Wanting to get my first wrangler, a few questions.

[awdxtc]

Also i know this is a bit off topic but just for kicks i built a gladiator on jeeps website. Why did it calculate a much lower payment for the gladiator...its was about $2000 more than a similarly built wrangler but the payment was like $60 less a month

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[The Last Cowboy]

Don't use their calculator. Find out what your local credit union or bank is offering, mine is 1.9% out to 66 months, then figure the payment yourself based on the final sale price.

 

[VWillys]

I do have a garage. Did you have any issues in the winter with the soft top, not talking about it being colder than the hard top

No issues whatsoever. In fact I found the car to warm up faster with the soft top...I guess some kind of green house effect???

I did not have a hoist for the hard top which would have made putting it on and off easier so there's that.

Edited to add: It took me getting a hard top and a 4 door (after my first 2 door/soft top - 1999 TJ) to realize they are not for me so make a decision where you will have no regrets.

 

[displayname]

Should i talk to a dealer about just ordering one?

Yes. In general you're more likely to be satisfied with a custom order vs getting one of the few available on a dealer lot. I would also make sure you do your homework on purchasing. There are a lot of ways for dealers to add in additional pricing, and dealers are very aggressive right now with the limited stock and high demand of Wranglers.

There was another thread of a member who had completed his order and not fully realized that he had already agreed to full MSRP. So read up and make sure you understand the process, financing options, and areas of opportunity. And always come in prepared with 3rd party financing unless you are paying cash.

Also i know this is a bit off topic but just for kicks i built a gladiator on jeeps website. Why did it calculate a much lower payment for the gladiator...its was about $2000 more than a similarly built wrangler but the payment was like $60 less a month

You need to have a full picture on the purchase, not just the sale price of the vehicle.
Jeep is currently running additional promos on the Gladiator that are not available for the Wrangler.
Gladiator Promos:

Wrangler Promos:

Make sure you are reading everything, or the dealer might offer 5% below invoice, but then take your lunch on financing and lease details. The price of the vehicle is only the start of the final purchase price.

$40,000 at 6% and a bunch of dealer fees and add-ons comes to a lot more than $40,000 at 2% with lower doc fees, no BS dealer add-ons and other areas where they can make their money back.
And trade-ins + leases add another layer of complexity. If you're only looking at monthly payments, you are much less likely to get a good deal out the door.

 

[MonLee]

Koons gave me a final price of just about msrp on the wrangler i ordered this week. Im hoping they dont pull a fast one on me when i arrive to make the deal as i live 4 hours away from there.

 

[Thunderjet]

My first Jeep was a soft top, a 1977 CJ 7. Owned this when I lived in Fairbanks Alaska. Damn it was cold. A hardtop would of been just as bad. My last two Wranglers have been hard tops. At some point age of the owner kicks in and you realize skin cancer is a bigger issue that being able to remove the soft top easily. I know I am in the minority but the wife and I have no desire to own a soft top. We enjoy the security and less wind noise of the hard top.

 

[FloridaLarry]

Koons gave me a final price of just about msrp on the wrangler i ordered this week. Im hoping they dont pull a fast one on me when i arrive to make the deal as i live 4 hours away from there.

How is MSRP a good deal... especially Koons? Is this the norm now? You're scaring me because in south Florida, we always pay more for cars (many even have them shipped from out of state)

EDIT: Ok, I see you mean the final out the door price with taxes and fees came out be about msrp. Good deal then.

 

[awdxtc]

Idk what 8m doing wrong but i cant seem to find anyine willing to deal below msrp. There was a local dealer well 60 miles away that had a wrangler i liked and i was emailing them. I asked for a ballpark estimate on my car as a trade in and i was told they really needed to see it in person but i wouldn't be disappointed. I took the day offf and when i get there the guy tells me they will only give me $20,000 and the payoff is 19,000. I said i can not do that and that the kbb on the low end is 22900 and 25k on the high end, my car has 24,000miles on it and is damn near mint. They guy got pissed and told me thats it take it or leave it and that im not getting brlow sticker before fees. Anyone got any tips, on getting some money off?

 

[MonLee]

Idk what 8m doing wrong but i cant seem to find anyine willing to deal below msrp. There was a local dealer well 60 miles away that had a wrangler i liked and i was emailing them. I asked for a ballpark estimate on my car as a trade in and i was told they really needed to see it in person but i wouldn't be disappointed. I took the day offf and when i get there the guy tells me they will only give me $20,000 and the payoff is 19,000. I said i can not do that and that the kbb on the low end is 22900 and 25k on the high end, my car has 24,000miles on it and is damn near mint. They guy got pissed and told me thats it take it or leave it and that im not getting brlow sticker before fees. Anyone got any tips, on getting some money off?

Koons in Washington DC use forum search feature to find the post and email that guy.

 

[LuvHydro]

My first Wrangler and I'm not even in the build stage, so definitely not an expert like some other above,, but I can say I ordered it because there were like the 6 total on the lots of our 3 local dealers and they all were in the mid 50s.

My 2021 JLU was $34k. Manual locks/windows. Auto 2.0, Auto. Hardtop.

I'm gonna see if I like the Jeep life, then if I do, I'll buy what I really want in 3 or 4 years. Like someone mentioned, the resale is insane on these things.

I shopped it to Carvana for kicks, claiming it had 5K miles and they offered me 2K more than I'll pay for it.

Now if they will just build it!!!

 

[desmo2]

I started shopping for a wrangler a few weeks ago. As everyone knows the stock on the lots is nill. The only ones i can find are over 50k which i cant afford or one thats very local that is bare bones. I dont know if i can do no power locks, windows wouldn't bother me but im not sure about windows. What are your thoughts on it? Should i talk to a dealer about just ordering one? Also the timeless debate hard or soft top. Not sure how id like no rear defrost or rear wiper. Im going to lease it so im not stuck with it forever. What are your thoughts about a soft top in the winter with regards to no rear defrost, i just picture scratching the hell out of the plastic windows cleaning the snow off of them. Am i over thinking this?

- As said earlier, Jeeps resell so well, I would avoid a lease and go for an outright purchase.
- Having said that, DO NOT SETTLE on less than exactly what you want. You will likely own this Jeep for several years, and if you compromise on color/options/whatever, you will likely regret it for the entire time you own it.
- I paid $41,300 for a '21 2-door Rubicon with 3.6L, manual transmission, hard top, cloth seats, 8.5in radio with premium audio, tow package*, cold weather group, and LED group. I ordered in March '21 and took delivery in June '21. Things may have gotten tighter in the past month (wouldn't surprise me).
- *The tow package includes auxiliary switches from the factory. If you want to add electrical stuff down the road, these factory switches are kind of a big deal if you prefer a factory interior look.
- I debated soft/hard top. I ordered the hard top because it would come with the associated plumbing/wiring. I can add a soft top for just the cost of the top, but if I ordered a soft top and wanted to add a hard top, I would have to pay $$$ for the associated connections.
- I bought a Lange Hoist-A-Cart for a more painless transition to the true Jeep experience...no top and no doors. The Lange is easy to use and includes storage pins for the front doors.

But, I still don't think you can go wrong with a soft top.
I chose a Rubicon because it comes with power door locks/windows (so I didn't have to ponder that option), has beefier off-road capabilities, and it has a few bonus cosmetic treats.

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