2021 JL

[Cooper Smith]

Hello everyone, back in April I sold my TJ to trade in for a 2016 Silverado after a surprise job offer. In June, I inherited another truck. Needless to say, I don't need two full size trucks taking up space. There's something in my heart that just loves 4wd convertibles. I found a 2021 JL near me for $24,000. It's a fairly base model (I don't mind, my TJ was a 2.4). It's a 6 speed manual. Stock height. 2 door. V6. I've fought my fair share of battles with cheap lifts, so finding a stock Wrangler is really nice. I'm going to look at it after work tomorrow after they said they'd like to be aggressive with my Silverado's payoff. I'll admit I've been a pushover in the past, so...

I know these Jeeps are still fairly new, but you guys taught me a lot of what I know through a screen, so I'd like to ask. What are the bottlenecks of these Jeeps? What should I be looking for? Potential rust areas? I heard certain aluminum parts on the JL's corrode. It looks pretty damn good, but I made the assumption of a 2016 Silverado being better than it was. The factory powertrain warranty should still be under effect. I'd likely purchase another one through the dealer. It is a Ford dealer.

https://www.carfax.com/vehicle/1C4GJXAG5MW538566

TIA, guys.

 

[06lj]

If you plan to finance I might suggest looking at a new one. Jeep sales are in the toilet and they are offering some pretty good cash incentives and interest rates as low as 0. Depending on your plan a new one may not cost much more than a used as interest on used can be a killer. I used this calculator when looking at vehicles.
https://www.calculator.net/auto-loan-calculator.htmlI
I went through a similar decision earlier this year. My Jeep has been built to the point it is no longer a great road trip vehicle. It's far more comfortable to tow it. I began thinking that a stock JL would be a fun vacation/weekend toy that could still be driven daily if needed. I did a good amount of research. I personally tried to avoid 2021's when I was looking. I haven't really heard any horror stories but I do remember the supply chain and manufacturing issues. Just something to consider. Unfortunately Stalantis has not been doing well with reliability so I generally looked for the 3.6l over the T4 as it seems to have a decent history at this point. I did make an appointment to view a 2020 3.6 with 51k miles. I drove to the dealership and the salesperson couldn't find it. Finally the sales manger was called and he told me that they had recently taken it in on trade. During detailing it started to run rough and they sent it to their shop to be looked at. They found the engine was bad and it was having a new engine installed. This didn't inspire great confidence.
While I was looking I had a planned trip to Moab. My Jeep wasn't ready so I ended up renting a JLU. Over a week I got a good feel for how they drive. I had very mixed emotions. On road it was, hands down, superior to a TJ but much less comfortable than my truck. Off road it felt gigantic and I missed my Jeep. If I had to choose between a JL and a TJ for a long drive there would be no question I would take a JL. Off road I would take a TJ. I don't have any firsthand knowledge so my research is likely equal to yours. I did see many complaints about corrosion, especially where they use steel and aluminum. The accessory battery seems to be a common complaint. Electronic gremlins seem common over all Stelantis products. After my Moab trip I decided it just wasn't the vehicle for me.

 

[Cooper Smith]

If you plan to finance I might suggest looking at a new one. Jeep sales are in the toilet and they are offering some pretty good cash incentives and interest rates as low as 0. Depending on your plan a new one may not cost much more than a used as interest on used can be a killer. I used this calculator when looking at vehicles.
https://www.calculator.net/auto-loan-calculator.htmlI
I went through a similar decision earlier this year. My Jeep has been built to the point it is no longer a great road trip vehicle. It's far more comfortable to tow it. I began thinking that a stock JL would be a fun vacation/weekend toy that could still be driven daily if needed. I did a good amount of research. I personally tried to avoid 2021's when I was looking. I haven't really heard any horror stories but I do remember the supply chain and manufacturing issues. Just something to consider. Unfortunately Stalantis has not been doing well with reliability so I generally looked for the 3.6l over the T4 as it seems to have a decent history at this point. I did make an appointment to view a 2020 3.6 with 51k miles. I drove to the dealership and the salesperson couldn't find it. Finally the sales manger was called and he told me that they had recently taken it in on trade. During detailing it started to run rough and they sent it to their shop to be looked at. They found the engine was bad and it was having a new engine installed. This didn't inspire great confidence.
While I was looking I had a planned trip to Moab. My Jeep wasn't ready so I ended up renting a JLU. Over a week I got a good feel for how they drive. I had very mixed emotions. On road it was, hands down, superior to a TJ but much less comfortable than my truck. Off road it felt gigantic and I missed my Jeep. If I had to choose between a JL and a TJ for a long drive there would be no question I would take a JL. Off road I would take a TJ. I don't have any firsthand knowledge so my research is likely equal to yours. I did see many complaints about corrosion, especially where they use steel and aluminum. The accessory battery seems to be a common complaint. Electronic gremlins seem common over all Stelantis products. After my Moab trip I decided it just wasn't the vehicle for me.

New ones are a bit out of my price range either way. Good idea though. Maybe in a few years when my apprenticeship is over. Definitely not interested in a turbo 4 banger Jeep. Coming from a 2.4 TJ, that wasn’t good. This one is bone stock and a few grand under the retail value… that’s what got my attention. I’m gonna try and get an extended warranty. Ford has a pretty good ESP. At least they did in 2022.

 

[en480c4]

I had an '18 JL Rubicon for a year or so back in 2021. I liked it well enough, but there were enough things about it that I didn't have confidence in that made me move on from it just before the bottom dropped out of the used car market. One was definitely the corrosion issue. I've had TJ's and JK's over the years and seen the corrosion on hinges, but with the JL, it definitely has extended to the adjacent panels. Mine was Sting Grey, which is an impossible color to match, so I wasn't confident that, even if I could get Jeep to cover it, the Jeep would look OK post-repair. And the other was the clutch... What an absolute mess. Mine had one of the recalls completed, but the stories of catastrophic clutch failures was unnerving, and there wasn't a lot of confidence that it was going to serve me long-term. I had read good results with aftermarket clutch replacements, but I had not interest in replacing my clutch out of pocket.

 

[MaximusLJR06]

My stepdad had a 2020 unlimited with 35's and the turbo 4. I wasn't sure about it at at first but that thing had some pep, could blow the doors off my 4.0.
I would say the biggest issue to watch out for is paint issues. Jeep didn't prep any of the aluminum properly on the newer jeeps and the paint starts bubbling and flaking off at the hinges, doors and hood. Bad enough that my step dad trading it on a bronco a couple months ago. I was looking for a new jeep last year before i realized all the issues you are buying, I wouldn't buy a new one now.

A coworker just bought a 2024 Unlimited Rubicon new 2 weeks ago. MSRP was 67K and he got it for 50K. There definitely seems to be deals out there.