Irresponsible money decisions...need SVTP help

CompOrange04

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The thread title is a little misleading but here's my dilemma. Just paid off my Jeep JK Unlimited (which is my daily driver) and am debating on what the next move is. It's currently got a 4" lift and I am running 35's and it "looks the part" but isn't that off-road functional and I swore I wouldn't do anything really stupid in it till it was paid for. I really really want to drop about $15-20k into it with new axles, better lift and then I'm going to need new tires in the next year or so anyhow. If I did that I would just buy something to daily drive for around $10k or so and go enjoy trail weekends, etc in the Jeep.

My other option is my new obsession with getting a 2018 F-150 rcsb 4x4 and lowering it and throwing a whipple on and then going to have some fun. I can swing the new car payment so that really isn't the issue either. I am pretty sure I want to keep it simple with exhaust, wheels and tires. I have been debating on it for months so I have a pretty good idea what my total investment would be. In this scenario I would also have the insurance and personal property tax on a new rig. I would also just leave the Jeep alone and have a nice summer and winter cruiser.

My last option is that I have a 1988 Toyota 4x4 pickup that has been sitting for a couple years. It's has something wrong in either the tranny or clutch so I quit driving it and need to do something with it one way or another. I have thought about building it as my trail rig and then just keeping the Jeep as my daily. My problem with building the Yota is I really don't have anyone around here I trust to do it and no idea really cost wise what it would take to get it to that point.

Just super torn. Anyone else been down this sort of street and where you ended up?
 

cbr repsol

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I just sold our 2013 jk 4 door wrangler. It was lifted on 35’s and all the other stuff to go with it. Imo I think it sucked, gutless . Yeah regear would of helped but then adding lockers, blah blah would be like 2k. Plus we have three kids and there isn’t any room in the back for all our crap on a long trip. Sure you can do some neat stuff off-road but other than that ours was like everyone else’s a mall crawler. Can’t really tow anything and I can’t put my bike in the back either. So I bought a new 19 tundra 4x4. For my situation we’re gonna get way more use out of a truck than the Jeep.
Everyone’s situation is different but I wouldn’t put 10 to 15k in the Jeep you have . Sure they hold a decent resale value we made a little back. Since yours isn’t a rubicon I wouldn’t do any of that stuff to it. You’ll never get your money back out of it at that point.
People are cheap as hell and don’t realize how much some of this stuff cost and ultimately don’t wanna pay.
Good luck either way.
 

RedVenom48

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You really have to ask yourself how hard-core you really want to get off road. Plan on literally something expensive breaking anytime you go to play hard in the dirt. Trail driving etc is fine. If you really plan to offroad though like rocks, expert level off road trails etc then things will break. Only a matter of time. The Wrangler can of course be built up into a monster off-roader but your resale on the money you invested will be shit. Not a Rubicon makes it even a less.

Id put money into the Toyota and build it up into a YOLO off roader. If it breaks, no big deal. Engine swaps, axle swaps etc can all be accomplished.

The idea of building a new "Lightning" sounds cool. Plenty of options from 15-18. Used might be a more practical way to go, especially if you plan on putting a blower on it.

Take a break for a few months, enjoy not having a payment and sleep on it.
 

CV355

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I just sold our 2013 jk 4 door wrangler. It was lifted on 35’s and all the other stuff to go with it. Imo I think it sucked, gutless . Yeah regear would of helped but then adding lockers, blah blah would be like 2k. Plus we have three kids and there isn’t any room in the back for all our crap on a long trip. Sure you can do some neat stuff off-road but other than that ours was like everyone else’s a mall crawler. Can’t really tow anything and I can’t put my bike in the back either. So I bought a new 19 tundra 4x4. For my situation we’re gonna get way more use out of a truck than the Jeep.
Everyone’s situation is different but I wouldn’t put 10 to 15k in the Jeep you have . Sure they hold a decent resale value we made a little back. Since yours isn’t a rubicon I wouldn’t do any of that stuff to it. You’ll never get your money back out of it at that point.
People are cheap as hell and don’t realize how much some of this stuff cost and ultimately don’t wanna pay.
Good luck either way.

We experienced the same thing with our JKU. I mean, I miss the thing for sure, but it just didn't feel like we were rolling around in a $40k vehicle.

My wife and I took a weekend trip to Charleston a few years back and it was a royal pain getting our bikes and luggage in without racking and such. My wife got an F150 as a replacement and absolutely loves the thing.

Back on topic, my vote would be to really think through on the upgrades. Jeeps aren't fun highway vehicles to begin with, and the typical raise+wheel upgrades make them worse on the road. If it's a dedicated off-road vehicle, go all out. But man, the JKU was just not fun on the road...
 

noco5.0

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Whatever you do I would get the Toyota running and use that as your beater DD. I would guess that would cost way less than the 10k you are talking about spending on a daily. The Toyota should run forever.
 

PaxtonShelby

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Those Toyota’s are killing it on bring-a-trailer. Bringing crazy money. Get her running and cleaned up and you’ll be surprised how much you can get for it.

Or DD the Toyota and sell the Jeep. I can’t see taking a nice newer Jeep off road and beating the hell out of it.

I like the whipped F-150 idea. No surprise as I’m not an off-road guy.
 

CompOrange04

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The jeep truly is exhausting to drive. On top of that, mine's a stick. I even thought about selling it and then moving onto whatever is next but I figure now that it's paid for, why not keep it. I'll kick my own ass everyday it's nice and I don't have it!

I do really want to get the Yota going in some fashion. It has been the vehicle I have owned the longest out of everything I've had! It's been my go-to through 2 mustangs and numerous other trucks. I bought a RZR when they first came out because I thought I'd love it for hunting but 99% of the time I threw all my crap in the Yota and bailed off into the woods. I used to always drive it anywhere because I trusted it more. It deserves some love LOL.

The damn rcsb is just something I can't get off my mind. I feel like I'm older now and maybe the Mustang phase has played out but the truck could be so damn fun and still useful.

I figured more then a few around here have bought and sold so many toys they could always be trusted for regrets and what if's
 
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cbr repsol

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Well now that you said it is a manual jk . I vote selling it. Ours was manual and it was the biggest p.o.s. Imo. Any type of small incline on the freeway on 35s and your down shifting a million times. I hear the new jl is better with the 8 speed auto. But me being a Jeep owner I would never again. Like I said earlier everyone is different and has things they wanna do. I have 2 kids from ex wife. I got remarried and we took gaudianship over my wife’s niece. So you never know where you life will be in a few years. For us a truck was simply the answer. Now I can tow a decent camper or boat and have even more fun with the family. My bro in-law just got a side by side and wants us to get one. I don’t know about that at this point. If I were to sell my mustang I would for sure consider it. My wife and three kids would fit and I could follow on my Honda 250.
I vote the f150 with whipple but that’s my taste.
 

black92

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I've seen this one running around where I live and yeah, I want it.
Jeep.jpg
 

IronSnake

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Unless you LS swap the jeep, keep it as it is, or dump it. Spending money on an under powered off road vehicle is pointless.

The yota is 100% a safe bet to get going again. I would sell the jeep, daily the Yota, buy a toy.
 

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