Options galore! How the heck did you choose?

[BillG]

People put way to much emphasis on the term “fully loaded “. Buy what you want. I hope to keep my Jeep a long time, and I can truly say I didn’t settle. Jeep didn’t offer any other options that I wanted, nor do I have anything that won’t be used. It’s my Jeep!

 

[RussJeep1]

I might opt for the dual top option and sell the hard top just to get the washer and wiper hardware.

Your realize that the washer and wiper have no application on the soft top right....only the hard top?

I ask because the above sentence appears to not make sense, or suggests subject matter ignorance (not stupidity: you may just not know this--which is fine--I'll gladly educate you) or I am missing something.

 

[Chomper]

All I cared about was 4 doors, hard top, rear LSD and power windows/locks. That pretty much put it at a Sport S or Sahara. I went with the Sahara because the interest rate in financing is lower. It actually was cheaper to buy a Sahara than a Sport S.

A little known secret is resale value affects loan interest rates. My bank and another I used to compare were offering a 0.5% cheaper rate on the Sahara over the Sport S. A base Sahara with hard top and LSD, was a few thousand higher than a Sport S similarly equipped, but the interest rate difference made it a no brainer as the payments were actually a couple dollars a month cheaper with the Sahara.

 

[wibornz]

If you are toppless a lot, I would get the cold weather package. There will be times at nice when it cools off and the heated seat and heated steering wheel will be nice.

LED lights. You will not have to do much reading to know that everyone loves them including me and the ones that did not order them hate themselves for not getting the LED package. These are the best lights I have had on vehicle.

tow package...Yes, bigger battery, bigger alternator, and 4 aux switched that are pre wired and programmable.

8.4 info system. this automatically upgrades to the Alpine speakers and is just a nicer system. I love it.

Auto transmission. Have you drove the manual. It is gear with tight ratios. I took the manual for about a 10 or so mile drive and all I did was shift that dam thing. I bet I shifted 50+ times in 10 or so miles....fuck that. I like to drink coffee in the morning so that's not going to work. The auto is smooth and refined.

I wish I would have ordered the proximity keys, I have them on my other vehicles and forgot what a pain in the ass it is to did in my pockets for the fob when I have an arm load of stuff. The 450 bucks over the life time of the vehicle would have been cheap.

.

 

[tcari394]

I test drove a 2 door Rubicon on the lot, then sat down with the sales guy and put a build sheet together that was similar. I really only added the cold weather package, hard top, wheel design and removed the leather seats.

 

[RussJeep1]

How much do you see yourself as the type of owner that might add things to the rig that are available in the aftermarket?

While there are many good aftermarket vendors, and Quadratec, one of the market leaders by no means carries all products but has enormous product overlap to other vendors out there

https://www.quadratec.com/vehicle/jeep-wrangler-jl-parts

I'd consider the add ons you might want to get, and how soon after purchase, from roof rack to cargo covers, you want to get them so you can budget factory accessories accordingly. And as it concerns these factory accessories, consider the ones difficult if not near impossible to add after purchase versus ones easily if not better obtainable in the after market than necessarily from MOPAR or even MOPAR brand.

By way of extreme examples: air conditioning for all intents and purposes need be factory installed, while a soft top window storage bag need not be acquired with purchase, as not only do aftermarket vendors sell the MOPAR product---that you may not find reason to need--but other vendors and solutions for soft window storage exist. But on the hand, if the window bag is one of your certain purchases, you are apt to get it at 5% off if you buy it at sale.

Buying a Wrangler is like planning a wedding. They are both wonderful experiences despite often never going perfectly, nor the participant looking back on the event and saying, "I wouldn't have changed a single thing I did," despite having an amazing event.

In tandem to all of this there is the notion of "what can I afford," which in today's rent-your-lifestyle driven word of materialism is not the same definition of "afford" that money managers would suggest. We are a nation of wickedly over-leveraged consumers; you of course may been extremely comfortable and so not one of them.

As you buy this rig for self reported fun, it is all the more reason why pros, not me, would suggest that its cost to buy outright should barely put a dent in your finances.

Please don't shoot the messenger.

 

[Mrjimmystewart]

Re: upgraded Alpine. I bought the upgrade, but have some very high end stuff in my home, as well as the upgraded stereo in my Tesla. The upgraded Jeeps is barely adequate, I hate to think of the non upgraded one. I may have to get a decent system later. Having said that, it does have bass, a little boomy, and midrange is sorely thin.. But then I'm an audio phile (snob). Your mileage may vary...

 

[trez63]

Your realize that the washer and wiper have no application on the soft top right....only the hard top?

I ask because the above sentence appears to not make sense, or suggests subject matter ignorance (not stupidity: you may just not know this--which is fine--I'll gladly educate you) or I am missing something.

Lol. It turns out you might be the one with subject matter ignorance (just quoting you, no offense.)

That was taken from multiple suggestions on this board because if you order the soft top you don’t get that hardware, and if you ever decide to switch to a hardtop you won’t ever get that functionality. So it’s better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

 

[trez63]

Re: upgraded Alpine. I bought the upgrade, but have some very high end stuff in my home, as well as the upgraded stereo in my Tesla. The upgraded Jeeps is barely adequate, I hate to think of the non upgraded one. I may have to get a decent system later. Having said that, it does have bass, a little boomy, and midrange is sorely thin.. But then I'm an audio phile (snob). Your mileage may vary...

It’s funny, I’m definite NOT an audiophile. But. In my past car orders I have always selected the upgraded stereo because many years ago, when I got a base Range Rover I skipped and hated my music for like 3 years. I decided I would never again skip.

Only reason I considered skipping with the Jeep was that I figured it would be much easier to upgrade aftermarket than other vehicles. But since it comes with some other goodies I’ll spring for it.

 

[RussJeep1]

Lol. It turns out you might be the one with subject matter ignorance (just quoting you, no offense.)

That was taken from multiple suggestions on this board because if you order the soft top you don’t get that hardware, and if you ever decide to switch to a hardtop you won’t ever get that functionality. So it’s better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

Okay...I think this is what you are saying. Correctly me if I am wrong. Allow me to paraphrase.

"I @trez63 am considering buying at purchase the Dual Top so that the factory will install the wiper washer and defrost wiring that they do for any purchase that involves a hard top, so if I ever decide to keep the hardtop, or, consistent with my initial words sell it, and unlike initially mentioned, buy another hard top down the road, I'll have the necessary wiring."

If so, I agree. I interpreted you words as one where you sell the hardtop immediately and never look back...especially in context of your SoCal doors off soft top down plan previously mentioned.

I should also explain why someone might be led down the "he's going to sell the Hard top and never look back road," like I was. You may or may not know this.

The Dual or Premium or any top you buy at purchase, other than the Basic Soft top is discounted (yeah, hard to believe given the expensive price) by FCA because the transaction involved you essentially giving back the standard basic soft top to FCA, for them to use to outfit another new rig, that is part of your initial purchase price.

So some buy a top they never plan to use with the Dual Top option, and sell it at full market price solely for the profit differential of the next owner of this top not getting the "surrendering of the basic soft top" credit the original owner did.

 

[trez63]

So some buy a top they never plan to use with the Dual Top option, and sell it at full market price solely for the profit differential of the next owner of this top not getting the "surrendering of the basic soft top" credit the original owner did.

Yeah, that's what I gathered. And who knows I might decide to switch to a hard top at some point ... But man, that dual top option ain't cheap! It's like $2300! How much can I expect to sell the hard top for?

 

[RussJeep1]

Yeah, that's what I gathered. And who knows I might decide to switch to a hard top at some point ... But man, that dual top option ain't cheap! It's like $2300! How much can I expect to sell the hard top for?

A comment and an answer.

Commentary

This is your enjoyment rig, your "fun wheels," correct? This is more a toy than necessity, agreed? That's what I originally read.

Then financial planners (don't shoot me, I'm just the messenger) worth their weight in dog poop would tell you that if you can't afford this (discretionary) rig without it so much as making a dent in your finances, given that you are saving for retirement, and a rainy day, and have no credit card debt, and are paying for this outright, then you should rethink this.

Sorry. I don't mean to harsh your day or insult your financial intelligence. It just raises red flags for me when I hear of a discretionary buyer concerned with $. I mean no offense. We all try to get the best deal, and cost is on everyone's radar, rich and poor, and your thoughts may be nothing more than that.

I know I hemed and hawed about options and bought this (as my) toy despite (I don't say this to brag but to make a point) my money people saying, "this won't affect your ability to comfortably meet your needs down the road." So your thoughts may be nothing more than that.

Facts

Check places like Craigslist for what new tops (presumably you'd get the hard top in black) go for.

Now when I say black I don't mean body color matched black colored Wrangler black. I mean the black color hard top one gets when they choose the basic hard top. All hard tops are painted, and these two color blacks are different things at different price points: the body match black colored one being more expensive, and perhaps harder to sell afterwards (I don't know.)

Expect what you see now in the market to be more towards the higher end of price. Used tops will enter the market to drive prices down, as will more tops: new and old, as people acquire more of the after market offerings.

Perhaps you want to get only the hard top and purchase a Bestop Sunrider for the front seat. Your wife might agree that exposing the young kids to the sun may not be the best move. (I don't know.)

..and then, like I said prior, there's the aftermarket toys for the rig, if any, you may also want to purchase, or buy from MOPAR at purchase to get 5% off on.

 

[robaw]

Yeah, that's what I gathered. And who knows I might decide to switch to a hard top at some point ... But man, that dual top option ain't cheap! It's like $2300! How much can I expect to sell the hard top for?

That's $2300 MSRP. If you can purchase at invoice pricing, it's only $2043. At 5% under invoice, down to $1941.

I think I've seen them in the Member Marketplace sell for around $2000. Of course YMMV.

 

[trez63]

A comment and an answer.

Commentary
...
Sorry. I don't mean to harsh your day or insult your financial intelligence. It just raises red flags for me when I hear of a discretionary buyer concerned with $. I mean no offense. We all try to get the best deal, and cost is on everyone's radar, rich and poor, and your thoughts may be nothing more than that.

No offense taken at all.
The fact is, when I made a middle class salary out of college 20 years ago, I was actually less tight with my money than I am now that 90% of my income is disposable. I get stingier the more money I make. I plan to buy the car outright, so wasting $2k on something I'm not going to use (even $100) is not at all fine. It has nothing to do with whether I can afford it, waste is waste. Fact is, the more money you make, the less you wanna waste it. I am fortunate enough that my toys are not a financial decision but a space issue. I love where I live, but being near the water means not having extra space. So storing an additional top, even for a week gives me anxiety.

Anyway though, I didn't come here for financial advice, I'm all set there. Just want to make sure I don't miss out of something options-wise that is not easy to resolve later. People love to read too much into posts. It isn't what it isn't.

 

[RussJeep1]

That's $2300 MSRP. If you can purchase at invoice pricing, it's only $2043. At 5% under invoice, down to $1941.

I think I've seen them in the Member Marketplace sell for around $2000. Of course YMMV.

Rob: do you or any other poster know what kind of credit FCA gives in dollars for essentially giving them back the basic and standard equipment soft top?

I wonder how much that $1941 figure might then be. And to be fair, we might need to factor in the washer and defroster hose parts and factory install cost.