Buying A JL - British Columbia, Canada

[JimmyNeutron]

Hey everyone!

I'm new to this forum, and have just started looking to buy my first Jeep. I am located in British Columbia, Canada, and am looking for feedback from anyone looking to buy, or who has recently bought, in this area. I apologize if I have started a thread where one similar already exists, but after searching this site, I did not locate one specifically for this topic.

I used the Canadian buying guide found on this site, posted around August 2018 (I believe) and was surprised to see what a huge difference there is between what the guide provides, and what the dealers here in south western BC, are offering. They are all sticking to MSRP prices as displayed on their window stickers. Some are even including items that come stock on the build. For example, one lot has a mark-up of over $3,000 for running boards, nitrogen filled tires, and mud flaps. The running boards come stock on the Sahara, who know's if they've actually added nitrogen (and it's cheap anyway), and the mud flaps are less than $200(ish). When I started negotiating, they offered a dealer incentive of $3,000 and played it up like it was a generous offer.

I read in another thread that some people are going into Alberta or even further to buy because it's so frustrating in BC, but I'd rather not get into that unless I have to.

So I'm looking for anyone in BC, particularly the lower mainland and Vancouver Island, that is also looking to buy a Jeep. Maybe we can share some ideas and strategies.

Cheers!

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[YYCSahara]

Hey everyone!

I'm new to this forum, and have just started looking to buy my first Jeep. I am located in British Columbia, Canada, and am looking for feedback from anyone looking to buy, or who has recently bought, in this area. I apologize if I have started a thread where one similar already exists, but after searching this site, I did not locate one specifically for this topic.

I used the Canadian buying guide found on this site, posted around August 2018 (I believe) and was surprised to see what a huge difference there is between what the guide provides, and what the dealers here in south western BC, are offering. They are all sticking to MSRP prices as displayed on their window stickers. Some are even including items that come stock on the build. For example, one lot has a mark-up of over $3,000 for running boards, nitrogen filled tires, and mud flaps. The running boards come stock on the Sahara, who know's if they've actually added nitrogen (and it's cheap anyway), and the mud flaps are less than $200(ish). When I started negotiating, they offered a dealer incentive of $3,000 and played it up like it was a generous offer.

I read in another thread that some people are going into Alberta or even further to buy because it's so frustrating in BC, but I'd rather not get into that unless I have to.

So I'm looking for anyone in BC, particularly the lower mainland and Vancouver Island, that is also looking to buy a Jeep. Maybe we can share some ideas and strategies.

Cheers!

Can't help you with BC pricing, but I got $9,100 off msrp here in Alberta on my 2019 back when I ordered in April. There are similar discounts that people are getting in Ontario as well.

 

[JimmyNeutron]

Update to my first post - I bought my first Jeep yesterday!

It's 2019 Jeep Wrangler JL Unlimited Sahara (now my profile pic) and I'm really stoked about it! I opted for bright white with black hardtop, and ended up with a few more options than I intended to have included but realized as I looked that I had to expand my options list and pricing to get exactly what I wanted. I started my search locally about two weeks ago. We have two dealers locally, and then I expended outward as I struggled to get what I wanted, for the price I was prepared to pay. I used advice I read on this site, and spoke to friends around the country about their experiences buying. I am hoping this post will help other new buyers. Note that all prices mentioned are in Canadian $$.

Once I had determined my must-have list with primary features, and my secondary list with "would be nice to have" items, I started researching who had a Jeep that would work in their inventory. I used the Documentation and Resources page on this forum to establish the invoice price for my build. All of the dealers I spoke to tried very hard to negotiate from MSRP, and none of the dealers I spoke to would show me an invoice when I asked. I realized early on that two of the dealers did not have what I wanted, and were simply trying to string me along until they could find something that fit my criteria. In the case of the local dealers they had added items to the price as "dealer installed" when in fact the most expensive item "installed" came stock with the model I was looking for (Sahara). So for buyers who are new to this, it definitely pays to do your research on sites like this one, and utilizing Jeep's website to know exactly what is included, what is an option, and what a dealer may install that would increase the purchase price. For example, one dealer included a charge of just over $3,000 for four "dealer installed" items including running boards, nitrogen filled tires, wheel locks, and mud flaps. I looked into this, and the running boards were factory installed and included. For nitrogen,the dealership I ended up buying from offered to include it for $160. The wheel locks cost me $80 (total) and my salesman installed them before I got there so I wouldn't have to do it myself, or pay any shop costs. I found mud flaps for under $150 for all four. So the local dealers $3,000+ up-charge quickly unravels when you consider it's actually worth about $400. In the case of the local dealers charging for already included items, and overcharging for added items, they quickly offered a similar value dealer incentive of $3000. But this was used by the dealer to say they were already offering a $3,000 discount, so you were getting a good deal.

In the end, I picked a dealership within a couple hours drive. I have purchased almost 20 vehicles over the years, some brand new, some used. This purchasing experience was the best I've ever had. Until now, my #1 buying experience was for my Subaru Crosstrek that I purchased from a dealership in Ottawa, Ontario. I presented my offer for their Jeep on an invoice+% basis. From what I can tell, and others have mentioned as well, this number will vary quite a bit depending on where you're negotiating. I was fully prepared to travel to Alberta to buy a Jeep if it was the right deal. I would have just turned it into a little get-away with my wife as I read one other poster do. But in the end, the dealer I dealt with, gave me enough reason to stay "local."

As I dealt with my Jeep dealership, every time the dealer said something, I checked it for accuracy. I get that the car business is competitive and they are trying to wring every penny out of each sale, but I have no patience for dishonesty, and think that a dealership can do well negotiating in good faith. During the process of negotiating I caught every other dealer in a multitude of lies and inaccuracies, but with the dealership I ultimately chose to deal with I was never able to catch them once in a lie, or doing anything shady. They were completely transparent and upfront. Yes they worked to keep as much money in their pockets as they could, but there was no high-pressure tactics, which my wife commented on immediately after our first interaction with them as being a massive contrast to the two other dealerships we had visited. The other dealers tried to get us signing papers confirming build options right from the start before even showing us they had a Jeep available that would work for us.

So if anyone reading this has any questions, or wants more info on the dealership I chose, PM me.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[Snowshoes]

Update to my first post - I bought my first Jeep yesterday!

Congrats! enjoy your JEEP before it starts to rain

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