Sponsored
cosine
Well-Known Member
i dont know. however be careful on the used prices because they are not far off on a new prices. i've seen used prices on 3+ year old wranglers with 20 - 30k miles and asking roughly $3k less that what you would pay for a brand new 0 mile wrangler. so to me its a waste to look into and or deal on a used wrangler. thats just my honest opinion.
txj2go
Well-Known Member
I agree and I had the same idea which lead me to shopping for new instead of used. Shopping for new is a whole different world- dealers advertise low prices and then some have all kinds of unscrupulous practices to boost the price. Dealers buy the cars for a certain amount and that puts a limit on how much discount they can offer. Used prices however can have a lot more variability in them. Some people end up with low alowances for tradeins then a dealer puts a bit markup on that vehicle. You might get a good price on that vehicle if the dealer feels a lot of pressure and you negotiate hard. There are some dealers that offer a no-haggle price but most you have to negotiate to find out what the real price is. I think in general there is probably more difference between new prices and used prices than the advertised prices would indicate but a person would have to do a lot of shopping and negotiating to find the real prices. I'm still on the fence myself about buying used (2016/2017 JLUR) vs. new JLU. Pricing is roughly similar.
viper88
Well-Known Member
I owned a TJ, JK and now a JLR. Do you rock crawl or plan on it? Are you considering a manual or automatic? Have you driven both the JK and JL?
The only way I would choose a used JKR is if I planned to rock crawl. Honestly even then I probably would still buy a new JL over any JK. The JL is a lot more refined and pleasant to drive. The soft top is a LOT easier to use. The rear windows just slid out on the JL. No more un-zipping rear and back windows like with the JK. The JL soft top is like a traditional convertible top now. It just folds down. The doors are lighter so easier to manage when you take them off. The hard top is lighter and easier to remove. In my opinion the JL is a pretty large improvement over all over a JK.
The JLs 8-speed automatic is a game changer. It is light years ahead of the JKs 5-speed. It completely transforms the driving experience of the 3.6. The 8-speed feels a lot faster. The difference is even more significant with the JLs 2.0T engine. the 8-speed MPG is a LOT better with the JL for either engine.
Not sure if you are considering a cash deal or financing? New has better interest rates if you finance. You really can't go wrong with a 0% loan if it's available. New rates are lower then used rates even if 0% is not available.
Then there is the new car warranty. Both the JK and JL are FCA products. There is definite value in a warranty.
My advice is to seriously test drive both a JK and JL. The 8-speed alone might be the decision maker.
Happy hunting!
Last edited:
txj2go
Well-Known Member
Most of what you said I have heard from a lot of other people which is why I was focusing on new, but the absolute lowest priced JLU I can find is still substantially above the budget that my wife gave me. The only jeep we have owned was a WJ and we did a lot of trails with it in Utah and Colorado. For awhile I thought I might have to get a WK2 since used and new prices for JKU and JLU were so high, but they have come down just enough recently for my consideration. I do plan to make a lot of trips to Utah but for camping, photography, hiking and not for just doing the serious rock crawling trails. Lockhart Basin, Elephant Hill and Flint Trail are all on my list and are probably the most serious trails I would try. Everything else I would want to do would probably be fine in a WK2.
I've found 3 or 4 JLU within reasonable driving distance that I can check out. If that doesn't work out for maybe a little less money there are a couple of JKUR that I might consider. This vehicle would be my daily driver too but I'm not the kind of person that requires a plush vehicle so while everybody says there is a difference between JKU and JLU I could probably be fine with either. If I'm going to keep it a long time I just think I am better off starting with a 2020 rather than 2016 or 2017.
The only real attraction for me with used is that I can either get a JKUR or I could get a JKU and then have a little more budget left for lift, wheels, tires, etc. If I buy used I will be looking for someone's JLR wheel/tire takeoffs and a budget boost lift.
Sponsored
viper88
Well-Known Member
What's your budget all-in?
Wholesale prices tanked last week to historic lows. That will probably trickle down into the retail used car markets. It's very possible used car prices drop in the next few months.
Last edited:
OP
OP
starrs
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #7
So reports are now speculating used market will be a buyers paradise within the next 30 days. New prices are getting better, but if I can get a used model with low miles that somebody already took the depreciation hit on what’s to lose? Currently eyeing a 2018 JLR that has the following; steel bumpers, LEDs, safety group, 8.4, premium soft top, leather, all weather floor mats. Has just under 12k on the clock for 35.9k Is this not a great deal? MSRP was at 50k new if not sightly over 50k.
viper88
Well-Known Member
The economy and automobile market is in uncharted territory. The economy will be questionable for a while. Totally different set of rules for now. There is very little marketing data for these conditions. It's possible FCA does not ramp up full production when they finally open back up if they feel demand will not be there?
New verses used? There are always tradeoffs.
A JK with more equipment verses a JL with less equipment. Or a used JL verses a new JL. I would highly recommend test driving a JK and JL first. Same with a used JL. Some earlier JLs had production QC issues. I'd run the VIN and double check the service records. I'd also make sure the factory warranty is not blacklisted.
New verses used interest rates IF there is a loan involved. Used rates are always higher.
Buying a new 2020 will have more bugs worked out. There were supposedly changes to steering components in 2020.
Then there is warranty. We are talking about FCA products. A warranty is worth something. You can buy a extended warranty though.
I own a '19 JLR. If I were on a budget I would consider a new JL with less equipment over a JK. That's just me. I feel there are enough significant improvements to the base JL to justify less equipment. The 8-speed automatic alone would convince me to buy a JL. Even if it meant buying a JL Sport over a JK Rubicon. Maybe a new base JL WILLYS if budget is tight?
A new 2020 wil have all the most recent up dates and parts. It will also have a fresh full warranty.
It's not my money though and there are no wrong answers. Just different preferences. Can't go wrong with any Wrangler. The exception is if you have bad luck and get a bad one. It's rare but it happens. Remember these are FCA products. I would consider warranty if you do not wrench yourself.
New verses used? There are always tradeoffs.
A JK with more equipment verses a JL with less equipment. Or a used JL verses a new JL. I would highly recommend test driving a JK and JL first. Same with a used JL. Some earlier JLs had production QC issues. I'd run the VIN and double check the service records. I'd also make sure the factory warranty is not blacklisted.
New verses used interest rates IF there is a loan involved. Used rates are always higher.
Buying a new 2020 will have more bugs worked out. There were supposedly changes to steering components in 2020.
Then there is warranty. We are talking about FCA products. A warranty is worth something. You can buy a extended warranty though.
I own a '19 JLR. If I were on a budget I would consider a new JL with less equipment over a JK. That's just me. I feel there are enough significant improvements to the base JL to justify less equipment. The 8-speed automatic alone would convince me to buy a JL. Even if it meant buying a JL Sport over a JK Rubicon. Maybe a new base JL WILLYS if budget is tight?
A new 2020 wil have all the most recent up dates and parts. It will also have a fresh full warranty.
It's not my money though and there are no wrong answers. Just different preferences. Can't go wrong with any Wrangler. The exception is if you have bad luck and get a bad one. It's rare but it happens. Remember these are FCA products. I would consider warranty if you do not wrench yourself.
viper88
Well-Known Member
There are fewer 2-doors on the market. It's definitely worth considering if it's a good one.
FCA raises MSRP every year. They raised prices several times in 2018. That '18 JLR probably sold for around $43K-$44K new back in 2018. It's 2 years old now. Calculate what you feel a fair amount is for 2 years of depreciation.
Think about how long you will own it. Consider the additional cost of a Mopar extended Warranty if you don't wrench yourself.
Sponsored
OP
OP
starrs
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #11
I’ll get a copy from the dealer of the window sticker it’s gonna be close to 50k. They went up a little after 2018, but I looked at another 2018 almost the same as this one and the only difference was that it had a hardtop and cloth and sticker was 49k. This one has premium soft top and leather.
viper88
Well-Known Member
How likely will you want a hard top later? You will have to add the wiring harness and rear wiper hoses if you want a hard top.
A $50K msrp could have been bought for $44K easily.
This economy is really throwing everything out of the norm.
Last edited:
OP
OP
starrs
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #13
Not. I prefer a soft top. Won’t have to spend 900 on a top lift pro and won’t have to rely on my buddy to run over to help me get it off. Even if it was maybe bought for 44 35.9 for an 18 still seems to me like a great buy. I’ve had soft tops on all my Jeeps except my last JKR, and I really did hate having to remove the top constantly.
txj2go
Well-Known Member
My wife gave me a budget of $30k so most likely I'm busting that by a little bit. Supply and demand is working WRT dealers buying wholesale, but not working WRT dealers selling retail. They can't bring themselves to sell to break even, or sell at a loss, so they just sit on them. Dealers are doing the same thing with new prices. They pass on the factory incentives but don't throw in much of their own discount. There are more cars coming on the used market as leases expire and people can't pay for their leases, but nobody is making new ones anymore. At such point as the factories resume significant production, things will have to happen because the new production will have to go somewhere. The market outside of Jeep land will change more significantly because not only do dealers have a lot of inventory on their lots, I hear that there are a lot of full transport ships offshore just sitting there because they can't unload. There's going to be a lot of supply and not so much demand, but it may take several more months for that to significantly affect retail prices.
In my area we are starting to get back to normal. I went to 2 different restaurants this weekend to pick up takeout food and they were both open like normal with plenty of customers inside. Unemployment will start dropping with all the employees called back to work. At some point they'll start buying cars again. In 6 months the car market might be like it was last year.
Sponsored
