Some Of Jeep's Best Customers Simply Can't Afford A Jeep Anymore

[WILDHOBO]

I admittedly didn’t look at the link, but will comment on the thread subject. I agree that Jeeps are much more expensive starting with the JK series, and are really expensive now. I think it’s a tough situation. They’re competing with offroad luxury like Land Rover and the technology being packaged with them far exceeds anything a TJ/LJ had to offer. That comes with a price unfortunately.

I bet I’d be one of Ferrari’s best customers if I was rich.

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[Rockabillyroy]

I've heard that some jeep owners can't even afford lifts, control arms, full belly skids, 40s, regear.... the list goes on.
End times are upon us.?

 

[WILDHOBO]

I've heard that some jeep owners can't even afford lifts, control arms, full belly skids, 40s, regear.... the list goes on.
End times are upon us.?

Exactly. Equate it to boats. I used to be able to afford a lightly used Cris Craft, in the early 2000’s. But now they cost well over 200k new.

 

[Deleted member 58561]

My opinion, if a man cannot afford to pay it off in up to six years, that man can't afford that vehicle. Again, just my opinion.

Jeep and other manufacturers are banking on charging us more and us just yelling, "Thank you sir, may I have another!" because they can make our payments small by spreading them out over 84, 96, etc. ect.. But that just keeps you and I perpetually in debt, paying our whole lives for things, instead of owning like we should be.

Well that aint for me folks. I want to own my life. It took me months and I had to travel out of town to get it, but I got a Jeep dealer to take $11k off MSRP on my Gladiator, with zero adds, and 1.9 APR. It's a six year note but I will pay it off early. This was two months ago.

 

[WILDHOBO]

My opinion, if a man cannot afford to pay it off in up to six years, that man can't afford that vehicle. Again, just my opinion.

Jeep and other manufacturers are banking on charging us more and us just yelling, "Thank you sir, may I have another!" because they can make our payments small by spreading them out over 84, 96, etc. ect.. But that just keeps you and I perpetually in debt, paying our whole lives for things, instead of owning like we should be.

Well that aint for me folks. I want to own my life. It took me months and I had to travel out of town to get it, but I got a Jeep dealer to take $11k off MSRP on my Gladiator, with zero adds, and 1.9 APR. It's a six year note but I will pay it off early. This was two months ago.

I completely agree. My personal rule is no more than 60 months. I traded in with a paid off trade when I bought mine, and did a 36 month zero percent finance deal. That was July of 21. I also only buy things on sale. I got a similar discount during the 4th of July sale.

 

[Deleted member 58561]

YOU WILL OWN NOTHING AND LIKE IT

Exactly! They want us paying for eternity, never owning a thing. Always paying the man.

 

[Raven65]

Yeah, when I was a kid in the late '70s/early '80s, 36 months was the standard, and then it crept up to 48... and by the time I was buying new vehicles in the early '90s it was 60. Now (as has been said) some people are going as long as 84 and 96. Seems insane to me and should not be the case if salaries/pay kept up with inflation, but vehicle prices are far outpacing inflation - especially in the past few years. A lot (most?) of it is due to all the additional safety/tech/luxury features that all new vehicles now have - which buyers now demand. That stuff is nice to have, but not all necessary. It sure would be nice to have some more affordable options that didn't include all that stuff, but it's cheaper for the manufacturers to include it all. There is no such thing as a "stripper" anymore - like my first car was: a '76 VW Rabbit with no A/C, no carpet, and NO RADIO. LOL! My Dad bought it new in '76 for just over $3,000 ($16,459 in today's money) and it was handed down to my sister and then me in 1982.

 

[TheDerb]

I never understood that. That's why I got a Rubicon. Seems more cost effective that way. Funny thing, my bank actually encouraged me to borrow more than I needed for additional mods on the Gladiator. Thought that was odd. Although interest was pretty good at 2%. I had already bought the mods I wanted before getting the truck back in '21. Just prepping for another vehicle purchase and the interest is now 4%.

I think the sentiment of "you can just upgrade later" has fallen victim to the same ideas that started this thread- Everything is more expensive. 20 years ago, you could basically do anything for a bare minimum in parts costs, and on Saturdays you and a bunch of buddies would head to the local "u-rent-it" garage bays, lift all your vehicles one-by-one, and install sound systems or better brakes or underbody lights or a new throttle body on a Mustang. It was a long day, but it was fun. And it was cheap.

Now, aftermarket parts companies aren't "the cheap way" of doing things. They are the WAY more expensive way of doing things. So the 20 year old attitude of "just do it yourself for cheaper" truthfully isn't a possibility for 99 out of 100 owners.

Through my TJ, to my JK, then to a JT sport, and now a JT Rubicon, I finally see the Rubicon as a steal when compared to the Sport version of the JT which isn't all that much cheaper.

There are still guys out there who think that adding an automatic locker to a rear axle on a Jeep Sport does "everything a Rubicon can", but let's be honest. They don't. And to really make a sport a pound-for-pound match for a Rubicon, you've spent more on the Sport as of the JL/JT generation.

 

[TheDerb]

My opinion, if a man cannot afford to pay it off in up to six years, that man can't afford that vehicle. Again, just my opinion.

Jeep and other manufacturers are banking on charging us more and us just yelling, "Thank you sir, may I have another!" because they can make our payments small by spreading them out over 84, 96, etc. ect.. But that just keeps you and I perpetually in debt, paying our whole lives for things, instead of owning like we should be.

Well that aint for me folks. I want to own my life. It took me months and I had to travel out of town to get it, but I got a Jeep dealer to take $11k off MSRP on my Gladiator, with zero adds, and 1.9 APR. It's a six year note but I will pay it off early. This was two months ago.

In my opinion, if a man isn't making 10%+ percent on his portfolio he isn't investing properly. And if interest rates are lower than 10% and he is using cash that could be generating 10%+ to avoid an interest rate, he isn't financially savvy as he sounds. ANY accountant would tell you you are losing SIGNIFICANT earnings by paying off a 1.9% rate early.

I use my money to make money. You use your philosophy to make posts on an internet board. In the end, I'll have more in the bank and you'll have... more posts.

 

[Raven65]

I think the sentiment of "you can just upgrade later" has fallen victim to the same ideas that started this thread- Everything is more expensive. 20 years ago, you could basically do anything for a bare minimum in parts costs, and on Saturdays you and a bunch of buddies would head to the local "u-rent-it" garage bays, lift all your vehicles one-by-one, and install sound systems or better brakes or underbody lights or a new throttle body on a Mustang. It was a long day, but it was fun. And it was cheap.

Now, aftermarket parts companies aren't "the cheap way" of doing things. They are the WAY more expensive way of doing things. So the 20 year old attitude of "just do it yourself for cheaper" truthfully isn't a possibility for 99 out of 100 owners.

Through my TJ, to my JK, then to a JT sport, and now a JT Rubicon, I finally see the Rubicon as a steal when compared to the Sport version of the JT which isn't all that much cheaper.

There are still guys out there who think that adding an automatic locker to a rear axle on a Jeep Sport does "everything a Rubicon can", but let's be honest. They don't. And to really make a sport a pound-for-pound match for a Rubicon, you've spent more on the Sport as of the JL/JT generation.

That is mostly true, but my Sport S was fully $10,000 less than a Rubicon when I bought mine last year. You can buy a LOT of upgrades for $10k. I have seen complete nearly brand new Rubicon take-off suspensions (control arms, springs, shocks, etc.) on FB Marketplace for $500 - and I bought my Rubicon take-off wheels/tires with les than 2,000 miles on them for $800. If I had it to do all over again, I'd have gotten the Max Tow package for another $1800 to get the 4.10's and the rear locker... and at that point, the only thing I'd be missing from the Rubi would be the front locker, 2-speed transfer case and the disconnecting front swaybar - still for many thousands less. Now, if you truly need those remaining things for serious wheeling, then get them from a salvage yard for cheap. These things are like Legos... all the parts are interchangeable. I'll give you that it IS much more convenient to just buy a Rubi and be done with it, but you pay a lot for that convenience. I could easily have afforded a Rubicon/Mojave, but the most wheelin' I'll be doing is forest service roads in the NC mountains and maybe the occasional mild trail, so what I have is all I'll need - and was definitely the most cost effective. Everyone's needs (and bank accounts) are different though.

 

[Deleted member 57233]

In my opinion, if a man isn't making 10%+ percent on his portfolio he isn't investing properly. And if interest rates are lower than 10% and he is using cash that could be generating 10%+ to avoid an interest rate, he isn't financially savvy as he sounds. ANY accountant would tell you you are losing SIGNIFICANT earnings by paying off a 1.9% rate early.

I use my money to make money. You use your philosophy to make posts on an internet board. In the end, I'll have more in the bank and you'll have... more posts.

I have told the wife this, and the financial advisors have told her this, but she is too stubborn on the "absolutely no debt" thing. She wants to be able to quit our jobs without worry at any time. Everything will be paid off in 2 years, then I guess we have no choice but invest more.

 

[Raven65]

In my opinion, if a man isn't making 10%+ percent on his portfolio he isn't investing properly. And if interest rates are lower than 10% and he is using cash that could be generating 10%+ to avoid an interest rate, he isn't financially savvy as he sounds. ANY accountant would tell you you are losing SIGNIFICANT earnings by paying off a 1.9% rate early.

I use my money to make money. You use your philosophy to make posts on an internet board. In the end, I'll have more in the bank and you'll have... more posts.

Wow... arrogant much? ? Good luck finding that 1.9% rate. Jeep's promotional rate is 6.9% now... at least in my area per the Jeep website.

 

[TheDerb]

That is mostly true, but my Sport S was fully $10,000 less than a Rubicon when I bought mine last year. You can buy a LOT of upgrades for $10k. I have seen complete nearly brand new Rubicon take-off suspensions (control arms, springs, shocks, etc.) on FB Marketplace for $500 - and I bought my Rubicon take-off wheels/tires with les than 2,000 miles on them for $800. If I had it to do all over again, I'd have gotten the Max Tow package for another $1800 to get the 4.10's and the rear locker... and at that point, the only thing I'd be missing from the Rubi would be the front locker, 2-speed transfer case and the disconnecting front swaybar - still for many thousands less. Now, if you truly need those remaining things for serious wheeling, then get them from a salvage yard for cheap. These things are like Legos... all the parts are interchangeable. I'll give you that it IS much more convenient to just buy a Rubi and be done with it, but you pay a lot for that convenience. I could easily have afforded a Rubicon/Mojave, but the most wheelin' I'll be doing is forest service roads in the NC mountains and maybe the occasional mild trail, so what I have is all I'll need - and was definitely the most cost effective. Everyone's needs (and bank accounts) are different though.

(EDIT: Apologizing for being a saracastic ass in this response. I really feel that a lot of these boilerplate "Oh, you can just go to a salvage yard" comments lead people to make financial decisions that are more harm than good in the end.)

You are clearly the exception to the rule. You apparently have the knowledge, tools, and capability to install new transfer cases and lockers. And unlimited time to do this at a cheaper rate than what you make at work.

For most of us, that is a fictional accounting of what someone "could do". Some people could easily swap a 392 into their JT and think that anybody who pays a shop to do it is nuts.

But for a realistic perspective, This is a quote I received yesterday to put lockers, a re gear, and a lift on my wife's '24 JL. Sure, you can go to scrapyard and get what you want. But the fact is, most scrap yards (at least around me, at least) take all of the good stuff and have it on eBay 5 minutes after it gets towed in to the yard.

Getting a new transfer case installed and re-gearing or replacing axles is something that maybe 3 in a thousand people are capable of. It's just not likely that the person who is trying to save money by going to a salvage yard is the same person that is going to have a garage with a lift and every tool you could imagine, as well as a helper to get these things installed. That person is getting top of the line. So sure, you can absolutely save money and go to a pick-and-pull and get it done. Sure. But for the most part, less than 1 in 100 people will do that.

 

[High Alextude]

It’s funny to read the same thread on the JL forum going on as well.

It‘s easy for one to go from debt to more debt, but once you actually have paid off your vehicle, it’s hard to justify another big loan, especially if there’s nothing wrong with what you’re driving.

Even phones are becoming an object you’re paying for 2 years then upgrading to another one you’re paying for another 2 years just so you can have the latest and greatest (greatest, questionable).

 

[JTGuy]

You think a 1929 can't happen again? We areal just running toward the cliff. I keep my life simple and pay with cash. I spend less than I earn and don't spend what I don't have. I could do a AMW 505 but I just don't want to spend that much. I will do 37s not 40s soon. There are lots of people with lots of money and they spend it, I don't.

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