INTRO: Before 2019, Corey Finkelstein never considered owning a Jeep.
The manager of Hagerty Insurance鈥檚 Signature Services Group already owned a few cars, including a company car he used to commute to work from Wasaga Beach. When he and his wife, Laurie Coupland, were looking for a fun new vehicle, good fuel economy or practicality weren鈥檛 their main concern. Instead, they wanted something they could enjoy with the top down when the weather was nice.
It was around the same time that Jeep Wrangler revamped, replacing the JK with the JL series. There were multiple changes made to the vehicle, from a new diesel engine to new styling, modern amenities, and overall improved reputation and reliability. So, the couple jumped on board and purchased the 2019 Jeep Wrangler.
But when Jeep announced that it was issuing the Willys edition for 2021, Copeland, who always had a penchant for quirky cars (prior to the Wrangler, she owned a Nissan Juke) grew excited. The pair figured out a way to trade in their 2019 for the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Willys at Orangeville Chrysler in October 2020. Although the Jeep is Copeland鈥檚 daily driver, Finkelstein takes it out often for his pleasure drive. Here, Finkelstein shares why he loves his Jeep.
FIRST PERSON:
鈥淭he main reason we bought the Jeep was its resale value,鈥 said Finkelstein, whose work is in providing specialty insurance for high-end vehicles. 鈥淲e compared this to the Mini Countryman - and I know they’re not comparable vehicles, but they were the same price range 鈥 and I looked at the resale value after a year, and the Countryman was close to half while the Jeep was still almost the original retail value.
鈥淚鈥檓 not exactly sure why. I think it’s the desirability and fun factor. They’re pretty bulletproof vehicles too 鈥 you can really beat it, and the price is good. That’s why we switched to the 2021 because we didn’t lose anything. Yes, we had the cost of using it for a year and a bit, but the Jeep holds its value, and there aren’t a lot of cars on the market that do that.
鈥淲e bought the Jeep unseen and we put our money down before it arrived on the lot,鈥 said Finkelstein. 鈥淥ur dealer was able to find us an early stock from another dealer in St. Catharines. There wasn鈥檛 a lot of information about that specific vehicle because it was so new, but we already knew what the Jeep was like, and the interior options are very similar, so we knew what we were getting into. We were buying the Willys package more than anything. I think our 2019 Jeep sold within a couple days of when they put it on the used Jeep lot.
鈥淭he 2019 we bought felt more like a street Jeep. It had less aggressive highway tires, and a color (charcoal grey) that wasn’t very dynamic. The Willys suits our personality. We’re not off-roaders, so it’s not like a crazy built-up Jeep, but it鈥檚 got more aggressive wheels, includes LED headlights (as opposed to the 2019 which has it as a higher-level option that we didn’t go for), a four-wheel drive sticker on the tailgate, and the Willys badging on the side. We were super excited for the sort of heritage the Willys brand adds to the vehicle, and the Sarge Green was really the determining factor. We bought it for the colour. [Laughs.]
鈥淲e like the presence it has on the road: It’s a bit of an eyecatcher with the colour and the release badging. But the most interesting thing is the community. So, there’s this Jeep Wave which you do as you pass another Jeep. It鈥檚 something we had to get used to. It鈥檚 funny because we have a Mini Cooper Roadster as well, and if you wave, people think there鈥檚 something wrong with you. [Laughs.]
鈥淥nce in Creemore, I came to the vehicle and there was a crocheted duck stuck in the door handle. And I was like, 鈥榳hat鈥檚 this?鈥 It鈥檚 basically a Canadian thing and it means you鈥檝e been 鈥榙ucked,鈥 and you鈥檙e supposed to keep putting a rubber ducky or crocheted duck on other Jeeps [to help spread the Jeep love]. A lot of Jeep owners will buy a bunch and drop them on people’s fenders and stuff. It鈥檚 kind of neat.鈥
This article was edited for space and clarity. Want to be featured in Why I Love My Vehicle? email us at wheels@thestar.ca.
Ren茅e S. Suen is a Toronto-based lifestyle writer/photographer and a freelance contributor for the Star. Follow her on Twitter:
