ErrngeElise
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- John
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2022
- Threads
- 7
- Messages
- 144
- Reaction score
- 140
- Location
- Central FL
- Vehicle(s)
- Lotus Elise, '21 JTR 6MT
- Occupation
- Engineer
- Thread starter
- #1
This was a long road to get here. I‘ve wanted one since Jeep announced that they were coming back. I first test drove a new 2020 Sport S 6MT and knew I wanted one but decided to be responsible and wait a couple years to save more money because I didn’t need a new vehicle at the time. Well that plan wasn‘t great in hindsight, as I watched prices increase and my portfolio, which held my “gladiator fund” as its own bucket, tank and rebound and then go up and down doing nothing great for way too long.
I decided I had enough. I was wanting a unicorn, 6MT but both safety packages and adaptive cruise and a few other things and that just doesn’t seem to ever exist in inventory so I learned I would have to order. This forum helped me find all the below invoice pricing deals. I placed an order on 2/1/2023 for a Willys 6MT in Earl gray from Travis at Tri-City. Then the third clutch recall happened. I was told I would have to pick a different color as they were ending Earl before 6MT trucks would resume. I reluctantly changed it to red. I should have said to cancel the order. Months passed by and Jeep built at least 42 6MT JTs for inventory but didn’t build my “sold order” even though that should have been priority. ‘24 MY changes announced, UAW strike, and as of writing this, that truck still isn’t built. I gave up a while back, and not just on my order, at one point I figured I shouldn’t even buy the thing anymore. I had basically lost interest.
Then I found my unicorn on the used market, from Carmax. A red 2021 6MT rubicon with low mileage, both safety packages, bed liner, aux switches and a few other options I wouldn’t have even ordered but will take as a bonus. The kicker was that it was a reasonably local truck from someone in the Ocala, FL area. It was originally ordered and sold through Tri-City in NC, the same dealer I had ordered through. It was a sign. Buy me! So I did. I’m sure this must have belonged to a forum member or at least a lurker because how else would us FL folk know that there are better deals if ordered out of state?
Side note: if this did belong to a forum member and you think it was yours, one odd thing about this truck is the original sill protectors optioned from the factory say ”Wrangler” instead of “Gladiator” so that should narrow it down more haha.
I’ve only had it for a week and a half but I’ve loved every day of it and already started doing minor mods to it. I can’t wait to get out on some real trails with it.
I decided I had enough. I was wanting a unicorn, 6MT but both safety packages and adaptive cruise and a few other things and that just doesn’t seem to ever exist in inventory so I learned I would have to order. This forum helped me find all the below invoice pricing deals. I placed an order on 2/1/2023 for a Willys 6MT in Earl gray from Travis at Tri-City. Then the third clutch recall happened. I was told I would have to pick a different color as they were ending Earl before 6MT trucks would resume. I reluctantly changed it to red. I should have said to cancel the order. Months passed by and Jeep built at least 42 6MT JTs for inventory but didn’t build my “sold order” even though that should have been priority. ‘24 MY changes announced, UAW strike, and as of writing this, that truck still isn’t built. I gave up a while back, and not just on my order, at one point I figured I shouldn’t even buy the thing anymore. I had basically lost interest.
Then I found my unicorn on the used market, from Carmax. A red 2021 6MT rubicon with low mileage, both safety packages, bed liner, aux switches and a few other options I wouldn’t have even ordered but will take as a bonus. The kicker was that it was a reasonably local truck from someone in the Ocala, FL area. It was originally ordered and sold through Tri-City in NC, the same dealer I had ordered through. It was a sign. Buy me! So I did. I’m sure this must have belonged to a forum member or at least a lurker because how else would us FL folk know that there are better deals if ordered out of state?
Side note: if this did belong to a forum member and you think it was yours, one odd thing about this truck is the original sill protectors optioned from the factory say ”Wrangler” instead of “Gladiator” so that should narrow it down more haha.
I’ve only had it for a week and a half but I’ve loved every day of it and already started doing minor mods to it. I can’t wait to get out on some real trails with it.
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