Ask-A-Jeep-Dealer Thread

[Idaho_7]

Same size. Like many others, I got the standard wheels as not a fan of the polished lip on the Rubi. I prefer solid black also. I know some are planning on powder coating the standard rubi wheels black or coating with some plastic coating. We have not seen a price on the polished lip wheel, though upgraded wheels traditionally are at least a $9xx upgrade.

These may be the JL Rubicon's stock wheels??? Definitely not "Black".

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[wanderer]

What is EP and how do you qualify for it?

 

[Lurvis33]

What is EP and how do you qualify for it?

Employee Pricing. Thankfully I work for my school district and they have an EP partnership program with the local dealer I was already considering buying from

 

[wired]

These may be the JL Rubicon's stock wheels??? Definitely not "Black".

Yes. Those are the standard Rubicom wheels.

 

[Hamilton Charles]

Hi Dealer guy,

New to the forum - Can you provide some guidance on ordering a new Wrangler Rubicon JL for shipping to Europe?
[Ideally, I am interested in the petrol V6 Rubicon 4-door, with all the optional extras/upgrades available, in matt black, with cream seats, and red accents.]

I live/work between the UK (London) and Spain (Valencia), and would like buy a left-hand side drive Jeep from the USA, and get it shipped from the US East coast, to Spain, to use the vehicle in both Spain and the UK for my business.
I would be happy to fly to the US for a couple of days to organise all the paperwork, and/or drive the new vehicle from the US dealership to an appropriate East Coast port, where I can arrange for Roll-on-roll-off shipping back to Europe. I would also be happy to collect the vehicle from the arrival port in either Europe or the UK.
I would be buying the Jeep in cash (i.e. not finance), as a company car, which would be owned by my own company. Since I can buy the vehicle through my business, this approach would work out much cheaper than buying directly in Europe, and would be the added bonus of a great trip to the US !! The new JL will also be available much earlier in the US than in Europe.

To research this I went to the only Jeep Corporate owned dealership called Motorvillage, in London UK, yesterday, [https://www.motorvillageuk.com/contact/marylebone/]. However, they were only able to order UK right-hand drive vehicles, and couldn't advise me about ordering directly from the US.

Therefore, could you point me in the right direction regarding the following order-related questions, given my circumstances:

• Is it better to order the new Wrangler (Rubicon) JL directly from Jeep.com, or via a local showroom dealer
• If I order from a local dealer, can you recommend how to narrow down choices of dealers, since I could literally order from any thousands of different dealers in any US state across the East coast
• If I want to order directly from Jeep, is there a phone number so i can discuss options before placing my order
  
• Is there any approximate estimate of when I can place an order, and what is the expected waiting time in months until delivery of vehicles, (either directly from Jeep or via a dealer)
  
• Would it be better to drive the new vehicle from the local dealer, to a East coast US port myself (which I imagine would involve me getting a whole load of paperwork to allow me to drive in the US with my UK licence), or would it be better to pay for a service to have the vehicle delivered to the port for me on the back of a truck
• Are there any vehicle modifications required to drive a US model in Europe. If you are unsure, can you suggest where I might find this out.
• I plan to purchase the vehicle in cash (not using finance) - Can you outline what is a typical deposit required to place an order upfront
• Do you have any suggestion how I would reclaim sales tax paid for the vehicle in the US, which I should be able to get back post-sale, since I am a non-resident
• Can you recommend any companies that could provide reliable/trustworthy/cost effective international shipping to Europe, or point me towards information how to narrow down the options?
• Are there any other limitations on me purchasing the vehicle as a non-US resident I haven't thought of
  
• Is there anything else you would recommend to consider for such a venture

Also regarding the vehicle itself, could you advise on:

• I am interested in adding some aftermarket customizations to the vehicle (e.g. off-road lights, winch, etc). In your opinion, would it be better to add such items to the vehicle with a custom fitter in the US prior to shipping, or find someone that does this in the UK/Europe
• I would like the vehicle to be in Matt black, instead of gloss. Is this possible as part of a new order, and if not, can you advise how I could change it to Matt black, after I have purchased it.

Thanks in advance!

 

[JLWF Dealer Guy]

Hi Dealer guy,

New to the forum - Can you provide some guidance on ordering a new Wrangler Rubicon JL for shipping to Europe?
[Ideally, I am interested in the petrol V6 Rubicon 4-door, with all the optional extras/upgrades available, in matt black, with cream seats, and red accents.]

I live/work between the UK (London) and Spain (Valencia), and would like buy a left-hand side drive Jeep from the USA, and get it shipped from the US East coast, to Spain, to use the vehicle in both Spain and the UK for my business.
I would be happy to fly to the US for a couple of days to organise all the paperwork, and/or drive the new vehicle from the US dealership to an appropriate East Coast port, where I can arrange for Roll-on-roll-off shipping back to Europe. I would also be happy to collect the vehicle from the arrival port in either Europe or the UK.
I would be buying the Jeep in cash (i.e. not finance), as a company car, which would be owned by my own company. Since I can buy the vehicle through my business, this approach would work out much cheaper than buying directly in Europe, and would be the added bonus of a great trip to the US !! The new JL will also be available much earlier in the US than in Europe.

To research this I went to the only Jeep Corporate owned dealership called Motorvillage, in London UK, yesterday, [https://www.motorvillageuk.com/contact/marylebone/]. However, they were only able to order UK right-hand drive vehicles, and couldn't advise me about ordering directly from the US.

Therefore, could you point me in the right direction regarding the following order-related questions, given my circumstances:

• Is it better to order the new Wrangler (Rubicon) JL directly from Jeep.com, or via a local showroom dealer
• If I order from a local dealer, can you recommend how to narrow down choices of dealers, since I could literally order from any thousands of different dealers in any US state across the East coast
• If I want to order directly from Jeep, is there a phone number so i can discuss options before placing my order
  
• Is there any approximate estimate of when I can place an order, and what is the expected waiting time in months until delivery of vehicles, (either directly from Jeep or via a dealer)
  
• Would it be better to drive the new vehicle from the local dealer, to a East coast US port myself (which I imagine would involve me getting a whole load of paperwork to allow me to drive in the US with my UK licence), or would it be better to pay for a service to have the vehicle delivered to the port for me on the back of a truck
• Are there any vehicle modifications required to drive a US model in Europe. If you are unsure, can you suggest where I might find this out.
• I plan to purchase the vehicle in cash (not using finance) - Can you outline what is a typical deposit required to place an order upfront
• Do you have any suggestion how I would reclaim sales tax paid for the vehicle in the US, which I should be able to get back post-sale, since I am a non-resident
• Can you recommend any companies that could provide reliable/trustworthy/cost effective international shipping to Europe, or point me towards information how to narrow down the options?
• Are there any other limitations on me purchasing the vehicle as a non-US resident I haven't thought of
  
• Is there anything else you would recommend to consider for such a venture

Also regarding the vehicle itself, could you advise on:

• I am interested in adding some aftermarket customizations to the vehicle (e.g. off-road lights, winch, etc). In your opinion, would it be better to add such items to the vehicle with a custom fitter in the US prior to shipping, or find someone that does this in the UK/Europe
• I would like the vehicle to be in Matt black, instead of gloss. Is this possible as part of a new order, and if not, can you advise how I could change it to Matt black, after I have purchased it.

Thanks in advance!

Unfortunately, it is illegal for a U.S. dealer to sell a new vehicle for export. You are going to be hard pressed to find someone that is willing to take the chance on 1 car deal which could ultimately get them fined heavily for doing so. I wouldn't touch that with a 10 foot pole.

You can purchase a used vehicle for export but a used JL is not going to be easy to find for some time.

Additionally, no warranty either way. Buy a RHD locally.

 

[Hamilton Charles]

Ah - I had absolutely no idea that was an issue, but thank you for the info.

Seems like a very odd rule - why would that even exist. I don’t see what is wrong with wanting to own an original American made vehicle, that I want to purchase legitimately through my own company?
I'm not really interested in a second-hand JK, now I’ve seen the specs of the JL... Plus waiting 1-2 years for JL's to come onto the second hand market wouldn't work either.

I was even looking forward to coming to the Jeep HQ, or local dealer, personally to collect as part of the whole experience, and making a short holiday out of it...
I would also prefer a LHS drive vehicle, as the vast majority of my driving will be in Spain for own my (property) business in Spain...

I just checked the Spanish Jeep website (2017 model prices), and if I were to buy a LHS 4-door Rubicon (with all the options) from a dealer in Spain, the price is over $65k+.
Whereas if I buy it in the USA, it's only going cost nearer to $40k, plus approximately $5k shipping and other costs/duties/taxes.
That's a $20k difference in price !!!

Am I missing something here, that doesn't make sense?

 

[theplankeye]

There has to be a an export service that takes care of what you want.

 

[JLWF Dealer Guy]

OK, while not illegal, in our dealership agreement that we will not sell vehicles in that matter. Not even to Canada or Mexico. I doubt you will find a dealership willing to do so. If they do, they are stupid. Could lose their franchise and be fined.

 

[Karl_in_Chicago]

I'm not sure which is going to be harder - finding a dealer that would sell you a new vehicle in the US for export or importing into either the UK or Spain and getting it registered for street legal use (plus all the duties/tariffs that need to be dealt with). So many differences between US-spec and Euro-spec.

 

[Hamilton Charles]

Thanks Karl and Dealer Guy - Appreciate your input.

Agree, this isn't going to be easy, although for a $20k saving, and also an amazing experience buying an original Jeep from the US, and personally transporting it back, I think it's worth the effort to see if it is possible... Saying that, although I'm glad it's not illegal, at the same time I don't want to be putting the dealership selling me the vehicle in a difficult position either.

Perhaps a more interesting question, is at what point does a vehicle become "used".

Lets say I were to buy the Jeep in Central USA (e.g.Dallas, Texas), and do a road trip to drive the car to New York, and made a holiday out of it. I would probably be clocking up something like 1000-2000 miles on the car.
Technically then the car would be "used", so I don't see why I couldn't then ship the car to my house in Spain, and drive it there for my own personal use... Surely, as long as I am not trying to rip-off Jeep, by exporting it to sell it to someone for a profit (which I am absolutely not), then I don't see the problem?

In terms of differences for use on Euro roads, the adjustments are actually pretty minor, from the research I've done so far (e.g. Possible small change to the headlights). Also, there are several companies that provide shipping services, but also deal with paperwork and vehicle adjustments on arrival.

Thoughts welcome.

 

[Karl_in_Chicago]

From the googling I did it appears that the various laws in place in Europe around importing cars from the US are mostly geared towards folks moving from the US to Europe - as well as protecting local car sales. Not really surprising. It does appear that it is easier for USED cars to be imported, though what constitutes "used" seems to vary but 6 months seemed to be a common denominator. I really think your best bet, Hamilton, would be to seek out a local company in either UK or Spain that specializes in bringing in US cars (probably with a business focused on US ex-pats). With their business having a focus of getting foreign cars INTO your locale they'd probably be a lot more knowledgeable than a US car dealer that has an understandable focus on selling and supporting cars to local residents. Seems like you are looking at a shipping cost starting around $2K for an SUV, maybe VAT and local tariffs/duties, and costs to Euro-ize any things not to spec. At least for the latter, given Jeep's global presence, you should/would have relatively easy access to local-spec parts; unknown is which and how many would need to be swapped out and how complex those changes might be to perform.

 

[Hamilton Charles]

Great advice!

I do have family/friends in the US I could potentially store the vehicle with for ~6 months, if that is the minimum requirement to qualify as "used", so will explore that option.

Totally agree, I need to find a local company that focuses on bringing in cars from abroad... Time for some serious delving around Google to find someone that offers that kind of service.

I estimated shipping is approx $1,000-2,000 depending what insurances you go for. There is a 10% import tax, and a 20% VAT tax payable on entry to the EU. However, I think the 10% import tax doesn't apply for a used (6months) vehicle, and I can get a refund on the 20% VAT as I would be purchasing this under my own company which is VAT registered (for VAT refunds). I would guess costs to Euro-ize the vehicle would be $1,000-3,000 max, but will definitely have to check that out beforehand.
So all in, costs would only be about ~$5,000, so still a massive saving to buying locally in Spain, plus I get a cool trip out of it too!

Will post when I find out more.

 

[JLWF Dealer Guy]

I just don't see it happening. As I said, No way would anyone here risk it. It doesn't make sense.

https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/export-docs/motor-vehicle

 

[Powdrmut]

I just don't see it happening. As I said, No way would anyone here risk it. It doesn't make sense.

https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/export-docs/motor-vehicle

Hi JLWF Dealer Guy, quick question...ordered a JLR - Granite Crystal on 12/13/17. On average how long till a VON & VIN # assigned? Also status “D” and other letters mentioned on other members invoices...unsure of meaning. This is my 1st factory ordered new truck in 30 years !

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