A Really Good Deal on a Jeep SRT-8 (and why I haven’t blogged in weeks)

Oh I so wish this 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 fit the bill for my next family SUV. It’s a damned good unicorn. Over the years I’ve been surprised how much these hot Jeeps retain their value, often costing much more than this one and having far more miles. As of this writing CarMax has seven other Jeep SRT-8’s available or coming soon, ranging from $49,000 for a 2014 model with 56,000 miles to $64,000 for a low miles 2019 model. This hot rod is $38,998 and has only 40,000 miles. That’s a deal.

For 2012 the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 was redesigned with a bigger motor, now 6.4 liters and 470hp, and good for a 4.6 second 0-60 mph run. The Jeep got great marks for handling with AWD and adaptive dampers. Here’s what Motor Trend had to say (I could hardly understand it myself but maybe you will) “The rear-mounted electronic differential also uses clutch packs to send power side to side. The torque vectoring keeps the Jeep turning even when the front end is losing grip. It felt much more natural on the racetrack than it did on our figure-eight. In big sweepers, it is tough to keep a steady speed as small inputs in throttle will cause torque vectoring, but as soon as neutral throttle is needed, the added turning force goes away.” Remarkably, the Grand Cherokee SRT-8 handled as well in the slalom and on the track as the Charger and 300 SRT-8 sedans. The Brembo brakes stopped the 2 1/2 ton Jeep from 60 mph in 106 feet – less than comparable Porsche Cayennes and BMW X5’s. What was unimpressive in the reviews was the outdated five speed automatic transmission with no rev matching on downshifts.

As impressive as all the oomph and performance and raucous V-8, the interior features surprised me at this price point. Auto cruise control. Air conditioned and heated seats. Heated steering wheel. Panoramic sunroof. Carbon fiber trim as standard. This Jeep sold new for just under $60,000. While $38,998 may not seem like much depreciation for a nine year old Jeep, given the prices of all the others on the lots it’s damned good. And with 40,000 miles, add on MaxCare and this thing is good for 85,000 more worry free miles. And yes I checked – accident free and only two owners! Find this 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 here in Torrance, California.

And one of two reasons I haven’t blogged in a few weeks is this outrageous 2020 BMW X3M Competition (the other is there have been very, very few unicorns as CarMax inventory remains at an all time low). I’ve mentioned before that my strategy became more clear after fits and starts after selling Etta, my 911 in January. My wife and I agreed we’d purchase a small SUV that I would mostly drive, but she’d be comfortable driving on road trips also, or when her car is in the shop. Mind you, this woman drove an armored Suburban in the third world for a while, but doesn’t want to drive big SUV’s anymore. Otherwise I’d be all over the Jeep above. So we’ve driven an Audi SQ5, Porsche Macan Turbo, BMW X3 M40i, and Mercedes GLC43 AMG. She ranked the X3 and GLC first and second, I had them in reverse. All were in the $40-50,000 range. But then I saw this 2020 BMW X3M Competition. Over 500 mind blowing horsepower. And check out the interior!

Red car, black and yellow interior – it’s a Ronald McDonald BMW! I was smitten. Business has been good so I thought I would simply add to the funds recovered from the 911 sale and go big with this very unusual BMW. I drove a similar one at the local BMW dealer and it wasn’t too harsh. So I paid to transfer this red one to my Dulles dealer. I think I went wrong when I suggested more than once my wife drive this BMW to be absolutely certain she’d be okay with an “enthusiast” version. She said she drove the X3 M40i already so what’s the big deal? Then she asked me the price. When I admitted it was almost twice the price of the X3 M40i she was chagrined. Said she felt snookered and would never, ever drive this one. What bothered me the most is I have known for YEARS she is way smarter than me, and my giddiness over the 500 hp X3 got the better of me. Never went to drive it. Called my sales rep and said turn her loose. So now I’m urgently looking for the perfect Mercedes GLC43 AMG as our family SUV. And after that…..I’m going totally nuts when I replace my Mercedes S600 “company” car! Stay tuned. But if you want this X3M Competition, it’s currently off the market but may be back. It was here at Dulles.