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JL Manual Transmission Values Down the Road

The Last Cowboy

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Good to hear. I never got to drive one, wish I had. No regrets about the auto though.

As far as resale values, I think a Wrangler is far less affected (if at all) than say a small car. Wranglers, Mustangs, Vettes, etc will always have someone looking for a manual on the used market.
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Tar Heel Wrangler

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Oilburner

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I think having a manual transmission is like having a swimming pool at your house. It is just an option that will turn some potential buyers away, and draw a much others. With the 6 speed, your buyer pool will be much smaller - will they pay more? Probably not any more than an auto-equipped version of a similar Jeep.
PS: Agree you will get hosed if you are a trade-in kind of person.
 

emptyminded42

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If you have a non rubicon d44 rear, then you have the limited slip. The part # is on the axle if you want to look at it and google it.
I definitely don't have the LSD rear end - no A/T tires and it's not on the window sticker. However, by all visual appearances I have the D44/M220 rear end. My Sport S has no options except for the S package and the hard top.
 

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bboyk

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I got a manual Jeep (and this applies to classic muscle cars as well) because I wanted the experience of actually driving (controlling) the vehicle. I don't buy vehicles thinking about the resale value. If I did, I would only buy Honda Civics. There's no fun in driving a Honda Civic.

When the time comes to "pass on" the Jeep (and muscle cars), don't trade it in with a dealership. Find someone who will appreciate it as you did. There will be people who want a manual transmission.
 

zakaron

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To me the manual is priceless. It is the only reason I have a JL on order (which is due any day now...). Unfortunately the industry as a whole is pushing toward automatics, so I would not be surprised if Jeep discontinues the manual with the release of the new turbo I6. I don't know how much longer they will string the aging Pentastar along for. I do hope I'm wrong, but they couldn't even be bothered to pair the 2.0L with the manual now that it is not using eTorque.
 

PA JLUR

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To me the manual is priceless. It is the only reason I have a JL on order (which is due any day now...). Unfortunately the industry as a whole is pushing toward automatics, so I would not be surprised if Jeep discontinues the manual with the release of the new turbo I6. I don't know how much longer they will string the aging Pentastar along for. I do hope I'm wrong, but they couldn't even be bothered to pair the 2.0L with the manual now that it is not using eTorque.
what I6 turbo are you referencing? I’d like to learn more about that
 

entropy

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A dealer near Los Angeles got a delivery of a bunch of manual JLs. I was watching them, they sat so long on the lot they sold them with massive discounts, they gave them away and I am sure they made none to little profit. I almost bought one because they were so cheap. They are harder to sell.

I had a manual corolla I sold beginning of the year. Only 56k miles, 2013, perfect condition. I've never had so much trouble trying to sell a car privately, it was a nightmare. I ended up selling it to carmax, they did give me a good value for it but selling it privately was impossible. I had to drop the price so much, to trade in values and nobody wanted it.

You either get lucky and find a manual guy/gal or sell it to something like carmax. But your pool of buyers is smaller, it will drive the value down. It isn't rocket science. After a long time trying to sell you'll take anything and move on with your life.

I am done with manuals. Most people in this country can't drive them. Years ago I remember I went to an event where valet parking was "mandatory". I had to wait like 15 minutes for the only manual guy to park my car. And trying to teach my wife how to drive manual was a sure ticket to the divorce lawyer.

I got sick of the thing. Sold it, bought a new auto Camry for the wife and kept the Jeep for myself.
 

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Toycrusher

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Don't buy for someone else. Buy for yourself. If you enjoy driving manual, buy a manual. If you don't enjoy driving manual, you owe it to yourself to buy a manual JL anyway because you will end up loving it. I drove 15 hours round trip to get mine.

You become an part of your vehicle, and it's way more rewarding than you might think. In fact, there's a decent chance you won't have to worry about trading it in because you won't want to give it up.

Gearing is critical to a manual, get a Rubicon, or budget for new gears. I find it much more controlled off-road than an auto. Gear down and ease up on the clutch to slowly get moving. You will find you can slowly walk right up some incredibly steep obstacles with ease. In an auto, you are fighting the torque converter lockup. You have to give it enough gas to lock the converter and move forward, but it's just a hair away from too much throttle and slipping a tire. Plus the engine is always revved up and lugged and your building lots of heat. In a manual, just ease the clutch out and worry about steering. You can easily control your exact wheel speed with the skinny pedal. If you need to abort, just clutch in. When you need to abort on an auto you have to grab brakes which can upset your traction in a condition that's already quite upset.
 

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A dealer near Los Angeles got a delivery of a bunch of manual JLs. I was watching them, they sat so long on the lot they sold them with massive discounts, they gave them away and I am sure they made none to little profit. I almost bought one because they were so cheap. They are harder to sell.

I had a manual corolla I sold beginning of the year. Only 56k miles, 2013, perfect condition. I've never had so much trouble trying to sell a car privately, it was a nightmare. I ended up selling it to carmax, they did give me a good value for it but selling it privately was impossible. I had to drop the price so much, to trade in values and nobody wanted it.

You either get lucky and find a manual guy/gal or sell it to something like carmax. But your pool of buyers is smaller, it will drive the value down. It isn't rocket science. After a long time trying to sell you'll take anything and move on with your life.

I am done with manuals. Most people in this country can't drive them. Years ago I remember I went to an event where valet parking was "mandatory". I had to wait like 15 minutes for the only manual guy to park my car. And trying to teach my wife how to drive manual was a sure ticket to the divorce lawyer.

I got sick of the thing. Sold it, bought a new auto Camry for the wife and kept the Jeep for myself.
The dealer was a fool to order manual JLs to carry in inventory. When only 3% of the population drive manuals, dealers would shy away from carrying them in inventory. However, a dealer should have no issue ordering one for a customer.

Selling a manual Jeep should be a far different experience than selling a manual Corolla.
 

entropy

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The dealer was a fool to order manual JLs to carry in inventory. When only 3% of the population drive manuals, dealers would shy away from carrying them in inventory. However, a dealer should have no issue ordering one for a customer.

Selling a manual Jeep should be a far different experience than selling a manual Corolla.
Still. the vast majority of people here drive automatic, and that includes jeep owners. most jeep owners don't even know a Jeep has SFA or anything, to them it is just another car.
 

SargeRubicon14

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I ordered a manual because I love driving them. It was a requirement for me and you can't find them on a lot. Plus, I laugh every time someone looks at or gets in the Jeep and the first thing out of their mouth is, "Your Jeep is a manual?!?"

I wish they offered the diesel with a manual. I love diesel engines, but not more than a manual.

I don't care about the resale value, I keep vehicles for a long time and I buy them for me. I don't really care what the next guy thinks.
 

FormerF150Owner

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I ordered a manual because I love driving them. It was a requirement for me and you can't find them on a lot. Plus, I laugh every time someone looks at or gets in the Jeep and the first thing out of their mouth is, "Your Jeep is a manual?!?"

I wish they offered the diesel with a manual. I love diesel engines, but not more than a manual.

I don't care about the resale value, I keep vehicles for a long time and I buy them for me. I don't really care what the next guy thinks.

Same here. I ordered a 2 door manual back on 8/10/2020. There is just something about driving a manual that most people just don't understand. The bonus is that a manual is its own anti-theft deterrent!
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