. None of those seem like a reason to trade in a '14 Summit.
 
#5 ·
Honestly, the Overland won't be much less nice than the Summit you already have. You'll basically get a different color interior with leather that is supposed to not be quite as nice (I didn't really notice a difference myself), a cloth headliner, a worse sound system, and a more rugged looking exterior.

What do you think is too nice about it?

I've test driven both vehicles, and they are very, very different. The only things they share in common are the Jeep name and good off-road capability.

Benefits of the GC:
-Luxurious interior
-Tons of features
-Great ride
-Quiet on the highway
-More toned-down/executive look (some people want this, some don't)

Benefits of the Wrangler Unlimited:
-Outstanding off-road ability
-Fun (everything about the vehicle is fun, from taking the top off to being able to hose out the interior and not worrying about mud/dirt)
-Iconic status- I'm not sure if there is a more recognizable vehicle on the road, nor one that has stayed as true to its roots or inspires such a sense of nationalism and American pride.
-Still lots of niceties, such as heated leather seats and navigation
-Massive, massive aftermarket that will allow you to customize it (or not) to your tastes (dealers also are very receptive to modifications on Wranglers and will not hassle you)
-Outstanding resale value
-Rugged, functional design that still looks great (again, it depends on the person)

Go check out both at the dealer. You will probably find that the Overland isn't too different from your Summit. The Overland and Summit will drive identically, so don't bother taking a test drive. Take the Wrangler Unlimited for a long test drive, and maybe even try to see if the dealer will give you one for the day. Check out some Wrangler forums. No offense to the JG Wrangler section, but it is, uh, dead. Wrangler Forum is my favorite. Spend a few hours on there and post a thread if you want. You will learn a lot and the members are very active and helpful. Depending on where you are located, you might even get an offer to go wheeling with one of them.

My take: If you still think you might want a Wrangler, get one. You will either love it or hate it, there isn't really an in between. Worst case scenario, you don't like it and trade it in for an Overland. The resale value is so good that you won't lose much, and would possibly end up breaking even or even making some money. For instance, Scottina06 had a 2013 Wrangler Unlimited that he sold after a few months and ended up making some money. The top of the line Rubicon X is probably what you will be looking at (although the Rubicon and Sahara can be optioned with the same niceties, just not stuff like the hood, bumpers, etc.) and will hold its value exceptionally well.

Let me know what you end up deciding. I hope I helped. Also, if you have any additional questions, I will probably have answers. I know the GCs and Wranglers inside and out. :)
 
#8 ·
If you are worried about scratching your Summit, you could spring for a full body vinyl wrap. That way the wrap will take the punishment instead of the paint.

If you want to really go hard core off-roading, then by all means get a Wrangler. Personally if I wanted to do that I'd get one that's a few years old, so I really would not mind what I did to it! But I'd keep the GC for streets and highways.
 
#10 ·
$10K was gone the minute you signed the deal not to ever be recovered. So use it and enjoy it and stop overthinking it.
I'd be losing ~ $2,600 or $650 a month which is way less than it costs to lease the Summit. Paid $52,600 for the summit. Getting offered $50,000 for the trade and 2% under invoice on the wrangler. Losing slightly more on sales tax but not much.
 
#11 ·
I came from a Rubicon Unlimited before getting my Diesel Summit. The Rubicon only does one thing better really, off-road. The GC diesel does about a thousand thing better. The paint on the Wrangler will scratch just as easy. Get some clear bra or don't worry about the scratches like I do. You'd be surprised at the beating/scratches the clear can take and can be buffed out before you go to sell it.
 
#14 ·
I wanted a JKU Rubicon 4-door, before I looked into the Grand Cherokee. I ended up with a 2012 Altitude.

For me, I would've gotten the Rubicon which actually costs more than an Altitude. Not only that, but I personally think that the JKU's only look good with a minimum of the Rubicon trim (wheels, etc.) - but really I would have wanted to lift it and put on bigger wheels. That would have cost an extra $3-5k, on top of already having the top model Rubicon (for the air lockers and Dana44's). You can lift other JK models, but from what I read you probably would have to re-gear them if you wanted to add larger tires. The Dana44's on the JKU are at the upper limit as far as being "drivable" when adding larger tires without re-gearing.

Not only that, but Wrangler owners that put on bigger wheels/lift kits are known to experience the "death wobble", where the entire steering system shakes at a certain speed on the highway (around 65mph I think?).

Overall, the Grand Cherokee provided many more "comforts" than the JKU did, at a better price (at least for me, going with the Altitude). I have the QT-II and I can still hit some off-road trails, and truthfully... what I've done in my Altitude is probably about as far as I want to take my daily driver. Yes, it would be cool to have a JKU Rubicon and rip up some harder trails here in CO... but you still might scratch/scrape/smash your brand new vehicle.

Sometimes I still want a JKU, especially when I see one with a nice stance (tires/lift). Then I see another "stock" one with the stock wheels and I think... man that looks sort of weird (to me)
 
#15 ·
That's funny, your view is pretty much my take on the whole Wrangler/GC thing.

The more I think about itj if I got the Wrangler I would want to do more 'real' off-roading, but then would I be confident getting in it with my family and take a 4 hr highway trip. What if something got damaged off-roading, or a tire got ripped or something and I didn't notice and went off on my trip. The more I think about it I'm either going to get a second set of wheels probably 18" and use those when I want to go off-roading or get a pre-owned wrangler and just use locally and when off-roading.
 
#16 ·
as a former AEV equipped wrangler owner turned Charger, than WK2 owner, I must chime in.


If you plan on offroading the Jeep, get a JK. I had a 2008 that I traded in when it hit 60,000 miles, it was mostly flawless. The AEV kit made the Jeep ride better on road then when it was stock.

no matter which trim you choose (X, Sahara, Rubicon etc) if you run 35's you will want at least 5.13's, if you get a rubicon you will want 5.38's. (If you go manual your gear choices will be different - 4.88 or 5.13)

For me, It was an addiction, in less than 2 years I put $12,000 of modifications into my Jeep and it was only getting worse and worse. I was like a drug addict, I needed to quit cold turkey so I traded it in. (I went through 3 different lifts, 4 sets of wheels/tires, different roofs, gears, axles, bumpers, winches etc)

The Jeep was fantastic off road and on road. Would I buy one again. Yes, but not until I am rich (which means I will likely never own another one again)
 
#18 ·
its stock, but it is only 1 week old today.

as of now there are no plans...

oh, Im going to add tow hooks

And skid plates.. And I like the look of the MOPAR enhanced rock rails. Im rubbing my "3 years jeep mod clean" chip as I type.


(Sorry if I offended anybody thats fighting addiction)
 
#19 · (Edited)
I'm new, but I just went from a JKU to the WK2 Overland this week.

The jeep is my work vehicle where I must have off road capability and 4WD to get the places I have to go for work, but I don't "off-road for pleasure".

The JKU was leathered up and loaded and had stock size expensive tires (Michelin LTX) and stock suspension (new expensive shocks at 60,000). 3 years and 93,000 miles, I loved my JKU until it developed the death wobble on stock size wheels and tires at about 88,000 miles that continued to get worse. Dealer examined the suspension, charged me for diagnosis and gave the usual "Cannot reproduce customer concerns" explanation.

I got a 6 month contract on Long Island and my last 17 mile trip on the Belt Parkway had me fearing for my life due to repeated wobble. Drove 750 miles home for the weekend white knuckled. I traded the next day on a 2014 Overland specifically for the air suspension.

The Wrangler is a great and capable vehicle, but its also outdated and raw. Sometimes outdated and raw is fun. Sometimes its not fun.
 
#20 ·
I'm new, but I just went from a JKU to the WK2 Overland this week. The jeep is my work vehicle where I must have off road capability and 4WD to get the places I have to go for work, but I don't "off-road for pleasure". The JKU was leathered up and loaded and had stock size expensive tires (Michelin LTX) and stock suspension (new expensive shocks at 60,000). 3 years and 93,000 miles, I loved my JKU until it developed the death wobble on stock size wheels and tires at about 88,000 miles that continued to get worse. Dealer examined the suspension, charged me for diagnosis and gave the usual "Cannot reproduce customer concerns" explanation. I got a 6 month contract on Long Island and my last 17 mile trip on the Belt Parkway had me fearing for my life due to repeated wobble. Drove 750 miles home for the weekend white knuckled. I traded the next day on a 2014 Overland specifically for the air suspension. The Wrangler is a great and capable vehicle, but its also outdated and raw. Sometimes outdated and raw is fun. Sometimes its not fun.
I agree with you completely. And your take that a JK is a money pit, not because it fails, but because it's like having your own full size Lego toy that you can do what you want with it when it comes to aftermarket customizations. My Rubicon had the same array of stuff and while I traded it at the time for a sports car, when coming back to a capable and daily 4x4, I knew that the WK2 is a better choice. Overall much better vehicle for the price, better ride and road handling manners. It's new technology and suspension is great and for anything that I may encounter weather or road/trail wise this will easily conquer. I love the WK2 and would never trade it for a JKU, as much as I love them.
 
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