07 JK 4 Door with manual.
3 inch lift 305 75/16's (34 inch tire). I get 17 mpg. The soft top sucks on the highway. Get a hardtop and buy a soft top for summer. The hard top is over 2k to replace and an aftermarket soft top is under $500. I love my jeep! I don't rock crawl it, so the manual is fine. I do most of my off road in the dessert, and it is set up for that.
I like the idea of a base model because there is so much aftermarket for JK's I don't really see what the Rubicon offers that you won't replace anyway.
Also, black jeeps look like shit with brush scratches. I have to plasti dip my jeep once or twice a year. Get a white jeep.