Buying First Jeep - Help Needed

[b0r3d0m]

I'm looking to buy (finance, to be more precise) my first Jeep.

The primary use will be getting to remote trailheads, overlanding, casual road trips, and occasional off-roading.

I did some research and figured that the perfect trim for my use case would be Willys. I don't want the bare-bone model, such as Sport, and I probably don't need the extra off-road capabilities that Rubicon provides. I might theoretically go with Sahara but I figured it would be good to have something extra if it doesn't cost too much, just in case.

I considered other SUVs, too, but they don't provide the same feeling for me as Jeep (very subjective, obviously). I rented some Jeeps before, so I think I know some of the major pros and cons.

I searched the inventory on the Jeep website and AutoTrader.

My understanding is that Willys didn't change much (at all?) between the 2024 and 2025 models, and considering 2024 is cheaper, I decided to go with that.

I found a few interesting options at the dealerships around me (250 mi radius), all around $43k net price.

The total cost breakdown is:

2024 Jeep Wrangler 4-Door Willys

Convenience Group, Safety Group, Automatic Transmission

MSRP: $56,170

Dealer Discount: $8,175

2024 National Standalone 10% Below MSRP (1/B/L/E): $5,617

Net Price: $42,378

I have a very good credit score (around 800), but the dealerships I've been talking with (email only so far) don't usually offer anything less than 6-7% APR at best for 60+ months (unless it's 36 months with no dealer rebates and discounts, then it's 0% APR).

With $5k down, I think my monthly payments would be somewhere around $900.

I'm in Southern California.

The questions I have are:

1. Is it a fair price for the Jeep? I mean, I understand that many people consider the current Jeep market pricing overpriced in general, but that aside, do you think that the price above is fair for what I'm getting?
2. Should I negotiate the price further in person? Is there any chance for it to become significantly less than that? I see that dealers are very reluctant to make it lower through email, not sure if it will be different in person.
3. Should I get a pre-approval from my bank before going to the dealership in person? Any recommendations on specific credit unions?
4. Can I refinance my Jeep any time, or does it totally depend on the dealer I'm getting it from?
5. Do you have any dealer recommendations in SoCal?
6. As Willys doesn't come with leather seats, what would be the best option to install it afterward? I've heard some good feedback about Katzkin -- how expensive are they?
7. Is this the best time to buy a Jeep? I see that Jeep provides some very good deals on the remaining 2024 stock, but maybe it will be even better in a month or two -- I understand that this is hard-to-predict, but maybe you've seen some trends over the years.

Thanks!

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[BearsJeep87]

That seems to good to be true. That is approaching 25% off msrp.
Always good to have arranged external financing. But their discount may require you using theirs.
Seems 24s have to be moved. But also likely to start filing some shifts at Toledo if inventory builds. Historically these are massive wrangler discounts but historically wranglers have gotten ridiculously expensive relative to other vehicles.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

1. Great choice (Willys trim) and that appears to be a good price.
2. Yes, there is always room to negotiate and they will always start high. They typically won't give you a hard copy of the quote but take a picture of it so you have it to reference if you shop at another dealership. Not cool to show the other dealership a quote from another one, but good to keep a photo of it to refresh your memory as you negotiate.
3. The dealership can sometimes offer better finance options/incentives than the banks. No need to prequalify since the dealerships will take your driver's license and run your credit before you even sit down.
4. Yes, you can refinance. The credit union I use in SoCal for auto loans is Financial Partners. Their interest rates are pretty competitive and their customer service is great. Currently 5.89% https://fpcu.org/money-saving-rates/auto-loan-rates
5. Ranked in order of preference: Glenn E Thomas in Signal Hill, Puente Hills, Rydell in San Fernando, Moss Bros in Riverside. Ones that I have done business with once but never again: Huntington Beach, AutoNation Valencia, Tuttle Click.
6. Katzkin are awesome (IMO better than factory leather) and you can get them installed locally. It cost me $2,500 for diamond stitch Katzkin and heated seats for a Rav4: https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...n-dropped-on-2024-willys.115248/#post-2397203
7. Being this close to Memorial Day, maybe wait to see if there are any specials. That said, if you find a 2024 you like, perhaps jump on it.

8. If you have a trade-in, run a offer with Carvana and keep it in your back pocket. Let the dealership value your trade-in and if the number is lower than Carvana, pull out the quote and they will likely match it.
9. Don't let them talk you into a 4xe

 

[b0r3d0m]

1. Great choice (Willys trim) and that appears to be a good price.
2. Yes, there is always room to negotiate and they will always start high. They typically won't give you a hard copy of the quote but take a picture of it so you have it to reference if you shop at another dealership. Not cool to show the other dealership a quote from another one, but good to keep a photo of it to refresh your memory as you negotiate.
3. The dealership can sometimes offer better finance options/incentives than the banks. No need to prequalify since the dealerships will take your driver's license and run your credit before you even sit down.
4. Yes, you can refinance. The credit union I use in SoCal for auto loans is Financial Partners. Their interest rates are pretty competitive and their customer service is great. Currently 5.89% https://fpcu.org/money-saving-rates/auto-loan-rates
5. Ranked in order of preference: Glenn E Thomas in Signal Hill, Puente Hills, Rydell in San Fernando, Moss Bros in Riverside. Ones that I have done business with once but never again: Huntington Beach, AutoNation Valencia, Tuttle Click.
6. Katzkin are awesome (IMO better than factory leather) and you can get them installed locally. It cost me $2,500 for diamond stitch Katzkin and heated seats for a Rav4: https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...n-dropped-on-2024-willys.115248/#post-2397203
7. Being this close to Memorial Day, maybe wait to see if there are any specials. That said, if you find a 2024 you like, perhaps jump on it.

8. If you have a trade-in, run a offer with Carvana and keep it in your back pocket. Let the dealership value your trade-in and if the number is lower than Carvana, pull out the quote and they will likely match it.
9. Don't let them talk you into a 4xe

Thank you for taking the time to reply!

Don't let them talk you into a 4xe

Why, though? It seems to be a pretty good deal, especially considering all those lease rebates that one may get.

Not cool to show the other dealership a quote from another one

Is it just an ethical thing?

 

[Punkn89]

I don’t know how some of you only put $5k down on a $40k+ vehicle. You’re going to be upside down very quickly, good credit or not. Plus, you’re already thinking about refinancing - that’s not a good mindset, this isn’t a house where your value goes up. It’s a depreciating vehicle that you should really only take a few years to pay off if financing - ideally paying more on the principle every month. The total cost plus interest on your loan will be somewhere close to $55k.

I don’t know man, maybe it’s just me but this seems like a bad idea. I’m sure others will say it’s fine, but I hate seeing people in a financial hole, then coming back here to complain about their trade in value.

If it’s your dream vehicle you want to keep as long as possible, are okay with paying close to what a mortgage costs and can still feed yourself, do what makes you happy. Just giving my 2 cents.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

Why, though? It seems to be a pretty good deal, especially considering all those lease rebates that one may get.

This is a sensitive topic here but besides the hours/days that you will have to live without the Jeep while it is in the shop for recall after recall, and the bad resell value, check your electric bill for how much you pay for each kWh. If you live in SoCal it will likely cost you to $7 in electricity to charge the Jeep for 20 miles of driving. Since Wranglers get about 20 mpg, that is equivalent to paying $7/gal to charge the Jeep. With the pending lawsuits related to the fires, electric prices could go up even more in the near future. If you decide to just not charge it and run it on gas all of the time instead, you are now carrying around 800lbs in battery weight reducing your mpg even more. For states where kWh are $.07 to $.15 it might make sense but in socal it is tough to see a real savings.

 

[Kerney]

If you like the vehicle/ deal do it. I searched nationwide and just bought a 24 rubicon in the color/ options I wanted. The closest was 8 hours away. Your risk is the pickings for 24s will get fewer and fewer if you wait. I got about 22% below msrp and was happy. I did have to finance with them to get my deal. It'll cost me $150 in increased interest payments as my credit union will refinance me into a new car loan at 4.5% in 90 days.

As far as financing...I chose to finance but it'll be paid off quickly. I personally would rather cash flow this monthly for 2 years than cash out investments and pay taxes.

I didn't even consider a 4xe, as mentioned above I did the math on electricity cost/mile and there was little difference in cost per mile. Once the 4xe gets depleted it gets worse gasoline mileage than the 2.0 engine because of the added weight. I do alot of highway miles so the 4xe cost more to operate in that application and obviously it's more complex. If you city drive and your electricity is cheap it's perfect for that application. 4xes also depreciate way faster than ice only.

 

[b0r3d0m]

First, thank you all for taking the time to reply to my post!

I've got my Jeep through a different dealer w/ Technology Group (Alpine Audio System) also (on top of Convenience and Safety Groups).

New 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4–Door Willys
2.0L I4 Engine, Technology Group, Convenience Group, Active Safety Group, Hard Top, Automatic Transmission
MSRP (Sticker Price): $55,465
Dealer Discounts: $7,210
2024 National Standalone 10% Below MSRP: $5,546.50
Net Price (before taxes and fees): $42,708.5

Then, of course, CA taxes and fees (registration, documentation) applied, and they also (as dealers almost always do) added some extra unnecessary stuff as Aftermarket additions (which I negotiated a bit, but not all), but still.

Again, thank you so much for helping me out!

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