[en1ma]

After a day of reading threads I've seen two mentioning how "they wish they knew better" in a way over certain options/prices/etc.

So if a sticky was created, or if you were to tell me a few things, what would it be?

I really appreciate it! Thanks!

 

[lolpetewtf]

We have no clue! do you care about gas mileage? 2 or 4 door? I'm happy with my 2dr. What can you afford? Stick or auto? Way too many options...you gotta start somewhere!

Me? I'd get LSD, and remote start if I could do it again...but I bought off the lot since they no longer made cosmos.

 

[Farnham21]

After a day of reading threads I've seen two mentioning how "they wish they knew better" in a way over certain options/prices/etc.

So if a sticky was created, or if you were to tell me a few things, what would it be?

I really appreciate it! Thanks!

It depends on model and everything and what year you want a2012 or 13. you need to figure out exactly what you want or find the vehicle your going after before you can start negotiating price. That's how people mess up they don't know why options are or what they should pay

 

[scuba_steve]

Okay...I'll bite.

Price:

• Know the invoice price before you walk through the door.
• Pay no more than 1% under invoice with $75 in total dealer fees. Join Tread Lightly for 3 years for $60 to get this price...although you should be able to do better.
• Know what rebates you are entitled to before you walk through the door...and subtract these off of the 1% under invoice.
• Don't pay for dealer-installed options. Not a dime...unless YOU asked for them.
• Don't negotiate for any combined trade-in/financing price...or monthly payment price. Negotiate each part of the deal separately. i.e., negotiate for the out-the-door price on the new wrangler first...THEN negotiate for a trade price if you have one...and THEN discuss financing.
• I'm not a fan of paying for rustproofing or service plans, but others might disagree.

Options:

• Get the axle ratio that you want at the dealer. Changing it after the fact is very expensive. BTW, IMO, 3.21 is not great...and 3.73 is the best bet for 90% of people rocking an auto trans...and I say that as a guy with 4.10
• If you don't know why you would want a Rubicon, you probably don't need one, but hey, it's your money...so go wild.
• If you think that you might want a hard top, get it when you buy the wrangler...either with the dual top option or by just getting a hard top and potentially adding a soft top later. Buying an OEM hard top after the fact is pretty expensive...and you have a lot more attractive options for third-party soft tops.
• Trailer tow option is a rip off as of 2013...and the price just went up more. It includes nothing more than the hitch and harness, which you can get for under $100 on Quadratec.
• Seat heat is nice...and is pretty inexpensive if you get it at delivery. Of course, if you live in Florida, you might not need it.
• I personally love the combination of 430N and connectivity group. My text messages are read to me, I can change channels by speaking, etc....and to me, it wasn't worth the hassle of adding in a head unit after the fact...but keep in mind that the stock sound sort of sucks and portions of the Nav/DVD will not work when you are in drive....so if you are an audiophile and don't mind giving up full steering wheel integration, you might be able to hook yourself up better at Crutchfield.

 

[panthermark]

Firgure out what you want....and WHY. (gear ratios, Sport, Sahara, Rubi....heck...a Wrangler to begin with).

Do your homework. This isn't an SUV.

Use the search function... If you have a question, it has probably been asked (an answered) a dozen times before.

 

[Farnham21]

Okay...I'll bite.

Price:


[*]Know the invoice price before you walk through the door.
[*]Pay no more that 1% under invoice with $75 in total dealer fees. Join Tread Lightly for 3 years for $60 to get this price...although you should be able to do better.
[*]Don't pay for dealer-installed options. Not a dime...unless YOU asked for them.
[*]Don't negotiate for any combined trade-in/financing price...or monthly payment price. Negotiate each part of the deal separately. i.e., negotiate for the out-the-door price on the new wrangler first...THEN negotiate for a trade price if you have one...and THEN discuss financing.
[*]I'm not a fan of paying for rustproofing or service plans, but others might disagree.


Options:


[*]Get the axle ratio that you want at the dealer. Changing it after the fact is very expensive. BTW, IMO, 3.21 is not great...and 3.73 is the best bet for 90% of people rocking an auto trans...and I say that as a guy with 4.10
[*]If you don't know why you would want a Rubicon, you probably don't need one, but hey, it's your money...so go wild.
[*]If you think that you might want a hard top, get it when you buy the wrangler...either with the dual top option or by just getting a hard top and potentially adding a soft top later. Buying an OEM hard top after the fact is pretty expensive...and you have a lot more attractive options for third-party soft tops.
[*]Trailer tow option is a rip off as of 2013...and the price just went up more. It includes nothing more than the hitch and harness, which you can get for under $100 on Quadratec.
[*]Seat heat is nice...and is pretty inexpensive if you get it at delivery. Of course, if you live in Florida, you might not need it.
[*]I personally love the combination of 430N and connectivity group. My text messages are read to me, I can change channels by speaking, etc....and to me, it wasn't worth the hassle of adding in a head unit after the fact...but keep in mind that the stock sound sort of sucks and portions of the Nav/DVD will not work when you are in drive....so if you are an audiophile and don't mind giving up full steering wheel integration, you might be able to hook yourself up better at Crutchfield.

I agree with all he has said but a few things. The max tow package includes the 3.73 gear and is inexpensive unless to want to instal the tow hitch yourself after waiting a week for shipping, the stock sound system is not terrible but the connectivity is a plus and a great package for anyone with a smartphone. 3.21s if your not offroading and dot live in mountains are fine I've driven both (wish I would have got the 3.73 because of if I want bigger tires) but they are basically the same on road and I felt minimal difference in my auto. Hard top is a must A MUST unless your love somewhere that doesn't snow or rain a lot or you like cabin noise a little less loud. LSD is nice and very cheap I believe $279? But the navi is cheaper someone just posted one by pioneer for $379 and they charge what a thousand at the dealer? Heated seats are coo if you live up north, leather is also cool but gets very hot or cold depending on weather and will prob fade if you leave your top down. Other than that the outlet on the armrest is cool but unneeded it you get connectivity due to the USB in the armrest but they're is a lot of options just read up or go to dealer and try them out and see what you like

 

[panthermark]

Order the items from the factory that are harder/more expensive to install later.

 

[ohioviper]

Im pro 3.21 on the JK for 33" and under tires but on the JKU 3.73 is a better way to go. I think the extra weight of the Unlimited makes the 3.73 a necessity .

The connectivity is a must for most folks with cell phone.
The convenience group is also a must have . Reaching over to roll down a window or unlock the doors suck.
The new auto is a sweet setup and is a requirement for the remote start which is very nice option when its cold and nasty out .
Hard top is also a must have unless you plan to thrash it offroad all the time. Ive owned both soft top and hard top and with Ohio's winters I would never go back to a rag top again.
The 430n is a nice stereo my wife has it in the Ram and the Nav works great. You just need to set places you plan to go to in you favorites so you can change up while moving. You can not search or enter new destinations while moving for safety reasons. But you can select a new destination from your favorites while moving. Mine has the base stereo with blue tooth and steering wheel controls. Wish I could have gotten the 430 but I will live with this one until I can find a reasonably priced 430n. The stock speakers suck period.Ive already got one rattling.The Alpine set up seems to sound better and would be worth it if you plan to go with the 430n.

I would look for atleast a Sport S with package 24s and hard top with auto air and the max tow package with 3.73 and connectivity group with the 430n and the convenience group.

 

[Brun019822]

You will be spending a lot of money on mods:wavey:

 

[jwilson2598]

Here's my thoughts:

1. Defintely know your pricing going in. I did a bunch of reasearch and knew where I coudl get on pricing going in, this made it easy. Also educate your self on trim levels, options, and what comes on what. All salespeople may not know this stuff, so go in armed with the knowledge so you don't indavertantly not get somethign you wanted because of bad information.
2. Avoid 3.21 gears unless you live in a flat place and never plan to lift or put bigger tires on it. The 3.73's are definitely the way to go.
3. I got the Max Tow because I didn't want to fool with it. Max Tow is $390, and includes hitch, wiring, and 3.73 gears. 3.73 gears are $200 by themselves now, so you're on;y saving $100. For me, it's worth the $100 to have it already isntalled and covered by warranty.
4. Huge fan of connectivity group. I drive into MD and DC for work, where hands free cell phone use is the law. Having this along with the USB and Bluetooth streaming options is great. I also like the upgraded EVIC that shows individual tire pressures, let's you control personal settings, and shows nav turn by turn as well as radio station.
5. I personally like the factory Nav, so I went with it. It integrates nicely with the EVIC and other features, and you can add a backup cam and defeat the in motion lockouts using a lockpick and camera for about $225. Also covered by warranty, so I'm good to go.
6. Heated seats are a cheap add on to the cloth seats, and I would recommend them.
7. Unless you plan to do rock, or serious off roading, I would stay away from the Rubicon. I had one before, but I just don't do the wheeling to support having one anymore, so I went Sahara this time.
8. The auto temp control is nice and includes the cabin filters. If you get the remote start as well, then the bonus is that no matter the outside temp, the ATC will automatically adjust and cool or heat the Jeep as needed when remote starting it.
9. The points above about the hard top are correct. I got the dual top because I ahve a garge to hang the hardtop in for summer. The new spring assist top on the 2013s is great if you're getting an unlimited.
10. Most importantly, unless they have exactly what you want, order it. You can still get great deals if you order it, and you will have exactly what you want. It's a large investment, don't settle out because they have one on the lot. My salesman looked in a large range, but I had a very peculiar set of options, so none existed. Instead we ordered, and 5 weeks later I had exactly what I wanted. It's nice not goign down the road saying "Jeez, I spent $36k, but I wish it reallty had _______".

 

[whetstone]

It's imperative that you know that jku's look much cooler when they're lifted...

 

[en1ma]

You guys gave great tips. Thank you so much. I think this will be valuable to others as well.

Yes, I've been reading a lot about lifting. What's it take to lift a Jeep? Does it void warranty? How much does it cost? What are good brands?

So basically, I've found out this is what I want:

Must have:
* Automatic
* Hard Top
* Black Rims
* Colors = [Black, Matte Black, White, "Winter Chill", maybe the dark Red]
* All Season Tires (something that will do good for city+light snow).
* Anything modern related to tech and connectivity (I'm a tech guy).

Wants but not required:
* Leather seats

From there I don't really know what to do because I'm a noob. I just know that I *must* have black rims on a Jeep to satisfy my quench. Anytime I've seen it I've gone "Holy shit I want that." In fact, driving back home today I saw a JKU Black on Black lifted. Holy shit that thing was SICK.

Now given that... what prices should I be looking at? How do I know what invoice is? Oh and I probably want a LSD don't I? I guess I'll add that to the list.

Edit: Should I get a model of the JKU with black rims or should I buy it aftermarket? I'd lean towards getting it how I want out of the dealer but maybe I don't know any better.

 

[ohioviper]

You missed on your must have list.
* 3.73 gears

 

[fljeepleo]

I wish I got the connectivity group. I have the 430N and not having connectivity sucks.

 

[creativethien]

You will be spending a lot of money on mods:wavey:

+1 I'm thinking about putting my roadster on the market to pay for all these mods.

 

[DivingJack]

You should know, this is going to be so much more fun than you could have ever imagined, it's going to be become an obsession, and you should know you should start saving now, just like you would for a child's education, cos your going to want to mod her up and regardless of the cost you will beg steal and borrow to make your new jeep yours

You should your going to love this !!!

 

[gr8fulKID]

Set aside about 5 grand for after market crap once you get your jeep.

 

[en1ma]

You guys gave great tips. Thank you so much. I think this will be valuable to others as well.

Yes, I've been reading a lot about lifting. What's it take to lift a Jeep? Does it void warranty? How much does it cost? What are good brands?

So basically, I've found out this is what I want:

Must have:
* Automatic
* Hard Top
* Black Rims
* Colors = [Black, Matte Black, White, "Winter Chill", maybe the dark Red]
* All Season Tires (something that will do good for city+light snow).
* Anything modern related to tech and connectivity (I'm a tech guy).

Wants but not required:
* Leather seats

From there I don't really know what to do because I'm a noob. I just know that I *must* have black rims on a Jeep to satisfy my quench. Anytime I've seen it I've gone "Holy shit I want that." In fact, driving back home today I saw a JKU Black on Black lifted. Holy shit that thing was SICK.

Now given that... what prices should I be looking at? How do I know what invoice is? Oh and I probably want a LSD don't I? I guess I'll add that to the list.

Edit: Should I get a model of the JKU with black rims or should I buy it aftermarket? I'd lean towards getting it how I want out of the dealer but maybe I don't know any better.

Anyone have suggestions for my questions at the end?

 

[Con Artist]

It's imperative that you know that jku's look much cooler when they're lifted...

^ This.

 

[en1ma]

I went and test drove a Sahara today. It was nice. I like the leather seats.

Pay no more than 1% under invoice with $75 in total dealer fees. Join Tread Lightly for 3 years for $60 to get this price...although you should be able to do better.

Okay, so how do I figure out the right price? How do I know the invoice price?

How do you get away with UNDER invoice price? How do they make money as a dealership?

How much does it cost for a lift? They were telling me an aftermarket lift is like $6k through some 3rd party place that warranty's it on their own. But I don't know what kind of lift that is. I just want it for aesthetics. Yeah half the people or more on this forum will probably hate me for saying that but I'm buying this thing for the looks and ability to handle snow as needed.

Speaking on that... will this thing bite me in the ass in snow? All I know is that I don't want to put chains on so I need either AWD or 4x4 and overall I love the Wrangler Unlimited looks over Audi so I prefer the Wrangler Unlimited over A4.