As Deals Start Appearing on JL Wranglers, Is It Time to Spring Into a Jeep?

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Studies have shown that purchasing a new Jeep Wrangler is almost as stable an investment as buying gold. In terms of retaining value, the Wrangler is king, boasting a rate of depreciation that undercuts the industry average by half.

With this in mind, it’s not common to see people shopping around, sniffing out boffo bargains on hard-to-sell Wranglers polluting local dealer lots. It simply isn’t a thing. If you’re in the market for one, however, now may be a good time to start searching.

After taking a look at dealer inventory, CarsDirect reports a bevy of unsold 2018 JL Wrangler models still kicking around, eager to find a home. The models arise from a unique time in the Wrangler’s life — when previous-generation JK and current-gen JL production overlapped briefly, resulting in two Wranglers for the same model year.

Because the 2018 flood hasn’t yet receded from dealer lots, Jeep is offering a countrywide $500 bonus on 2018 JL Wrangler models — “one of the only factory incentives we’ve ever seen on the Wrangler,” CarsDirect claims.

While 500 bones might not be enough to sway a buyer into a Wrangler, some dealers are going above and beyond to sweeten the pot. Numerous examples exist of steep dealer discounts, which, combined with the $500 factory bonus, could mean a lucky day for a Jeep shopper. The best deal found so far is in Huntington Beach, CA, where a 2018 Wrangler Unlimited Sahara can be had with $9,485 in savings, or 22 percent off MSRP.

Other examples include $7,334 off an Unlimited Sport in Alexandria, VA, $6,664 off an identical model in Wichita Falls, TX, and $6,495 off another Unlimited Sport in Downers Grove, IL.

Jeep’s overabundance of 2018 Wranglers could be your ticket to top-down, go-anywhere bliss, assuming you’re in the market and aren’t afraid of looking cheap. (When carbuying is involved, no one’s afraid of looking cheap.)

With two models on hand, Jeep sold a record 240,032 Wranglers last year, with March of 2018 kicking off a stratospheric sales spike that lasted through the summer. The first quarter of 2019 shows Wrangler sales down 10 percent compared to Q1 2018, but all of that volume loss can be tied to last year’s heady March. March 2019 Wrangler sales easily surpass same-month tallies from years prior to 2018.

[Image: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Oberkanone Oberkanone on Apr 16, 2019

    Subscription is required. This is a good article about Wrangler inventory. https://www.autonews.com/sales/jeep-wrangler-inventories-grow-even-sales-climb A few points from the article. 1) Wrangler fleet sales to rental companies have greatly increased. 2) Dealer inventory began balooning last year and has gotten worse this year 3) Resale values of Wrangler are dropping 4) Wrangler prices have increased significantly. Pricing has finally hit the tipping point. Buy a Wrangler or Gladiator if you can afford it and it's the right vehicle for you. Don't buy one and count on being able to sell it for nearly what you paid for it. Wrangler of recent had fourth highest retained value. That trend is downward of recent. Like the stock market it may go up or down.

    • ToddAtlasF1 ToddAtlasF1 on Apr 16, 2019

      The number one trade in on the Gladiator will be the Wrangler Unlimited. The Wrangler will be number two. cars.com shows 54,645 new Wranglers(including Unlimiteds) in dealer inventories. That compares to 23,809 new Acuras and 29,688 new RAV4s in the country. How many Wranglers does Fiat sell? I don't think it is enough to justify that sort of inventory level.

  • MiataReallyIsTheAnswer MiataReallyIsTheAnswer on Apr 17, 2019

    No I have never changed an LED unit on a car, because I've never had one fail. And we have owned several. And what I said about the cheesy "one red light" on the new Compass is not just about "shoulda been LED".....there is plenty of room in the lighting elements to have had amber turn signals, separate brakelights, etc. Look at how some cars (mostly Euro) have a set of red lights for running/parking lights, then TOTALLY SEPARATE red lights come on when braking - it is far more attention-getting and noticeable. Sorry for the soapbox, I'm kind of a lighting freak :)

    • PrincipalDan PrincipalDan on Apr 17, 2019

      If I had to choose between two different makes/models of cars and was at an impasse, one having amber rear turn signals would push it into the "buy me" column.

  • Bd2 Lexus is just a higher trim package Toyota. ^^
  • Tassos ONLY consider CIvics or Corollas, in their segment. NO DAMNED Hyundais, Kias, Nissans or esp Mitsus. Not even a Pretend-BMW Mazda. They may look cute but they SUCK.I always recommend Corollas to friends of mine who are not auto enthusiasts, even tho I never owed one, and owned a Civic Hatch 5 speed 1992 for 25 years. MANY follow my advice and are VERY happy. ALmost all are women.friends who believe they are auto enthusiasts would not listen to me anyway, and would never buy a Toyota. They are damned fools, on both counts.
  • Tassos since Oct 2016 I drive a 2007 E320 Bluetec and since April 2017 also a 2008 E320 Bluetec.Now I am in my summer palace deep in the Eurozone until end October and drive the 2008.Changing the considerable oils (10 quarts synthetic) twice cost me 80 and 70 euros. Same changes in the US on the 2007 cost me $219 at the dealers and $120 at Firestone.Changing the air filter cost 30 Euros, with labor, and there are two such filters (engine and cabin), and changing the fuel filter only 50 euros, while in the US they asked for... $400. You can safely bet I declined and told them what to do with their gold-plated filter. And when I changed it in Europe, I looked at the old one and it was clean as a whistle.A set of Continentals tires, installed etc, 300 EurosI can't remember anything else for the 2008. For the 2007, a brand new set of manual rec'd tires at Discount Tire with free rotations for life used up the $500 allowance the dealer gave me when I bought it (tires only had 5000 miles left on them then)So, as you can see, I spent less than even if I owned a Lexus instead, and probably less than all these poor devils here that brag about their alleged low cost Datsun-Mitsus and Hyundai-Kias.And that's THETRUTHABOUTCARS. My Cars,
  • NJRide These are the Q1 Luxury division salesAudi 44,226Acura 30,373BMW 84,475Genesis 14,777Mercedes 66,000Lexus 78,471Infiniti 13,904Volvo 30,000*Tesla (maybe not luxury but relevant): 125,000?Lincoln 24,894Cadillac 35,451So Cadillac is now stuck as a second-tier player with names like Volvo. Even German 3rd wheel Audi is outselling them. Where to gain sales?Surprisingly a decline of Tesla could boost Cadillac EVs. Tesla sort of is now in the old Buick-Mercury upper middle of the market. If lets say the market stays the same, but another 15-20% leave Tesla I could see some going for a Caddy EV or hybrid, but is the division ready to meet them?In terms of the mainstream luxury brands, Lexus is probably a better benchmark than BMW. Lexus is basically doing a modern interpretation of what Cadillac/upscale Olds/Buick used to completely dominate. But Lexus' only downfall is the lack of emotion, something Cadillac at least used to be good at. The Escalade still has far more styling and brand ID than most of Lexus. So match Lexus' quality but out-do them on comfort and styling. Yes a lot of Lexus buyers may be Toyota or import loyal but there are a lot who are former GM buyers who would "come home" for a better product.In fact, that by and large is the Big 3's problem. In the 80s and 90s they would try to win back "import intenders" and this at least slowed the market share erosion. I feel like around 2000 they gave this up and resorted to a ton of gimmicks before the bankruptcies. So they have dropped from 66% to 37% of the market in a quarter century. Sure they have scaled down their presence and for the last 14 years preserved profit. But in the largest, most prosperous market in the world they are not leading. I mean who would think the Koreans could take almost 10% of the market? But they did because they built and structured products people wanted. (I also think the excess reliance on overseas assembly by the Big 3 hurts them vs more import brands building in US). But the domestics should really be at 60% of their home market and the fact that they are not speaks volumes. Cadillac should not be losing 2-1 to Lexus and BMW.
  • Tassos Not my favorite Eldorados. Too much cowbell (fins), the gauges look poor for such an expensive car, the interior has too many shiny bits but does not scream "flagship luxury", and the white on red leather or whatever is rather loud for this car, while it might work in a Corvette. But do not despair, a couple more years and the exterior designs (at least) will sober up, the cowbells will be more discreet and the long, low and wide 60s designs are not far away. If only the interiors would be fit for the price point, and especially a few acres of real wood that also looked real.
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