To trade or not, what would you do.........

[ShadowsPapa]

Not in today's market and that depends on the vehicle. On a jeep Wrangler or gladiator mods like bumpers and lifts and wheels and tires will be a plus for a dealership because it makes the vehicle more appealing to sell. They will mark them up. My 2010 jeep Wrangler Jku I sold to the dealership to buy the JT was a pretty beat up. Ac didn't work, top was worn out and leaking. It had trail scratches and a few dings down the sides and something was going on with the winch losing power, not to count the check engine light issue I never could quite fix. 139,000 miles on it in 2020 and they still cut me a check for $11000 for it and turned around and sold it for $18,000.

Interesting. I was always told, and assumed to be correct, that mods you made never helped when trading.
On the other hand, when I checked in with carmax, carvana, etc. - one of the questions was very interesting "winch" yes or no.
Very interesting.

What I can do in any case and make that part of "discussions" - tell any dealer "I can put it back stock, or we can negotiate leaving certain things in place".

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[Jeeperjamie]

Interesting. I was always told, and assumed to be correct, that mods you made never helped when trading.
On the other hand, when I checked in with carmax, carvana, etc. - one of the questions was very interesting "winch" yes or no.
Very interesting.

What I can do in any case and make that part of "discussions" - tell any dealer "I can put it back stock, or we can negotiate leaving certain things in place".

I was told that on other vehicles as well but it seems like on the Wranglers and Gladiators they want to offer more for the mods. My neighbor has a overland that he only has 35's on and it's a 2020 with around the same miles I got on mine, I think 39,000. He has been offered between $39,000 and $43,000 for his and that's basically between what I'm being offered for mine. KBB has mine listed for $33,000 trade in and $36,000 private sale. Mines a base model sport with no power windows or locks and cloth interior. All I got is the lift, front and rear steel bumpers, the Rubicon side rails, winch and a few after market lights, 37 inch tires. I can't list all that on KBB but the dealerships I have spoke to see value in it. Mines got more miles than his overland and I'm being offered around the same as him

 

[Hootbro]

Interesting. I was always told, and assumed to be correct, that mods you made never helped when trading.
On the other hand, when I checked in with carmax, carvana, etc. - one of the questions was very interesting "winch" yes or no.
Very interesting.

What I can do in any case and make that part of "discussions" - tell any dealer "I can put it back stock, or we can negotiate leaving certain things in place".

Carmax and Carvana are not going to give you hardly anything for mods when it comes to a Jeep. Other than maybe some of the most benign mods, they will send any Jeep they take in either on trade or a buy offer and will ship it straight to their auction system and will never be a on lot or sell inventory vehicle for them.

As to dealers discussions about your mods, I think you need to make a decision upfront on either taking your mods off and return to stock before taking it in or taking it in as is and the chips fall where they may. Dealerships like to assign and give value as presented, not show up in one configuration and then telling them you will run home and return to stock for a later return. Just as I would put up with a dealership doing the same thing to me on a negotiated deal, I would not play that with them on a trade in deal.

Unless what you value your mods exceeds by a considerable margin the price difference for the sales tax trade in credit, I would suggest either biting the bullet and trade in as is or take the mods off and return to stock before taking it around and shopping for a new one.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Carmax and Carvana are not going to give you hardly anything for mods when it comes to a Jeep. Other than maybe some of the most benign mods, they will send any Jeep they take in either on trade or a buy offer and will ship it straight to their auction system and will never be a on lot or sell inventory vehicle for them.

As to dealers discussions about your mods, I think you need to make a decision upfront on either taking your mods off and return to stock before taking it in or taking it in as is and the chips fall where they may. Dealerships like to assign and give value as presented, not show up in one configuration and then telling them you will run home and return to stock for a later return. Just as I would put up with a dealership doing the same thing to me on a negotiated deal, I would not play that with them on a trade in deal.

Unless what you value your mods exceeds by a considerable margin the price difference for the sales tax trade in credit, I would suggest either biting the bullet and trade in as is or take the mods off and return to stock before taking it around and shopping for a new one.

A couple of the online places did have the "does it have a winch" type check box, otherwise it was a straight forward options list - most was pre-checked, you checked a few other boxes.
I did not check the winch box on any of the online places as I assumed I was going to keep the bumper, winch, skid plate and front receiver and most other stuff.
No one I have talked to or emailed with even knows of the springs, shocks, that sort of thing.

Anyway, yes, some of the online places do ask you to tell them if it has certain mods - they must care a little bit or not ask? They ask about rack, grille guard, tires..........

 

[Jeeperjamie]

A couple of the online places did have the "does it have a winch" type check box, otherwise it was a straight forward options list - most was pre-checked, you checked a few other boxes.
I did not check the winch box on any of the online places as I assumed I was going to keep the bumper, winch, skid plate and front receiver and most other stuff.
No one I have talked to or emailed with even knows of the springs, shocks, that sort of thing.

Anyway, yes, some of the online places do ask you to tell them if it has certain mods - they must care a little bit or not ask? They ask about rack, grille guard, tires..........

I know CarMax doesn't really care about mods and they would prefer a more close to stock vehicle over a heavily modded one. They ask me to remove the exhaust on my mustang or asked me if I had the stock exhaust still. As for regular dealerships that sell these things, they absolutely care about the extras on things like jeeps. Most people would pull the trigger on one with the tires and lift already on if they can get it a a decent price. Another reason Hendricks likes them is the for the attraction factor, people may come in just to look at a modded jeep and end up leaving in something else.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Another reason Hendricks likes them is the for the attraction factor, people may come in just to look at a modded jeep and end up leaving in something else.

And that may point to why Dewey now and then takes a Jeep out of inventory, mods it with lift, bigger tires, wheels, and other stuff that's visible from a distance and parks it in the showroom or right out front of the door. You have to see it walking in. In the last 6 months or so they've done that to at least 2 I am aware of. A white one I posted pics of, and now the snazzberry Rubicon sitting smack in the middle of the show room. You have to walk past it to get anywhere and with the lift, it's large in that front area.
Like I said - most of the stuff I've done can't easily be seen - just the front bumper, winch, bug deflector, splash guards, that sort of thing. Otherwise, the changes are subtle or under the truck. And since the springs have MOPAR tags on them, only the parts guys would know the difference.

 

[Mister Lamb]

This new societal trend of getting the best and greatest every few years is getting out of control!!! It's no wonder the quality of cars is degrading. Manufacturers have very little incentive to make quality products when people are going to buy new toys every 2 years anyways. If you love your truck and mechanically haven't run into problems that you foresee causing you major headaches, why get rid of it?

Dealerships are quick to offer what seems to be large amounts for used cars because they're still making out in the end. It really all comes down to your financial situation but if you're ok with losing in the end then go for it.

For me, the washes, oil changes, family trips, and long shifts it took for me to buy the truck are intertwined to my truck and I don't see myself getting rid of her for the first younger bimbo that walks by.

My 2¢

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Average keep their vehicles 9.7 to 11.4 years.
Here's another study on it -
On average, according to research from IHS Markit, people are keeping their cars an average of 11.9 years, an entire month longer than in 2020. However, new cars are usually kept for even less time, at six years, because people want the latest features and technology

So 6 years..............

Nothing to do with quality.
Since the average is way beyond typical warranties, and if the average miles driven is even close to 12,000/year, we are talking 72 to over 100K
CNBC, Forbes and others indicate part of the reason people are keeping vehicles longer is the increases in quality........


Anyway, this is nothing to do with your belief of quality issues due to constant trading that actually doesn't exist.
This is more of an assembly of ideas, thoughts, even facts on what's best if there is a trade as far as added "Stuff".

 

[BAT]

Ah go for it you only live once just as well get you a fresh one

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Ah go for it you only live once just as well get you a fresh one

Love it - the simple approach

 

[ColoradoGlad]

I can speak from actual 1 week ago experience.

My 2020 Max Tow lease was coming due in 3 to 4 weeks.
I originally leased this Gladiator with the plan to turn it in after the 3 years.
But after 3 years, with NO ISSUES, and having done a lot of the changes I wanted, I thought seriously about paying off the lease and keeping it.

You can see the mod I had done to the Jeep, mostly Rubicon takeoffs and some aftermarket items. I never went over the top because it wasn't needed, and I knew it was going back to stock after 3 years.

I'd spent maybe 5K on all the addons counting wheels and tires.

I first tried see what I could get for the 2020 with all the changes.
They went pretty much straight off KBB pricing.
There was absolutely no consideration in added value in the bolt on items.
I removed everything but the Rubicon suspension, rock rails and rear tow hooks.
I then went back for trade in offers.
Most of the offer were actual higher being 98% stock.

The stock tires were brand new, wheels perfect, original hood and grill with no exposure to the road and the interior was like new.

It looked and felt like an almost brand new Jeep. And it sure drove nice with the stock tires. (Smile)

I ended up getting a 2022 and have absolutely no regrets!
I started back at 0 miles, went with a Rubicon this time, and added some comfort features I always wished I had on the 2020.

BTW, I save $3K in sales tax by trading in the 2020. I would have never made up that amount if I sold it private party.

Best wishes!

 

[19Comanche86]

Idk man your truck is pretty sweet…would you stay with an overland or step up to a Mojave/Rubicon?

would definitely take off whatever mods you can. Either add them to the new truck or sell them if the new truck already has them. When I traded my 2020 Rubicon I left everything on that I had added. I lost my ass so bad in mods. Should have never traded the truck for a ram. Huge mistake to begin with. Live and learn, back in a gladiator but couldn’t swing the rubicon again with price increases etc.

 

[ImThe0ne]

I bought a loaded Sport S at the beginning of 2020 for about 38k out the door and ended up trading it in for 41.5k locally 2 months ago so I could get a Mojave w/ SelecTrac. So happy I did. I had a decent amount of mods, LEDs, Prox entry mod, bumper, etc and a full set of leather swap seats that I told the dealer he could either give me an additional $1500 for or I’d put them back to the stock cloth seats. He told me he didn’t care about all that other stuff, so I stripped the Jeep, put it back to stock and traded it in and got another $3k back from selling parts that I no longer needed as the Mojave was OEM leather, LEDs, Prox entry, etc.

If your wheels and tires are something you are wanting to keep, just tell them when you work on the trade that they can have the wheels/tires off the new one and to put yours in their place. Most dealers would love to have brand new tires on a used vehicle they didn’t have to pay for though they’d have to swap TPMS sensors, but let that be their problem.

I tend to agree with what’s been said, I think the price increases will continue drastically and we’ll never be able to get these again for what they are selling for now. Id say if you can find the right deal and it’s what you want, spend you a day stripping your old Jeep of everything you want to keep and trade that sucker in.

 

[FLGladiator]

I can speak from actual 1 week ago experience.

My 2020 Max Tow lease was coming due in 3 to 4 weeks.
I originally leased this Gladiator with the plan to turn it in after the 3 years.
But after 3 years, with NO ISSUES, and having done a lot of the changes I wanted, I thought seriously about paying off the lease and keeping it.



BTW, I save $3K in sales tax by trading in the 2020. I would have never made up that amount if I sold it private party.

Best wishes!

Strange that you can get a sales tax credit on a lease turn in.

 

[saintpauljeff]

I bought a loaded Sport S at the beginning of 2020 for about 38k out the door and ended up trading it in for 41.5k locally 2 months ago so I could get a Mojave w/ SelecTrac.

Similar experience... Bought a Sport S Max Tow in Nov 2019 and upgraded to a 2021 Rubicon w/ Rock-Trac Full Time 4x4 in Dec 2021. I was fortunate, however, as I was able to sell high *and* buy low. My Rubicon MSRP was about $62k and I was able to get it for $53.5k, right off the lot. Received value of about $41k (bought for about $40k) for the 2020 Max Tow. Figured this might be the only time a used vehicle actually appreciates in a short time span of my lifetime.

I didn't have many mods to swap over to the new Gladiator. I would not have done this deal had I needed to order a new Gladiator.

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