Hoping to buy first Wrangler...

[GrayFoxFL]

Hi Everyone, I just joined the forums after lurking for a few months. I'm looking to buy my first wrangler in the next month or 2. I am currently leasing an Infiniti Q50, the lease is up in September. This will be my daily driver, but I do plan to start going offroad with it as well. At first I was hoping to buy a low mileage CPO since having a warranty is important to me, but considering what they are going for, and with the 2021s around the corner I might just be better off ordering a new one from one of the recommended dealers. Another option would be to try to make a deal on new 2019/2020 model but not sure how much of a discount I can get, dealers seems to be asking MSRP for them, specially in Florida.

For reference, I would love to get a 2 door Rubicon Automatic, whichever engine I can get the best deal on, with LED headlights, hard top and leather seats.

I'd appreciate any input and recommendations from you guys on how to get the best deal.

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[nerubi]

If you plan to order a new one and need it by September you had better get it done. Orders have no logical sequence how they are built. Right now for the 2020 model run a June order can be ahead of a February order.

If you have done your research then you know the Wrangler has the highest 3 and 5 year retained value of any vehicle. Used ones are going to be higher than other vehicles. But that also means when you sell or trade yours in you will get more.

I don't understand why some people buy from distant dealers if they have a good local dealer. The little you save is lost on loyalty you get from the local dealer if you don't buy from them. And if they don't stay in business means you have to go further for service.

 

[GrayFoxFL]

If you plan to order a new one and need it by September you had better get it done. Orders have no logical sequence how they are built. Right now for the 2020 model run a June order can be ahead of a February order.

If you have done your research then you know the Wrangler has the highest 3 and 5 year retained value of any vehicle. Used ones are going to be higher than other vehicles. But that also means when you sell or trade yours in you will get more.

I don't understand why some people buy from distant dealers if they have a good local dealer. The little you save is lost on loyalty you get from the local dealer if you don't buy from them. And if they don't stay in business means you have to go further for service.

Thanks, Ill keep that in mind and try to move things forward soon. My experience with local dealers is not great, they have ridiculous dealer fees here that pretty much kill the deals, and they have an attitude of not wanting to deal, saying they cant keep Wranglers on the lot and someone will pay their asking price.

Recently I tried to make a deal for a 2017 CPO winter edition, advertised for $25k, out the door price was almost $32k after all their fees. Additionally, there was some issues about it actually being a CPO, also they would not sell a Mopar warranty, pushing some other warranty I never heard of.

 

[nerubi]

A lot of dealers sell third party warranties because they make more profit from them.

Florida has the highest documentation fees of any state because residents there have not demanded the legislature to set reasonable caps on them. But with the Wrangler it is a sellers market since people will pay whatever price is asked on a Wrangler or a house for that matter. Guess it is the price you lay down there for warm weather year round. When I traded my 8 year old JK on my VW at the beginning of the year that dealer put it on the lot for the original sticker price.

Don't know what other fees they would/could charge unless the dealer also does taxes, title and licensing.

 

[PaulwithJeep]

If you are open to ordering one out of state I have been working with people from the forum on orders for a while now. Lots of people active on the forum can let you know how easy the process is with me. If you are interested in getting away from your local dealers and getting the best deal you can PM me.

 

[Notorious]

they have an attitude of not wanting to deal, saying they cant keep Wranglers on the lot and someone will pay their asking price

Locations that have the walk in, call in and email business have the luxury of charging what they want and telling potential new business to either play ball or GTFO if they don’t want to pay their price.

Getting the best deal doesn’t always mean going long distance. The money saved on the vehicle is the money spent on getting the vehicle to you.

When you compare cost of both, you’ll find that the price savings is maybe within a few hundred. You’ll have to ask yourself if saving that money by buying long distance is worth the extra work to you rather than going local, doing less but spending a bit more.

At the end of the day, the price ends up being similar.

 

[GrayFoxFL]

If you are open to ordering one out of state I have been working with people from the forum on orders for a while now. Lots of people active on the forum can let you know how easy the process is with me. If you are interested in getting away from your local dealers and getting the best deal you can PM me.

Thank you. Preferably I would like to buy local or at least closer to me, but if it makes sense to go out of state, I will do that. I am trying to see what some local dealers will do on aging models, if that doesnt go anywhere I will reach out.

 

[txj2go]

I am currently leasing an Infiniti Q50, the lease is up in September. This will be my daily driver, but I do plan to start going offroad with it as well.

There is a big difference between a Q50 and a Wrangler. If you haven't driven one before you might want to try to rent one for a day to check it out. OTOH if you are interested in offroading maybe you can put up with it. Depending on the type of offroading you want to do you might be OK with a Grand Cherokee.
You're on the JL forum, I've been told that there are enough improvements in the JL over the JK that I should buy a JL, and doing research I found that I couldn't save much by buying a JK so I looked for used JL.

 

[jessedacri]

There is a big difference between a Q50 and a Wrangler. If you haven't driven one before you might want to try to rent one for a day to check it out. OTOH if you are interested in offroading maybe you can put up with it. Depending on the type of offroading you want to do you might be OK with a Grand Cherokee.
You're on the JL forum, I've been told that there are enough improvements in the JL over the JK that I should buy a JL, and doing research I found that I couldn't save much by buying a JK so I looked for used JL.

Handling quirks aside, I think the JL very accessible and satisfying coming out of a luxury brand - you definitely couldn't say that about any JK flavor in the past. I came out of a 2016 Audi S5 and moved into my first Wrangler, this 2019 JL 2 door rubicon, and so long as you get factory leather and LED group at a minimum the Wrangler is arguably just as nice, and with the 3.6+auto combo the drivetrain is lightning quick and fun to drive. Solid front axle does handle a lot differently than you might expect and you should expect it to feel different on the highway. I think of it as a personal monster truck - I don't have problems with it and think it's a lot of fun to get behind the wheel of, but it's not gonna feel tight like an Infiniti when you're rolling down the road at 75mph.


Edit: and to answer your question, I shopped existing dealer inventory within 500 miles to get the best deal and to not have to wait months and months for a build. I found a few exactly how I wanted (2 door Rubicon, 3.6 auto/LED/leather/tow/body color everything/steel bumper) and emailed them asking 7-8% under invoice using the invoice calculator spreadsheets available on here (11%ish under MSRP) - then finalized with the dealer that got me closest to that number. Ended up being in Phoenix AZ which was about a 5 hour drive, but well worth the price.

Prior to all this I did make sure to drive a few examples at a local dealer and make sure to get on the highway if you can. 2 door, 4 door, rubicon, 3.6/auto, 3.6 manual, and 2.0. Didn't love the 2.0 but some do. All are worth a drive.

 

[GrayFoxFL]

There is a big difference between a Q50 and a Wrangler. If you haven't driven one before you might want to try to rent one for a day to check it out. OTOH if you are interested in offroading maybe you can put up with it. Depending on the type of offroading you want to do you might be OK with a Grand Cherokee.
You're on the JL forum, I've been told that there are enough improvements in the JL over the JK that I should buy a JL, and doing research I found that I couldn't save much by buying a JK so I looked for used JL.

I agree, completely different driving experience. Besides some test drives I actually drove a rental JL Sahara for about a week last year while on vacation, plenty of driving in city, highway, mountain roads and it felt a lot more refined that I had expected based on what people had told me. Its not perfect, its not the fastest, its loud at highway speeds, steering is a little vague, but it felt unique, from the high driving position to taking the top off, etc, it was a lot of fun.

 

[GrayFoxFL]

Handling quirks aside, I think the JL very accessible and satisfying coming out of a luxury brand - you definitely couldn't say that about any JK flavor in the past. I came out of a 2016 Audi S5 and moved into my first Wrangler, this 2019 JL 2 door rubicon, and so long as you get factory leather and LED group at a minimum the Wrangler is arguably just as nice, and with the 3.6+auto combo the drivetrain is lightning quick and fun to drive. Solid front axle does handle a lot differently than you might expect and you should expect it to feel different on the highway. I think of it as a personal monster truck - I don't have problems with it and think it's a lot of fun to get behind the wheel of, but it's not gonna feel tight like an Infiniti when you're rolling down the road at 75mph.


Edit: and to answer your question, I shopped existing dealer inventory within 500 miles to get the best deal and to not have to wait months and months for a build. I found a few exactly how I wanted (2 door Rubicon, 3.6 auto/LED/leather/tow/body color everything/steel bumper) and emailed them asking 7-8% under invoice using the invoice calculator spreadsheets available on here (11%ish under MSRP) - then finalized with the dealer that got me closest to that number. Ended up being in Phoenix AZ which was about a 5 hour drive, but well worth the price.

Prior to all this I did make sure to drive a few examples at a local dealer and make sure to get on the highway if you can. 2 door, 4 door, rubicon, 3.6/auto, 3.6 manual, and 2.0. Didn't love the 2.0 but some do. All are worth a drive.

Thank you, I will try that approach. I am hoping that they are willing to discount what they have in inventory.
A dealer nearby has a new 2019 with everything I want, but they have it listed at full MSRP, what do you think would be fair discount on an aging model like that?

 

[jessedacri]

Thank you, I will try that approach. I am hoping that they are willing to discount what they have in inventory.
A dealer nearby has a new 2019 with everything I want, but they have it listed at full MSRP, what do you think would be fair discount on an aging model like that?

I'd go at them 8% under invoice / ~12% under msrp and note that it's been sitting - they'll probably counteroffer a bit higher but you may be able to fight them down or at least get them to throw some stuff in. Some dealers won't budge at all but many will, but either way you can definitely pay way under MSRP for a 2019 so don't feel discouraged if they don't feel like moving. Walking away from the deal works.

Here's the pricing worksheet for 2019 model year. Input all the options it has under the appropriate trim level, if you did it right it'll match the MSRP give or take ~$100. It'll reveal the invoice price which is helpful, the biggest discounts I've seen people get is 8% under that number.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...or-2019-1-8-below-invoice-pricing-added.3193/

 

[txj2go]

A dealer nearby has a new 2019 with everything I want, but they have it listed at full MSRP, what do you think would be fair discount on an aging model like that?

Dealers vary. Negotiate with them as hard as you can. When they have reached their lowest price if that isn't satisfactory then go to another dealer. Don't miss out just because they are 1% higher than you think they should be, but do your research within 500 miles or more of your location to find out what should be reasonable.

 

[ChimpanZed]

Really, truly think about the 2-door decision. I bought a 2016 JK Willys 2-door and it failed at being a viable daily driver for me. It also failed at being a fun weekend vehicle as there just wasn't enough cargo room to take it on trips.

Aim for 6%+ under invoice (yes, invoice, not MSRP). You'll have to shop but it can be done. Become a Tread Lightly member now BUT DON'T TELL DEALERS THIS. When they give you their "final" offer drop that and get another 1%.

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