Considering Changing from a Jeep GC

Hey all, wanted to get some feedback. On my second Jeep GC, I love the vehicle (at least the current generation) as a good all-around vehicle - great on road handling (relatively speaking) and confidence to tackle pretty much any type of weather.

That being said, the new Raptor has caught my eye and while I have yet to test drive one (hopefully soon if any of the local dealers have one on the lot), I wanted to get your opinion on driving the Raptor as a DD (of largest concern is the size of the truck... while I get that you can park in the back of the lot, what do you do when you go somewhere where parking is tight and limited?). No, I will not use the bed of the truck for anything more than toting my GF and mine's road bikes when we go on rides out of town, nor will I tow anything (but it's nice to have the option if the circumstance were to arise). Additionally, I just love the look of one and feel like it would still look good many years from now (one thing I try and look for in a vehicle is how well it ages, let's be honest, some vehicles look great new and then look like crap later on). Should I make the plunge, I won't have any itch to mod it (I have a Wrangler that satisfies that need). Just wanted to get current owners' input (especially if you have come from a Jeep GC).

Appreciate the input!

-Stephen

Getting the Raptor is a no brainier.
The Truth is the truck is big for most small parking lots.

---------- Post added at 04:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:10 AM ----------

Welcome to frf

They are awesome trucks but parking can be tough. Also, don't kid yourself about not wanting to mod it. A lot of guys say that when they first get one. Tends not to last very long.

I have both. Got the Jeep GC Limited a few months before my Raptor was delivered. I kept telling people that if I had not ordered the Raptor, I would be totally happy with the Jeep. The GC Limited is awesome! Has the cool factor, great handling, fast (in sport mode), easy to park, etc. I love it! When my Raptor came in (after months of waiting), it definitely is a different vehicle. MUCH bigger, faster, stands-out, major cool factor, etc. Yes, parking is tough, but that shouldn't be a reason not to get one. I will say that the radio interface on the Jeep is better than the Raptor. I have top-end packages on both. Also, my wife and son happily drive the Jeep, but they are not super comfortable driving the Raptor due to its size (plus my son only has his permit...we'll see if that changes soon). To sum it up, they are very different vehicles. The Jeep is a bit more "sophisticated" and universally well-liked by all genders and ages. The Raptor is a bit of a niche vehicle. I would say you should go for the Raptor SCREW. If you don't like it, there will be lots of people willing to pay top dollar for it. Plus, Raptor is totally new. Jeep really only changed their headlights recently. Tough to distinguish a '13 from a '17. I love the GC Limited, but the Raptor is somewhat like a "bucket list" vehicle. Now your challenge will be finding one. Good luck!

Get one and never look back, Raptors are awesome! As for the parking, maybe a little problem to some, I tend to park away, in the back anyway to not get door dings. My wife has a Jeep, other than just running to the store right quick, always in the Raptor.

I'm in the same dilemma, picked the SRT jeep. I'll look at raptors when the warranty is about to expire and all the kinks are worked out of the raptor. So far I've read about rust on the axles on delivery, condensation in the headlights and some transmission issues and clunks so far.

good thing about raptors, they sit high. i'll park in any lot with no fear of door dings, when someone opens their door it hits my running boards and they get a nice little dent in their door.

Thanks for all the input, everyone. Test drove a regular F 150 with the new engine and transmission and was genuinely impressed by how well it handles and rides. I had heard that a lot of dealers were putting a premium on purchasing one but was surprised to hear that they would not let me test drive even after offering to let them run my credit to show how serious I was about purchasing one - is that normal? The Jeep dealer let me test drive the brand new GC SRT without a question (then again, I have purchased a total of three cars from them before).

uncsjfu said:

Thanks for all the input, everyone. Test drove a regular F 150 with the new engine and transmission and was genuinely impressed by how well it handles and rides. I had heard that a lot of dealers were putting a premium on purchasing one but was surprised to hear that they would not let me test drive even after offering to let them run my credit to show how serious I was about purchasing one - is that normal? The Jeep dealer let me test drive the brand new GC SRT without a question (then again, I have purchased a total of three cars from them before).

Click to expand...

Local dealer in San Diego allows test drives. I think it it dealer dependent. Maybe try another dealership.

uncsjfu said:

Thanks for all the input, everyone. Test drove a regular F 150 with the new engine and transmission and was genuinely impressed by how well it handles and rides. I had heard that a lot of dealers were putting a premium on purchasing one but was surprised to hear that they would not let me test drive even after offering to let them run my credit to show how serious I was about purchasing one - is that normal? The Jeep dealer let me test drive the brand new GC SRT without a question (then again, I have purchased a total of three cars from them before).

Click to expand...

That is not the same engine and the handling characteristics will be very different given the width, tires and suspension of the Raptor.