SPY DATE- July, 27, 2012. Subject: 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara.
The first step in any recovery is admitting you have a problem.
And in my case it's buying cars.
No matter how good the car or truck I have at the time is, sooner or later it WILL have to be replaced.
Rejoice USA economy!
Full 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Photo Gallery
I don't know why, but maybe it all goes back to when I used to change girlfriends like I change my vehicles.
Well rather than getting into the psychology of this spy, let's just focus on the ride.
And my new ride, replacing my 2011 Ford F-150 SuperCrew Eco-Boost 4x4 is the 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara.
If you've followed my car follies over the years, you know I love cars and trucks equally.
And you know in the back of my mind I've ALWAYS got something brewing....
Bad for my wallet but GREAT for you because you end up getting a REAL review from an actual customer not some reviewer who has failed at everything else in life and is reviewing cars but really could care less about them.
To them it's a JOB, to US it is our PASSION.
So let's start the review with WHY.
Why did I dump a perfectly good F-150 with only 10k miles on it.
1. Someone made an offer (Kearny-Pearson Ford) on it that was too good to pass up (BLEW Carmax away). And because I was smart enough to buy it when Ford was offering 0% financing BEFORE they knew Eco-Boost would be a hit with full size truck buyers I built positive cash fast. Knowing the market and having a good sense about a brand new vehicle is always key because it can change your equity position and allow you to flip cars like I do. So because of the good offer and low financing it netted me a lot of positive equity.
2. All of a sudden there are deals on a lot of vehicles like I've NEVER seen and crazy discounts on cars and trucks that normally don't have those kind of discounts. Like the Jeep Wrangler. Traditionally known for small dealer discounts, no rebates and the best resale in the business. It still has great resale, but oh boy, you will salivate at the deals they are offering at remaining 12's with the GLORIOUS new PentaStar engine AND 0% financing!
So I bit!
Now let me qualify something.
If you want the kind of deal I got you CANNOT go to some small town dealer, you need to go to the big markets like LA/OC, NY/Philly or Chicago. The areas where they gotta blow out a TON of iron to make their nut.
And right now in my area, the dealer I chose who wanted my business MOST was Orange Coast Jeep outside of Newport Beach in Costa Mesa, Ca.
I dealt with a super nice sales guy named Steven Roth and his sales manager John Hudson. (Click here to read my Dealerrater.com rating of Orange Coast)
Let me clarify another thing before I go any further.
When it comes to buying cars I am a GRINDER. I'm relentless on finding the best price (you HAVE to when you're addicted like me if you want to keep your habit going) and I do my homework better than anyone else.
It's not easy selling to me as a car salesman.
Now don't mistake that for being mean or a jerk to these hard working men and women.
I win with math, tenacity, charm and tough love.
And I have NO tell and with car salespeople I NEVER bluff.
When I say I got the card, i GOT the card.
I do it this way because I feel I have a responsibility to do the best I can so I can share the car buying secrets with my loyal readers.
I cannot tell you how important your loyalty is to us.
We try our best everyday to earn your trust.
Needless to say, when this was all said and done I got a deal on this ride that was LESS than an employee of Chrysler gets!
If you're in the market let me give Orange Coast a shout out because if you are thinking of buying, you will NOT beat them. And they will ship anywhere in the country (shipping extra). Be sure to ask for Steve or John and tell them AutoSpies.com sent you.
Now back to the Jeep.
You may ask WHY did you get the Sahara over the Rubicon?
And the answer is simple.
I'm never going to Moab to crawl boulders the size of the Wrangler itself and the tires that come on the Rubicon are miserable for city commuting/highway driving.
My Jeep is a beach Jeep that is more likely to be full of girls in Bikinis on Pismo beach, not a crawler or a mudder. Sausagefests are not for me.
Plus being a San Diegan, looks MATTER to me.
I like the way the Sahara looks better than the Rubicon because I like the wheel/tire setup and I like the standard side steps vs. rock rails.
Sahara:
Rubicon:
Makes the Sahara truck look beefier to me.
And by the way, the Sahara will do 98% of what a Rubicon can do.
Plus most dealers are Rubicon snobs with their discounts and unfortunately when you look at the wholesale auction numbers of used Jeeps the Rubicon does not bring back the price premium they charge.
You all know with my habit resale value is the second most important buying factor next to selling price.
Plus, Rubicon's get stolen. A LOT.
Many of the sales people I've spoken to recommend to their customers to REMOVE the rubicon logos for that reason.
In the end, not hating on the Rubicon, it's just not for my lifestyle, needs and taste.
If you're in the market for a Jeep, here's what I did and some things you may want to consider.
They are a few key options I had to go for and I would recommend if you are buying one.
1. Body Color Keyed 3-Piece Hardtop/Fender flares. Makes it look as cool as a G-class for a LOT less dough.
2. Leather/Heated seats. Self explanatory.
3. Uconnect Connectivity option. Again, self explanatory
4. 5-Speed automatic. The auto is SO good (my guess is it came right out of an E-Class under the Daimler days) you won't miss the manual. UNLESS, crawling at 1MPH is your thing.
5. Color. I went with Black because to get the price I got, I had to take from their stock. But I really wanted Dune (not offering again until 12/12 on 13 Wranglers) or Dozer with color keyed everything and there was only one in the region but Orange Coast wouldn't get it for me. Even if I paid the buck fifty for transport. Well, no one is perfect. Not even me. ;)
How do I like it so far?
I've always been a big fan of Jeeps and have owned many over the years although the last Wrangler style one I owned was in 1979.
A 1979 CJ-7 Renegade.
Of all the vehicles I ever had my CJ brings back the happiest memories...
Playing football at CU, Rocky Mountain High, Great new friends, Pretty girlfriends (who liked to sunbathe nude in the Rockies), First time ever in San Diego, Boulder, Driving in the snowstorms of Buffalo New York (one night I even spent in a Buffalo jail for driving it on a golf course and being like Evil Knieval going airborne off a couple of greens!), Seeing my first Padres game eating a Big Mac (Ray Kroc owned McDonalds so it was the first stadium to have one inside) and drinking my first Coors beer. BANQUET Coors, not that girlie Coors Light!
On and on and on.
And when I was handed the keys and got behind the wheel, ALL those happy moments started coming back to me.
That 1979 Renegade was special.
But even MORE special is this latest Wrangler with the killer new PentaStar engine.
WHAT a difference it makes.
It's never out of breath like the old Jeeps and gets the best mileage ever with the 5-Speed tranny.
I'm getting 17.5 city and 21.5 hwy so far.
It handles way better, and it is made so much better in every single way.
Because the 4-door Wrangler has the longer wheelbase it's so much more livable on and off-road.
With the hardtop it is a nice highway cruiser, not as quiet as a Lexus but it's a Jeep after all.
Plus the old Jeeps never had these amazing stow and go type rear seats which when they are down give you ACRES of space for storage.
It blew me away and was very unexpected.
The 2011 and on interiors are also night and day better than previous Jeeps.
And it is UNBREAKABLE under 99% of all conditions.
American cars over the years have earned an unreliable reputation but American trucks on the other hand can go against ANYTHING.
Plus they're easy and cheap to work on.
I can get the oil changed at Wal-Mart when I go to visit my relatives. ;)
But what you can't see and touch on a Wrangler that I love so much is that when you own one, you own a piece of history.
It has SOUL. Real SOUL, not just a name.
And when you drive it there is a feeling of freedom and fun that is indescribable.
I truly think it's the MOST underrated vehicle made in America and a true and deserving legend.
Test drive one and you will see.
Or ask anyone who owns one.
But this is just the beginning.
I am going to take this bad boy and have some really cool customizations done over the next few weeks/months and when it's done I promise you that you WILL be impressed.
Stay tuned and for now enjoy my review and the killer photos from the delivery and around the most beautiful place on earth, Southern California.
And as always, heed our car buying tips and always SPY before you BUY!
Full 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Photo Gallery
Full 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Photo Gallery