Thoughts on Buying a Used JLU??

[RagTopDeluxe]

For those that picked between two...how did you decide? The 3 that I'm deciding on are not local. Two are about 4-5 hours away and one is 2. The two furthest away are Punk'n Rubis. One is 2.0 Turbo no Etourqe , body colored fender flares and top. Everything I want plus Cold Weather Package...yes I know I live in FL but I enjoy top off most of the time and the heated seats may come in handy . The other one is V6 with everything I want, body colored fenders and black hard top. The third is my 2nd favorite color, GCM, 2.0 Turbo no Etorque everything i want plus cold weather package. In dealer conversations I can get all 3 for the price I'm comfortable with. I'm not opposed to new engines, but like the familiarity of the V6. Long term cost is a factor. I hate decisions when all 3 seem like a great choice.

Can you test drive local Jeeps with the engines to see what you prefer? If not, go with your heart and get what you really want. I‘d recommend giving it a good test drive to make sure you like the handling and steering.

Sponsored

 

[Gropax]

can i make a suggestion get LEDs if you can or make sure you have 500-1000 to replace the halogen headlights. they suck so bad when i did my test drive at night i had to ask are the head lights even on.

 

[shekmark]

I have Granite Crystal, and it is a great color. Every time I see a Punkin Jeep, i wish I had that color. So cool. Bought used with 30K miles on it from local dealer. Been perfect. All the bugs worked out. Punkin is cooler and looks great with black soft too.

 

[Headbarcode]

I'm on long Island in New York. I visited every dealer on the island, some 2 or 3 times each, must've test drove around 30 different Rubicons and all were 4 door and similarly equipped. Every dealer visit was a back to back comparison of the 2.0 and 3.6.

I'm half deaf in one ear, making it very difficult to pick up the audible differences until i pop the hood or lean in real close to a front wheel well. The silver lining in that was being able to hop in and have to rely totally on feel alone. At every dealer, I made a $20 bet with the salesman that I couldn't guess what i was driving. Didn't have to pay out once.

Regardless of engine, most idled smooth as silk, but some were just slightly rough enough to know it was running. Most tracked straight, some would wander back and forth a tad. Most had tight steering, some had an annoying dead spot. Same story with wind whistling with closed windows and interior rattles. Nothing big, just small and a bit annoying. I was becoming a professional discriminater for the inevitable delivery day. The one thing that was universal across every last Rubicon, was the overall feel between the 2 motors.

The 2.0 had a quite noticeable feeling of being lighter in the front end, which gave a more flickable feel on both curvy roads and parking lot maneuvering. The 3.6 handled great on its own, but felt a tad heavier up front and less balanced in comparison. I'll add that that's splitting hairs after taking quite a bit more test drives and seat time than most shoppers before purchase.

The 2.0 feels snappy off the line during city driving, thanks to its low and mid range torque curve, and passes at highway speed no problem. And whether city or highway, it doesn't need a lot of throttle input to get it up and running. The 3.6 felt rather sluggish with similar throttle inputs, due to it being tuned as a higher rpm motor. In comparison, it required more skinny pedal before it started waking up. This surprised me at first, because 6 cylinders usually provide the low end grunt and 4 cylinders usually live at the higher rpm's. This was not the case with these 2 motors. The 2.0 has the low end grunt courtesy of its torque curve, but still likes to pull like a little beast when spinning up closer to red line. The 3.6 seems to only like the north half of the tach.

I ultimately went with the 2.0 Hurricane motor mated to the absolutely wonderful 8-speed ZF automatic. All the bells and whistles minus the smokers package and the over priced and underwhelming Mopar add-ons.

A year+ later, it's been lifted 2" (soon to be 3.5"), had its full steering/track bars/control arms/sway links beefed up, tailgate reinforcement, and wider wheels to support 38x13.50 tires. The 2.0 hasn't lost anywhere near the amount of punch that i was originally willing to accept after the above changes and added weight.

Do some comparisons yourself and see what motor speaks to you.

I'm usually not so wordy, but thought this topic deserved a more detailed explanation of my repeated findings.

Good luck and congratulations on your near future ownership of an amazing vehicle!

 

[me109stock]

I agree 100% with the comments that you first need to decide what you want, then decide new or used. Don't let new or used be your deciding factor or you will definitely have buyer remorse.

I bought my used JLUR 1 year old with 13k miles on it and saved about $15k off MSRP. It's a daily driver and I now have over 33k miles on it at less than a year of ownership - I average about 22k-25k annually. Glad I didn't buy new... I flew from Central CA to SLC, Utah to pick up my dream Jeep and very much enjoyed the drive back home (second fly and buy I've done on a used vehicle and would do it again - first was a BMW M5).

I knew what I wanted and searched until I found it... This jeep had exactly the options I wanted just as I would have ordered it from the factory. It was kept stock and maintained well. It is also a Certified Pre-Owned so the warranty is also extended without paying for an extended warranty.

Do your homework, know what you want, and don't settle for anything else!

 

[ObiMatt87]

Hey everyone. So I'm trying to decide between two Jeeps...one is a new 2020 Rubicon in Punk'n with all the options I want. It's at a dealership 5 hours away. The other is a used 2019 Sahara (14,000 miles) that's about 5 miles away, with almost all the options I want (minus the Trailer Tow Package). It's about $12,000 less than the Rubi.

Rubicon Options
*8.4 Alpine
*LED package
*Leather
*Trailer Tow package
*Safety and Advanced Safety Groups
*Steel Bumper
*Remote Start
*Painted Fenders, black hardtop

Sahara Options
*8.4 Alpine
*LED package
*Leather
*Cold Weather (heated seats and remote start)
*Painted fenders and Painted Hardop
The above is from the factory. The dealer added a 3 inch Pro Comp lift, 33 bfgoodrich k02s and 17 inch fuel rims.

My main concern is buying used. Any tips ya'll can provide on what to look for? Any thoughts on the lift/tire setup that the Sahara has?

Would love to get some opinions on this. Thanks in advance .

It's totally your call--and I respect all the opinions here--but my recommendation would be to save the $12K and get the Sahara based on your desired use. I bought my 2018 JLU Sahara with 10K miles on it used in Aug 2019. Based on it's manufacture date, it was a year and a month old, had every option on it (LEDs, leather, tow, 8.4" infotainment w/GPS & Alpine, Dana 44 rear axle, auto, remote start, proximity key, matching paint top, etc. Just didn't have the advanced safety packages and heated seats) and has been fantastic. The original sticker had it at a little over $51K. I got it for $37K (Thanks very much to the original owner for eating that depreciation...). I, too, am not doing any major crawling, but some light to medium capability is great and meets my needs perfectly. I installed Hothead Headliners and a JTopsUSA bikini top and am rocking a fun ride for my use.

Additionally, as a daily driver, a Sahara is much more suited to your stated driving plan. Mine is Mojito!, but if there had been a Punk'n also available at the same price it would have been a really tough call. Love the bright colors. Not everyone's cup of tea, which I totally understand, but if I'm going to have a fun vehicle I want to have a fun color. Whatever your choice, don't believe you can go wrong! Best of luck with a tough choice!

Gig 'em, Aggies!

 

[Letsgo]

hate to introduce too much logic here but consider your finances too......$12k is a lot -and with finance charges, the extra tax and the extra fees buying a new vs used(destination charge, etc) this is more like a $16,000 decision- or like $300/mo for 5 years.

1) as long as the used car is solid/not abused then save the money.....a new Rubicon will be a used Rubicon in 6 months but with a lot higher payment
2) get the car you want if you are really emotional about it but look for used and save the money.....is it really worth $300 more per month for the next 5 years just to get a car with 0 miles vs 10k.
3) based on your use, I agree with the other poster which is to save even more and get the Sahara and then customize it. you really dont need the Rubicon but if you love the look you can duplicate it for less(they also have a Willys version that has the same aggressive Rubi styling for like $15k less)

I just dont agree with the the 'get what your heart wants' if it means strapping yourself with payments you dont need ...if you can get almost the same thing for a lot less- $300 x 12 = $3,600 a year.

 

[AUjeepgirl23]

Ok so I went and test drove a 2.0 today...wow. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did lol. It has some major get up and go...at least compared to my 2015 JKU Sahara. I didn't notice the "whine" sound as much as I thought I would either. It's interesting, I test drove a Sahara I'm interested in and then went to another dealership and tested a Rubicon. The first time, I didn't notice the "turbo lag" but in the second one I did. I didn't like it. Maybe I would get used to it? Meanwhile, negotiations are going well for the 2.0 Rubi that is out of state.

Who else has experienced the turbo lag? Did you get used to it? I also experienced the feeling of the ESS...ugh. I didn't like...that will definitely be turned off in either choice I make.

 

[Northern88]

I have a Stock 2020 2dr sport s 2.0 with 5500 miles on it and have absolutely zero regrets choosing it over the 3.6. It has plenty of power and does great on the highway. It is a little noisy of an engine Especially cold but I like that and mine does seem to have some lag to it but I also run regular gas most of the time.

 

[AUjeepgirl23]

I have a Stock 2020 2dr sport s 2.0 with 5500 miles on it and have absolutely zero regrets choosing it over the 3.6. It has plenty of power and does great on the highway. It is a little noisy of an engine Especially cold but I like that and mine does seem to have some lag to it but I also run regular gas most of the time.

Oh shoot. I forgot about having to use premium to get the best performance out of the 2.0. Hmmm, I have a lead foot too...I wonder if I would see that much of a difference in gas efficiency.

 

[Northern88]

Oh shoot. I forgot about having to use premium to get the best performance out of the 2.0. Hmmm, I have a lead foot too...I wonder if I would see that much of a difference in gas efficiency.

I didn’t see enough of a difference to pay the price of premium and I still get way better gas mileage than I thought I would with a Jeep.

 

[Notorious]

I just dont agree with the the 'get what your heart wants'.

Get what the heart wants as long as it’s affordable to you. @AUjeepgirl23

I didn't like it. Maybe I would get used to it?

No, if you don’t like it, you will never grow to love it. On the other hand, it is possible to get attached or even too attached.

 

[emptyminded42]

Ok so I went and test drove a 2.0 today...wow. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did lol. It has some major get up and go...at least compared to my 2015 JKU Sahara. I didn't notice the "whine" sound as much as I thought I would either. It's interesting, I test drove a Sahara I'm interested in and then went to another dealership and tested a Rubicon. The first time, I didn't notice the "turbo lag" but in the second one I did. I didn't like it. Maybe I would get used to it? Meanwhile, negotiations are going well for the 2.0 Rubi that is out of state.

Who else has experienced the turbo lag? Did you get used to it? I also experienced the feeling of the ESS...ugh. I didn't like...that will definitely be turned off in either choice I make.

Wonder if the Sahara has the BSG that helps smooth out the ESS and turbo lag and the Rubi didn't.

When I ran the numbers on fuel costs between the V6 and 2.0t they are about a wash. The turbo gets a little better highway mileage but it gets cancelled out by the increased cost of premium fuel.

 

[txj2go]

I bought a 2018 JLU Sport S. It had 4k miles and looks and feels like new, but doesn't have the new car smell. I saved about $5k and drove a couple of hours to get it. Of course no matter what you buy only time will tell how it works out in the long run.

 

[AUjeepgirl23]

Ok, working out a deal for a new Rubicon. MSRP is 55,420.... Invoice is 52,156. My out the door price is 45K ... is that a good deal?

Sponsored