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Jeep Gladiators and Car Dealers


Pat Riot

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I was curious about the new Jeep Gladiator “pickup trucks”.

I want to buy a convertible, but I was riding my motorcycle up Pacific Coast Highway yesterday and I saw a “ragtop” Jeep pickup and thought to myself “Self, you need to look into this.”

I must admit I was pretty excited, especially if one can get a lighter interior other than the color black - which nearly all convertibles have now (morons design cars these days)

Anyway, I was researching their base model truck this morning and the couple of add-ons I selected brought the price up from $33,500 to $35,500 or thereabouts. I thought to myself “Self, this looks pretty doable!” :D


Then I went on the car dealer’s websites. 
$55,900! Is what they want for that Jeep locally. $20,000 markup above Jeep’s pricing. I understand MSRP and how it works, Come On! $20,000 mark up!?

I looked at prices in other zip codes and the same thing is happening all over the west. 

 

Ford is slated to bring out their new Bronco with removable roof panels in January (supposedly - it has been delayed...again).

I wonder if I will see the same thing with those - ridiculous mark ups. 
 

Well, all that said, I refuse to pay those prices so Jeep can shove their BS prices right up their..........

Sad thing is I had wanted a Jeep since I was a little kid. I gave up on them when they nickeled and dimed their CJ7s prices into the stratosphere when you wanted to add normal things like floor mats, mirrors and a top. For just a moment this morning my desire for a Jeep came back...but only for a moment. 
 

 

Death to the makers of auto communista!

 

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2 minutes ago, The Bearded Wonder said:

Might want to look at a Mahindra Roxor.

 

I just hope they make them street legal soon......

Nope, they aren’t street legal. 
 

I am not really looking for an off road vehicle. I am more interested in a convertible. My truck is getting old and I am in no mood to overhaul it so I thought I might kill two birds with one stone. Replace my truck and get a convertible. :D

 

Thst probably ain’t happening. 
 

 

Addendum - convertible that doesn’t have a black interior. THAT is the deal breaker. Only a freakin’ moron designs a convertible or a pop top with a black interior. :angry:

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39 minutes ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

I was curious about the new Jeep Gladiator “pickup trucks”.

I want to buy a convertible, but I was riding my motorcycle up Pacific Coast Highway yesterday and I saw a “ragtop” Jeep pickup and thought to myself “Self, you need to look into this.”

I must admit I was pretty excited, especially if one can get a lighter interior other than the color black - which nearly all convertibles have now (morons design cars these days)

Anyway, I was researching their base model truck this morning and the couple of add-ons I selected brought the price up from $33,500 to $35,500 or thereabouts. I thought to myself “Self, this looks pretty doable!” :D


Then I went on the car dealer’s websites. 
$55,900! Is what they want for that Jeep locally. $20,000 markup above Jeep’s pricing. I understand MSRP and how it works, Come On! $20,000 mark up!?

I looked at prices in other zip codes and the same thing is happening all over the west. 

 

Ford is slated to bring out their new Bronco with removable roof panels in January (supposedly - it has been delayed...again).

I wonder if I will see the same thing with those - ridiculous mark ups. 
 

Well, all that said, I refuse to pay those prices so Jeep can shove their BS prices right up their..........

Sad thing is I had wanted a Jeep since I was a little kid. I gave up on them when they nickeled and dimed their CJ7s prices into the stratosphere when you wanted to add normal things like floor mats, mirrors and a top. For just a moment this morning my desire for a Jeep came back...but only for a moment. 
 

 

Death to the makers of auto communista!

 

 

I've never seen a new vehicle that had a high level of excitement that didn't have an insane mark up, going back to when I started paying attention to such things with the Mazda Miata.

 

And I don't think that is "auto communista," I think that is the ultimate in capitalism. If the market will bear it, they will charge it.

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There are 3 trim levels with sport MSRP starting low 30s. The higher end Rubicon trim is 50s. Might check see if that is why the asking price is so high. I also been looking at them but be year or two before I can get into position to buy. Bought my bike January and 2500 duramax in march.

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Unless you really want a truck bed, you do not need to get involved in the greedy dealer pricing on the Gladiator - just buy a Wrangler Unlimited with the hardtop, which includes removable roof panels.  In less than 5 minutes, you can remove the entire front roof; or with help, you can remove both front and rear. Replace it with innumerable after market convertible top options.  Or add hammocks that let you lay back in cloth panels at roof level.  The choices are endless.  And you still have a flat rear floor for that load of lumber or groceries.

 

LL

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They have them from the $30s to the $50s here.  Boniface Hiers  If you decide to take it, buy a plane ticket, fly on down here, pick it up, spend a few days sightseeing with us and drive it back.

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Problem is as a California resident PR cannot leave the state and buy one unless it is CARB compliant.

 

BTW Pat is is not Jeep gouging you but California Dealers. I found over a dozen for sale in the DFW area. The most expensive were the loaded Rubicons at $62K and the least expensive were the Sport S models at $35K

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4 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said:

Problem is as a California resident PR cannot leave the state and buy one unless it is CARB compliant.

 

BTW Pat is is not Jeep gouging you but California Dealers. I found over a dozen for sale in the DFW area. The most expensive were the loaded Rubicons at $62K and the least expensive were the Sport S models at $35K

 

Being a former resident of PRK, I realize that.  Maybe he'll come down to visit, decide he likes it here and stay!!!  We could use some more cowboys down here.......

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10 minutes ago, Calamity Kris said:

 

Being a former resident of PRK, I realize that.  Maybe he'll come down to visit, decide he likes it here and stay!!!  We could use some more cowboys down here.......

 

I can see that Florida needs more cowboy shooters... but who would want Pat Riot as a new neighbor. :P:D

 

 

Sorry PR I just couldn't pass that one up. :P

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4 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said:

 

I can see that Florida needs more cowboy shooters... but who would want Pat Riot as a new neighbor. :P:D

 

 

Sorry PR I just couldn't pass that one up. :P

Who would?  I would in a second,

 

Come on over, Pat.  We'll make you right at home.

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Pat, I am with you. I was all excited when they talked about the new "Scrambler" and then I saw where they were going to tack on extra just because the market could bear it. They did the same decades ago with the PT Cruiser. I don't know if you remember that whole mess back in the 1990s when everyone thought the PT Cruiser was just the coolest ride on the planet. In reality it was a new body on the Dodge Neon chassis. Back then they were getting thousands above MSRP and had folks lining up to pay it. The same for Harleys a decade later. Once the hype dies down, I may find a good used one to add to our collection of Wranglers.

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We've had three Jeeps; Grand Cherokee, Wrangler, and Liberty. They were pre Fiat. All were junk, IMO. Hubby (6'5") said they didn't have enough head and leg room, except the Wrangler. I read reviews for the first two years of Fiat ownership. Still junk. So, I replaced the Liberty with a Mazda CX-5. So far so good. I like it.

 

 

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2 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

 

I can see that Florida needs more cowboy shooters... but who would want Pat Riot as a new neighbor. :P:D

 

 

Sorry PR I just couldn't pass that one up. :P

 

2 hours ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

Who would?  I would in a second,

 

Come on over, Pat.  We'll make you right at home.

 

We would in a minute!!!  Come on down!!!!

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One other thing about the Gladiator. The axles and suspension are not "Jeep" Fiat/Chrysler used the components from the Dodge Durango to give it a better on road ride. It's actually a Dodge with a Jeep body.

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6 hours ago, DocWard said:

And I don't think that is "auto communista," I think that is the ultimate in capitalism. If the market will bear it, they will charge it.

Hahaha...no, I was calling auto correct names. I had to edit because auto correct (auto communista) changed words in the body of what I was saying and I had to fix it. :lol:

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Thank you all but I have decided to pass on a new Jeep and probably on a new car in general. The dealer shenanigans and the pricing in general is just too ridiculous. 
 

What I want is a new convertible. I have lived without one for 8 years. I can live a bit longer without one, I am sure. 

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2 hours ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

Hahaha...no, I was calling auto correct names. I had to edit because auto correct (auto communista) changed words in the body of what I was saying and I had to fix it. :lol:

 

Ah, that makes far more sense. Thanks for the clarification!

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Pat,

 

For a whole lot less I am sure there is a custom car shop near you that will remake your current truck into a convertible for a lot less money than you would pay for an over priced fiat.

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Hey Pat you missed one Hell of a match out at the Cowboys today. Keep that 30 year old S10 and in 20 more years it’ll be a classic.

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30 minutes ago, Yul Lose said:

Hey Pat you missed one Hell of a match out at the Cowboys today. Keep that 30 year old S10 and in 20 more years it’ll be a classic.

I might just keep it but it’s not 20 years old yet. :lol:

 

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1 hour ago, Sixgun Sheridan said:

Every time I see an 80's S10 on the road I have to wonder what's still holding it together. I had two back in the day and both broke stuff faster than I could replace it. The engines themselves were solid but nothing else was.

Mine hasn’t been too bad. But every time I pay it a compliment a dash light comes on. I think it likes being cursed. Seriously though, it has been a good truck. 
 

 

 

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9 hours ago, Sixgun Sheridan said:

I have a 20 year-old Jeep Cherokee XJ and wouldn't trade it for any new Jeep if you sweetened the deal with cash. The new ones are so bloated in size, overloaded with electronics and prone to all manner of malfunctions.

My XJ is a 97. Has some body rust from collision repair before I bought it. AC no longer holds refrigerant, but few cars of that era do. Could fix it, but no pressing need to do so. But damn, it runs well. Love the torque of that inline 6 and transmission. Bulletproof. Easy to work on too. 

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Meant to mention I also have an '05 Grand Cherokee. It ain't "grand" in terms of whistles and bells compared to most of that namesake, but it's been sturdy and reliable. Not really an off-roader, but the 4WD works very well in snow and "goose poop" slick muddy farm country roads. Went bird hunting with some pards a few years ago and picked up an extra passenger when his 4WD Silverado couldn't handle the muck. Nice ride for traveling on pavement too.

 

I've had thru the years:

1990 XJ/Cherokee. Gave to my son who later sold it with almost 200K on it. A real rust bucket at the end that ran great and is probably tooling around the reservations in the SW states

1997 Grand Cherokee. Lost that in the great divorce. Last I heard it was going strong after 200K

1997 Wrangler with 4.0L six. Totaled in a wreck. Damn, that was a fun vehicle. Awesome off road without any add-on accessories except tires.

1997 XJ/Cherokee with 4.0L six. Shift on the fly part-time 4WD. Still have it. Awesome, just like the Wrangler.

2005 Grand Cherokee as referenced above. 3.8L V6. full-time 4WD, but no ability to select low range like above cars. Not as much torque as the in-line six but serviceable. From back when Mercedes owned Chrysler.

 

All have been reliable for me, despite other owners' experiences. Perhaps I've been lucky. I'd be hard-pressed to buy one new today. Way too expensive and too many gee-whiz accessories that don't interest me and cost $$$$ when they break.

 

Wranglers with few options are still interesting to me, but not at new prices. I see tons of 'em around my suburban area. Typically loaded with gobs of off-road goodies & bling and driven by young trendy types, but I doubt many see anything but pavement. I know nothing of their reliability.

 

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The problem with modern ones is that 1) they really lack proper ground clearance, and 2) they rely heavily on a computerized system of traction control to make up for a lack of true off-road worthy drivetrain components. My old XJ doesn't need a button with a snow, mud, dirt, rocks or sand setting. It simply has a gas and brake pedal.

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When the first Datsun Z-240 came out I was an Airman in Tucson AZ.  Went to the dealer and asked what would be the all cash price.  He pointed at the window sticker and said "that's it, we could sell to other dealers at a big mark-up but we want to get some of these on road in Tucson".  They really were neat looking cars.

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On 10/28/2019 at 4:19 PM, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

Mine hasn’t been too bad. But every time I pay it a compliment a dash light comes on. I think it likes being cursed. Seriously though, it has been a good truck. 
 

 

 

I have a bare bones 2001 S10. Bought it from a friend when he bought out his partner at his electrical business. Paid a thousand bucks for it and I've been driving it as a work vehicle for 5+ years. It's not great, it's guttless, but it gets decent fuel mileage. And, it's a manual So I don't have to worry about kids stealing it.

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26 minutes ago, Assassin said:

I have a bare bones 2001 S10. Bought it from a friend when he bought out his partner at his electrical business. Paid a thousand bucks for it and I've been driving it as a work vehicle for 5+ years. It's not great, it's guttless, but it gets decent fuel mileage. And, it's a manual So I don't have to worry about kids stealing it.

Mine is a 2002 S10 ZR2 4x4. It has torque but it is not a speed demon. Mielage is 14mpg no matter what.

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