BMW to Jeep?

I have been thinking about going back to a Jeep this year.  Several years ago, I traded a Jeep Wrangler in for a new BMW and have regretted it ever since.  If I had to do it over again, I would have kept the Jeep and simply used it as a second vehicle while leasing a BMW for my daily driver.

I ended up owning my first BMW past BMW's fantastic maintenance agreement, so I ended up trading it in for a lease.  I just didn't want some unexpected multi-thousand bill to deal with in case something happened where they had to do major surgery on it.  I have a friend with a 6 series and he just spent nearly 10 grand on maintenance.  I have had several different 3 series and a beloved 1 series, but all BMWs can be very expensive to fix if there is an issue.

Lease is up

In the next month, my BMW 3 series lease is up again.  I think I am ready to move back to Jeep, but I really won't know until I look around over the next couple of weekends.  I am not even sure my 6'5 frame will fit inside the new models, so we will need to get out to the car lots and test drive them.

Decisions, Decisions

Typically, I love to have a lot of options, but the Jeep Wrangler takes that to the point of being overkill.  I am pretty sure I am going to get one of the "Unlimited" models with 4 doors, despite my girlfriend preferring the traditional nature of the 2 door (both of us have owned two door Wranglers).   One of the things I really hate about having a car is the inability to haul anything.  The trunk is too small.  Even the regular 2 door jeeps have very little room for suitcases or anything else I want to bring with me.  

I am compiling a list of what I want in the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and have come to the "ideal" list of features below:

1.  Uconnect - I have to have Bluetooth audio streaming.  This isn't even negotiable.  I have grown so used to it that it would feel like going back to the stone ages to have to plug in my phone every time I get in the vehicle.  

2.  Automatic - Another must have feature.  I will mainly be using this in town, so I don't want to deal with a manual.  Heresy, I am I sure, but it is what it is.  Apparently, I am not the only one that likes automatics, since they are much more popular than manuals on our local lots.

3.  Heated seats - I would love to have this in any new vehicle.  I could probably live without it, if I had to, but it would be a major bonus to have it.  I have back issues, so having heated seats is a godsend, especially for long trips where it can get tight.

4.  Navigation - I would love the bigger touch screen for everything, so I it would be a very nice feature to suit my "techy" needs.  It isn't available in the Sport, so that will put me in the more expensive Sahara or Rubicon.  I am leaning toward the Sahara since I don't anticipate needing the superior off-road capabilities of the Rubicon.

5.  I also want a "normal" color...nothing purple or lime colored.

One on the lot

There is exactly one Jeep Wrangler Unlimited on the local lots with all 5 features I listed above.  So whether or not I can get all of those features will depend on whether I can make a decent deal with the lot that has it.  If not, I will most likely have to give up at least one of the features from the list.  If all else fails, I am leaving myself time to still go back to BMW.   My preference would be to buy a Jeep now, pay it off over the next few years, then lease cars for my daily driver after that, but until I see what kind of deal can be made, I am leaving the door open for anything.

​My favorite BMW was the 135i convertible that I still miss. That thing was just so much fun to drive.  While BMW no longer has the 1 series, they now have the 2 series which looks very interesting to a 135i fan.  Of course, I already know that I like the 3 series, so I have to say that if I have to walk away from Jeep, I am pretty sure I will be very happy with whatever I end up with.