Do Rubicons Really Have Better Resale Value?

[ThirtyOne]

TLDR: Do Rubicons really have the best resale value of all the trims? NO. NOT EVEN CLOSE.

I have seen a few of these "You're an idiot if you don't buy a Rubicon" threads and one thing they tout is the better resale value of the Rubicon.

I had to wonder if that was actually the case. I mean people say it with so much conviction that I figured it must be true but I wanted to see for myself.

Now, I don't have order guides from 2015, so I had to go with base vehicles (standard options) that I had MSRP for, but I used that and Kelley Blue Book for values. I looked at trade-in values and at private sale values and they were pretty consistent other than Sport doing better at Private Sale.

Here is resale/residual % for all 4 trims based on a 2015 with 36,000 miles in good condition in NC:

The winner? The lowly base Sport 4 Door. And yes. You can actually sell it 3 years later for more than you paid for it.

So I ask you. Why would anyone buy anything other than a base Sport?

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[DanW]

...Because the Rubicon is more capable and has more convenience features and has less need for modification, for my purposes. Btw, I've never considered resale in buying a vehicle. It is just a nice bonus if it happens to be good. Also, resale is highly variable by location. The data you posted is an average for where?

 

[JHJLUR]

TLDR: Do Rubicons really have the best resale value of all the trims? NO. NOT EVEN CLOSE.

I have seen a few of these "You're an idiot if you don't buy a Rubicon" threads and one thing they tout is the better resale value of the Rubicon.

I had to wonder if that was actually the case. I mean people say it with so much conviction that I figured it must be true but I wanted to see for myself.

Now, I don't have order guides from 2015, so I had to go with base vehicles (standard options) that I had MSRP for, but I used that and Kelley Blue Book for values. I looked at trade-in values and at private sale values and they were pretty consistent other than Sport doing better at Private Sale.

Here is resale/residual % for all 4 trims based on a 2015 with 36,000 miles in good condition:

The winner? The lowly base Sport 4 Door. And yes. You can actually sell it 3 years later for more than you paid for it.

So I ask you. Why would anyone buy anything other than a base Sport?

Im looking at that chart and Im getting more for my Willys which is a 2014 with 60,XXX miles on it then a 2015 sport S ( most similar I can compare to) with 35,000 miles...and no its not because I paid full rate on the new one, I m right around 4% below invoice on my new rig with no fees.......I cant speak for an absolute better resale on the Rubi, but it has been my experience that clean, non modded, or modded lightly used rubis sell for a pretty good premium....My main attraction to the rubi is that I won't have to do anything to it, Ill keep it clean and mostly all stock (save for a few very minor things) and Im sure if/when i decide to move on it'll hold its value very well.

 

[ThirtyOne]

...Because the Rubicon is more capable and has more convenience features and has less need for modification, for my purposes. Btw, I've never considered resale in buying a vehicle. It is just a nice bonus if it happens to be good. Also, resale is highly variable by location. The data you posted is an average for where?

I just used my zip code in NC. Updated my post.

 

[ThirtyOne]

Im looking at that chart and Im getting more for my Willys which is a 2014 with 60,XXX miles on it then a 2015 sport S ( most similar I can compare to) with 35,000 miles...and no its not because I paid full rate on the new one, I m right around 4% below invoice on my new rig with no fees.......I cant speak for an absolute better resale on the Rubi, but it has been my experience that clean, non modded, or modded lightly used rubis sell for a pretty good premium....My main attraction to the rubi is that I won't have to do anything to it, Ill keep it clean and mostly all stock (save for a few very minor things) and Im sure if/when i decide to move on it'll hold its value very well.

Good for you. That's awesome.

 

[macintux]

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that historically Rubicons have been ridden harder off-road and modified more than Sports, just due to the target market for each. That probably plays a role in the resale value.

 

[Jayo67]

What website did you get this information from? I wouldn't mind looking mine up.

 

[Four Flusher]

"So I ask you. Why would anyone buy anything other than a base Sport?" Spoken like a true soccer mom. Beyond basic transportation, why would you buy anything but a $20K Kia. I've had a few wranglers and basically you buy one because they're cool or you want a rugged rig or both. Personally I'd never buy a wrangler as a cheap transportation value. As far as resale, all trims have insane resale so buy what you can afford and want.

 

[ThirtyOne]

What website did you get this information from? I wouldn't mind looking mine up.

kbb.com

 

[ThirtyOne]

"So I ask you. Why would anyone buy anything other than a base Sport?" Spoken like a true soccer mom. Beyond basic transportation, why would you buy anything but a $20K Kia. I've had a few wranglers and basically you buy one because they're cool or you want a rugged rig or both. Personally I'd never buy a wrangler as a cheap transportation value. As far as resale, all trims have insane resale so buy what you can afford and want.

Dude - It is a joke because there are several threads that are like "Why buy anything but a Rubicon?" And a lot of posts claim they have better resale value even though no one has bothered to look it up.

Anyone who knows my posts know that I think everyone should get whatever they want. Which is really what I was getting at.

You wouldn't know that because you have like 4 posts. So kiss my ass.

 

[stinggray]

Thanks for posting this Thirtyone. I’ve had similar thoughts, having spent a lot of time on the Edmunds lease forum reading up on residual values. I thought all these folks knew something I didn’t

 

[Dynomite1371]

Take care of her and she will bring good money on the back end. Year after year Jeep Wrangler and Tundra respectively, lead the pack with percentage of loss at resale.

 

[ThirtyOne]

Take care of her and she will bring good money on the back end. Year after year Jeep Wrangler and Tundra respectively, lead the pack with percentage of loss at resale.

Yep. Even 75%-80% is ridiculously high. Average car after 3 years is closer to 50%-55% I believe.

 

[CantThinkOfAHandle]

So I ask you. Why would anyone buy anything other than a base Sport?

Maybe because they don't actually exist?

Just kidding, that's interesting research. It seems clear the 2-door models don't hold their value as well. Differences between models are harder to evaluate, because there's no way to know how much, on average, each has been modified.

 

[008]

You’re point may be spot on but I’m Not sure I buy the data. I doubt anybody sold their sport 3 years later for more than msrp. Given you can buy them New from the dealer for 10% off all daynow, but hey more power to them if so.

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