No doubt if you are deep into the research phase of purchasing a Jeep Wrangler you understand that it’s likely you are going to be asking your Jeep to do things normal vehicles are not asked to do. Which means you are going to be breaking things. So this begs the question…
Are Jeep Wrangler Parts Expensive?
The good news is that the Jeep Wrangler market has arguably the best aftermarket support of any vehicle on the road. Having lots of options is a very good thing when it comes to price. It is not uncommon for aftermarket companies to offer a part for just about anything you will need for your Jeep. If you have purchased an OEM part for a vehicle you know just how expensive they can be. There is a reason it is always worth grabbing that OEM part number and throwing it in EBay or Amazon to see if there is an aftermarket option. Thankfully the aftermarket support for the Jeep Wrangler is so good that you have thousands of vendors to work with to get incredible deals on products that are not only cheaper than OEM but more often than not more reliable and better built.
It should go without saying that all car parts can be relatively pricey. So we cannot pretend that having a Jeep as a hobby is a low cost hobby. However the fact that your Jeep can be your daily driver and your hobby can help cut down on total out of pocket expenses. Additionally because the aftermarket support is so good, maintaining a Jeep can cost less than another vehicle that only has OEM replacements parts as an option.
It is not uncommon to see a huge selection of aftermarket replacement parts that are much more affordable than the OEM counterpart. Let’s take a look at some of the most commonly serviced/replaced parts on a vehicle.
OEM Starter: $349.99
Aftermarket options ranging from $99.99 to $342.99
OEM Alternator: $349.99
Aftermarket options range from $191.00 to $271.00on Amazon.
OEM Brake Pads: $119.9
Aftermarket options range from $15.00 to $100.00 on Amazon
Engine Replacements: Not only can you pick up a lot of parts via aftermarket sites. If you wanted to buy an entirely new engine you can do that for just a little over $2,000. No doubt you have to have some pretty good wrenching skills to make a swap like this work. However with a multi year unlimited mile warranty (which many offer) picking up a engine for a pretty good price is even an option.
As you can see these aftermarket parts are a really good deal when compared to OEM. This is just one small indicator showcasing how the aftermarket industry can help lower the cost of Jeep Wrangler parts. So while Jeep Wrangler parts may be expensive compared to a non vehicle related hobby cost of ownership is actually pretty reasonable. Edumunds.com has a proprietary calculation based on numerous data points that they collect. They project that the 5 year repair cost on a 2019 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is $1,251 which is not bad.
Make Upgrades One At A Time
Jeep parts can be as inexpensive or costly as you make them depending on what upgrades you plan to put on your Jeep. The good thing is that building a Jeep Wrangler is a process that you can do over time. If you just want to get your feet wet here are 7 Jeep accessories that are under $50. We recommend building things out slowly. Spend time in your Jeep on and off-road and start taking notice of the parts that you want/need most. While throwing that sweet looking light bar on top might look cool.. unless you spend a ton of time off-roading at night your money will likely be better spent on an upgrade that impacts everyday use and start working from there.