Is Now A Bad Time To Buy?

[Shawnu22]

Hello, I am new to this forum and considering trading in my 2017 "Sport S" JK for a 2022 Gladiator "Sport S" Diesel. I have been wanting one ever since they came out and really do need a truck. We plan on towing an enclosed trailer with a UTV, hence the diesel. This will be my first ever diesel and I hope I am making the right decision about that but my big question.....Is this a good/Bad/indifferent time to order a new vehicle?

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[Garemlin]

It's not the greatest time to buy. Shortages have caused dealers to lower discounts, eliminate them all together or in some cases charge over MSRP. There are still deals out there. Just not to the degree that they were a year ago. Also if you are ordering wait times are even longer due to parts availability.

 

[07052021]

Here is where I stand on this. Carvana offered me 45k for my 2019 Ridgeline... That's 2 grand more than I paid AFTER TAXES 2.5 years ago. I factory ordered a Sport S through Gupton for 6% below invoice which is absurd even without the pandemic. Seems like all the pieces came together for me. Could be same scenario for you. If you can take advantage of the current used car market and order something new at a discounted rate, feels like a good time to buy. If you can sell high but have to buy off a lot and buy high, probably best to wait it out.

 

[LostWoods]

Yeah if you can live without a vehicle for the time being, it's a great time to sell and order from one of the dealerships that have a standing under-invoice offer. Just be ready to wait a few months with all the shortages.

 

[johnparjr]

Depends where you buy and the dealer some are greedy as hell and some make money by volume like Gupton. I personally am not sure if I would buy right now but if the deal is good then maybe. I am happy I got mine right at a good time

 

[Trailman]

Do some digging in the forums on pulling with the diesel. It seems better on paper but the results have been underwhelming due to heat issues. It is possible this has been fixed (someone else weigh in) but there were a number of posts/threads about the engine limiting itself to very low speeds due to heat when pulling up inclines.

In short, also check out the Max Tow gasser.

 

[Shawnu22]

Do some digging in the forums on pulling with the diesel. It seems better on paper but the results have been underwhelming due to heat issues. It is possible this has been fixed (someone else weigh in) but there were a number of posts/threads about the engine limiting itself to very low speeds due to heat when pulling up inclines.

In short, also check out the Max Tow gasser.

Thanks Trailman, I have seen a few posts on both sides of the heat issue. I wondered if a guy could do anything about the heat, like a different hood that is vented? When I decided to go away from gas my main reason was keeping lower RPM's, kind of done with the revving of a gas engine.....Okay, and I always wanted a diesel.

 

[Jade330i]

Here is where I stand on this. Carvana offered me 45k for my 2019 Ridgeline... That's 2 grand more than I paid AFTER TAXES 2.5 years ago. I factory ordered a Sport S through Gupton for 6% below invoice which is absurd even without the pandemic. Seems like all the pieces came together for me. Could be same scenario for you. If you can take advantage of the current used car market and order something new at a discounted rate, feels like a good time to buy. If you can sell high but have to buy off a lot and buy high, probably best to wait it out.

Just completed a deal this weekend with David at Gupton for 2022 Wrangler Sahara (Tuscadero Pink) for the wife. Got a very fair offer on the trade of her 2016 Sahara and got the order for 10% under invoice. Deals are still out there.

 

[Guns_N_Rosaries]

Honestly I have no idea if it's a good time or bad time because there's a good chance it could get even worse in the future due to continuing supply chain issues and inflation, so relatively it's a good time to buy to get ahead of that. But also it may get better, and so you may be mad at yourself for buying a new vehicle and paying a premium vs having waited a year or two.

We had our old vehicle near totaled thanks to a hail storm, and we were worried that it was going to be worse, so we wanted to get into something new just in case. Especially since you don't really even save all that much on a used vehicle currently. The Gladiator wasn't even on my radar, but I couldn't find any truck in the size I wanted that weren't insanely marked up with extras. The Gladiator I got actually was advertised with about $4k off MSRP, and that's what got me to go take a look at it. We saved a little, but not like we have in the past.

 

[DirkG]

Shawnu22, welcome to the JT forum. I concur with what several have said in that overall, it can be a challenging time to buy, but there is an opportunity to sell your JK high and buy from a dealer like Gupton (at around 6% below invoice).

This is assuming you understand the following:

• As others have mentioned, be prepared to wait. We've seen some orders turn over quickly/normal, while others have waited a while.
• You can afford to not have your JK during this waiting period (assuming you need to sell it).
• You're okay with the colors and specs of the JT build. There are some sought-after colors coming in 2022 (i.e. Gobi coming back), so some people have decided to wait on their build.

 

[Shawnu22]

Honestly I have no idea if it's a good time or bad time because there's a good chance it could get even worse in the future due to continuing supply chain issues and inflation, so relatively it's a good time to buy to get ahead of that. But also it may get better, and so you may be mad at yourself for buying a new vehicle and paying a premium vs having waited a year or two.

We had our old vehicle near totaled thanks to a hail storm, and we were worried that it was going to be worse, so we wanted to get into something new just in case. Especially since you don't really even save all that much on a used vehicle currently. The Gladiator wasn't even on my radar, but I couldn't find any truck in the size I wanted that weren't insanely marked up with extras. The Gladiator I got actually was advertised with about $4k off MSRP, and that's what got me to go take a look at it. We saved a little, but not like we have in the past.

You make a good point, things could go either way and this is the world we currently live in. At the end of the day, I need a truck and used is not an option. I have a dollar amount I am comfortable with regardless what happens in the future and if they can meet that I will go ahead and order it. I do feel a little vulnerable to not knowing exactly what I will get on trade until the truck arrives though.

 

[Shawnu22]

Shawnu22, welcome to the JT forum. I concur with what several have said in that overall, it can be a challenging time to buy, but there is an opportunity to sell your JK high and buy from a dealer like Gupton (at around 6% below invoice).

This is assuming you understand the following:

• As others have mentioned, be prepared to wait. We've seen some orders turn over quickly/normal, while others have waited a while.
• You can afford to not have your JK during this waiting period (assuming you need to sell it).
• You're okay with the colors and specs of the JT build. There are some sought-after colors coming in 2022 (i.e. Gobi coming back), so some people have decided to wait on their build.

Being this is my first new "ordered" truck the dealer said I get a price for my trade but then it is adjusted at the time of delivery of my new truck. I can of course sell in the meantime but would lose the savings in taxes I get with my trade-in.

 

[ko15870]

You make a good point, things could go either way and this is the world we currently live in. At the end of the day, I need a truck and used is not an option. I have a dollar amount I am comfortable with regardless what happens in the future and if they can meet that I will go ahead and order it. I do feel a little vulnerable to not knowing exactly what I will get on trade until the truck arrives though.

I ordered on Thursday (Veterans Day) and the dealership gave me a quote for my trade, that will hold until the new vehicle arrives. I would think that the dealership that you go to will do the same thing.

 

[Shawnu22]

I ordered on Thursday (Veterans Day) and the dealership gave me a quote for my trade, that will hold until the new vehicle arrives. I would think that the dealership that you go to will do the same thing.

Good to hear, not what they told me so I am going to ask again.

 

[stampedingTurtles]

The answer isn't entirely cut and dry; right now you should be able to get a very good price for trading in or selling your JK, but the prices are up and inventory is low on new vehicles. Many dealers are selling new vehicles above MSRP, especially on any vehicle they have on their lot. However, there are still some dealerships that are willing to offer significantly better deals, however generally these deals will be on ordering a vehicle. There are quite a few threads on here about how long people have been waiting for delivery of their orders; it seems that supply chain issues and transport delays can result in some significant delays and make it very hard to predict how long it will take for your vehicle to arrive.

Personally, I recently traded in a 2015 JK and took delivery on a 2021 JT. It was something I had been considering since the Gladiator was announced, and I had actually been very close to buying a Gladiator previously. I was able to get a significantly better deal than what I had been lookin at before, and it really didn't take all that long for my Gladiator to be delivered.

If you are serious about it, there are some really good threads on this forum about various dealerships and programs (for example Tread Lightly) to get a good deal on the Gladiator.

Also, as far as getting the diesel Gladiator, as others have pointed out there is some discussion on here about towing with it; my suggestion would be to evaluate the size of the trailer you are planning to tow to help make that decision. Take note of the fact that the diesel version of the Gladiator has a lower max tow capacity than some of the gas versions.

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