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New or Used......

2K views 23 replies 14 participants last post by  tsyj 
#1 ·
Named the thread for a searchable topic for those that may be pondering.

We have been looking for some more Jeeps lately, there is mine and my Son just bought one and now my other Son, Daughter and ..... Wife want one (each).
Yes, I know.

Anyway, driving to work this morning (I try to do this as little as possible) I swing by a Buick/GMC dealer and spot a Wrangler out front so I figure, "Hey, must be used because it's a GMC dealer" (I know. Genius/CSI)
I drive in and figure, Cool it's early so I won't get eaten by a wild car salesman.

It's a 2013 Sport, soft top, 6 sp. with 57,000 miles and they want $25,000 :eek:
God bless our Jeeps and their market value.

I don't plan on a used Jeep for my Wife and I am about ready to give up on the Kids. We got lucky on the one. 2006 TJ w/100k- Clean Jeep and we got it for $8500

So, New or Used? Take a look around. Surf the net far and wide - make your own decision based on ALL the factors. :)
 
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#2 ·
I have a problem buying used Chrysler products unless I know the owner AND the mileage is low. I bought new both times, though this is likely my last Jeep. Hopefully it lasts and I have the funds for a LS conversion in time.
 
#3 ·
As part of my personal financial planning I always look to buy late model pre owned in an effort to avoid the initial depreciation. With the Mopar lifetime warranty this adds piece of mind if you plan on keeping the Jeep for a while. So when buying FCA products to qualify for the warranty the vehicle must be within 4yr /48k miles.

A couple of months ago I picked up the wife a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited that is loaded for $26.5k with 41k miles on it then added the lifetime warranty for 2.5k. The book value on the Jeep was $30k so I got a good deal. My other option was to buy a 2015 leftover for $36.3k.
 
#4 ·
As part of my personal financial planning I always look to buy late model pre owned in an effort to avoid the initial depreciation. With the Mopar lifetime warranty this adds piece of mind if you plan on keeping the Jeep for a while. So when buying FCA products to qualify for the warranty the vehicle must be within 4yr /48k miles.

A couple of months ago I picked up the wife a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited that is loaded for $26.5k with 41k miles on it then added the lifetime warranty for 2.5k. The book value on the Jeep was $30k so I got a good deal. My other option was to buy a 2015 leftover for $36.3k.
There is a good example. Loaded Grand Cherokee Limited with only 41k for $26k.
Contrast that to a One year Older Base model Wrangler Sport with at least a years More miles on it for $25K.
Wranglers bring stupid money.
 
#7 ·
I have had far more trouble with used GM products than Chrysler products. I think it depends more on the TLC the previous owners give the vehicle than the manufacturer. My first car purchase was a new 1965 VW Bug as a senior in college in the fall of '64. Finally - I had wheels. I put about 25,000 miles on it in the first year and when I got to flight training in Pensacola, Fl traded it in on a new TR-4A.

Over the intervening years I have purchased 23 more new cars which all have either been Chrysler built or foreign built. The 10 used vehicles I have purchased have been 4 Chrysler, 4 GM, I F250 and 1 '64 Rambler SW. The most recent is my TJ purchased in 2014 with 112K miles on it. The first owner (I'm the second) took care of it, but it was still 11 years old. The dealer spent some time and money fixing switches, servicing it and replacing a TPS (I got copies of the work orders), I have since replaced the top, put tires on it and had the clutch replaced. I have upgraded the headlights and have new fog lights on order (a deer took out one and the other had a bad reflector). None of this is to me an issue of manufacture, but of time, mileage and wear.

Obviously, the newer the vehicle, the better the condition should be. I would not hesitate to buy a used Chrysler vehicle from my dealer, but then I have purchased 5 vehicles from them (4 new and the TJ) so they are not going to stick me with a clunker. In fact, from what I have experienced they don't keep clunkers. I know they have refused to take some vehicles in trade.

Buying from a used car dealer is like shooting craps, you may win or you may lose, regardless of the manufacturer. Now I would hesitate to buy a lifted modified Jeep, for you don't know what brands of mods and how well they were installed. There is a thread here on the forum of a member who bought a used Jeep, tried out the 4wd and it didn't act right. Discovered he had 4.10 in front and 3.07 in the rear. It certainly didn't leave Toledo that way.

I got back into Jeeps with the TJ, I found it on my dealers website one Saturday morning for $13.9, got loan approval from USAA and headed over to see my salesman. It was SOLD! But I got to test drive it and I was really feeling down. Seems a fellow was going to buy it to give to his 16 year old son (got even more down, poor Rubicon would never be the same). Got a call a week later, his financing fell through and it was mine, paid $12.6K. I have enjoyed it so much that when it came time to replace my over the road vehicle, I got the Sahara, but new as I could not find anything close to what I wanted except new.
 
#13 ·
My belief is, the reason the Used Wrangler is so desirable is - Emotion.

Unlike the Corolla or Civic purchase... a Wrangler is a "I Want This!" vehicle.

Look at the Used Jeep line and you will see every possible configuration of Wrangler out there (again, unlike the Corolla line up) When someone spots "That" special one it's a race to the finish line and a must have purchase.
Few "wait" and order one.
This forum proves that, look how the folks are that do decide to order one, it's like they just sentenced themselves to a prison sentence counting the weeks down to days into hours.
 
#15 ·
Agreed. I say buy new, if you can.

The advantages are large discounts you can get when purchasing, and the warranty coverage (though only 3yr/36k), the high resale value of Wranglers.

Also you're not buying what someone else drove. While there are some fine drivers, there are a lot of yahoos too. You don't know who was driving that used vehicle or where they drove it. I mean water damage is a plausible concern with buying a used Jeep among other hazards.
 
#16 ·
Rubicon SS .....I agree with you......it's an emotional....I want purchase.
Hindsight being what it is, I think that could be a reason it's on the lot.
Purchased with emotion, and probably used as a DD and didn't quite fit the bill for what was necessary and therefore traded in.
IMHO, it's worth a 2nd look for sure.
 
#17 ·
When I was shopping for a JKU, the dealer across the street from my office had a 2013 JKUR on the lot. Closer look revealed they wanted almost $30,000, it had AT tires (original spare MT still on the tailgate), and 78,000 miles. It didn't appear to have many options added to it. Absurd!

I couldn't find any new or used JKUs available with the options I wanted (only one dealer places stock orders for 3.73s, the one I ordered at, unless they tick off Max tow, which was still rare). I wanted a JKU with all the creature comforts (power everything, heated seats, remote start, connectivity, auto temp), auto, 3.73, body color hard top, all in Hydro Blue, WITHOUT the Alpine audio, leather or navigation. I wouldn't have minded having those, but knowing the audio and nav would be the first to hit the trash, I didn't want them in my payment. The only Hydro Blue Wranglers within 300 miles had those extras as well, so I ordered my Sahara and waited the three weeks. Didn't cost me extra to order it, and I've got the nifty window sticker with my name printed it.

If I was shopping for another Wrangler, I'd go new again, because used isn't worth it unless you want a very specific option, color, or package that isn't available anymore. Any other vehicle, I'd spend the time and energy looking for a used one for a good price in great shape. My JKU is the first vehicle I've bought new. The Journey I traded to get it I bought used when it was 4 months old with 2,000 miles on, for $6k less than new MSRP.
 
#18 ·
In hopes of broadening the discussion a little bit, what about considering new/old stock? I know there are still a lot of new 2015's on the lot. Are they there because they're not optioned the way people want them? Or are the dealers unwilling to discount new Wrangler's, even if it's new/old stock? As car sales typically go, if a dealer has a prior year model on the lot they're paying interest on, they typically discount the heck out of it to move it along..
 
#20 ·
Just bought a 16 JKU Sahara after spending a lot of time looking for used. I came to the same conclusion others have already shared, the price of used Wranglers is too close to new. I drive a lot of miles so was looking for something with less than 35K miles and a couple of years old. I looked at some used JKUs that were as much as new ones depending on options. Crazy! Loving my first Wrangler though!
 
#21 ·
Yeah, I was talking to my salesman tonight about this issue with the Wrangler's too. My question to him was "With the Wrangler holding it's resale value so well, why wouldn't I order exactly what I want?" In the end he indicated they really don't discount used Wrangler's much. So, for us, why bother scouring the used listings when you're not really going to save anything.
 
#22 ·
bought my first JKU used 9 months ago...

saved a little bit of money and got a pretty good deal on a '14 JKU sport w/ 8k miles, but kicked myself ever since, thinking I should have just bought a new one.

ordered a new rubicon last month... put 15k miles on (and beat the crap out of) my sport in 9 months and sold it for $500 less than I paid for it.

So while i do regret buying used to start, if you change your mind they don't depreciate much after that.
 
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