I'm a real car guy. I've always loved cars, and like having something that excites me- something that I am proud to drive, that I really like, that serves a purpose. I've always liked off-roading, but also always loved something fast. The benefits of living in the mountains - I get to drive an amazing curvy canyon road, as well as some fun dirt trails too. These two things were usually mutually exclusive in past cars I've owned - The TT RS couldn't go off road, so I bought an old Tacoma to go camping and four wheeling with. This pattern of having multiple cars for multiple purposes has been present throughout my life - the TJ Wrangler and the Camaro/SHO, the XJ and the motorcycle, the WRX and the CJ/4Runners, the YJ and the Outback. So much so that my nickname at CampMinder in 2011 was "Three Car Louie". I've owned a lot of vehicles, and quite often had multiple at the same time. I just never found something that was fast, fun, and good off road. Until the release of the JL Wrangler.
I was blown away when Jeep announced that the new Wranglers would be available with turbo four cylinder engines - and even more so that they would have a mild hybrid system with an electric motor! 270 hp, 295 tq - that's pretty impressive from a 2.0 liter motor! I've always liked turbos, especially given the altitude I live at - my WRX, STi, and TT RS were all small turbo motors, 4 or 5 cylinders. A big V8 just doesn't do it up here - I remember how slow the LS1 Camaro felt when I moved out here. Everything is slower at altitude, but the turbo helps make up for the loss of atmospheric pressure with forced induction. So knowing that I could get a turbo in a Wrangler was a huge plus.
I thought about the options I'd equip, and used the Jeep builder and inventory tool to see what was available. So many cool colors - I absolutely loved Punk'n Orange. Alpine premium audio, heated seats, LED headlights, leather, rock rails, steel bumpers. Besides just having the turbo motor, the JL was actually kind of luxurious and really well equipped - at least compared to the Jeeps I've owned in the past. All those options, plus a removable roof. Jeep really stepped their game up! The Wrangler actually looked like a viable option to me again - I could get all the modern tech I wanted, plus a powerful turbo motor and incredible off road capability.
I started seriously car shopping after I got rid of the TT RS. I knew I'd be selling the Tacoma, and would need something more reliable. I couldn't sell the TuRD plow until the fall, so I just drove that all summer, and used that time to really research my next vehicle. I had so many choices - the Wrangler was calling, but I thought about many other options as well. New stuff, used stuff, completely impractical but super cool stuff - here's a list of some of what I was considering with a bit about each one:
Brand New Cars:
Gladiator - Badass, but why not a 6ft bed?! Also no turbo motor. Wish it came with a Hemi. Would have to be a Rubicon - I don't like how the Sport looks with the normal sized tires, it's not proportioned right. Looks amazing on 37s though :) So expensive, and selling so well there are no incentives and offers at all.
Cherokee Trailhawk - My dad has one. It's really nice. The interior is amazing, and the available tech is outstanding. It has the same 2.0 liter turbo as the Wrangler. It's decently quick. It's good offroad. Just one downside: It's so ugly. I mean just so terrible. I hate the front end so much, even with the new redesign. That terrible 7 plastic piece "grille". Ugh. It's a cute small SUV thing even if it's well equipped and trail rated.
Renegade - I test drove one but it wasn't as cheap as I thought it would be. Didn't make sense when compared to the Cherokee and the Wrangler. The hidden sasquatch on the rear hatch is pretty cool though.
Tacoma - I've always liked Toyota Trucks. I've had two 4Runners and a Tacoma. I gave some thought to a new Taco; I like the Quicksand color. It came with a hood scoop. It's definitely reliable as fuck. It doesn't really excite me though.
Used Cars:
Bugeye WRX - Always wanted one. Can be found super cheap, or still under $8K totally redone and rebuilt. Quick for sure, I'd want a blue wagon. Downside - boy racer, I've had two other WRXs already.
Saabaru - Same as above but the nice interior and better looking exterior. Extremely rare.
Outback XT - Kinda same as above too, but just bigger. I'm talking like 2007 body style, with those amazing headlights. Manual Turbo AWD wagon. Yes.
I decided against those three above because I didn't want to buy something else that would need a ton of work. In the end, they're all going to have like 120K miles or more. I just wanted something new and nice. So while I certainly shopped Craigslist for used stuff, I made up my mind that I wanted one of the new ones.
I recently got a work from home job, so I wouldn't need to worry about miles on a lease with no commute. I really started shopping lease deals in September - comparing Cherokees and Wranglers mostly. I checked the dealer inventory frequently. Looking to see what they got in - what colors, what trim levels with what options. I really wanted an orange Wrangler, but I also liked the Sting Gray. It looked kind of like the Audi Nardo Grey; a somewhat more subdued choice over the orange. For the Trailhawk, I was definitely looking for a more darker/plain color - Sting Gray, Billet Silver, or Granite Crystal Metallic. But damn, that bright Punk'n Wrangler looked so dope!
The Trailhawk had everything I needed as part of it's package - big screen, cold weather, awesome headlights. The only thing I had to check off on one would be the sunroof - must cop, not a question. But I knew I had to option out the Wrangler. Cold weather package - heated seats and wheel, remote start - was an absolute must have for me. I also debated the radio - the 7inch screen was so much better than the 5, I thought that was totally worth it. If I was going to get a Sport, that was basically it - the turbo four as well, of course. But for just a little more, the Rubicon really stepped it up - better axles, lockers, rock rails, big 285 BF Goodrich AT tires with the fenders to fit 35s. It just looked so much better. I know I'd want to do half those add-ons to a Sport over time. Colors, options, trims, OH MY. This was starting to be a really difficult decision.
So I made it by weighing price to happiness. Was what I really want worth it? Would I actually be happy with it, or would I be thinking about what else I could have gotten? Would it be something I wanted to keep forever, or just an interim solution? I didn't know the answers to those questions, and did quite a bit of debating in my mind.
Trailhawk Cherokees were so cheap; they leased at around $360 a month for the loaded one I wanted. I had driven my dad's a lot, and it really was a very nice car. It made a lot of financial sense. It was quick - very surprisingly quick. But it didn't inspire me. It seemed like just something to get because it was cheap. It wasn't something that I really wanted.
Wrangler Sports were my next option - They leased at around $500 a month with the cold weather package and the 7 inch screen. They looked so much better than the Trailhawk, but were was less luxurious. It's pretty basic at that price. If I wanted to add a set of better tires, or maybe some rock rails, it would go up to $550. At that price, I might as well just get the Rubicon.
The Rubicon. The highest trim. Like having the SS, RS, or STi. The best one available. But of course, also the most expensive one available. Pollard Jeep in Boulder had previously told me they leased at $800+ a month. That's pretty crazy, and while I could technically afford it, I didn't want to spend that much.
It got to be the end of September soon enough. I knew the TuRD Plow would sell soon, meaning I would end up without a car. I called up the guy I had previously worked with at Pollard. He let me know he was no longer there, but at a different Jeep dealer down in Littleton. I was pretty set on going to Pollard since that is where my father bought his, and I'm more likely to be in Boulder than anywhere else. He told me to check their inventory though - it was AutoNation, so they had a ton of options and access to a huge network of available vehicles. I looked at it - no Cherokees I wanted, but a Sting Gray Rubicon caught my eye - and it was drastically reduced in price. It had the 7inch screen, cold weather package, and leather seats, but no LED lights. It was nice, but I wanted to go to Pollard and check out their inventory first. The silver Trailhawk was on my mind, as was a Sting Gray two Door Wrangler Sport.
I got there and took a look around. They had one Punk'n Wrangler, but it didn't have the cold weather package. I just couldn't get one without one - living in the mountains, it's non-negotiable. The Sting Gray two door had the options I wanted, and it looked great. The smaller Sport tires don't look as small on a two door. So I went to talk with the salesperson, and priced out the Trailhawk and the Wrangler. The Trailhawk was marked at $299/mo with $2000 down. I didn't want to put anything down - he said he would be about $360 a month then. The Wrangler was $560 a month with $0 down. The Cherokee looked really good at this point - way cheaper, and really nice. He offered me the Cherokee at $299 a month with zero down, and I almost said yes on the spot. That's a great deal, but I didn't want to rush into something I'd regret later. I told him I wanted to sleep on it. I sat in the parking lot for 5 minutes after I walked out, thinking about going back in. But no, I couldn't make the decision. Something didn't feel right. I knew it was financially smart, but it just didn't make me passionate or ignite anything in me. I wasn't ready to commit to it just yet.
Over the next two days, I thought about it and decided it was worth it, and I should get it. I called up the salesperson, but was given some bad news - the price went up, and it was now $451 a month. The leases changed, he said, and there wasn't anything he could do. I told him no thanks, as there was no way it was worth it - I'd rather have the Wrangler for a little bit more, if I was already spending that much. He called later and said they could do it for $360, but it had rubbed me the wrong way, and left a bad taste in my mouth. I didn't like the back and forth with the price. I told him if he could do it for $299 on Tuesday, he could do it for that price on Saturday. He said no, and that was that.
AutoNation put up their new October deals, and they had a $379/mo lease on Wranglers with $0 - with taxes and fees that ended up being about $475. I called up Brandon and asked him about it - he confirmed they had some on the lot that qualified. I also asked him to work up that Sting Gray Rubicon too - it had a bunch of discounts on it, so it was really only about $6K more expensive than the base Sport. It came back at right around $600 a month, and my eyes got wide. That was not much more each month for so much more Jeep. SO MUCH more Jeep. It looked really good, and I decided to go look at it on Saturday.
I knew my decision was made before I even got there. This thing made me happy. It was something I actually wanted, that I thought looked good. I decided the savings were not worth the feeling that I got something I didn't want. I thought I'd be throwing away money on a lease of something that I didn't really love - I might as well get what I want, since I think I would keep it past the lease term. My dad still has a Rubicon he bought new in 2003, and I thought about this one in the same way. Given all the previously mentioned upgrades on the JL, and especially on the Rubicon, I thought that this was a vehicle I could see myself keeping for a long time. It's more expensive, but I'm not necessarily just "renting and giving it back" - I could see myself keeping this one for a long time. I wouldn't keep the Trailhawk, and I'd probably want to upgrade the Sport when the lease was done.
I got there and test drove it. It was perfect. I couldn't get over how fast it was. I loved the color. All the right options except for the headlights. For the price, I decided it was totally worth it. I signed the paperwork and drove it home.
I was still nervous that night - did I make the right decision? Shouldn't I be saving that money every month? But I know I did. I know this Jeep is something I will have forever. I'm willing to have less savings to have it - I'm not over extending myself by any means, I just am putting away less every month. It's a perfect blend of the off road capability with luxury interior, and it's quick. It's the Wrangler I always wanted Jeep to make. I'm happy with it, and I think I will be for a while. One car serving all my needs.
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