Jeep! Jeep! Yup, we did it!

OlJarhead · January 06, 2021, 09:29:04 AM

Some of you know I've had a Jeep previously (two actually) but you may not know I really missed that old Road Warrior! It was a beast that I used to haul stuff to the cabin when I started my build, and to skid logs as well as haul around my sawmill (SMLT10 days) but it was tired and I needed a truck and a better rig for my wife and finally let it go several years ago....and was pining away for a new (er) one ever since. I also wanted a Wrangler and really wanted a Ruby (Rubicon). So off and on I looked. Passed up a good deal (timing) not too long ago and was kicking myself a bit and finally saw another one pop up that was worth a look but at first was thinking, again, of waiting. However, my dearest wife said we should go look and that's as good as gold in this house! So off we went.

Got to the dealership, loved it, and to make a long story short bought it after very little haggling on price. It is a 2013 and was practically new still with only 22k miles on it and very little sign of wear. It had some oddities that the dealer said were aftermarket (which is what I thought too) and away we went. But first here is my last jeep (2nd of 2 XJ's).

This was 'The Road Warrior' and I put some 165,000 miles on it after buying it with over 100k already on it. I also put a lot of money in it improving it (OME 3" lift, 4.1:1 diffs, rebuilt limited slip, wider wheels and 31's, header, chip, intake, seats, bumpers, winch, racks etc etc etc -- probably $10k in mods and improvements)....and put a lot of off-road miles on it too :D Loved that beast of a jeep but at some 270k miles on it sold it for $4500 and moved on.

My 1st jeep was a 2002 XJ, stock, that an ex took (need I say more? Nah).....

So fast forward to this Ruby...

If you look carefully you might see some things..... ;)

For one, that hood is not a 'standard 2013 hood'...should be flat.

The 10th Anniversary badges would give it away if you are a serious jeep person but I wasn't THAT knowing...neither was the dealer!

The bumpers, lift, wheels and interior all say "I'm special"

So I looked it up and discovered we'd stumbled across a limited addition 2013 10th Anniversary Addition and all those non-standard items were STOCK! We also paid less for it than it was worth by about $4k without realizing it! WhooHoo! So excited and can't wait to hit the trail to the cabin this Friday :D

It's good to be back in a Jeep :D

CCCLLC · January 06, 2021, 09:51:21 AM

Great looking vehicle. Glad you found something that was an even a better then originally thought. What does the bump in the hood cover? I'm guessing turbo! 😳

WV Sawmiller · January 06, 2021, 10:45:06 AM

I'm happy for you. Stay safe. Get some gun racks and a tow hitch to haul a light boat or canoe into those remote lakes and beaver ponds and go make some memories with the grandkids. ;)

Nebraska · January 06, 2021, 11:27:39 AM

Looks like lots of waiting to be had!

OlJarhead · January 06, 2021, 04:09:00 PM

The 'power' hood or whatever they called it, was cosmetic but is seen on newer ones (or somethingh similar)...it may have been a one off but we like it :D

OH and it has the 285hp v6 as well as many other options not seen on Ruby's :D

Can't wait to hit the trails and since it has a hitch

and I have a canoe (and could mount it on the roof too) we will be making our way into those lakes :D

gspren · January 06, 2021, 04:46:27 PM

I like it! I've had too many Jeeps to list and always liked them, currently have a Toyota FJ Cruiser but still like the Jeeps also.

hedgerow · January 07, 2021, 03:28:59 PM

OlJarhead Nice looking Jeep. My wife has been driving Jeeps for years CJ7's then moved on to Wrangler's current one is a 2015 Wrangler Sport V-6 with automatic. Its the first time in her driving life she has has a auto trans. She wasn't happy when I bought it home and it was a auto. I think she is finally warming up to a auto after five years of driving it.

OlJarhead · January 08, 2021, 07:57:40 AM

I grew up on manuals/standards (like many our age I guess?) and my first auto was a 98 XJ I called 'the road warrior' (I drove it a lot). It was a modded up XJ that frankly, I loved! Didn't love the automatic so much but learned to live with it and knew that many argued they were better for off roading than the manuals were.

Then I started buying trucks and of course they were all auto's. So, now, some 16 years later......this new Ruby is a manual and I'm happy to have it :D Little less smooth shifting and taking off and it's been a long time since my last manual but I'm smoothing it out and frankly, don't care. There is something about doing my own shifting, when I want to, that I love :D

Life is good!

hedgerow · January 08, 2021, 10:07:30 AM

We had always had sticks in our pickups also. Then in 2005 I had talked to the dealer on the phone they had two F-350 just liked we wanted one was a stick and one auto. By the time we got there they had sold the stick. We cut a deal on the auto better than we could order a stick so the 2000 that I had sold out right was the last stick pickup that has been on this farm. Been buying autos since 2005 and have had no issues. The 2015 Jeep I bought the wife came down to dollars and cents. The two Jeeps were exactly the same even color. One auto and one stick the dealer with the auto give me a better deal so she got an auto.

OlJarhead · January 11, 2021, 09:00:25 AM

They say an auto is a better 4 wheeling setup due to it's ease of going F to R...and back and I can say I've tested that out and it's true for the more extreme stuff.

But I love our standard (which I also find interesting, that is the use of the word "Standard" which seems to be more in use for those in the 50's and older....I suppose because it wasn't too long ago that all cars were manual/stick shift so 'standard' transmission on the lot...and an auto was a special......not so much today but 'stick' is still 'standard' to me)...

Now, we had a great weekend at the cabin and had a harrowing climb up the 21% grade (yes) to get there. It's just 300 feet but in the snow it's ugly as it's on the north slope, iced up under the snow, frozen on top and powder in the middle! With the lockers both engaged I battled up slowly with a lot of forward 5 or 10 feet, then back 10, then forward 5 or 10 feet again....dig in, back up and over the snow (so the front lifts a foot out of the holes I dug, then settle, hope it stops before going over (and at night it's a little more dramatic) then try again. Almost dragged out the winch but made it...

Took these vids (compiled) the next day so it looks easy peasy (and would have been if I had ice chains on all 4, I'm sure)....
YouTube

WV Sawmiller · January 11, 2021, 11:49:55 AM

Tom,

The only thing with an auto (Probably true with manual trans too) and 4WD is you have to be able to rotate the wheels one full turn IIRC for the 4WD to engage. I see many people who wait till they are stuck then toggle the 4WD button and of course the wheel can't turn enough to engage. The key is to engage the 4WD before you attempt to drive through the mudhole or snowbank. :D

Tacotodd · January 11, 2021, 05:12:57 PM

At one time, the Rubicon package included 4-1 t-case gears. With an automatic transmission that would be your savior when it comes to compression braking. That's way you can always have IMMEDIATE control over your power plant to engine and be ready for what comes next.

I had my old Binder with IH 345 & Chrysler 727 automatic (all factory) and NP 205 t-case. Low range was the only saving grace that it had. Life was much better when I swapped in the Borg-Warner T19 I found. Full synchro & granny (wide ratio version).

Have fun and Happy Jeeping!

OlJarhead · January 11, 2021, 09:54:13 PM

This was has the 4 to 1 rock track

Tacotodd · January 11, 2021, 10:33:36 PM

It's very useful!

Good job. I thought it might be.

Wait till you get in a downhill run. You'll REALLY appreciate it! Because you can always use the higher gears of the transmission, but you know this already.

I remember (not to awful long ago) driving the 20mi to work one day in 4wd low the entire way. Only 1 of about 4% that went to our job that day. I was going to make it, come 🌋 or high water! Unfortunately I was trusted with a key to the store and I was expected to be there. After all, everyone KNEW that I was going to be out driving in it! I just NEED a reason to get out and play. Our days in this area are few and far between.