Can you talk me out of a Gladiator Please!

@mbn225 I found your answer! https://www.tundras.com/threads/not-allowed-in-truck-gang.89400/page-7#post-2292230

 

LOL coming back from LA to the bay area, I commented exactly that; "Hey honey, look at all the dumb blondes driving Gladiators that are immaculate. Bet they never saw five feet of dirt road." Gospel truth.
Wife just rolled her eyes at me and said pay attention to the road.

 

HAHA are we married to the same woman?

 

I like the looks of them I’ve owned Jeeps in the past but if your going to buy a jeep just get the 4door Wrangler the beds useless we had a hell of time hauling two deer in the bed of my nephews Gladiator there’s just no room in the bed for hauling anything.

 

My dad collected Corvairs. He got his first five from one guy. The deal was that he could have all five of the Corvairs if he took the guys 15 cats. I still hate Corvairs. Before it was over we had 15 freakin Corvairs. Quantity doesn't mean quality:

 

I’d love to know the back story on that. I used to have a first gen tundra, it was an 06 tss in black.

 

Those things ARE bringing a premium these days huh

 

I think it was 1600 and something.

 

Get a CM with a sunroof and open all 6 windows.

 

I love the cm and the rear window as much as the next double cab hater but it doesn’t compare to a Jeep with the top down. Just makes me think of all the high school punks riding around like that in their daddy’s truck blaring whatever is popular that day. I used to be that guy btw lol minus daddy’s truck.

 

Oh man, memory time.
First car, a 69 VW bug I named "The Thing" after installing the "Thing decal from their weird offering way back.
What I did is install a Corvair motor we pumped up into it.
The engine cover wouldn't close so I had to do some fancy mounts and installed a slick intake scoop into the cover.
It needed a wing or something because the back end would lift after 100 mph which was easy to get to.
It was a sleeper and a half with Shaved heads, cam, headers, and a pair of three hole Webers that I never could get adjusted perfectly.
They either ran great in straight lines and burbled in fast turns or vice versa.
One night my buddy and I were in Campbell CA. for those who know the area.
It was late and we wanted to see if we could get one more drink from a bar in Los Gatos.
So, we took off before last call. We hit highway 17 and ran at an average speed of 104 mph,, in a VW bug.
The back tires actually kicked in at a 100 and we almost lost it on a turn.
We pulled into the bar's parking lot before last call; made it under ten minutes which is incredible for any car.
When we pulled into the parking lot we heard this pop and I saw a red glow in my rear mirror.
The engine caught fire something fierce and we used his new leather jacket to beat the fire out.
It used to humiliate 911s from light to light, gosh I loved that thing.
8 track tape with good speakers, wood grain everything inside and it always smelled like pot.
What a rig.

 

Build a 4x5 HD hitch cargo basket, I can haul my garden tractor on mine. It almost doubles the cargo space of my truck.

 

Funny but you can't compare a corvair to a Jeep, sorry.

 

An the crewmax doesn't even come close to how badass the Dbl Cab is. Crewmax is a glorified Honda Ridgeline...laughable at best...dude just get the Gladiator, have fun... Post up a review and build thread when you get that sweet thang.

 

Plan to need trailer storage as a jeep owner.

 

Your comparison was about Pentastar engines (which was used in all kinds of vehicles) and the quality of those engines. My point is that justifying the bad design of one engine by claiming that another engine is badly designed is kind of like comparing turds. I wouldn't buy a Chevy anymore than I would buy a Chrysler or Dodge product.

 

Well guys, I spoke to my financial advisor and after much pleading with him he told me what I already knew. Which was trading a paid for full size truck for a mid size truck and getting a note or pulling funds that are making me money doesn’t make financial sense… I was disappointed at first but he is right, and I’m actually looking forward to continuing my build on the tundra.

 

I am impressed with your restraint. I usually scratch the itch and deal with the financial ramifications after the fact, but I'm not married.

 

He's not wrong, but I totally understand the disappointment. Glad you can keep a positive outlook on it. Just get some more RZR time in for that open top.

 

Not that familiar with the weather in Louisiana as I imagine it is real hot and humid. Are there that many top down kind of days? Also Jeep guys are tools so there is that. Just trying to talk you out of it! Yoda for the win!

 

Yeah plenty of hot days down there. Think Mardi Gras- Real dropping and lifting the tops in February. Hooters all around!!

 

The wife was pushing for it too actually, even though the rear facing car seat was pushing her into the gladiator dash lol That’s why I rely on my boy Daniel at Edward Jones, he’s made me a lot of money and has always given me sound advice.

 

Just like living anywhere you kind of get used to your habitat. I feel like anyone who lives where it snows regularly has a bunch of screws loose but it’s just Tuesday to them. With that said there’s unbelievable amounts of humidity all the time but it’s still nice enough from time to time to let your hair blow in the wind.

 

I feel like anyone who lives where it never snows rarely at all, if ever, and doesn't experience 4 seasons has a bunch of screws loose.....but it's just another hot and humid day to them.

 

I went from a JK Hard Rock to a Tundra.
I think all Jeep’s need a lift to look good and the Gladiator needs it more than any of them.
I added a mopar lift, wheels, tires. Security, storage and a few “this looks cool” things. Recouped what I paid and most of the lift, wheel and tire cost when I traded in. Sold off everything I pulled off for a little over half what I paid.

The good.
Lots of fun off road.
Lots of fun with the top and doors off which is how I kept mine most of the summers
Good resell in the spring and summer. Cheaper to buy in the winter
It was a Rubicon so the 4:10 gears pushed the bigger tires without needing to regear.
It’s a fun community. Wrangler Forum was helpful when I was there and Jeep owners like taking about their Jeep’s.
More mods than you will ever need

The bad
Coming from a V8 it always felt underpowered. Getting back into a V8 showed me how much I missed it.
Gas mileage isn’t great once you start adding weight. I don’t do a lot highway miles and the difference between my Tundra and my Jeep wasn’t huge.
Not cramped in the front but the backseat sucks and feels cramped. My daughter complained about it last week and I haven’t had it for a few years now.
You need some security storage. At least I did with the top and doors off. Either that or clean it out. My son had stuff taken from his Jeep a couple months ago.
More mods than you will ever need.
Do research before you buy then do it again before you buy. Lots of stuff you think will be great that sucks and wastes your money.

Not sure if this helps or not. If you end up getting one you will want to add stuff ASAP but I do that to my Tundra so maybe it’s just me.

Good luck with your decision.

 

I stated above my financial advisor basically brought me back to earth and advised against trading my paid for full size truck for a note on a mid sized one. He’s right, not that it won’t be in the cards down the road but the tundra will stay for now. And I’m not upset about that.

 

It’s was a lot of pages and I honestly tried to read them all to see if you had already made a decision. Guess I still missed it. Hard to knock sticking with a Tundra.

 

I love to see the snow…and then get the hell away from it. Rust, salt, undrivable roads, slippery roads, having to put on 13 layers of clothes, boots, and gloves to go outside seems horrible to me, flat roads and sweat seems horrible to you it’s give and take lol

 

Yep, snow here in winter. Zero salt. Zero rust. As far as 13 players of clothes....didn't even do that up on the North Slope in February. Stayed inside.....

 

Well the humidity and heat has given me swamp ass my fair share of times but it has never isolated me in my house. Hell we even throw hurricane parties around here. Nothing keeps us from getting to a crawfish boil or backyard bbq