I've had 3 Jeeps (an '86 CJ-7, a '93 Wrangler and a 2004 Wrangler Unlimited). In all cases, I had both the hard and soft tops. I loved them all, but the Unlimited was my least favorite. The Unlimited didn't handle like a Jeep (it was actually my husband's car to drive) and it was an automatic and I'm a stick shift girl, myself.

I'm glad you are getting one! I miss my Jeeps (but I love my Mini even more). Two things 1) definitely go with the hitch bike rack...the tire mounted ones are a pain and I never felt it was that secure. And 2) I pray you don't do much highway travel. The wranger is not comfortable for distance highway travel and gas milage sucks.

Our Limited never saw snow, but both my CJ and my Wrangler handed it very well (just not at high speeds). I actually rescued a couple of bigger SUV's with the winch on my CJ! All in all, if you love it, a Jeep is a great vehicle. It's got some annoyances (no power locks or windows, loud on highway, milage, etc) that are easy to overlook if you love it.