Sometime this afternoon, my old Jeep might meet my new Jeep. I’d like to get that picture if the two of them end up parked next to each other at the same time. Since they are the same color, it really feels like my old Jeep is just morphing into the new one!

The switcheroo came about quickly. Soon after selling the my 2-door Jeep to Carvana on Thursday, I found the exact 4-door Jeep I was looking for on Cars.com. It was at a dealership in Maryland, who called me Friday morning, answered a bunch of questions, sent me some additional pictures, and arranged the sale.

Rather than buy new, I got back to my strategy of finding a vehicle 1-2 years old (2022) with low miles (12K) and warranty coverage still in effect (until next fall). That’s generally how we have bought vehicles over the years and it’s generally a good value – especially for vehicles with premium options.

The new one is a $16K premium upgrade from the old one, even though they are only 1 year and 5K apart in age and miles. The difference is all in the “stuff” – the trim level (Rubicon +$10K), the extra 2-doors (+$4K), the added option packages (+$4.5K), some aftermarket parts ($1K), and one year’s depreciation ($5K). All together, that is about equal to the cost of upgrading, the sales tax ($3.6K), and the shipping fee ($1.1K).

When I got my old Jeep, I considered it a “starter Jeep”. I’ve enjoyed it so I’m happy to invest the extra $$$ in a more well-featured model. It’s a funny coincidence that they will switch places in my garage on the same day. I sure hope that they get to meet and shake hands on my driveway for the camera!

Images: MrFireStation.com & Jones Kia