First-Time Jeep Buyer’s Guide: 9 Tips for Buying Jeeps

Interested in owning a Jeep? Before you make the big purchase, be sure to study these seven helpful tips for buying Jeeps!

There’s a super sweet Rubicon you saw on an ad and you know it’s time to buy your first Jeep. Looks like the Jeep bug bit you!

More and more Americans have switched to the rugged reliability of Jeeps over other vehicle brands. Last year, Jeep authorized dealerships sold 973,227 vehicles in the United States alone!

But, how do you go about getting the best deal possible on your dream Jeep? 

We put together some of our favorite tips for buying Jeeps. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know before you go to the dealership.

1. Pick the Right Time of Year to Go to the Dealership

You’ll always get a better deal on a Jeep when the dealership has more inventory in stock. Try to time your visit right after the dealership gets a large shipment of cars or around the beginning of the year when the models for next year hit the market.

When the new models roll in, take a look at the previous models leftover. You have an excellent chance of scoring a great deal on a previous year Jeep when the new ones come off the truck.

2. Skip the Salespeople and Find the Perfect Jeep Yourself

If you don’t have much time or if you don’t want to talk to a salesperson, try visiting a virtual Jeep dealership where you can use a variety of tools to pick the best Jeep for you! You can go through most of the Jeep purchasing processes (including negotiating the price, term, and rate, etc.) before stepping foot onto the lot!

To complete the process, pop on down to the dealership to sign the final contract documents! Or, some virtual dealerships offer a digital contract signature option and even offer delivery of your new Jeep!

3. Do Your Research Before You Go Buying Jeeps

It’s important to know what other local people pay for their Jeeps. Check Kelley Blue Book and online car sales forums to get an idea of what you should pay for a new Jeep. Print this out and use this information to negotiate your price with the salesperson.Make sure you’re comparing similar Jeeps because things like mileage, upgrades, and sports packages make a big difference in price.

4. Never Let the Salesperson See You Sweat

If the salesperson thinks you need to buy a Jeep, it’s like chum to a shark! They won’t negotiate with you on the price and won’t throw in any perks because they know you’ll buy whatever the sticker says.

Don’t make any impulse decisions, even if you found your dream Jeep. Keep in the back of your mind that you may need to walk away on that day and come back to get the deal you want. Often, as you walk out the door, the salesperson will chase you down with a sweetheart deal that their manager approved at the last minute.

5. You Can Buy a Jeep at Invoice Price

Dealerships won’t tell you this, but they can sell you a new Jeep at invoice price. The service and parts department make the most profit for the Jeep dealerships, so the profits on the Jeep sales don’t matter that much. Bonus points if you can get the salesperson to throw in a few oil changes (which benefits the dealership because then they have a chance to sell you more services).

6. Find a Desperate Salesperson

Once you get to the dealership, look for signs that salespeople need to make their quota soon. One or two days before the end of the month is crunch time for most Jeep salespeople. Also, those salespeople who only need two or three sales to meet their quote (or a bonus) are more apt to give you the farm.

Once you find a desperate Jeep salesperson, negotiate as much as you can out of them! They are going to fight back and make a big deal out of getting manager approval for your offer, but if what you’re offering is reasonable, you’ll get the deal!

If you want to avoid long negotiations with a salesperson (who needs to make the sale anyway) hit the dealership an hour or so before they close. That way the salesperson doesn’t have time to waste going back and forth trying to squeeze more money out of you.

7. Don’t Get Mad at the Salesperson for Doing Their Job

Yes, the pushy sales tactics are super annoying and some salespeople take the obnoxiousness to the extreme. But, don’t freak out and start screaming at the salesperson because they are trying to negotiate a higher sales price on your dream Jeep.

Most of these people don’t make a ton of money and live off of commission only. Sometimes, the salesperson does want to sell you that Rubicon for next to nothing, but their manager won’t allow it! Salespeople have bosses to answer to and they could get fired if they give you a low price behind their manager’s back.

For Those Who Get Lost, but Never Get Stuck

No matter how you go about buying Jeeps, you’re sure to love any Jeep you choose. Jeeps give you the power to drive through almost anything! You may find yourself lost (if you don’t have an in-dash GPS), but you’ll never get stuck when you’re in a Jeep!

We hope you loved reading this article and that you have learned a thing or two about how to get the best deal on your dream Jeep. If you need more information about Jeeps or any other cars, check out the rest of our blogs today!

Tom Brown
Tom Brown is an automotive market enthusiast living in the United States. He holds a diverse background in automotive marketing and enjoys utilizing that to produce insights into the inner workings of the industry.