Jeep JK Wrangler Crowned Best Certified Pre-owned Vehicle

Autotrader’s ‘must-buy’ list praises the 2013-2017 Jeep Wrangler model years for their pre-owned warranties and incredible value retention.

The team at Autotrader has announced their list of the 10 Best Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) Vehicles for 2019 and the Jeep Wrangler JK is one of the models being honored. Autotrader put this list together to help those folks shopping for a used-but-fairly-new, taking into account a long list of criteria to help consumers get the most for their money.

“As more features are added to today’s vehicles, new-car prices continue to rise, with even ‘affordable’ models costing as much as $35,000 or $40,000,” said Brian Moody, executive editor of Autotrader. “Our list of ‘good as new’ vehicles can bring the car a consumer wants into the price range they want to pay. These CPO vehicles are thoroughly inspected, covered by warranties and offer the latest designs, making it difficult to even tell the difference between their new car counterparts.”

Autotrader’s Verdict on the Jeep

The 2013 through 2017 Jeep Wrangler is the only SUV of its size on the 2019 Autotrader list of the 10 Best Certified Pre-owned vehicles, with the Chevy Tahoe and the Nissan Rogue being the other utility vehicles on the list. The JK was hailed for the fact that the newest used models look very similar to the newest generation, the certified pre-owned warranty and the fact that it holds value so well.

Here is Autotrader’s explanation as to why their editors picked the JK Wrangler:

“While the Jeep Wrangler was all new for the 2018 model year, the design of the new vehicle is far more evolutionary than revolutionary, as has been the case with every Wrangler generation over the last few decades, meaning that to the untrained eye, the new model looks very similar to the outgoing generation. Another unique trait of the Wrangler is that they tend to depreciate very slowly.

That said, with the introduction of the all new version for 2018, now is a great time to look for a certified pre-owned 2013 to 2017 model. Every certified pre-owned Jeep comes with a 7 year or 100,000-mile powertrain warranty that starts from when the vehicle was sold new. On top of this, Jeep also offers a 3-month or 3,000-mile overall warranty that covers many areas of the vehicle outside the powertrain coverage. The average KBB transaction price of a new Jeep Wrangler is $43,300, while the average value of a 2013-2017 CPO model is valued at around $30,100.”

In other words, according to people who closely study the used car industry, the Jeep JK Wrangler is one of the best options for a certified pre-owned SUV shopped. At the same time, it reminds current owners that they made a great decision when they bought their Wrangler.

Join the JK-Forums now!

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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