Why do Jeeps hold their value so well?

[MarlboroMan]

Ive always wanted a Jeep Wrangler since I was about 16. Every now and then I browse around to see whats out there. It just amazes me, how much people really think their worth. Even by book they are valued high. Not so much any other Jeep. It just seems to be the Wranglers. It makes no sense since they are actually pretty cheap brand new.

Ive ridden in/drove Jeeps all my life. My brother had a Jeep. Several friends had Jeeps. Thats how I got attracted to them so much. And I just dont understand why they are worth so much. Even though I wouldnt want to own one for a daily driver, and a toy is all I think they are good for, my personal opinions of why I dont think they should be worth jack.......

-They are very low geared (Makes highway driving bad)
-They are very rough riding
-Practically zero luxury options
-Performance is very weak (4.0 with boltons has potential)
-A lot of cabin noise (even hard tops)
-Practically a 2 seater
-Piss poor gas mileage (even 2.5)
-Mass amounts produced
-Mechanically, not all that reliable. Most Jeep enthusiests who have owned nothing but Jeeps their own life, that I know personally, will admit they are prone to breaking with minimal to no off-roading. Every person I know who has owned a Jeep was always fixing something on it. And these are guys who take very good care of it. So from experience I definitely wouldnt say they are rugged as steel. Maybe more rugged than a KIA but not the toughest most abused withstanding machine on the road.

These negative factors above are from stock Wranglers too. Think about 70% of Jeeps out there today. Most have at least a small lift and bigger tires. That at a minimum affects your ride quality/comfort, increses noise, and performance decrease. Especially on the 2.5L. I just never understood why. :shrug: What do you guys think?

 

[MarlboroMan]

Well all that typing was a waste of time with no responses. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Evil Bender]

I would like to know the reasoning behind this too.
I have been trying to find a scambler,not only are they hard to find the prices are outragous.

 

[NA97GT]

The reason they hold their value is because of people like you who want to buy them.

 

[dirtchicken]

They stopped making Jeeps when they stopped making CJs.

 

[Labinnac]

It's a Jeep thing!

 

[roadracer247]

The reason they hold their value is because of people like you who want to buy them.

Yep.

 

[SVT04]

They don't hold their value any better than any other type of vehicle......... but then why do we care ???

 

[MarlboroMan]

The reason they hold their value is because of people like you who want to buy them.

:dw: So youre saying out of all the cars out there on the road today, A Jeep Wrangler the only vehicle that everyone wants to own??? Not even close buddy. We all know that the Jeep Wrangler is not the most poular vehicle on the road today. We all know that not everyone wants to own a Jeep Wrangler. whats so special about them?!?!? Nothing.

I think they are valued a little more over book by comparison to any other car with similar MSRP. Thats something I cant explain. But you may be close in a sense that people like Jeeps and therefore, these Jeep owners think their precious Jeeps are worth $3-4k over book. But then again I cant say thats why people ask more for them because they think people would be foolish to pay that price. I hardly ever see Jeeps on the road. I live in the desert. I see tons of Jeeps for sale though. What vehicles do you see mostly on the road today?

Full size trucks (Ford, Dodge, Chevrolet)
Mid size trucks (Nissan, Toyota)
Toyota Camry, Nissan Maxima, BMW, Hondas galore......
Then you got your performance vehicles (Mustangs, Vettes, LS1)

Those are the most common vehicles you ever see on the road. Theres maybe 3 Jeep Wranglers on this base. And your talking 50k+ including civilians. But I sure as hell see alot of Jeeps for sale. Check out ebay. Theres probably more Jeep pages than any other make of vehicle on that website. :lol:

 

[JP Cobra]

A wrangler was what I wanted.

Now I'm glad their prices are high. I ended up with my Cobra instead.

 

[MarlboroMan]

I would like to know the reasoning behind this too.
I have been trying to find a scambler,not only are they hard to find the prices are outragous.

Well older and fully restored Jeeps are understandable. But yes they do still ask quite a bit for them. But look at some of the YJ Wranglers. The YJ was in production from 86-96 right. Then they switched to the TJ. For a YJ at a minimum 10 tears and older with 100k miles or more on them, What would you think a bone stock one is worth? Sure as hell isnt 5 to 11 grand. And that seems to be the normal for Jeep owners asking price.

 

[roadracer247]

You know you don't sound like you really like Jeeps all that much...you gotta pay to play...that all there is to it. If you can't afford it then work more or buy something else.


Sorry if the above sounded assholish but Jeeps are popular...maybe not where you live but they are popular in other areas. BTW I think Jeeps are cheap as hell when you buy them used. I guess our definitions of cheap are different. What prices are you expecting to find out there? Apparently 5k is too much for you too...not much in your price range dude.

 

[MarlboroMan]

You know you don't sound like you really like Jeeps all that much...you gotta pay to play...that all there is to it. If you can't afford it then work more or buy something else.


Sorry if the above sounded assholish but Jeeps are popular...maybe not where you live but they are popular in other areas. BTW I think Jeeps are cheap as hell when you buy them used. I guess our definitions of cheap are different. What prices are you expecting to find out there? Apparently 5k is too much for you too...not much in your price range dude.

Your completely going around everything that I said in my initial post. I asked for why are they valued higher than any other toy out there on the road. Then I listed the negative factors of Jeeps. You mean to tell me that a Jeep is the only toy out there on the road today? :lol: If I went any farther Id be typing for hours.

Apparently 5k is too much for you too...not much in your price range dude.

Again I have no idea while youre trailing off into price and how much money I have. Please do me a favor. Unless I ask the opinion of a 22 year old college kid with no vehicle, please dont reply in reference to my posts.

If you can't afford it then work more or buy something else.

:dw: Did I say I am in the market for a Jeep right now? No. I did not. I said I always wanted to own a Jeep but it just amazes me how high their valued. I never said I couldnt afford one nor did I say I was looking to buy one now. If you cant understand the thread being posted then dont post useless comments agreeing with someone else because you want people to think youre smarter. Both of the posts your provided were nothing of any help pertaining to the question above. :kaboom:

Oh Edit: Im sorry if the above sounds assholish :lol:

 

[MarlboroMan]

End Thread

 

[Ripper]

I've always kind of wondered this also. When I worked at a Jeep/Chrysler dealership you couldn't even lease a jeep because they didn't hold there value? Still remeber a guy trying to pick a fight with a sales manager because the lease on a 16,000 dollar stripped down wrangler was higher than a 30,000 dollar Chrysler 300m?Yet then I look at an Autotrader and the Wrangler are staying up in value? It's a good question actually. I'd never buy a Wrangler, except an older one that I could use as a toy, but they were fun vehicles to drive around back in the day.

 

[NyteByte]

I've always wondered this too.

Was in the market for a Wrangler a few years ago and couldn't get over how much the used ones were. Even a 4-year old Wrangler was outrageously expensive.

They aren't built that well, get crappy gas milage, have no power, have a terrible ride, and handle poorly, so I figured I could get one for ultra cheap. I was wrong. :shrug:

 

[cobraracer46]

Is this a Joke? A piece of shit vehicle with a high center of gravity that tips over easily holds it's value? No way! Jeeps suck! :burn:

 

[merp]

It's simple economics. One, they don't make very many of them. Two, they're an impractical toy vehicle. Sure, you can make a go of it with one as a daily driver, but it's not terribly comfortable, and makes a poor commuter car/daily driver. Three, because of this, the only people buying the things have some significant amount of disposable income. This encourages the manufacturer to push up the price. Four, like the people above said, it's the market. There's way more buyers than sellers, so the sellers set the tone, i.e. Buyer Takes It Up The A**.

I'd still bet that you could find one priced reasonably if you looked for a month or two. That's how I found mine, a '96 ZJ Laredo 4x4. Same technique I used when looking for the Cobra. Patience pays off when buying used cars.

As to reliability, I've only had one catastrophic driveline failure, chronicled here , where due to a pothole, I dropped the passenger side of the ZJ into a storm drain, then smashed it against a curb sideways at about 30. Sheared the right rear axle clean in half, and snapped the brake disk in two. It took all of $700 in parts to fix, and it's good as new. But this is an exceptional case; the rest of the failures I've had stem from age. New fuel pump at 10 yrs/98,000mi, and other than wear components, I've had no problems whatsoever. Now, the interior is disintegrating (door panels are peeling badly), but a c-note on Ebay and I'll have the parts to fix that.

Good luck in your search!

 

[Silver2003Cobra]

when I was looking at 4x4's, I looked at a Wrangler.. but to get where I want to go hunting from where I work is a 300 mile drive one way, so I ended up with an 01 Explorer Sport. This was the 2nd Explorer I've owned, and the 6th Ford.. for the most part they have been very reliable (my 1st Explorer is the most reliable vehicle I've owned) with the 4.0 SOHC and 5 speed auto they can tow reasonably good, get decent mileage for a SUV and travel rather nicely on the freeway at what ever speed your willing to drive.

Off road, it's not too bad but when I get done with a 4" lift, 33" Mud tires, and a rear locker should be very good off road, and if I do get stuck, I've always got a 9500 lb Warn winch to get me out..

 

[ON D BIT]

its very simple, jeep and range rover and hummer are the only manufacturers that still make a true off road vehicle. jeep also happens to be the least expensive off road vehicle out there.

when there is no competition price point wise for a specific job, those vehicles will hold their value. where else are you going to get a cheap off road vehicle? you cant. :beer: