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Thanks!
What you can do is to have a dealer install an on-off switch after you get certification. Your situation appears to be one of only four for which certification is allowed - namely, you need to transport children in a vehicle that has no back seat.
Here's a place to start your research.
Good luck.
tidester, host
Rocky Mountain Edition Group , Silver with Black Hardtop. Last night I was thinking I will have good bargaining power seeing it is end of month and only 2 days left for Chrysler $1000 back. This morning I began to wonder : Does Jeep have a history of better cash incentives after Labor Day as we get closer to new model year ?? Is it possible , that a larger cash back will be offered later in Sept/Oct ? Any thoughts on "wait & see " or buy one today ? Thank You - George
I doubt very seriously if the $1000 rebate will go away. It might not get any higher, but I sure doubt that it will go away.
So, you might want to wait and see what happens. You can always do the month end thing in September. But, that particular Jeep would most likey be gone by then.
Maybe you can forget the "month end thing," and just wait to see what happens to the rebate in the next couple days. You are right about month end normally being the time to get the best deal, but maybe you can still get the same deal early in the month, if you negotiate hard enough.
I also think dealers can play games and show a sale as being made in the previous month, if the deal occurs within the first day or two of the new month.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
I have a 2002 Wrangler Sahara which I bought new in July 2002, so I have had it just past 2 years. So far I have put on almost 23,000 miles. Problems to date have been warped brake rotors, replaced under warranty, rusting hardtop tailgate hinges, also replaced under warranty, and corroding wheel which started after the first winter, was refinished under warranty poorly, and has become a bit of a hassle. But thats it. mechanically it has been rock solid and never had a problem.
Dislikes: I'd have to say my biggest complaints with it is generally the usual stuff. How it gets blown around a little in high winds, its less than stellar gas mileage, and the time it takes to operate the canvas top. I love having that top down, but if I am making a short trip, or the weather is iffy, I often don't bother. In that respect, your Sebring will be more convenient. However, I usually leave my TJ garaged overnight, and leave the top down a good part of the summer and drive my other car when the weather is bad. Let me put it this way, I wish the top went up and down quicker, however its nothing that would disuade me from buying a TJ.
Positive surprises: I was surprised at a number of things after buying this vehicle. The structure feels extremely solid, unlike many convertables. The 4.0L I6 has enough power to push this brick through the air on the thruway against strong headwinds without breaking a sweat. It has the best A/C and heater I have ever had in a vehicle. It rides fairly well on the highway. A little choppy, but better than I ever dreamed.
Overall I have really enjoyed my Wrangler, and am glad I purchased it. If I were buying now, I may go with the Unlimited to get the extra wheelbase to improve its winter stability in snow and on ice (I am in Buffalo). If I had to do over again, I would!
If you get one, you will like it a lot! Also be sure to check out new ones! You can get them for considerably less than what is on the sticker between dealer rebates and markdowns.
On the other hand, I don't want to be taken advantage of. So I look up here on Edmunds to find out what the dealer's invoice is and what people are paying for cars in my area. Then I go from there.
I got a very good deal on my 2000 Tacoma - $200 over dealer's invoice (and Toyota wasn't discounting at that time). However, I hate the vehicle and so while the money was right, it was a lousy deal for me. My '98 Wrangler was an unwind. I paid $500 over dealers invoice when it had enough miles on it to be legally a used vehicle. It wasn't a very good deal money-wise, but I love the vehicle and have no intention of getting rid of it any time soon. So it was an excellent deal as far as I'm concerned.
If you have found the right vehicle for you, get it. Don't worry about getting it at the absolutely bottom price - just pay a fair price and enjoy the vehicle.
I forgot to mention that during our test drive on Saturday I almost forgot to wave back when EVERY SINGLE Wrangler we passed waved at us. Very Cool...
Dave
Hope everything goes OK and that you bring that Wrangler home.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
dave, Good luck on your test drive! I hope the TJ you found is everything you hope it will be!
Dave - Hope your test drive works out well and that you'll soon join the ranks of Wrangler owners. Let us know how it goes.
Welcome!
I don't know the answer to your question, but I sure hope you would still consider getting an Unlimited, even if ABS is not available. Only you can judge how important ABS is, though, for YOUR Jeep, so I shouldn't try to talk you out of it.
Jeeps are world of fun!
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
That being said ; what a horrible dealer experience I had today. I really thought I was going to have a great experience ; the dealer was a family owned , Jeep only facility. Looked like a converted Dairy Queen shop. I felt comfortable.
That feeling disappeared quickly. The salemen said he would tell me his cost for the vehicle. He stated a number about 1000 less than sticker.I told him that Edmunds invoice # was much less.
He insisted that his cost was 1000 below sticker and said he could prove it. At this point , I already did not want to deal with this guy so I did not push the issue. Now , the man who puts a value on your trade-in comes back with my car :
2000 Volkswagen GTI GLX VR6 with only 9000 miles-
extremely MINT Showroon Condition. The guy states my car is impeccable. Best used car he has seen in a year and then proceeds to offer me $2000 LESS than Edmunds places the trade-in value. I stood up , saod Thank You , I do not want to waste your time anymore, placed my check-book in my briefcase and walked out. I will wait for 2005's to arrive while I put my car in the paper for sale. May even think about ordering a 2005.
Anyone know what colors are being discontinued and what new colors will be available ? Any new packages to be made available ? Will Rocky Mountain Edition Group be offered in 2005\?
Thank You, George PS/ Why am I waitting for 2005 ?
Well I dealer searched every dealer in CT , MA ,RI
VT , NH & Maine and could not find a 2004 "X" in Silver or Shale Green that had Auto & RME group.
One thing to remember about the Edmunds invoice price, they don't include Ad Fees, or at least they didn't used to. The Ad Fees are real costs and are line items on the invoice sheet. There is a national Ad Fee and a Regional Ad Fee. The Regional Ad Fee is higher in population centers, because of the higher cost of air time on radio and TV.
Take what Edmunds gave for invoice price and add about $500 to it for Ad Fees. That's probably a little too much to add, but it COULD be that much. If you do that, how does THAT compare with what the salesman was telling you?
As far as your trade in, maybe they were just low balling you to get the negotiations started. Did they try to get you to stay and talk turkey, or did they just let you go?
I checked at three dealerships before buying Thelma Jane, and I was absolutely blown away by the HUGE difference in deals that I was offered at three very similar size dealerships.
Check out my experience in my litte web site I built for Thelma Jane.
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~tsjay51/thelma.html
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
several people have mentioned they don't need the lowest price if they can get a "fair" price. whats fair? how much should a dealer make on a sale? how much do they need to make to keep the doors open?
$500?
$1000?
$1500?
jeff
note to George (or anyone else price shopping) I subscribed to consumer reports new car pricing kit, let me know what you are looking at, models, options etc, I'll punch it up in there and can tell you what it says the dealers are paying for the jeep, rebates, dealer holdback etc. email me off list please jeff62301@yahoo.com
If a salesperson insists their invoice is right, ask to see it. Any destination, ad fees and the like should be listed on it right from the factory. Any thing else would probably be a dealer add on.
Dealers make money on used car sales and service. The new car department is often just a traffic generator. That could explain the low ball on the trade-in.
We have Incentives & Rebates and Holdback links, btw (free <g>).
Steve, Host
I also live in CT. I'm in Plainville. Yes it is very plain
George, there are two Jeep dealers near us that I can think of. One in New Britain, which I got a bad vibe from a few years ago. One in Bristol, Rt 6.
I bought my TJ used off a private owner, so I don't have any buying expierence but the service / parts dept, of the Bristol dealer, has been very helpful and nice everytime I stop by.
Also, just wanted to throw in my 2 cents about putting the soft top up and down. Once I got the hang of it, it became pretty easy. Since the weather constantly changes out here, I've gotten lots o' practice! When it cools off at night, is when it's toughest. The canvas shrinks as it gets cooler, making it much harder to latch hooks at the windshield.
Not sure whether the new tops do the same.
-Dan
My opinion is that it is solely a personal preference. I have the 5 speed and love it - the clutch isn't much heavier than the Taco's clutch and certainly a whole lot easier on the leg than the clutch on a Chevy pickup I once had ("3-on-the-tree").
I'm looking at an auto this time around, mainly because I'm looking at the Unlimited. I'm concerned about the auto tranny - I went through 2 Nissan Hardbody pickup auto trannys in 1 year after I moved up to my mountain home - the mountain grades I climb daily are hard on a tranny. Now I'm thinking that an auto would be better for my arthritic back, and figure that if I put in a tranny cooler and faithfully change the fluid at every interval, I should be OK. Also, I think that the auto can be better in off-road soft sand - it is easier to spin the tires with a 5 speed.
The Wrangler seems to me to be as stable as any other 4WD vehicle on icy, snowy roads. But it can't go through some things - I managed to get mine high centered when heavy wet snow packed under the frame.
I recently put the BFG AT tires on for the first time. They worked great on the trails at Camp Jeep and seemed to be a very popular tire. I don't have any experience with them in the slush and snow yet, so can't help you there. I think if I lived in Conn. I'd do more than my usual think about (but not buy) dedicated snow tires (only the first 10 miles of my commute involves snow). And if the roads are bad enough for CalTrans to require chains on the 4WD vehicles, they are bad enough for me to take a snow day.
Kool, I suggest you do some reading of the old posts in here. Also, if a question occurs to you, type a keyword into the search window and call up some old posts.
Now please don't think I say the above to discourage you from asking questions. Lord knows I love to "talk Jeep" and love to see folks get into new Jeeps. All of us love to talk about our Jeeps, but I guess you have noticed that.
I suggest the "search" and the reading of as many old posts as you can simply to help you get well prepared for your purchase. There may be some questions that you wouldn't even think to ask that you could find discussions on in the old posts.
Keep us posted on your progress, and, please, ask all the questions you want to ask.
I'll re-read you last post when I get some time and answer whatever questions have not been answered by someone else.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
George
If so, why not place a factory order???? You can deal with the dealership of your choice AND get the EXACT Jeep that you want. Make it part of the deal that whatever rebates are in effect at the time of delivery will apply to your deal.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
Here's my take. I got interested in Wranglers again after the Unlimited came out, but I was not very impressed when I test drove one. I hated the automatic. Then I test drove a Rubicon, what a difference! I went with the Rubicon.
Dual tops is definitely the way to go. I just put my hardtop back on after the summer this weekend. Now, it feels like a different vehicle. I know people say the new sail cloth is quiet, but it is not nearly as quiet as the hard top. No matter how tightly you put on the soft top or how much air pressure you have inside, there is still flapping at certain speeds and conditions. The only reason I put up with the soft top in the summer is because it is such a blast to drive with no top!
Now, as for getting the best deal, I negotiate the interest rate at the same time I negotiate the price. If you map out your strategy you can really confuse them. I bought my Rubicon the first of May. Sticker was 29900. I got it for 25, 600 with 2.9 percent financing. So, in essence I got both the 2K rebate and the special finacing. I had one price in my head I would take for 2.9 and one for 3.9...
Tom, have you added your list of mods to your web page yet?
When are you going to make that trip to Turkey Bay to wheel with me??????
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
As for manual/auto, like mtngal said, it is a personal preference. I like manually rowing my gears, but if you plan to wheel much, an auto will make it a bit easier. You don't have to worry about feathering the clutch to get going and you don't have to figure what gear to be in.
But I'm the type who likes to rev it a bit higher on the road for faster acceleration or shift earlier for better economy.
Look at your needs and wants and just go with what works best for you. Either way, the mileage is nothing to write home about.
-Paul
Beryl Green & Orange. Does anyone know of a site on the web where these two new colors can be viewed ?
George
I spent the first half of the afternoon giving tours to the people I work with. They're all calling it my midlife crisis vehicle. I don't think of it that way because I hope to live beyond 80 but it is the coolest vehicle I've ever owned.
I have lots more questions but I'll ask them later. For now I'm just going to bask in the total coolness of finally owning a Jeep.
I'm thinking of spending the evening driving around my yard.
Thanks for all your advice and support so far. I really felt like an educated and confident consumer today and it's thanks to all of you.
Yours in Jeep Coolness,
Dave
CONGRATULATIONS!
Keep posting with your initial impressions.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
You maybe surprised in 6 months you'll love it even more. Look at ole Tom and mtngal and others on this board. They've had their rigs for years and still love them.
Tom, I'm thinking about coming up to LBL sometime in Oct. A buddy of mine and his wife have a little sail boat up at Kentucky Lake so we'll see if we can work something out. I definitely want to try out the capability of my Rubi. Just don't want to get 'er all scratched up yet!
I told ya, man, I will not put you into dangerous situations for damage. I just want you to come up and wheel with me. I want to see your eyes light up when you realize some of the things that Jeep will do. It will knock your socks off!
Dave:
Mark is right about the excitement lasting. I was the world's worst about getting all fired up over a vehicle, just dying to get one, buying one, getting tired of it, then getting excited over some other vehicle. I signed my name on the dotted line for my THIRD brand new vehicle in 13 months when I closed the deal on Thelma Jane! I have had absolutely NO DESIRE to trade Thelma Jane after owning her for 3.5 years. I have never before come close to being this happy with a vehicle for this long!
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
Tom will tell you that every Jeep needs a name. My flame red TJ is Red Ryder.
Name or not, you will like it more and more every day. I have had mine 4 1/2 years and it just keeps getting better.
Terry
Driving my Noble Black Steed (my black Wrangler is one tough vehicle, hence his name) still puts a big grin on my face, so I know how you're feeling. It's a wonderful feeling.
Wranglers aren't for everyone - there are some idiosyncracies that many people wouldn't tolerate in their vehicles. People bitten by Wrangler fever enjoy them. And it doesn't matter what age you are when you get your first one. Midlife crisis vehicles are sports cars. Those of us 50 plus who buy Wranglers are just finally able to fulfill lifetime dreams by being in a position to give up practicality. Isn't it a nice position to be in?
Terry
Mac, PLEASE, verify what I have just said or refute it. I got this info from amother forum, but I have seen enough info on it to believe it.
Also, personal experience with my temperature gauge supports this. I can be out wheelin' and doing lot of idling or barely creeping along, and the gauge does not waver from the normal 210, then all of a sudden sometimes, it goes into the red all at once.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
The top's been down since I left the dealer so I just pulled out of the garage and I was off. The first thing I noticed was how much colder I was in the Jeep. I shouldn't have been surprised that the wind chill at 50 mph is greater than it is at 14. No problem, I added some heat to my feet and I was fine. That's when I noticed the first of what I hope are many little Jeep bonuses. The lower heaters actually blow on my feet. Every other vehicle I've ever owned blew hot air on my ankles instead my toes where it's really needed. Also, I drove to work barefoot. It just seemed like the right thing to do.
My commute is about 35 miles each way. It's mostly highway and it moves pretty well so it isn't too bad. Today was the first day that I ever wished it was longer. Driving to work with the top down was great and the one thing that made it better was knowing that now I can do this every day if I want to.
Last night my daughter (11) and I went for a little joy ride. I wanted you all to hear her comment. She said that "riding with the top down is fun like a roller coaster just not scary".
We're supposed to have beautiful weather until Monday or so when we may get some hurricane remnants. I don't expect to put the top back up until then.
Yours in Jeep Coolness,
Dave
As a general principle, oil pressure will be lower when the oil is hot, and when the engine is idling.
thats what i've been waiting on.