Thinking of selling the Chief and buying a new Gladiator

[seventynine]

To circle back here…I pulled the trigger and bought a used 2020 Gladiator Rubicon. Previous owner had put 35” BFG All Terrains on it…they are actually metric 315’s . They work out to 34.4” vs. the 33’s that come stock on the Rubicon’s. The 315’s look righteous. The stock 33’s look a little anemic IMO.

It has a factory steel front bumper that all of the other ones I looked at didn’t have. I have a new winch and mounting plate ready to go in.

But….to the point…I absolutely love this Jeep! Had it for a month and a half now. It is the greatest vehicle I have ever owned…or driven. Im really impressed. I did about 500 of miles of towing with it this weekend….performed perfectly. It was only about 4K pounds though.

I love my old Jeeps and I have a lot of them but a new one like this with all the bells and whistles (and unprecedented “out of the box” capability of a Rubicon) is really refreshing.

My two cents

[Pablo]

Do they still sell these JL's and stuff without a warranty included?

[akguy09]

Do they still sell these JL's and stuff without a warranty included?

My 2017 JK came with a 3yr/36,000 mile warranty or whatever Fiat/Chrysler had at the time

[seventynine]

Do they still sell these JL's and stuff without a warranty included?

Not really sure what you are getting at here. Of course they sell vehicles with a warranty.

I bought a used “Jeep certified” JTR. With that they extend the power train warranty to 100k miles. I think it’s still 7 years from original purchase date though…for me 2020.

I ended up paying a little extra and getting a 7 yr 100k bumper to bumper warranty from the date and mileage of my purchase. I’ve never had a warranty warranty on a vehicle in my life.

I know the newer generations of Jeeps are not necessarily popular here. I’ve felt that way for most of my Jeep life. I love my old FSJ’s and CJ’s….always will. But what Jeep has continued to do with the wrangler line and Rubicon in particular, still outshines all competitors as far as off road capability. Which is where it all started 80 years ago. And, they have been owned by 4 different manufacturers in that time (I think my number is right there). I’m not sure there is a comparison to that.

I’m sure that the use of the “Gladiator” name (for this model) has ruffled some feathers of the historians and enthusiasts here. I might have went a different way with the name if I was in charge.

I’ve seen the new “Grand Wagoneer”…I’m not impressed I’m sure none of us are. It’s another Escalade or something. But, at least Jeep is still preserving the legacy of the CJ. As much as it has changed over 80 years…I can still look at my ‘46 CJ-2A and clearly see it’s strong presence in my 2020 Gladiator. And it’s still rules the trail. I can’t think of a comparison that even comes close.

Sorry…got way off topic here…;->

[Pablo]

Do they still sell these JL's and stuff without a warranty included?

Not really sure what you are getting at here. Of course they sell vehicles with a warranty.

It is pretty simple, the sales guy at the stealership told me the JL's would not have a warranty because people "modify and abuse them" and that you would have to buy an extra warranty with lots of limitations on the modifications you could do (like lifts, axle gearing, etc). So, I told him: "well good luck selling any of these then". I have no doubt stealers are full of it. However, I have no doubt that Fiatsler would do it if they thought they could get away with it.

[seventynine]

Dealerships install lifts all the time. But…you may be right in some situations. I wouldn’t really expect to massively modify any vehicle and compete on the trail with bigger tires than the axles can handle etc…etc….it and expect the manufacturer to completely stand by their original warranty. Seems like common sense to me. With modifications and use…I think it’s pretty clear when you’ve left the plantation.

[Pablo]

Dealerships install lifts all the time. But…you may be right in some situations. I wouldn’t really expect to massively modify any vehicle and compete on the trail with bigger tires than the axles can handle etc…etc….it and expect the manufacturer to completely stand by their original warranty. Seems like common sense to me. With modifications and use…I think it’s pretty clear when you’ve left the plantation.

I doubt it is 100% right, sales staff are frequently wrong. It does strike me as strange that the guy was trying to sell me a vehicle he doesn't have in stock yet by telling me it doesn't have a warranty. We did get a BU for the wife to commute in and it has been ok. Not a fan of the 9 speed transmission, but the Renegade looks so much better than its competition at the time we bought. Really, the only other thing that is not an embarrassment to drive in its class is the new Bronco Sport.

I stick with the old Jeeps, if I could just stop tearing them apart to upgrade/improve things...

[tgreese]

... the sales guy at the stealership told me the JL's would not have a warranty because people "modify and abuse them" and that you would have to buy an extra warranty with lots of limitations...

In my experience, the sales people at dealerships are terribly uninformed. They also come and go regularly, and have little motivation to help the customers. I expect they would repeat any hearsay that might benefit their position.

That said, the dealership can make up just about any excuse they want to avoid warranty work, ie mods or abuse. However, unless its obviously an abuse, they get paid by the factory for the warranty work they do. The factory has a lower rate for reimbursement than they would get from regular service work, but I doubt that most would turn away work they could reasonably get reimbursed for. Plus warranty claims are generally easy, well practiced jobs on newish vehicles (fast), so the mechanics (now technicians) like the warranty jobs - typically.

It's been decades since I've been part of this world, but I suspect nothing has changed. Don't listen to sales people, including the "sales manager." I would ask the service manager, and pick the dealership that gave me the best answers.

[Stuka]

It is pretty simple, the sales guy at the stealership told me the JL's would not have a warranty because people "modify and abuse them" and that you would have to buy an extra warranty with lots of limitations on the modifications you could do (like lifts, axle gearing, etc). So, I told him: "well good luck selling any of these then". I have no doubt stealers are full of it. However, I have no doubt that Fiatsler would do it if they thought they could get away with it.

They are literally required by law to include a warranty.

And the way it works with mods is the dealer has to prove the modification was the direct cause for the failure. So lets say you installed 40" tires, but your radio fails. They can't refuse warranty on the radio because of the tires. However, if an axle fails, they are certainly not going to cover the axle failure, because 40's are clearly too large for stock axles.

I will say some dealers just don't want to deal with modded vehicles. The one I have gone to really doesn't care about mods, unless the mods directly resulted in a failure. They will also obviously not cover aftermarket parts. If you regear, they obviously won't cover the gears if they fail.

If the dealer installs a Mopar lift with up to 35's, the warranty fully covers everything still. Which is why a lot of people opt for a Mopar lift, even if it isn't the best out there (though its pretty decent really).

Also, sales people are rarely car people. And often do not know anything about the vehicles they sell.

[Pablo]

In my experience, the sales people at dealerships are terribly uninformed. They also come and go regularly, and have little motivation to help the customers. I expect they would repeat any hearsay that might benefit their position.

My experience isn't any different, except to add most are not very good people to begin with. There are exceptions, but those are exceptions.

[Pablo]

They are literally required by law to include a warranty.

And the way it works with mods is the dealer has to prove the modification was the direct cause for the failure. So lets say you installed 40" tires, but your radio fails. They can't refuse warranty on the radio because of the tires. However, if an axle fails, they are certainly not going to cover the axle failure, because 40's are clearly too large for stock axles.

I will say some dealers just don't want to deal with modded vehicles. The one I have gone to really doesn't care about mods, unless the mods directly resulted in a failure. They will also obviously not cover aftermarket parts. If you regear, they obviously won't cover the gears if they fail.

If the dealer installs a Mopar lift with up to 35's, the warranty fully covers everything still. Which is why a lot of people opt for a Mopar lift, even if it isn't the best out there (though its pretty decent really).

Also, sales people are rarely car people. And often do not know anything about the vehicles they sell.

Having had a modified CRD I am unfortunately very familiar with moss magnuson, lemon laws, and the inability of a dealer to want to support the vehicles they sell, even when stock. Let alone modified. After that experience, nothing they do could possibly surprise me.

[Marmaros]

New guy here. Not new to classic cars as I have been restoring them for 40 years the last 15 professionally. Interested in buying a Cherokee Chief. BTW I also have a new Jeep Gladiator Rubicon…simply awesome vehicle. I can’t PM yet but if you still have this Chief please let me know. Thanks David