Jeep JK8

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Jeep JK8
I was approached by the good folks at Starr Motors in Suffolk, Virginia about a JK8 they are building, and we discussed the merits of this Mopar Kit that transforms a 4-Door JK Wrangler into a Scrambler-esque pickup truck.

I wonder, would you buy this?

Here is an approximate price breakdown of the new Jeep
2012 Jeep JK with new Pentastar V6 $29,000
JK8 conversion kit $5500
Labor to install kit $3500
tires and wheels and suspension $4500
total to buy a new JK8 $42,500

42K is a lot of money, we're talking fullsize diesel crewcab type money here.

Now you could buy a used 4-door and do the conversion, but I still wonder, is it a good deal? Used JK's haven't exactly gotten cheap. I personally like the idea of the kit, but think it will either take a few years to start selling as JK's get cheaper, or Chrysler will decide to just build a truck and the kit will fade away.

Either way I think the market for taking a 4-door Jeep and cutting the people hauling down to increase the load hauling ability is nil. I mean, why not just buy a truck to start with? The mini truck market is dying, but of course no one offers a solid front axle in that segment.

what do you think?








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[AdamH]

Since I first heard of the kit, I have been seriously thinking about doing it. My JK is paid off and I have no plans on selling it anytime soon. After much deliberation, I decided against it.

It looks great, don't get me wrong. I think the following will be those who desire a modern Scrambler - a Jeep that looks some-what the part but with the creature comforts of today's world. I can't blame them too much. I love my CJ7 but for a daily driver, I'll take my JK. Scramblers are getting harder to find and afford so people will be looking for options.

Personally, if I were to try and re-create a Scrambler, I would go the LJ route. In the end I think it closer resembles the Scrambler and would be cheaper depending on your starting point. LJs are of course cheaper used due to age.

As far as a true truck goes, I totally agree. An original Scrambler, and LJ converted to one, or a JK8 - none of them are truly a truck when it comes to towing and cargo capacity. I sure hope no one puts this kind of money into a JK8 expecting it to be their full size truck.

All in all, great looking option for those of us who want something different and have the cash. For me, the $9k give or take for the JK8 conversion... I would put it towards a LJ or original Scrambler and go from there.

my 2 cents