Patrol better than JK

[shai]

I know, I know I deserve to be shot .. but hear me out and btw this is a post seeking a frank opinion..I am a Jeep lover.

So my first 4wd was an xj which I bought for 4k then spent about 10k on it to make it a great off roader. This included RE lift kit, flares, lockers, chromoly axle upgrade, JCR bullbar, steelies, discos, rock sliders. I was running MJ Thompson 33s on it till I got stuck in a water pit and drowned the jeep. Whenever I was out wheeling I had to keep an eye on the temp gauge and I was ALWAYS wary of my axle even with axle upgrades. The xj still had plenty of grunt but never felt planted when on the road.

Then I started looking at JKUs. The cheapest at that point was 25k which was more coin than I wanted to spend on a toy meant for bush bashing so I picked up a stock petrol GU for 10k since they hold their value..I said to myself I will keep all the bits I take off it and when the time comes to sell..I will put all the original stuff back in and sell whatever upgrades I buy. The
GU came with factory installed locker, leather seats and sunroof

So I got a used ARB bullbar from the wreckers for 300, a 2.5 inch lift kit from ebay for 700 , 5 35 inch MT Tyres plus steelies for 1800 and a snorkel from ebay for 70. I installed everything myself. While working on the patrol I noticed how much easier it was to work in the engine bay because of the space unlike the tightly packed xj. I noticed how thick the body sheet metal was compared to the xj. I noticed that the driveline looked like it came off a truck and how the 35s fitted with 2.5 inch lift with nothing else needed..no cutting no flares and no rub . And I noticed how the whole thing felt like a truck on the road too .Slow but solid.

The GU is extremely spacious but that doesnt matter to me. So all up it cost about less than the XJ after upgrades. Now here is the thing..offroad it can do everything the XJ could except where the space is tight, a tight turning radius or a steep climb without a runup. It does not have the same wheel travel as the discoed XJ but the XJs wheel travel also caused wheel rub even with chopped fenders. I do not think twice about bashing the GU on rocks or hammering the accelerator anywhere at anytime. On road it feels much more planted than the XJ ever did. I wheel the thin g like I intend to destroy it and after 3 years I have not had a single leak or fault. But everyone has a patrol, it is very common and it looks like a school bus as compared to a customised Wrangler.

So now the JKUs are more reasonably priced and I was looking at them but I cannot help but wonder whether it is worth it. Aftermarket scene is massive but then wreckers do not have after market stuff. Even if I get a stock rubicon at 20k, to run 35s I still need 2k and then to make it look good .. ..unlimited funds . And even in a Rubicon, will I be able to trust the d44 , will I get an oil leak somewhere, will I be able to trust the stock ball joints ..I dont know and with the Jeep I will buy a lot of spares.

Because it is a jeep thing, inspite of all this I will still buy a JKU and pimp the crap out of it till I end up with a second mortgage . It has always been the JKU or XJ for me and it always will ..I dont like the looks of anything else barring a Defender

In my honest opinion as far as reliability, capability per dollar, availability of spares and value goes..In Australia I would have to say a used Patrol is a better buy for a bush basher than any Jeep. Having said that, I have never owned a JK before so would love to hear from someone who has owned a Patrol and a JK

[OzRick25]

I own a JKUR and used Patrol wagons offroad with work Patrol holds more however that 3 litre was working way too hard not carrying much at all. If they had another engine with another 80 to 100 Nm and a few more kw i would go the patrol, but as it is they take off slower than a crapped out old Massey A decently geared JKU is every bit as capable off road and slightly better on road, slightly better on fuel (expect 16l/100km from the Patoll), but gives a bit in room, reliability, and dealership service. If I was buying second hand one of my biggest considerations would be re-power options and at the the moment the Patrol has better options in Aus like the duramax diesel or Cummins 6cyl with an early high GCM model or GCM upgrade that would be ideal.

[Snort]

I went from a 4.2 efi gq to the 3.6 jku sport. The patrol was a slug on road with horrible seats and as a daily driver (500ish kms/week) plainly sucked, but when you drop your tyre pressures and hit the dirt all was forgiven.
Now the jku feels much better on road and very similar off road, but much more comfortable and more fuel efficient.
If I had my time again I would have kept the patrol and got a little buzz box for the daily grind.
Don't get me wrong I love the jku but I could have saved myself over 30k.
Enjoy the research cheers

[shai]

Thanks for the input guys. Mine is a 4.2 efi petrol engine and no doubt it is slow but with full electric leather seats and space enough to seat a giant, I would have thought the Patrol is much more comfortable, though mind you I dont do long rides so I dont really care about the space or the comfort. Any modded vehicle is a guzzler though the Patrol still runs cheaper than the XJ I had but the wrangler may be cheaper on road given the newer engine. Does anyone with 35s or larger tyres worry about the axles bending/breaking when going hard off road ? Currently I just aim at preventing body damage, anything in the driveline seems to be bullet proof no matter what I do to the GU. I am not talking about a 6k axle awap..just sleeve/gussets or stock D44

[Johnboy]

Just buy mine ive done all the hard work spent all the money and its ready for a new owner! I had a patrol before the JK and it was good but the jk runs rings around a patrol off road in technical trails and rockcrawling, I had cruisers and hiluxes before the patrol and all got the job done, all are expensive to modify and none have the availability of aftermarket gear like the JK. Im only selling because im setting up a dualcab Isuzu truck as an offroad camper/long range tourer. If weekend camping trips and serious offroad capability are what you desire the JK wins hands down, but being petrol they are not suited to longrange remote touring.
The link to the advert is in the for sale section.

Cheers John

[shai]

Thanks Johnboy but I am in WA

[Johnboy]

Its only a couple days drive home plus you'll have the rooftop tent in tow.