I have had mine for about 3 months. I love it.
My thoughts:
1: Price. I paid $26.2 with a five speed and EVERY other option. Dual top, 7 speaker stereo with sub (which BTW it the most worthless stereo I have ever seen in a new vehicle. Save your money and buy an aftermarket stereo), temp gauge in the mirror, everything but the Smokers Group. 28 something out the door with tax title and licsence. Single top, stock stereo units went for 24ish around here. $500 over invoice is a good rule of thumb.
2: Diffs are low pressure air actuated. Rear is also limited slip when not locked. It is a very good limited slip, easily as good as the old PowerLocks. Lockers do not work in 4HI, only 4LO, but that isn't really an issue as the LSD is fine.
3: People tend to react strongly to Rubicons on the trail. Some assume that I am a newby (which I am not), or they assume I should be out running the truely crazy 4.5 level trails (which I am not gonna, still have 58 payments left), or that I am mecahanically inept ("dude, you could built one for less.") which I am not, or I get the "Jeeps aren't bought , they are built" thing. Anyone giving me the last two are invited to bring their tools over to my garage and help me finsh up my CJ while they explain their point.
4: The front "D44" isn't really. The center section is a D44, but the axles, tubes, knuckles, all that is D30. You WILL have the same strength issues with the front end as you do with D30s except the ring and pinion won't break. That works for me, I can trail fix all the other stuff, not so much R&P. Axle upgrades are just now coming out from Warn and Superior.
5: Four wheel disk brakes are officially a "good thing"!
6: Whoever the intern at DC is that designed the T/C skid pan needs to receive an atomic wedgie.
7: Value. Are they a good value? For me, Yes. This is a rig that I want to run AZ trails on the weekend and still be able to show up in a clients parking lot on Monday and not freak anyone out (I do customer support for corporate banking, suit and tie stuff). IMHO, if you are looking for a serious trail rig, or are going to run 35" tire or bigger (again just my opinion, lots of folks out here are running 35s on their Rubi's, I just don't think 4.10s and 35s are a good match), or do things that regularly break a TJ D30, then building your own with a real D44 and lower gears might be better. That said, I have about $31k into my Rubicon right now, including CB, GPS, front roll cage, RE 3.5" lift, 305R16s (33") MTRs, Tom Woods DS, 9k lb winch, CO2 OBA all on a rig that is locked front and back has a 64:1 crawl ratio, is warrantied (no the lift does not void the warranty, warranty just doesn't cover lift and D/S now) and has less than 5k miles.
8: Build vs. Buy. Lots of folks tell me that I could have built for less. That may be the case, but I already have a project Jeep, and I didn't want a second one. I am yet to have someone come up to me in a rig with comparable hardware and tell that they DID build it for less than I bought, and I have had a number of people who do have comparable hardware say that they should have just gotten the Rubicon, given the $$ and time they spent. Not saying it can't be done, I am just saying I haven't seen it yet.
The Jeep is set up about the way I like it right now and I am looking forward to enjoying it for many years. The only other mods that are planned are rock lights (going in today), storage racks and boxes for extended trail runs, and a tummy tuck T/C skid once Kilby, Nth Degree and other get their production units out (probably do that end of August, in time for MOAB BABY!), and axle upgrades later this fall.
Well, those are my thoughts, time to go install the rock lights, got a night run tomorrow.