I thought about starting a new thread,
WHY DON'T WRANGLERS DEPRECIATE ?
That says a lot .
Realistically , Jeeps , and by that I mean Wranglers and their predecessors, fall into a stand alone category - convertible , four wheel drive off road /on road vehicles . There aren't enough land Rover Defenders or old surviving Land Cruisers to likely make up probably 5 percent compared to all the Wranglers sold.
Now , are they really expensive ? A Mercedes Sprinter starter is 2700.00 ..no joke.
The point is , the whole TJ and Jeep price category is kind of playing out like this -
First , they are sought after. People run ads on Craigslist trying to BUY them . They leave notes on your windows if you own one , they are left in people's last will and testament to others. You come out of a restaurant and 2-3 people are standing around it oogling . You hear "if you ever sell it , let me know..."
Now , a new Rubicon is 55-60k . A TJ is 12-15,000 , give or take , and nice TJ Rubicons and LJs go 15k to the high 20's. You get the simple design Jeep is known for , fantastic capability , a proven driveline , and the whole experience for a fraction of the new price ....and you can usually get your money back or close when you sell.
If you buy something for 15,000 and 4 years later sell it for 13,500, it only cost 1500.00 dollars , all things being equal. That is one cheap family pleasure vehicle.
Anyway , that is one take on it . Here is one more -
Buy one , and you will understand.
The first time you stop at a Sonic and some guys in a jk drive all the way across a Wal Mart parking lot and circle around and yell, "Hey Man, Nice Jeep!" ...you will understand .
The first time you go down the highway and see a sunset with the top off in June , you will understand .
When everyone wants to ride with you , you will understand .
When you get out of it and walk away , you will have a strong desire to turn around and look . Prius owners don't do that .
A Jeep will make you many friends , and even those that don't know you, will wish they were having as much fun.
How do you put a price on that?
Also , like the guy told me at the fair one time when I asked if something was free...."this ain't welfare , it's a payfair"