Here's some notes, from my own shopping around.
First, know what owning a Jeep will cost:
- Gas mileage?
- Availability of replacement parts of new model vehicle?
- Reliability of new model vehicle. Check recent recall notices.
- Tendency to do after market mods, with possibility of little-to-none ROI on resale?
- Are owners recommending additional warranties? Cost of warranties?
- Possibility of windshield damage?
- Insurance costs?
- Wait times if factory ordering?
- Appointment wait times at your local dealership for maintenance services.
So you are still determined to get a Jeep:
- Be willing to wait some if you would like to save money. Money and time usually don't go hand in hand.
- Goto Jeep website and request for product brochures in the mail. Takes about 4 weeks to arrive. There are reports of Jeep sometimes sending out a $500 coupon that can be used on top of any price you negotiate with a dealer. I got a coupon, but there was restriction that this could not be used on a Wrangler.
- Goto to Truecar website. Indicate your interest in shopping around for a Jeep. Suggest to use an email/phone specifically setup for this as you will receive communication, which I found excessive/useless. The reason to sign-up is that there are reports that Truecar sometimes sends out a coupon that can be used on top of any price you negotiate with a dealer. Also it helps to take note of prices offered by local dealers.
- Consider getting a https://www.treadlightly.org/ membership. As mentioned on their website, Tread Lightly $100 membership will qualify you for 1% below invoice pricing, after 30 days of membership. Not all dealers are acknowledging this discount. And then there are some dealers that will require you to have this membership to qualify for their discount pricing. And some that provide competitive prices without needing this membership. You might want to have a discussion with your dealer before deciding to get this. Keep in mind about the 30 day waiting period.
- Consider getting a FCA credit card. https://www.drivepluscard.com/. There are statement credits and cashbacks for FCA purchases.
- Check if there are any AAA discounts for Jeep purchases.
- Create a build page with all the options you would like and find out the MSRP and invoice pricing. You should trust no-one but yourself to do the math on this.
- Head over to the homepage of this website. Locate nearby dealers that have competitive pricing. Locate some out-of-state dealers that have competitive pricing, where you would be willing to drive. Also, maybe, from Truecar, identify your local dealers.
- Send your build sheet out to the located dealers and request for a quote. All of this can be done via email/phone. Remember, dealers are looking to sell products at the highest cost possible and you are looking to buy products at the lowest cost possible. You will need to reach common ground. Be honest and do not hesitate to share with dealers your target prices or prices quoted by other dealers/websites etc. Expect a few emails back and forth. Give the dealers a chance to compete. The ones that really want your business, will put together something competitive in a professional manner. Importantly - Keep discussions to the point and Be patient!
- Ask for dealer costs, fees and out the door price.
- Ask if the cost is conditional on any financing. And what are the terms? Atleast know the minimum finance amount? the minimum loan period? before you can refinance to a lender of your choosing.
- I would recommend going the factory order route, so you get your exact options. If you do the factory order route, ask if a deposit is needed. Seems like a $500-$1000 deposit is normal. Now is the time to use that FCA credit card. Consider putting a larger deposit down if that is something you can do.
- Once the factory order is in, you will get a VON from the dealer. From this point onwards, you can regularly check with your dealer, or use the self service page on the Jeep website to keep track of your order.
- While you wait, you might want to check out the Jeep Wave program and the Jeep Lifetime Warranty program.
- After your Jeep sale is completed, chekout the Bonusdrive program. https://www.bonusdrive.com/
- Good luck.
Below are some websites/forums that you may find interesting.