How resistant is an '09 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon/Sahara with no top to rain and sun?

[KDre]

I'm planning on purchasing a Wrangler Rubicon or Sahara within the next nine months and I am wondering how weather resistant they really are. I'm in the US Army, so there's really no telling where I'll be driving this bad boy.

Let's say I'm living in Arizona and I leave the top off for eight months a year with absolutely no protection from the sun - will the dash and seats fade? Will the heat from the sun affect it?

Or maybe I bring it to Washington state where it downpours daily. Will that ruin the electronics or are they waterproofed? And what about the seats? Carpet? (By the way, do they even have carpet?)

And what if I take it back to my home state of Minnesota and I hear a three and a half foot deep stream calling my name? Would that water get in the fuse box, short out some important stuff, and make the airbags deploy?

If it won't handle any of this stuff, what can I do to make it possible?

Any other suggestions in buying a new Wrangler? If so, please let me know - this will be my first, so I'm a bit naive.

P.S.
Most of what I listed above about the conditions I might have it in with the top off are complete dramatizations, but it get's the point across.

 

[David S]

Q1: 8 months in the heat of AZ is pretty crude, but it probably wouldn't be enough to damage the interior in just one year. After about three years, fading would definitely be in the cards. As a Tucson-an, I would say 9-10 months of the year you can keep that top off.

Q2: On the complementary cassette that comes with the Jeep Wrangler (at least the '04 model), it repeats over and over again that the dash should never get drenched. Anything besides some light rain could severely damage the interior electronics. I'm not sure if this is the case for '06+, but the TJ interior cannot get wet.

Q3: Not sure about the airbags, but it could cause some damage. I'm not sure what the wading limit is, but three and a half feet seems pretty extreme for a base Wrangler, even a Rubicon. You would have to ask a dealer, or do a bit of online research to find out for sure.

Q4: To make more things possible, add some Mud Terrains (which may come on the Rubicon standard) and lift the thing! My father's Wrangler changed drastically with a 4 1/2" lift and some 35" tires- his was a Wrangler X.

Overall, the Wrangler is rude, crude and mostly impractical for daily use, but it's just as American as the Mustang or the Corvette. I always recommend them to friends so long as they don't mind god-awful mileage, limited cargo capacity, a harsh ride and terrible freeway commuting. The fact is, there are many other SUV/CUVs out there that offer a better bang for the buck, but there's nothing like driving a Wrangler in its natural habitat.