Help Purchasing My First Wrangler

[MacJack]

Like all have said... shop shop shop until you drop.... DO NOT LEASE, get a bank loan.... You will be upside down on a lease... I purchased my Jeep out of state and had it delivered to my local dealer as he could not meet the price... It hard work but well worth it... The only time you need a dealer is for warranty work... all other service is on you and you will be happy as so many dealer do not have good service staff.

Hope that helps and keep on Jeeping.

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[Pingbling23]

I never got this line of thought. I think the rubi hoods are ugly, to be honest. I like the classic look.

If everyone had the same taste we would all have the same mods lol.

 

[jack0351]

If everyone had the same taste we would all have the same mods lol.

And this is one of many reasons I have a Willys instead of a Rubicon. While I fully admit that the Rubi is a far more capable off-road vehicle, and that it's awesome to have that option from the Factory, it seems like EVERYBODY buys Rubis now. I figured that the "limited edition" would minimize the number of people with one just like mine, and I can honestly admit that I'm not going to NEED the Rubicon setup. I'd like to have a few of the upgrades, but none of them are needed for what my use is going to be- mostly light wheeling around the family farm.

 

[jack0351]

TLDR- buy, don't lease.
Back to OP's question- leasing a vehicle was the single biggest mistake of my (recent) adult vehicle life. Leased a Honda Civic for 3 years. Great car, terrible experience. I thoroughly agree with those that recommend an outright purchase.

My Willys is my first Jeep, and I did a LOT of research on Wrangler before committing. The Willys package wasn't as well researched, but with all the stuff i was getting on a Sport S, it was a minimal upcharge, and allowed me to get everything blacked out, which would have been one of my early mods anyway.

 

[Larry_G]

I didn't read through all of the thread but Wranglers hold their value, it would seem to make more sense to buy and just sell it or trade it if you decide its not the right vehicle for you.

I live in MA and am ordering from Criswell in MD, Leon Travis ([email protected]) is a veteran, a gentleman, and made my Jeep buying experience incredibly simple. I emailed Leon late Saturday night, by the time I woke up I had a quote that was untouchable by any local dealer and I had put down my deposit on Dec. 1. December 2 my Jeep was ordered and it is being built today on Dec 9.

I strongly recommend reaching out to Leon and letting him provide you a quote and explain your options lease vs buy. But in the end you could potentially save thousands, it is worth an email....trust me.

 

[n2jeep]

I agree and disagree. Rubicons are obviously the superior offroad trim and if you plan to lease a rubicon, you either need to be prepared to pay repair costs or just be cautious about what level of offloading you do. Leasing a Rubicon still makes sense to the point of the residual value still being really good. Someone leasing any trim of wrangler would most likely see equity in their lease after two years and be able to trade it in before the lease it up and make out pretty well.

That's was my exact plan when I bought mine. To trade in before lease ends, as I don't keep a vehicle longer than 2 years, so I leased it. I actually traded in 2 vehicles and instead of putting any of my equity money down got a check for $9500. My Lease payment is right under $600. The mileage & aftermarket mods on the Jeep are irrelevant if you trade in or sell before lease ends.

 

[Newbie718]

Hey there neighbor!

Not sure about leasing, i bought one that I factory ordered, but the best deal I could find on long island was 1% below sticker. I acted interested and test drove several different wranglers in a row. Did that at every dealer from queens border to the hamptons. Without any haggling whatsoever, i got about 7% below invoice without tread lightly at Suresky Motors in Goshen, NY. Also got a trade-in amount that I was happy with, and New York only taxes on the balance of the new vehicle after the trade-in value is deducted. That just ups the savings right there. The other dealer which was my backup is Fitzpatrick Motors in Ansonia, CT. Just mention this forum and both of those dealers should treat you right.

Best of luck and welcome to the fold!

Thanks for the good info. I’ve done some research and Suresky would be my first choice as well since they’re in NY. I was going to join Tread Lightly to save an additional 1%. Hopefully get around 8% below. I will definitely check out Fitzpatrick as well.
Thanks once again!

 

[Newbie718]

You are smart going with the Rubicon. Forget leasing, if you've ever played with a toy car as a child, you will instantly fall in love with your JL. Less painful to option it up from the start then to try and upgrade it after

I agree, less painful to option up from the beginning! And boy, I’m adding lots of options!

 

[Newbie718]

If you do lease, negotiate the best possible price as if you were going to buy. Take any trade in's into factor too. Keep in mind you only pay for the price of the vehicle for the lease period hence negotiate the best possible price. Welcome to the forum.

Thanks! I’ve never negotiated the best price before, where do I begin? Do I build the Rubicon on jeeps website and use that price as my base then negotiate down from there?
I’m hoping to find a dealer that would go at least 7% below invoice
Thanks again!!!

 

[Newbie718]

This is the sequence in which a vehicle purchase should normally proceed:

1. Research online reviews, check out factory rebates, market prices, test drive and kick some tires.
2. Decide on the exact vehicle you want —down to the trim, acceptable color(s) and equipment
3. Negotiate and agree on a price. Bring up trade-in if applicable
4. Discuss financing terms —i.e., financing, leasing, cash, etc.

These days dealers love to focus on “monthly payments” early on in the shopping process to minimize sticker shock. However, avoid giving out any monthly payments until you have done 1 through 3 above.

Also, leasing has lots of moving parts: capital reduction —i.e. cash down; miles driven per year, number of months, etc. Some dealers are going to quote you a lease payment that looks lower by extending the number of months, allowing 10,000 miles/year, and requiring a sizable down payment. Do your homework before sitting down with the dealer. His goal is to maximize his profit, not to look after your financial well-being.

And avoid getting into a lease longer than the warranty period. For instance, if the Jeep warranty is 36 months, don’t get into a 48-month lease. If something were to break while you are leasing w/o warranty, you will be left holding the bag for any repairs.

Good luck!

Thanks! I’ve done some research and found there are dealerships out there willing to offer anywhere between 4% to 8 % below invoice. I’ve decided I want to get the Rubicon and I have decided on lots of add ones. Now do I base my negotiating off of the price I got from jeeps website after I built it?
How do I begin ?
Once again thanks. I appreciate any feedback

 

[Newbie718]

Hey Pete.

First, let me make the case for purchase despite your concerns that the Wrangler may not be a good fit for you.

I'm not going to argue the "do it man, you'll love it," school of thought. You may not (although most do) like it, and if you don't, it speaks nothing to your worth.

But, as you mentioned, this try before you buy approach costs $, and worse comes to worse, if you don't like the rig, few vehicles keep their value like a Wrangler, so selling at very little loss is possible.

If you live in NY and you have time on your side I would (although it's been a while and the "Ordering and Pricing Discussions" section of the forum will have current info on this) strongly consider buying at Koons in Vienna, VA, who I hope still offers 5% off invoice for factory orders. You can take Amtrak it to DC's Metro Station, https://www.wmata.com/schedules/maps/upload/2019-System-Map.pdf Metro Station to Union Station on the Glendale/Shady Grove Red line (in the Shady Grove direction,) and from Union Station to Tyson's Corner on the Largo Town Center/Wiehle-Reston East Silver line (in the Wiehle -Reston East direction) and walk to the dealer, thereafter driving home your rig.

From what I read here nearly everyone is happy with the Koon's experience. And when you factory order you don't have to pay for features you don't want, nor do without features you seek.

Hey Andy,
Thank you for all that great info and for providing me details on how to get to Koons. They are on my list of dealerships to contact I’m just not sure how to begin the negotiating. Do I build my Rubicon with all the add ons on jeeps website then use that number to bargain down or do I just ask up front?
Time is on my side, I don’t need to get into a new vehicle until March

 

[aldo98229]

Thanks! I’ve done some research and found there are dealerships out there willing to offer anywhere between 4% to 8 % below invoice. I’ve decided I want to get the Rubicon and I have decided on lots of add ones. Now do I base my negotiating off of the price I got from jeeps website after I built it?
How do I begin ?
Once again thanks. I appreciate any feedback

If you want to factory order, build your Jeep on jeep.com, go to one of those dealers that offers below invoice price, show them what you want and have them build it for you. Their prices don't always match exactly what Jeep.com shows.

The dealer should then print out a sheet with your desired build, showing MSRP and Invoice or Employee Pricing, and tell you how much you will pay and how long it will take for the Jeep to arrive.

If you decide to move ahead, they will likely make you sign the build sheet and ask a deposit, anywhere between $500 and $1,000. Some dealers will take a card imprint but don't charge your card until the Jeep arrives.

Good luck!

 

[Hudson]

Man, I’ve played the lease game and it isn’t pretty.

first, leasing to buy only makes sense in a car with high depreciation and where you got a great deal off MSRP. The best lease candidate is someone who drives under 10k miles annually, turns over cars every 2-3 years, or can write the cost of the lease off their taxes.

A vehicle with low depreciation, mods that can’t be cheaply uninstalled, and is potentially likely to get more than normal wear and tear, is a poor candidate to lease.

if you are leasing purely to make the Jeep affordable, don’t - you’ll pay for it on the back end, and it also means you are buying more car than you can comfortably afford. If you are leasing because you don’t know if you want to keep it, rent one for a week or two - you can wrangle one for probably the cost of one month’s lease payment, then decide if it suits you.

 

[Gee-pah]

Hey Andy,
Thank you for all that great info and for providing me details on how to get to Koons. They are on my list of dealerships to contact I’m just not sure how to begin the negotiating.

​

You don't. See below.

Do I build my Rubicon with all the add ons on jeeps website then use that number to bargain down or do I just ask up front?

​

Time is on my side, I don’t need to get into a new vehicle until March

Steps

• Go here https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/latest-2020-jeep-wrangler-jl-order-guide-november-2019/ This is a link to the latest FCA pricing.
• From this web page select the link for either 2, or 4 door JLs as per your taste.
• In the resulting PDF that appears scan down to your model of the Wrangler--the Rubicon.
• For every option on the rig you'll see two columns. Pay attention to the FWP (factory wholesale price, i.e. "invoice") one.
• Check this section of the forum if Koons is still offering 5% off invoice. If so someone here will tell you who to deal with (is Craig Bennis (spelling) at Koons there still doing this everyone?)
• You place your order. There is no negotiating. When I did this, as did countless others we paid 5% off of the FWP column.

These deals are completely legitimate. Guys like Koons can offer rigs at this price because the move an enormous number of them for FCA and get volume discounts that they share with the buyer. The don't make a ton on each sale, but they make a LOT of sales.



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