Personally, I am sick and tired of your diatribes regarding your vehicles. All you're trying to do is sell what you probably didn't really want in the first place. So... please shut the door when you leave.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.
What am I getting accused of trying to sell?
I don't know....... It has always seemed to me that people who talk on endlessly about their military service... didn't really have much to talk about. I'll just sit here very quietly and watch.......
Goodbye?Good luck and…
Death wobble is very rare, especially if you maintain your vehicle. Modifying doesnt suddenly cause death wobble and in and of it self doesnt increase your chances of death wobble if done responsibly (may lower it depending what you put on). Once you understand that death wobble is because of loose steering components (either through tolerances, wear, or just straight up loose hardware) its pretty easy to prevent with a 15 minute inspection at every oil change. Honestly if true deathwobble afflicted even .01% of jeeps you'd have a recall as we'd be looking at probably close to 10K still in warranty jeeps as the complaints.
Thats where the 350 lives, the gladiator is built for those who want more options
I've got USAA auto insurance (father served so me/my family qualify for a policy) and for all 3 of my vehicles here in the riot-fueled city of Minneapolis proper it's just a little more than $190/month
Yeah? Which ones? I’m pretty sure if you stopped responding today then nobody would remember this conversation tomorrow. Good luck on your Ford, keep that roadside assistance policy open.
