If your looking to buy a Grand Cherokee Altitude or you know someone who is looking to buy one you need to read this.
I purchased an Altitude in August. I have to say I got a great deal since the the 2013's were coming in 2 to 3 weeks and they wanted to get rid of the 2012's.
4 weeks later I went back to pick up paperwork and the salesperson told me they just found out that the 2013 Cherokee Altitudes wont be coming in until January at the earliest so they were asking top price for the Altitudes and nobody would be getting a deal on them since there were a lot of people becoming interested in them since they were only a few months old.
this is where the story gets messed up.
I returned last week to see a showroom full of Altitudes. as i approached the manager's desk he asked me if I could pull my Altitude around the side so it wasnt in the view of the showroom window because they were in the process of selling two of them and they didnt want the customers (victims) seeing a "REAL" Altitude up close. When i took a closer look I saw that these Jeeps were Laredos with Altitude rims and Altitude grills on them. They had regular headlights, regular Grand Cherokee paneling on the doors and regular sunroofs.
Basically if your looking into getting a Grand Cherokee Altitude you should know that there are no 2013's yet and if you are buying an Altitude clone make sure that your not paying Altitude prices.
Things to look for:
You can look at Jeep's website and the page on the Cherokee Altitude will explain what the Altitude package includes but they are not clear on everything
1- This one you can see from a block away.
- the Grand Cherokee on the driver's and passenger's is separate crome letters glued onto the doors. The only other Jeeps to have this is the SRT8. Every other Jeep is one long panel with "Grand Cherokee" engraved into the panel.
2- The headlights have black inside the lenses. ALL other headlights are full crome inside. Even the SRT8 is fully crome.
3-obviously the 20" black rims. This is easiest form of deception since people usually see the rims and go to the dealership asking about
"The Jeep with the Black Rims". The dealership just orders the black rims and grills from Jeep and instant Altitude!!!!!!
4-another one that ive seen is the sunroof. Altitudes only come with the panoramic sunroof but they will put rims on a Laredo with a regular sunroof or no sunroof at all.
5- the grill inserts on the Altitude are platinum looking and the fakes I saw had black plastic.
So in closing just be careful when purchasing one. Dealers are holding onto real 2012's since they wont have any newer Altitudes for a few months at least. If you really want a new one and dont want to wait be expected to pay upwards of $50,000 in the worse case. In this case your dealing with a very shady dealership and you should walk away.
In most cases you will be expected to pay full sticker price with no factory rebates. I was very, very lucky to get a leasing price of less then $380 a month with just a few thousand down. This wont be possible until the 2013's are available.
If you like the "Black Rim" look there is no problem buying a fake but I would only pay Laredo prices.
In this case a well informed consumer can use this knowledge to get a great deal on a lease or purchase.
good luck
Eddie
My Jeep resume
1- 1990 Jeep/Eagle Talon AWD Turbo (very fun car)
2- 1997 Jeep Cherokee Laredo V8
3- 2000 Jeep cherokee Laredo V6
4- 2003 Jeep Cherokee Limited V8 (made me fall in love with Jeep all over)
5- 2012 Jepp Cherokee Altitude Black/Black Hemi
I purchased an Altitude in August. I have to say I got a great deal since the the 2013's were coming in 2 to 3 weeks and they wanted to get rid of the 2012's.
4 weeks later I went back to pick up paperwork and the salesperson told me they just found out that the 2013 Cherokee Altitudes wont be coming in until January at the earliest so they were asking top price for the Altitudes and nobody would be getting a deal on them since there were a lot of people becoming interested in them since they were only a few months old.
this is where the story gets messed up.
I returned last week to see a showroom full of Altitudes. as i approached the manager's desk he asked me if I could pull my Altitude around the side so it wasnt in the view of the showroom window because they were in the process of selling two of them and they didnt want the customers (victims) seeing a "REAL" Altitude up close. When i took a closer look I saw that these Jeeps were Laredos with Altitude rims and Altitude grills on them. They had regular headlights, regular Grand Cherokee paneling on the doors and regular sunroofs.
Basically if your looking into getting a Grand Cherokee Altitude you should know that there are no 2013's yet and if you are buying an Altitude clone make sure that your not paying Altitude prices.
Things to look for:
You can look at Jeep's website and the page on the Cherokee Altitude will explain what the Altitude package includes but they are not clear on everything
1- This one you can see from a block away.
- the Grand Cherokee on the driver's and passenger's is separate crome letters glued onto the doors. The only other Jeeps to have this is the SRT8. Every other Jeep is one long panel with "Grand Cherokee" engraved into the panel.
2- The headlights have black inside the lenses. ALL other headlights are full crome inside. Even the SRT8 is fully crome.
3-obviously the 20" black rims. This is easiest form of deception since people usually see the rims and go to the dealership asking about
"The Jeep with the Black Rims". The dealership just orders the black rims and grills from Jeep and instant Altitude!!!!!!
4-another one that ive seen is the sunroof. Altitudes only come with the panoramic sunroof but they will put rims on a Laredo with a regular sunroof or no sunroof at all.
5- the grill inserts on the Altitude are platinum looking and the fakes I saw had black plastic.
So in closing just be careful when purchasing one. Dealers are holding onto real 2012's since they wont have any newer Altitudes for a few months at least. If you really want a new one and dont want to wait be expected to pay upwards of $50,000 in the worse case. In this case your dealing with a very shady dealership and you should walk away.
In most cases you will be expected to pay full sticker price with no factory rebates. I was very, very lucky to get a leasing price of less then $380 a month with just a few thousand down. This wont be possible until the 2013's are available.
If you like the "Black Rim" look there is no problem buying a fake but I would only pay Laredo prices.
In this case a well informed consumer can use this knowledge to get a great deal on a lease or purchase.
good luck
Eddie
My Jeep resume
1- 1990 Jeep/Eagle Talon AWD Turbo (very fun car)
2- 1997 Jeep Cherokee Laredo V8
3- 2000 Jeep cherokee Laredo V6
4- 2003 Jeep Cherokee Limited V8 (made me fall in love with Jeep all over)
5- 2012 Jepp Cherokee Altitude Black/Black Hemi