You’ve probably heard about buying certified pre-owned. If you haven’t or don’t know what it means, a simple explanation is that certified pre-owned is a great way to buy a vehicle that’s cheaper than the MSRP but also with benefits and guarantees. Some of these benefits include post-purchase service support and bumper-to-bumper warranties. Potential shoppers constantly weigh whether they should buy new or used or opt for certified pre-owned. Particularly, if you are interested in buying a certified pre-owned Jeep Wrangler, you’re in luck because this model is an excellent choice whether you get it new or used.
So what are the pros and cons of a certified pre-owned Wrangler? It includes everything from price to features, as well as powertrain and trims. Of course, that’s a simplified breakdown of the benefits and potential drawbacks of buying a certified pre-owned vehicle. When it comes to the Wrangler, there are some unique elements that make deciding whether a certified pre-owned Wrangler is worth it much more interesting.
What Are the Pros of Buying a Certified Pre-Owned Wrangler?
Warranties: There are a number of reasons why you should consider buying a certified pre-owned Wrangler. At the top of the list is the fact that there are warranties available when buying certified pre-owned. The official certified pre-owned standard comes with three warranty guarantees. The first is a 7-year or 100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty. This means that within 100,000 miles of the odometer or 7 years (whichever comes first), you can have all powertrain components covered for replacements and service within the warranty. There’s also a 3,000 mile or 3-month maximum care warranty, covering every aspect of service and maintenance within that time since purchasing the Wrangler. Finally, there’s the certified upgrade warranty plan, where you can choose from three certified upgrade plans to protect your vehicle.
Inspection/Reconditioning: Another huge bonus for buying a certified pre-owned Wrangler is the inspection and reconditioning process. All Mopar vehicles classified as certified pre-owned have gone through a 125-point inspection process, from top to bottom. All vehicles classified as certified pre-owned also have a clean title, are within five model years of production or newer, and have under 75,000 miles on them. The inspection ensures that any issues the Wrangler may have are addressed before making its way to a dealer’s lot.
Roadside Assistance: Breakdowns occasionally happen, and when they do, it’s important to make sure that you have some way of getting back onto the road. With certified pre-owned, there is 24/7 roadside assistance covering up to $100 per occurrence. This includes towing service, gasoline refills, and battery jump-start assistance; definitely a useful thing to have.
CARFAX History Report: Buying a Wrangler is an investment. However, if you buy used, you run the risk of buying a vehicle that has the potential of being on the verge of breakdown or needing a lot of work. Wranglers are known to take a lot of punishment and buying used means that there is the risk of getting a vehicle that may require a lot of tender love and care. With the CARFAX vehicle history report, you know exactly what you’re getting and what the history of the vehicle has been. It guarantees that you’re buying with complete transparency.
Cheaper Than MSRP: The most obvious benefit of buying a certified pre-owned Wrangler is that it’s cheaper than buying brand new. You get many of the same guarantees and warranties as buying new, but with the benefit of paying less than the MSRP. Sometimes that fact alone is good enough to lure people into buying certified pre-owned. Coupled with the other benefits, and it’s a clear indication of why buying a certified pre-owned Wrangler would be a worthwhile investment.
Complimentary SiriusXM Subscription: This may not be the biggest reason to convince someone to go with a certified pre-owned Jeep Wrangler, but it certainly doesn’t detract from the value of the SUV. Having a free 3-month complimentary subscription of SiriusXM Satellite Radio tossed into the package makes for an increased value proposition of buying certified pre-owned. You don’t lose anything, and you only gain the ability to listen to some of your favorite stations or podcasts. This is a simple win-win situation for anyone considering the certified pre-owned option when eyeing a Jeep Wrangler.
What Are the Cons of Buying a Certified Pre-Owned Wrangler?
It’s Not Brand New: This may seem like a shallow drawback to buying certified pre-owned, but some shoppers really only want a brand new vehicle with no strings attached. Even with the CARFAX reports, the inspections and reconditioning, as well as the assistance and price, there’s still the difference between getting a vehicle off the assembly line versus a pre-owned vehicle. So for some people, a vehicle not being brand new could be a drawback.
Not As Easily Customizable: You get a lot of customizable options, accessories, and packages made available when buying a brand new Wrangler. In fact, that’s one of the biggest draws for a lot of people buying a Wrangler: the ability to customize it as they see fit. Even though most people who really want to customize their Wrangler will likely get aftermarket tuning done, for people who want specific packages or accessories during the ordering process, you don’t get that option with certified pre-owned vehicles.
Preset Trims/Features: In combination with the lack of outfitting a Wrangler with customizable features, one other drawback to buying a certified pre-owned Wrangler is that all the trims and features are preset. This may not necessarily be as much of a drawback for some potential shoppers, depending on how you see it. Because if you want a specific Wrangler trim, you can simply buy it as is, certified pre-owned. However, if you want a certain trim with certain features and in a specific color, you would be missing out on being able to outfit the Wrangler the way you want. This isn’t entirely a deal-breaker for a lot of people, as buying an outfitted trim means less work, hassle, and time spent shopping and trying to micromanage the minutiae.
More Expensive Than Standard Used Wranglers: Certified pre-owned vehicles may be cheaper than brand new vehicles, but they are more expensive than some of the cheapest used vehicles on the market. So if the price was a really huge deciding factor, and you couldn’t afford to buy new and certified pre-owned was still outside your price range, it could be considered a drawback. However, that all boils down to the quality versus price debate and what your budget ceiling is. If you can afford to buy certified pre-owned, it’s always going to be the better option over a standard used Wrangler.
Should I Buy a Certified Pre-Owned Wrangler?
Ultimately, the main question comes down to whether the pros outweigh the cons or what you’re looking for from the Wrangler shopping experience. A certified pre-owned Jeep Wrangler is definitely a good buying option for those who are willing to buy something used, but still with some of the benefits you can get when you buy new. The inspection and reconditioning process also make it worthwhile. Coupled with the other benefits, such as the roadside assistance and even the inclusion of a SiriusXM subscription, you can quickly see how there are more reasons to buy a certified pre-owned Jeep Wrangler than not.
