Just placed my order and I'm kinda freaking out

[Darel]

I never understood the way people will turn over cars so quickly and end up in a negative equity situation. They are the same people that look at me confused as to why I own 3 cars. Thing is as of 2 weeks ago I own all 3 outright, the first two were paid in full before I got the JT, so I really didn't have a reason to get rid of them. Multi-car policy is such that insurance is practically free.

I actually kind of don't like my JT for the reason of all the others out there that stupidly spend money. Being a rubicon (custom build where I ended up cheaper than sport s on the lot) it looks flashy. Like I don't like looking like the people super underwater. When I owed payments on it I felt really bad about it. I love it, but at the same point didn't feel like me.

I feel this so much. I'm almost proud of my garbage cars.

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[maligator]

I got screwed on mine. I got every option but somehow overlooked the proximity keys. I have remote start and push button start but the doors I have to unlock with the fob yet. How annoying in car with every other option lol.

Also if it makes you feel better, I've been renting a while and before pandemic hit I was looking for a house. All of the thought and effort I put into saving for a down-payment while supporting my car addiction kind of fell apart when everything from a slum to a palace has doubled in price shamelessly in the last year lol. At least there is no inflation... It's hard to spend $$$ on the jeep. My method has been to buy my cars and lease my trucks obviously that doesn't make sense for everybody.

 

[Darel]

Actually I skipped the remote keyless as well. For $700 I can use a fob. I skipped most of the body stuff, wanted the good stereo, dual tops, all the safety nannies. I hate leather so saved a bunch there.

 

[Chestnut]

I never understood the way people will turn over cars so quickly and end up in a negative equity situation. They are the same people that look at me confused as to why I own 3 cars. Thing is as of 2 weeks ago I own all 3 outright, the first two were paid in full before I got the JT, so I really didn't have a reason to get rid of them. Multi-car policy is such that insurance is practically free.

I get a lot of "ok crazy rich bastard" looks when i tell people that having 3 cars is the best thing ever. You never have to worry about break downs or don't have to be in a pinch buying a new vehicle. I sold my Canyon for top dollar and just drive my 3rd untill my jeep comes. Yes now i have nice vehicles but I drove a Ranger for 15 years that I bought when i was 15. It was a beater but it was reliable. It was nice never having to worry about a car. Having that peace of mind allows me to make better decisions than having to make a snap decision with out any research.

 

[dcmdon]

Lots of people don’t own anything. They lease their cars and the house they live in.

There is nothing wrong with that if you take the savings you get on the payments and roll it into savings. The problem is tha often people use these tools to live beyond their means.

So they have no cash savings and no equity in their home or vehicle. But at least they can say they swapped their 2020 Sport S to get a Rubicon with the diesel when that came out. .. .. . . . then try to rationalize by describing what a great deal they got. (hint. car dealers stay in business by buying cars for wholesale and selling them for retail. )

 

[eaglerugby04]

I get a lot of "ok crazy rich bastard" looks when i tell people that having 3 cars is the best thing ever. You never have to worry about break downs or don't have to be in a pinch buying a new vehicle. I sold my Canyon for top dollar and just drive my 3rd untill my jeep comes. Yes now i have nice vehicles but I drove a Ranger for 15 years that I bought when i was 15. It was a beater but it was reliable. It was nice never having to worry about a car. Having that peace of mind allows me to make better decisions than having to make a snap decision with out any research.

It really is. Having time to think and repair intelligently saves a ton of money. Being able to take time with JT mods because I can drive something else, tearing apart the cooling system in the prius to clean it over a few days vs $500+ at the dealership to "only" wait a few hours. It really adds up.

So true about being able to walk away from the lot since the need isn't there, dealers hate that ability. Like I really don't need this today, I will order for cheaper. My local dealers wouldn't even deal with me because I wouldn't buy overoptioned crap off their lots. Had to drive almost 3 hours to place an order, and got a deal on top of that

 

[eaglerugby04]

There is nothing wrong with that if you take the savings you get on the payments and roll it into savings. The problem is tha often people use these tools to live beyond their means.

So they have no cash savings and no equity in their home or vehicle. But at least they can say they swapped their 2020 Sport S to get a Rubicon with the diesel when that came out. .. .. . . . then try to rationalize by describing what a great deal they got. (hint. car dealers stay in business by buying cars for wholesale and selling them for retail. )

Yep thats the issue. I don't know anybody who does anything remotely right with a lease. Most of them don't even save up to have cash at signing of their next one. I can't tell you how many friends and family members I have had to do the math for and prove a lease wasn't for them.

I even had an ex who kept leasing even though she ended up over her miles and almost got stuck with cars twice beacause she was so far over. Got forgiven on a new deal and still tried to do a lease even though I did the math. When we broke up she blamed that she owned a car on me, a car that she would have been over on.... some people make those dealers crazy rich

 

[WXman]

I have found that it can go both ways. Some people get a new vehicle every 18 months and don't save any money. Others waste valuable years of their youth saving all their money.

What the hell are you going to do with all that money when you're old and using a walker to get around?

I had an uncle like that. He saved and saved and saved. Had an account with 300k in it. Had a COD at another bank with lots in it. Had money stashed around the house. He ended up coming down with terminal illness. Now he's got relatives who live in other states that NEVER came to visit him spending all his money.

You can actually get to the point where you worship the idea that you're saving money. It's just as flawed as spending all your money.

Why the hell drive a "garbage car" that's liable to break down and strand you any day now, is unsafe for your family to be in relative to today's crash standards, produces more pollution, and will milk you dry when the engine locks up or the trans grenades? Dependable transportation is a necessity these days. Drive a dependable, newer vehicle.

Life is short.

Here's another thing that chaps my ass. I have relatives who play golf. Thousands spend on golf clubs, hundreds more on country club dues, not to mention golf apparel, shoes, equipment, etc. Everybody in the family thinks it's cool. I have other relatives who hunt. Thousands and thousands of dollars in guns, ammo, hunting gear, tree stands, etc. and they're trading and swapping things annually. Fun, right? I really do neither of those things. What I enjoy is driving a new truck every couple of years. I enjoy buying Jeep parts. I enjoy trying out that hot new vehicle on the market. People constantly make jokes about it and act like it's the most horrible thing in the world that I would do such a stupid thing with the money I EARNED.

That just really pisses me off....

 

[badger719]

My local dealers wouldn't even deal with me because I wouldn't buy overoptioned crap off their lots. Had to drive almost 3 hours to place an order, and got a deal on top of that

This right here, I walked into a local CDJR dealer to test drive a used 2020 base Sport they had (just to see what it was like in person). $42K asking price for a lemon law buyback with 6k miles on it

Still for sale 3 weeks later only this time they slapped a lift kit, 35s and rubi rails. Asking price is now $44k. I noticed they have 5 other used Gladiators on their lot, 3 of which are also lemon law buybacks.

All of them appear to have been purchased at dealer auctions around the country so I am guessing this particular dealership is just scraping the bottom of the barrel for lot inventory. I was also told when I went in that they would NOT accept factory orders at all since "their allotement was already gone for the year" ?‍ At that point I had already ordered with Gupton so it was a moot point.

 

[eaglerugby04]

This right here, I walked into a local CDJR dealer to test drive a used 2020 base Sport they had (just to see what it was like in person). $42K asking price for a lemon law buyback with 6k miles on it

Still for sale 3 weeks later only this time they slapped a lift kit, 35s and rubi rails. Asking price is now $44k. I noticed they have 5 other used Gladiators on their lot, 3 of which are also lemon law buybacks.

All of them appear to have been purchased at dealer auctions around the country so I am guessing this particular dealership is just scraping the bottom of the barrel for lot inventory. I was also told when I went in that they would NOT accept factory orders at all since "their allotement was already gone for the year" ?‍ At that point I had already ordered with Gupton so it was a moot point.

Lol, my Rubicon was only a tad more than that new. I feel really bad for anybody who needs a car right now, so many people are being raked over the coals right now. Shocked they would be pushing lemon law buybacks.

Funny how so many of these "can't" order but push crap, yet somebody as small as Tri-City can order like crazy.

 

[eaglerugby04]

I have found that it can go both ways. Some people get a new vehicle every 18 months and don't save any money. Others waste valuable years of their youth saving all their money.

What the hell are you going to do with all that money when you're old and using a walker to get around?

I had an uncle like that. He saved and saved and saved. Had an account with 300k in it. Had a COD at another bank with lots in it. Had money stashed around the house. He ended up coming down with terminal illness. Now he's got relatives who live in other states that NEVER came to visit him spending all his money.

You can actually get to the point where you worship the idea that you're saving money. It's just as flawed as spending all your money.

Why the hell drive a "garbage car" that's liable to break down and strand you any day now, is unsafe for your family to be in relative to today's crash standards, produces more pollution, and will milk you dry when the engine locks up or the trans grenades? Dependable transportation is a necessity these days. Drive a dependable, newer vehicle.

Life is short.

Here's another thing that chaps my ass. I have relatives who play golf. Thousands spend on golf clubs, hundreds more on country club dues, not to mention golf apparel, shoes, equipment, etc. Everybody in the family thinks it's cool. I have other relatives who hunt. Thousands and thousands of dollars in guns, ammo, hunting gear, tree stands, etc. and they're trading and swapping things annually. Fun, right? I really do neither of those things. What I enjoy is driving a new truck every couple of years. I enjoy buying Jeep parts. I enjoy trying out that hot new vehicle on the market. People constantly make jokes about it and act like it's the most horrible thing in the world that I would do such a stupid thing with the money I EARNED.

That just really pisses me off....

You got a point there, got a relative like that who died, left her money to family that really is too old to even enjoy it themselves. People have to find a right balance out there.

Also you need to keep toying with the trucks, otherwise your youtube channel would get boring. lol

 

[Jeeperjamie]

I have found that it can go both ways. Some people get a new vehicle every 18 months and don't save any money. Others waste valuable years of their youth saving all their money.

What the hell are you going to do with all that money when you're old and using a walker to get around?

I had an uncle like that. He saved and saved and saved. Had an account with 300k in it. Had a COD at another bank with lots in it. Had money stashed around the house. He ended up coming down with terminal illness. Now he's got relatives who live in other states that NEVER came to visit him spending all his money.

You can actually get to the point where you worship the idea that you're saving money. It's just as flawed as spending all your money.

Why the hell drive a "garbage car" that's liable to break down and strand you any day now, is unsafe for your family to be in relative to today's crash standards, produces more pollution, and will milk you dry when the engine locks up or the trans grenades? Dependable transportation is a necessity these days. Drive a dependable, newer vehicle.

Life is short.

Here's another thing that chaps my ass. I have relatives who play golf. Thousands spend on golf clubs, hundreds more on country club dues, not to mention golf apparel, shoes, equipment, etc. Everybody in the family thinks it's cool. I have other relatives who hunt. Thousands and thousands of dollars in guns, ammo, hunting gear, tree stands, etc. and they're trading and swapping things annually. Fun, right? I really do neither of those things. What I enjoy is driving a new truck every couple of years. I enjoy buying Jeep parts. I enjoy trying out that hot new vehicle on the market. People constantly make jokes about it and act like it's the most horrible thing in the world that I would do such a stupid thing with the money I EARNED.

That just really pisses me off....

This is me pretty much. I got a brother who loves his vacations to all kinds of high end countries and places. Drives crap vehicles but I don't give him no crap over what he drives or spends his money on. I like to see something and have something to touch and hold withy money but I'm always getting crap over spending money on cars and motorcycles, and running stuff, that's what I like and that's what I'll spend my money on. That stuff pisses me off as well....

 

[Discount Dave]

Think of it like Christmas coming as a kid. Enjoy the wait ,it will come,i sold a classic 56 chevy to get my 21 Glad i wrangled over the decision but now its the best move i ever made. Love this thing im sure you will too.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

To me, if the words “car payment” results in you “freaking out”? You should NOT get that car payment. Either that or you need some kind of anti anxiety drug or therapy. Sheesh people, get a grip!

 

[dcmdon]

I have found that it can go both ways. Some people get a new vehicle every 18 months and don't save any money. Others waste valuable years of their youth saving all their money.

What the hell are you going to do with all that money when you're old and using a walker to get around?

I had an uncle like that. He saved and saved and saved. Had an account with 300k in it. Had a COD at another bank with lots in it. Had money stashed around the house. He ended up coming down with terminal illness. Now he's got relatives who live in other states that NEVER came to visit him spending all his money.

You can actually get to the point where you worship the idea that you're saving money. It's just as flawed as spending all your money.

Why the hell drive a "garbage car" that's liable to break down and strand you any day now, is unsafe for your family to be in relative to today's crash standards, produces more pollution, and will milk you dry when the engine locks up or the trans grenades? Dependable transportation is a necessity these days. Drive a dependable, newer vehicle.

Life is short.

Here's another thing that chaps my ass. I have relatives who play golf. Thousands spend on golf clubs, hundreds more on country club dues, not to mention golf apparel, shoes, equipment, etc. Everybody in the family thinks it's cool. I have other relatives who hunt. Thousands and thousands of dollars in guns, ammo, hunting gear, tree stands, etc. and they're trading and swapping things annually. Fun, right? I really do neither of those things. What I enjoy is driving a new truck every couple of years. I enjoy buying Jeep parts. I enjoy trying out that hot new vehicle on the market. People constantly make jokes about it and act like it's the most horrible thing in the world that I would do such a stupid thing with the money I EARNED.

That just really pisses me off....

like you imply, there is a middle ground.

I have a bunch of hobbies and even more interests. If I can buy smart cars and drive them for 6-10 years depending on what catches my fancy, and it helps put an extra 200k in investments over the course of my life, that will mean I can retire 3-4 years earlier.

That's 3-4 years MORE of my life where I get to hike and hunt and ride my motorcycle and enjoy my cars, friends, kids, wife, and hopefully grandkids.

Note - a friend of mine a few years ago was talking about buying a new 911 for like 90K.

He could afford it, but I talked him out of it. I asked him what car he really lusted after. He said he really lusted after a Ferrari 360 Modena but that it was not a good daily driver.

After a while we agreed that he would continue to drive his 60k mile BMW for another 10 years or until repairing it no longer made sense.

AND he would immediately start looking for a nice used 360.
He now has both cars. And he couldn't be happier.

And he's spending less on cars than if he flipped his daily driver every 3 years.

Why? Because the Ferrari doesn't depreciate. If he spent $130k on the Ferrari, in 10 years it will most likely be worth more than he paid for it, was my rationale. And guess what. Its now worth SIXTY THOUSAND more than he paid for it.

If you buy an expensive toy that doesn't depreciate, you aren't really spending your money, you are really just parking it.

You do things like that and you aren't living a miserable miserly life. but actually a great, fun life with lots of good times.

Another example - I recently bought a home in NH. I partly chose it because the taxes were very low, about $1000/yr. Its near hiking, skiing, and the lakes.

It provides fantastic family time for my wife and kids and me.. Since Covid, it has gone up in value 40%. Again - I'm not sitting in some hovel with more money than I need. I'm using it to do things that I want to do.

By the way. This home was entirely paid for by my wife and me putting off 1 new car each. By each of us driving our car for twice as long.

Life is about choices. I've found that my litmus test is JOY - how much joy will this expenditure provide me with.

I also judge the expenditure based on depreciation and /or appreciation. The house has cost me essentially nothing.

Part of the reason for the Gladiator is the fun we can have as a family with it (or the Bronco, whichever I buy) I could go buy a used Audi RS3 and have a ball by myself. But the Gladiator is for the family. I just need to get over the fact that its slow and handles like a bread truck. Ha.

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