They’re Still Trying To Sell My 2022 Diesel Rubicon

[EddyArnold]

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[Cracked_Windshield]

Y’all probably think that I’m BS’ing about the bed tie down crack, but it’s a true story.

After the guy showed me his basement dungeon, I was like no way in hell is this clown tying me up somewhere in a national forest.

So I dumped him. And later the truck also.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Y’all probably think that I’m BS’ing about the bed tie down crack, but it’s a true story.

After the guy showed me his basement dungeon, I was like no way in hell is this clown tying me up somewhere in a national forest.

So I dumped him. And later the truck also.

All good with the spouse?

 

[Cracked_Windshield]

All good with the spouse?

Totally. Open marriage.

Nevada borders Utah, lots of things going on in this part of the nation.

Don’t get roped into threads like this.

Do you get the vibe that I spent a lot of time in tents in the desert with men while serving?

I can hold my own in these conversations.

 

[Cracked_Windshield]

All good with the spouse?

It comes to mind that I should clear up some potential confusion for the popcorn eaters.

The problem wasn’t seeing the dungeon. It was his boasting during the tour about how he tells psychiatrists at the VA about his homicidal thoughts.

Honest to God, it’s a true story concerning this Gladiator. And I’ve made a full disclosure concerning what occurred with the bed for future buyers.

As I was showing it to the guy, he remarked about how the tie downs in the bed would come in useful for tying me up.

I’m down for that sort of thing, but not if you’ve got homicidal tendencies.

So, as I mentioned. This is farewell for me. And it’s still for sale.

Nice meeting all of you!

 

[Hootbro]

I enjoyed the time that I spent with all of you here, but it’s time for me to depart. About a month ago, I bailed on my 2022 diesel Rubicon for a Ford F350 diesel.

The deal was brutal because of the MSRP markup situation. We started out with the stealership removing the $10k “area markup adjustment,” but only giving me $48k for my Gladiator. Which was under what KBB says, but KBB means nothing to dealerships during negotiations on hard to get vehicles. Hours later, I got $55k in trade and $5k off the $10k markup. It wasn’t a win, they stole some of it back jacking the loan APR to fix the deal numbers.

My diesel Rubicon was pretty loaded. It was built in April 2022 and missed out on having the bad injector pump. And it had all the safety packages. The only things it didn’t have were the bed rails and front camera. So the MSRP when shipped was nearly $66k and that climbed slightly in the following months By over another $1,000.

I know what you’re thinking: “Why’d you get rid of the Gladiator?”

Several reasons. Number one, I have to travel cross country a couple of times a year, and I felt unsafe in the Gladiator at 75 MPH. And I definitely has zero faith that it would protect me in an accident, especially a bad one. I’ve got service-connected PTSD, which increases your fear factor for everything. But I don’t think that was an unfounded or ungrounded fear. The “too much play” in the steering still sucks, and hasn’t improved much since the 2020 steering gear fiasco. Jeep was selling new vehicles with bad steering gears then just like they were selling trucks with bad injector pumps up until recently. I got burned on a 2020 Mojave, but managed to escape this “no parts available” recall. Don’t get me wrong, I like Jeep products, but the repeated ”bad faith” recall stuff for major issues has caused me to have zero brand loyalty.

Another reason for bailing before the situation got worse is the used car market is losing steam fast. I shopped my Rubicon at several stealerships, the 48k trade number was the common refrain. They shop your trade with the wholesalers for their worst-case scenario in case they need to dump it at auction and it’s pretty clear that $48k was probably the correct number.

Trailer towing is another consideration. My longer term goal is to go back to living in a travel trailer. A Gladiator, even a diesel, isn’t a reasonable choice to tow one. When we moved to Nevada from Florida, my spouse towed a 12-foot Uhaul trailer with the Mojave. It wasn’t loaded to heavily. A couple of twin beds, some personal items, and some kitchen stuff for a studio apartment. Plenty of room to spare. Crossing the mountains in New Mexico and Arizona, the CrapStar was screaming like a pissed-off kid in a shopping cart. Exceeding 50 MPH was downright dangerous and the Gladiator almost flipped my spouse a couple of times when she tried it. So they suck for towing on the highway.

It was also becoming increasingly annoying how the front end would bottom out in the Gladiator when hitting bad spots or potholes, even at lower speeds. I guess you can chalk that up to the increased weight of the diesel engine. That helped stabilize the steering some, but you paid the price when you hit a bad bump, or what have you.

Last, those of you that read my posts, know I used to harp on how crappy the turn signal lever is in a Gladiator. And hillariously, as I showed, Stellantis used the same piece of crap in their high-end wagoneer. You’ll be pleased to know that the turn signal lever in my new F350 is hefty and smooth as butter. It’s super duty. Just the way I like things being ex-military.

So this is farewell. And if you’re in the market for a used Gladiator, mine has been sitting unsold on the dealer’s lot for nearly a month now. They now claim it’s worth $59k, and they’re allegedly willing to let you have it for $57k. But the evidence points to it only being worth $48k. And they’re in at $55k.

Ford Authority did a piece recently on the 2022 pricing history for the Ford Super Duty pickups. There’s been zero incentives all year. And there’s a price to be paid at trade-in for getting them. I paid $61k for my Rubicon.

It probably wasn’t the smartest deal I’ve ever done, but there wasn’t much sales tax because of the trade. And I escape the nasty annual ad valorem tax because of my disabled veteran status. Cost me $18 to register and tag the new Ford. So there’s that.

Blessings and happy trails, folks.

TLDR Version: " I bought the wrong truck"

 

[Escape.idiocracy]

That’s a notable conversation too. My car insurance went down $40 a month with the F350.

And Las Vegas is one of the most expensive places in the country for vehicle insurance. My F350 is $190 a month. When I go to having two vehicles, say a Jeep and a BMW i3, my car insurance is $500 per month. Three vehicles is $600 per month (I tested that briefly), and so on.

I’m not Eliza Bezos or Elisa Musk.

Dude…. Holy cow you pay a lot for insurances.

All these comments about top speed…. It’s set by whatever tires your Jeep rolled off the factory floor with….. and to compound that- it’s in alignment with what the tire manufacturer rated them for….. our jtrd came with mud tires- 98mph rating. Had we kept the all seasons 110 would have been the rating… ??‍

The gladiator is super Niche. And to be frank…. While it’s a hell of a lot better than previous generations as a Jeep…. There are some serious down sides to it.

great time to pick up an f350. They are actually obtainable again without a $30k mark up!!
The 10 speed trans is going to be nice- literally going to get around the same fuel economy as the gladiator diesel when unloaded and running around.

 

[Cracked_Windshield]

Gal…. Holy cow you pay a lot for insurances.

All these comments about top speed…. It’s set by whatever tires your Jeep rolled off the factory floor with….. and to compound that- it’s in alignment with what the tire manufacturer rated them for….. our jtrd came with mud tires- 98mph rating. Had we kept the all seasons 110 would have been the rating… ??‍

The gladiator is super Niche. And to be frank…. While it’s a hell of a lot better than previous generations as a Jeep…. There are some serious down sides to it.

great time to pick up an f350. They are actually obtainable again without a $30k mark up!!
The 10 speed trans is going to be nice- literally going to get around the same fuel economy as the gladiator diesel when unloaded and running around.

Thank you for the insight about the tires, but it still leaves me cringing at the the thought of “death wobble” occurring at 75 MPH. And, again, I’m not a fan of a loose steering wheeling at interstate speeds while passing a semi on a curve.

The fuel economy comparison isn’t holding up in real world driving. I’ve got around 700 miles on the F350 and I’m getting around 15 MPG in city driving in Vegas. The Gladiator was clocking around 23 MPH.

But, yeah, it was refreshing to actually walk into a Ford Dealership and be able to get an F350 diesel. They actually had four of them. And the 350 was only around $1,500 more than the 250, so to me that was a no-brainer.

The F350s hold their value really well, but I’m not deluded that I’m at least somewhat upside down right now. But no worse off than I was with the Gladiator. And I won’t be having panic attacks next time we roll for Missouri when spring comes.

 

[sharpsicle]

Thank you for the insight about the tires, but it still leaves me cringing at the the thought of “death wobble” occurring at 75 MPH.

Just an FYI - F350s can suffer from the same death wobble. If you were afraid of it happening on the Gladiator, it can still happen on the F350. Death wobble isn't just a Jeep thing.

 

[Cracked_Windshield]

Just an FYI - F350s can suffer from the same death wobble. If you were afraid of it happening on the Gladiator, it can still happen on the F350. Death wobble isn't just a Jeep thing.

Fair enough, but I don’t think anyone can reasonably argue that the engineering of the Wrangler and Gladiator steering system could be a lot, lot better.

I’m one of those old fashioned types due to all my time in the military. By that, I mean, I’ll actually get out and ground guide my spouse during dicey parking situations. And on one occasion, she literally had the steering wheel centered, and the front wheels should have been centered too, but they were still way off the right. So I watched her do like a 12-8 correction on the steering wheel and back to 12 to get them straight. I’m sorry, the steering sucks on this thing.

I’m not trying to be mean or diss the thing. But I won’t sing praise for things I don’t believe are that great regarding the Gladiator or the actions of Stellantis.

 

[sharpsicle]

Fair enough, but I don’t think anyone can reasonably argue that the engineering of the Wrangler and Gladiator steering system could be a lot, lot better.

I’m one of those old fashioned types due to all my time in the military. By that, I mean, I’ll actually get out and ground guide my spouse during dicey parking situations. And on one occasion, she literally had the steering wheel centered, and the front wheels should have been centered too, but they were still way off the right. So I watched her do like a 12-8 correction on the steering wheel and back to 12 to get them straight. I’m sorry, the steering sucks on this thing.

I’m not trying to be mean or diss the thing. But I won’t sing praise for things I don’t believe are that great regarding the Gladiator or the actions of Stellantis.

As others have said, it sounds like you had some issues with the truck that needed some work done. What you're describing is not normal or representative of the truck in normal conditions.

A little play is normal. Play from the 12-8 positions is most definitely not.

Unfair to characterize any vehicle based on things clearly requiring repair.

 

[Cracked_Windshield]

In all this friendly discussion, I forgot to give you guys (and gals) a super juicy tidbit about my sales transaction. Think of it as useful leverage regarding MSRP markups.

So, as I explained, I had to pay $5k over MSRP to get the F350, but I had some revenge.

When the dealer survey arrived, I gave them some 1s, a failing grade, and specifically ripped into the stealership for doing the markup, citing how Ford frowns on it, the practice is putting people upside going out the door, etc.

That same day I hit send, they were on the phone practically begging me to give them a higher grade on the follow up to that survey. They offered a tank of fuel for a five rating, and I said I’d think about it. But I had no intention of thinking it over. Getting ripped off for $5k and getting $150 in free fuel isn’t making amends. They got more 1s and a further complaint that they attempted to bribe me.

Funnily enough, the salesman was the scapegoat for my alleged unhappiness. The sales manager told him it was “his survey,” not the dealership’s report card.

So don’t be afraid to warn a dealership that you’ll exact revenge on the survey if they’re jacking the MSRP.

 

[Cracked_Windshield]

They were giving themselves some room at $48k. Auction price on a 2022 diesel Rubi is about $55k.

Manheim is showing 4 of them sold during Nov for $53k, $55k, $55.5k, and $54.5k.

The more I think about what you said, the more I realize what a great research tip it is.

We‘ve driven by the Manheim lot outside of Vegas numerous times, and every occasion, my thoughts have been that’s the repo lot from hell: a massive number of vehicle are always in it.

So it’s good insight to research what a particular trade is selling for and then confront the stealership on their auction price BS.

Kudos to you for the information!

 

[Cracked_Windshield]

Enjoy your new truck, the irony is you don’t even own the Gladiator anymore, yet your here on a Gladiator forum still trying to justify your decision to trade. Good luck.

Actually, I’ve still been subscribed to the mailing list for things I’ve previously posted. And when I got one of the emails this morning about the cracked windshield thread, I figured I should share the trade value information before moving on with my life and musings.

 

[Glad Jeeper]

I went the opposite direction last year. Loved, loved my Ram 3500 but love, love and love my JTM. It fits my needs so much better, that's what it's all about. Although I would have liked to be the salesman on this deal... You will love your 350.

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