Some vehicles are first and foremost a mode of transportation; a way to get from point A to point B. Other vehicles are much more — a lifestyle, even. Jeep is definitely the latter, with SUVs (and now a pickup truck) so well known that buying or leasing one automatically makes you part of a club. There’s a wave and everything.
If you know you want into the Jeep club but are also looking for the most cost-effective way to do so, keep these tips in mind for how to get a good deal on a Jeep.
Find the Exact Vehicle You Want First
As tempting as it is to stop by the dealership and wander around, that’s when you’re most vulnerable to temptation. After all, it’s tough to turn down a shiny Jeep with lots of personalities. You may even find yourself saying yes to a model or trim level you weren’t originally planning on.
A better strategy is finding the exact vehicle you want online first, where you can check out all the features and specs without pressure to make a decision. You may have to look outside your nearest dealership to find the ideal configuration, but you’ll maximize the selection available to you. You’ll also get a crystal-clear idea of the baseline price so you can crunch the numbers at home rather than having to juggle them in your head at the dealership.
You can either proceed to negotiate the sale or lease of the Jeep online, or you can walk into the dealership and ask to see the exact vehicle you’ve already researched.
Check for Incentives Throughout the Year
If you’re not in urgent need of a vehicle, it pays to bide your time — keeping a close eye on the special offers available on the model you want throughout the year. While many Jeep incentives are available throughout the calendar year, holidays and end-of-year months are especially known for being attractive. Be ready to act when the price drops or you might miss the window on the offer you want — especially when it comes to the period of time where dealerships are motivated to sell last year’s model so they can make room for next year’s model.
Avoid Making Decisions Based on Monthly Price
It’s tempting to think in terms of how much you’ll pay per month to lease or buy a car because that’s how we tend to approach budgeting. Case in point: Say you’re spending $250 per month on your Jeep. Is that enough information to tell whether you’re getting a good deal? It’s not — because you could be describing a three-year lease deal or you could be describing a six-year financing deal. How long the contract in question lasts makes a huge difference in being able to figure out whether you’re getting a good deal or not.
When a salesperson asks you what monthly payment you can afford, shift the conversation to discuss the purchase price of the Jeep. You can compare this purchase price to the market value of the vehicle according to third-party sources, which gives you a solid starting point for negotiating.
Making a decision based on the purchase price rather than monthly payments will help you accidentally agree to a longer lease or financing deal that seems affordable because the monthly payments are low. Ultimately, judging whether you’re getting a good deal depends on understanding the entire cost.
You want your next vehicle to be a Jeep, but more than that, you want to get a good deal on that vehicle. Use the power of the internet to narrow down your search to a specific vehicle and watch incentives like a hawk. When it’s time to negotiate, avoid getting side-swept by monthly payments and instead decide based on the total cost.