So wranglers don't really lose (much) value when used? Does bone stock keep its value best?

[viper88]

My 2016 JK 2-door Sport has appreciated 20% , from $25K I paid , to $30K dealer ask recently . I'll never sell as long as I am breathing .

Personally I sell in heart beat at $30K. Wranglers have unbelievable residuals and resale values but I don't know how realistic that value is? Market values differ by region but $30K for a used 2016 Sport seems way high even for CA and the 90210 set. It's fairly easy to buy brand new 2018 JKs for 12% off MSRP, probably more. You could buy a brand new 2018 JK Willys W for $31K now. There are a lot of 2018 JKs for less then $30K brand new. Months ago I saw a few brand new 2017 JKs for sale. I bet you could get even a better deal on the brand new unsold 2017 JK.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/new/s...anged=true&filtersModified=true#resultsPage=1

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[viper88]

No, the $32k is the max value, I believe it can only go down due to condition, not up according to your contract (unless you trade it in and you have documented receipts for accessories). But, if it's worth more at the end than what your contract says, you could buy it out and keep it or sell it and pocket the difference. That's what he dealer is going to do.

A friend leased a 2012 JKU for 48 months. A few years later she got a divorce and had to get out of the lease with about 8 months left. The resale value was higher then her contracted residual value at that point. She took her JKU to Carmax and they actually paid her $1100 to buy out her lease.

 

[TTEChris]

From my experience "quality" mods add value to the Wrangler. I had 4 JK's from 2012-2016 that had a good amount of mods on them. All of them were sold with <20k miles, but all were sold well over what I paid for them, and in all but one case(my 2dr) I actually recouped all the money I had in modifications as well.
I lost the time I had building them, but that part is fun to me and I was able to enjoy the Jeeps while I had them.

 

[old8tora]

$30K for a used 2016 Sport seems way high even for CA

Not if you've had a $55K JL at a dealer for months for steering or electronics problems .

 

[Grousemont]

I have a different hypothesis. Because the JL is a paradigm shift in features it’s going to now drop the resale value of JKs. And because of the change and broadening of target consumers, the JL will have high value retention. And the more loaded with stock options, the better the resale value because the audience of buyers has shifted from 4wd enthusiast to wantig a suv with style and comfort. And everyone I know and shown our JLR can’t believe i tell them we didn’t modify it at all. They all thought because of the aggressive appearance of the JLR we did stuff to it. Nope all stock. Their responses...wow, no way, cool, how much, dude, sick, does wife know, and a few other explicatives .

 

[Rockmaninoff]

Nobodys gonna pay that much when you can buy a brand new one(and the newer n better gen model at that) for 4-5k more with zero miles,and the warranties,etc etc. Unless someones dumb and doesn't do ANY homework.

If someone's smart and did any homework they'd have second thoughts about getting a JL at this point given the endless list of recalls with one added almost weekly :cwl:

A 2014 JK is still modern in terms of why people get a Jeep and it survived 4 years without crapping down. I don't even know if Jeep will still be in business in 4 years given the amount of issues they're having.

 

[old8tora]

audience of buyers has shifted from 4wd enthusiast to wantig a suv with style and comfort.

Exactly ! And the more suv mall-run 4-door Jeeps sold to the swells who demand power locks ; the higher in demand will be the fewer classic 2-door JKs , especially the Willys and Rubicons . I've already seen it amongst old-Jeep owners who want to talk to me about my JK Sport . They express no interest in the 4-door JL .

 

[old8tora]

If someone's smart and did any homework they'd have second thoughts about getting a JL at this point given the endless list of recalls with one added almost weekly :cwl:

A 2014 JK is still modern in terms of why people get a Jeep and it survived 4 years without crapping down. I don't even know if Jeep will still be in business in 4 years given the amount of issues they're having.

Exactly ! And the power-lock 4-door JLs will have been traded in for the next fad by the suburban mall-run crowd .

 

[Rockmaninoff]

Exactly ! And the power-lock 4-door JLs will have been traded in for the next fad by the suburban mall-run crowd .

My 2014 JKU also has the same number of airbags as the JL, factory reversing camera, stronger/steel doors and body than the JL but weighs the same, leather seats, premium twill softtop that hasn't leaked since the day I bought it and it's not the crappy JL slide on slide off design that's super difficult to take on and put back on in a hurry. (I also have the body colored hardtop and fenders) As for aftermarket, LED lights and twin screw supercharger making it put around 425-435hp at the crank (power to weight of a 6.4 475hp V8 swap but not front heavy).

I shake my head when I think how FCA with JL did very little improve on the JK but they did very much break everything else including the little reputation the JKs earned over its final years.

 

[old8tora]

I shake my head when I think how FCA with JL did very little improve on the JK but they did very much break everything else including the little reputation the JKs earned over its final years.

Well , they added a red dash , and increased the price .

 

[Wanderingwheelz]

I have a different hypothesis. Because the JL is a paradigm shift in features it’s going to now drop the resale value of JKs. And because of the change and broadening of target consumers, the JL will have high value retention. And the more loaded with stock options, the better the resale value because the audience of buyers has shifted from 4wd enthusiast to wantig a suv with style and comfort. And everyone I know and shown our JLR can’t believe i tell them we didn’t modify it at all. They all thought because of the aggressive appearance of the JLR we did stuff to it. Nope all stock. Their responses...wow, no way, cool, how much, dude, sick, does wife know, and a few other explicatives .

I’m a first time Wrangler owner with my JL. I like style and comfort just as much as anyone in my cohort, which is to say a lot. I bought a Sport since it’s not a daily driver and it was never my plan to do anything more than an occasional trail. But guess what? I’ve already been doing things to it after only a couple of months, and I’m buying a Rubicon take-off suspension from a forum member on Monday. I’ve bought the off-road permit for my state, which I never planned to do.

Here’s what happens... Basically you catch some sort of an odd disease when you buy a Wrangler. Never was I told this before my purchase, and for a few days after purchase I was actually able to enjoy my new truck without thinking about the next thing I was going to do to it. Those days are over now, so I’m left to spend my remaining months and years learning about and deciding on things I want to do to it to make it more than what it is now. Please shoot me if you ever see an Angry Birds grill, though.. So even though it was never my intent, my Wrangler has turned me into a 4 wheel enthusiast despite my efforts not to be.

I never have owned a JK, like I already wrote, but I did test drive a new one two times and thoroughly consider purchasing one rather than the JL. To my way of thinking it’s not a paradigm shift but more of a “typical” upgrade in line with what any iconic vehicle (my experience has been with Porsche sports cars previously and they’re famous for evolutions rather than revolutions) offers in “all new” models. My 3.6 is the same engine in the JKs I drove. Porsche as well as Jeep have to make it a point to state that all of the body panels are new since to the casual observer they practically look exactly the same as the outgoing model (which I actually like). A 50 year old 911 as well as a 50 year old Jeep are obvious to the most casual observer as the grandparents of the one that just rolled off the assembly line 5 minutes ago. But I digress...

Would I have been happy with a JK? Hell yeah!

In the end I chose the JL because it was a better value than what I was able to rationalize with a “cheaper” but still exceptional JK. I’m surprised every single day about how much I enjoy the Jeep experience, only 16 weeks in. I’m amazed. I honestly never even think about being Porscheless, and I haven’t been without one for over 12 years.

 

[Grousemont]

Exactly ! And the more suv mall-run 4-door Jeeps sold to the swells who demand power locks ; the higher in demand will be the fewer classic 2-door JKs , especially the Willys and Rubicons . I've already seen it amongst old-Jeep owners who want to talk to me about my JK Sport . They express no interest in the 4-door JL .

Your call out of JK as a classic is testimony to the shift in consumers. I do agree, the 2 door’s are more rare given limited production in JLs. And rubicon more so. Per qc issues...well, knock on wood, we have 2000+ miles on our JLR and it’s been nearly flawless. And likely so have been 100,000 more. Time will tell.

 

[old8tora]

Basically you catch some sort of an odd disease when you buy a Wrangler.
Would I have been happy with a JK? Hell yeah!
I honestly never even think about being Porscheless, and I haven’t been without one for over 12 years.

(a) Jeep loyalists have fun being individualists in an suv world . ( Although the JL appears to be too popular with the rich girls in Beverly Hills ; never saw JKs or older there .)

(b) Good you drove Porsches . In my town the Porsche owners drive safely . Whereas the Teslas and BMWs are reckless speeders .

 

[old8tora]

Your call out of JK as a classic is testimony to the shift in consumers. I do agree, the 2 door’s are more rare given limited production in JLs. And rubicon more so. Per qc issues...well, knock on wood, we have 2000+ miles on our JLR and it’s been nearly flawless. And likely so have been 100,000 more. Time will tell.

My JK has a more rare addition , because I mounted a beer bottler opener on my dash .

 

[Wanderingwheelz]

It all makes sense since I read on this forum that Jeep is going to add a third shift at the factory to try and meet the overwhelming JL demand caused by the rich girls in LaLaLand.

I heard that Jeep is in the early stages of building a pink Barbie special edition.

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