Jeep: To Buy or Not to Buy... That´s the Question!

I have a 2000 Jeep Wrangler with the 4.0L Inline 6 and could not be happier. I have put 200K+ miles on it, and it has NEVER left me stranded. The only major repair I have needed to do was a water pump replacement thus far. That 4.0L is a Bulletproof Engine (although not terribly fuel efficient). I am currently in the process of gathering the parts to do a minor overhaul... Timing chain, gaskets/seals, fluids/filters etc. Just finished up the Honda so now I have the ability to tear into the Jeep.

I would not recommend any Chrysler Engine other than the 4.0L Inline 6. But I think that might be one of my favorite motors, right there with the 4.3L V6 from Chevy, and of course the 350 V8.

PT cruisers are junk IMHO, and any of Chrysler's cars are in that same bag... but the Jeeps are in a league of their own... (at least the older ones)

I absolutely LOVE my Jeep, and will NOT sell it either. It's the most fun vehicle I have ever owned.

The internet is a big place, and I'm sure you will find a DONTBUYXXX website for every car on the market.

Well, many of my friends have a Wrangler as well and the are very happy with them... the issue is that the version I am looking for only shares the name with yours, as it has a completely different platform, engine and transmission. The Patriot is a sort of a "toy " Jeep.

In regard to fuel efficiency: as our country happens to produce more gas than petrol, we have the option of making cars dual, this is to run on regular fuel or gas (Methane). I do´nt like it cause the tank is quite chunky, but those who use it are very happy to pay a 65% less with a very small loss of HP. Compressed gas stations are spread all over the country.

Yeah, my '99 Wrangler is my third jeep in 25 years. The 4.0 is a fuel hog for sure. Especially with bigger tires. But the world just wouldn't feel right without a jeep in my garage.

As far as the other models that Jeep has besides the jeep, it kinda irks me when someone says they drive a jeep and then you find out it's a Liberty or a Cherokee or something. A Liberty is a Liberty and a Cherokee is a Cherokee... but only a CJ or Wrangler or something like that, is a jeep. If you can't lift the doors off... you can't correctly call it a jeep IMO

Otherwise, it's like calling someone who rides a rice-burner, a biker.

Regarding the Patriot... as was already mentioned... find every owner review that you can find. They really are all over the place. I put more faith in those, than official ratings done by official raters. And if you saw a DONTBUYACHRYSLER website, that sounds like a site that has ulterior motives. Anybody that starts a campaign against an entire automobile company has some kind of revenge, or political or anger issues. There is no company where ALL the cars suck. Stick with websites that don't sound like they are fringe or extreme. That will certainly be biased.

RVZ717, and anyone else interested... there is another forum I belong to:

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/

You might find it interesting if you are a jeep owner.

Hi Baxter, there must be a "overseas" version for the Patriot, as here in Argentina we get a 2360 cc engine with 172 HP @ 6000 RPM. Torque is 165/44000 lb-ft/RPM. There are two gear boxversions: automatic and 5 drive manual . As far as I know, the Patriot and the new Compass are made in the USA and both share engines with the PT Cruiser (100% made in Mexico)

Had some time to read the links you posted (thanks!)... and the reviewers only mention cons during the whole report and a few pros at the end of it as if saying: well these are the only good things the piece of $**t you insist in buying makes more or less decently!

Happy to help. I'm interested to see what you end up.

J D Power gives it a fairly good rating:

http://www.jdpower.com/autos/Jeep/Patriot/2011/SUV/ratings/

But on the other hand, their rating of my SUV is only so-so, whereas Consumer Reports rated mine #1 by far in its class. So you need to be skeptical of the ratings surveys too, as you can get wildly different results for the same vehicle.

Check Edmunds car buying service for ratings and info, too:

http://www.edmunds.com/?mktcat=edmunds&kw=edmunds&mktid=ga242098

HMMMM these reports are not much better either... in the first report, predicted reliability rating is only of 2,5 bullets over 5!

You are all right about pros and cons of car reports... but as cars cost almost twice as much down here than in your country, making the wrong choice can be a pain in the a$$

After having read your opinions and some reports, I have the feeling I can get better SUV´s here in Argentina for the money they ask for a Patriot! In the same price range is the Subaru XV, which seems to be -by far much better.

I am on my 2nd jeep wrangler since 1988. I put 200,000 miles on the the first and way past that on the 1998 version. My wife has a 1997 Cherokee country. None of the vehicles have incurred any major malfunctions and our only expense is the regular maintenance costs. All 3 were getting 20 mph .

our neighbor just bought as Patriot. It's a real pretty car and she likes it because it is closer to the ground with wide doors.

It is not a Wrangler or Cherokee. Do not expect it go very far off road.

Don't you find both vehicles to be underpowered? I've driven the 1997 Cherokee without towing anything and thought to myself "I'd hate to merge onto a highway with this guy". I just bought myself an 03 Acura RSX with about 34xxx miles on her. She's pretty low to the ground already and I decided I'd like to tune the car, thus a winter beater is in order. I really love the older style Cherokee and maybe my gripes of it being underpowered are because I'm used to light 4 cylinder cars. Further, how do you think both the Cherokee / Wrangler handle in winter weather (6inch-1ft of snow, cold weather etc)?

The last thing I want to do on a powder day is put my car in a ditch on the way to the ski resort.

http://albany.craigslist.org/cto/2499022278.html

One i found nearby, under 100k and under 3grand.

Baxter,

We have not had the occasion to to find their limit.

The Wrangler pulled an unloaded semi truck out of a construction site. Admittedly the semi was only stuck on some wet leaves, but it was not going to move without help and the Wrangler did it.

I used both vehicles (on separate occasions) to haul fully loaded 16' trailer of construction materials to build our house.

The Wrangler once pulled the trailer with a 5000 lb Bobcat skidsteer. That might have been the limit, but it was not the power. the Wrangler was too light. I won't do that again!!

Both regularly pull a 8 person pop-up camper.

Lately the snows have been heavier than usual here and no problems yet. My drive is 1/4 mile long and I do not shovel the snow off it. Haven't missed work yet.

The wrangler has the Sahara package and the Cherokee came with the tow package. We are completely happy with them and not planning to replace them anytime soon.

Yep, trying to get onto the US highway in my 4cyl Jeep Wrangler has always made me think that I should have gotten a 6cyl. The MPG on the 4cyl isn't much better than the 6cyl anyway.

Correct on both accounts. Wouldn't recommend that 4cyl to anyone.

I don't need power or quickness. I need a car that can get me to or from the ski resort even in blizzard like conditions. I realized its part snow tire, but all wheel or 4x4 sure helps. My search will continue. I really like the Nissan Xterra, but finding one with under 4 grand as my winter beater is going to be tough.

I know the limitations in speed and power a Patriot may have, and agree with your opinion about reliability. I started this thread because when I thought I had found the car that would best suit my needs, at the same time I heard about lots of complaints about the average poor quality of this model from Jeep.... The only option to the Patriot I have found here in Argentina is the Subaru XV, a beautiful car that does not satisfy me at all because of it´s small luggage compartment.

I've got an 08 Jeep Patriot. I love it! handles like a dream,good gas mileage and great in the snow(I live/work in Buffalo NY)! My only complaint is the 13 gal fuel tank. I get a little better than 300 miles to a tank(not that bad I guess). I've got a little over 65,000 mile on it now and the only mechanical problem was a plastic cover on the side of the seat.

I forgot to add to my reply that I tow our T@b camper (1800lbs dry weight) with our patriot on a frequent basis.(Allegheny foothills included)

I can tell you from personal experience that once you buy a Chrysler product Chrysler does not want to hear from you. Most of their V6 engines are nothing but expensive boat anchors. Chrysler does not honor their warranty and have just about every excuse ever dreamt up to shirk their duties. My Dodge Diesel had a problem and starting at 20,000 and they were unable to correct and I had to purchase a second vehicle to keep my business running. Chrysler may not make all bad vehicles but one thing for sure if you get a bad one you will either go broke or use up a ton of money going after this immoral corporation. Little wonder they went bankrupt and I hope I was part of that procedure since I do not intend to shut up.

Well, this is the kind of issues I would like to avoid! The car config they brought to Argentina is quite weird: 2.4 L engine, 17´´ wheels, leather driving wheel, but no foglites, the cheapest possible radio, a basic transmission, etc. When I complained about the radio the salesman at the agency gave me a big smile and said he had a "much better" (??!!) one for 1,500 U$ (actually, the only improvement it had was bluetooth ) ARE´NT THEY CRAZY??? When I said I would replace it by a Pioneer or a Kenwood (with GPS, Bluetooth and all the crap) for a fraction of these 1,500 U$ and he said the (entire) CAR WOULD LOOSE IT´S WARRANTY!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT???

I have a 1997 Jeep Wrangler (4cyl) that I bought used in late 1998 with 30K miles. Turned out that the exhaust manifold was warped after a few visits to the dealer fixing a stud that would pop off the engine. While everything was paid for by the warranty, I wasn't very happy that it took 3 visits to get them to identify the problem and fix it correctly. The first couple of fixes was to helicoil the threads and put in a new stud.

I had to replace the engine at 100K because the dealer's mechanic couldn't identify a leaky seal. I was assured that the Jeep was fine (3 times) and drove it. But water entered the engine and crapped it out. I don't take it to the dealer anymore. I found a very honest mechanic and go to him for all my car maintenance and fixes.

How do I know he is honest? He told me cracked a part while replacing the fan belt and replace the part free of charge. He could have just told me that it was cracked already. There are honest mechanics out there.

I am sure you can find "DONTBUYACHEVY".COM and "DONTBUYAFORD".COM, so I wouldn't take this one web site as a bad omen, and I certainly wouldn't assume all the talkers are car mechanics and sane human beings. There are good and bad examples of everything made by the millions every year.

As for Dodge - I have owned several, and I have not sold any in less than 11 years of running them down the road. I have bought NONE of them new, either. I had a 4 cyl. shadow that I sold with 280,000 miles on it for $1700 (a LOT of money for the car at the time). The guy who bought it ran it another 3 years as a work car going 100 miles round-trip 6 days a week. Do the math on that mileage total. I never had any trouble in the 266,000 I put on it, and he had none, either. Before that it was new and under warranty. My current truck is a Dodge Diesel (6 cyl cummins) and it has over 300,000 on it - it is a 97 and I use it hard. I have bought 1 starter for it and replaced all the brake lines last winter (a couple leaks prompted a rebuild for safety sake), otherwise mostly maintenance stuff and tires. Suprisingly - no transmission issues. I have had nothing but good luck with Dodges. That being said, I also currently own two Pontiacs, and they both suit me fine, are reliable, and I will live with them a long time.

I will say the only vehicle I have had a hard time with is Fords, and I am sure that is just my dumb luck. I know a lot of happy ford owners.

Buy what you want, don't take crap from the dealer (there are those out there that suck and there are those that are great), and if you have issues document them. Once you whisper "lemon law" in the dealers ear while you are showing him accurate proof his attitude will change quickly. You don't have to be a whining complainer, just document it, and when it gets out of hand show them the facts. The law takes care of the rest.

Best of luck, and if you get a good one and have realistic expectations you will be a happy jeep driver!

Thank you Frank for your comments! The issues I have to consider are: 1. I live in Argentina, where imported cars cost twice as much as in the US due to custom taxes (down here a -intermediate outfitted- Patriot costs 36 K U$), 2. The head offices of Chrysler are 12K miles away from here.The local importer is FIAT ... and 3. what I intend to buy is a SUV and not a REAL sturdy Chrysler like those you mentioned. I like the "retro" design of the Patriot, the ground clearance and the 17´´ wheels cause every now and then I drive on light gravel or paved but bumpy roads. My Subaru Impreza did very well on those roads, and after having driven it for 200 K miles I passed it to my teenager son, and it is still in great shape. The million dollar question is: may I expect more or less the same performance from a Patriot or should I go for a Subaru XV, that costs 4 K more down here???

Think about how many hours (and trips to) the dealership you can make for $4,000 and ask yourself honestly if the Subaru will have that much less hassles. If you feel it will, buy the Subaru, otherwise buy the Jeep. If you are worried about the longevity of the engine, use only fully synthetic motor oil (I use Amsoil made in Wisconsin, but you will want to use something available locally) and relax. Your engine will last longer with synthetic and run better/more efficiently. It will pay you back over time, and frankly, you will spend a lot less than $4,000 over the lifetime of the vehicle for the high-end lube! Document your oil changes and document your problems and run-ins with the dealer/technicians.

i agree with Frank.

Never fails that every time i mention i'm thinking of purchasing a new car, i will get all sorts of negative comments...and mostly of all "American" makes...

Perhaps it's bc i live in NJ where you are expected to purchase the newest and latest foreign primarily Beamers, Audi's and Mercedes. These are good, just not for me.

Frankly, am tired of the snobs and negativity of "American" brands.

I"ve owned a Ford, Chevy, Chrysler, Buick and experienced it all to be good. And not just because of the price point but it suits my lifestyle.

Can you see a GLK350 towing a 37" Chris Craft Cruiser?

But i also, take care of my cars and drive long distances across USA.

The point is, do your research, buy what you want or close to it and take care of it.

Be in charge when you walk into a dealership and service your vehicle at a dealership with a good history of honoring warranties.

Good luck and have fun with your new Jeep?

I also considered a Jeep Patriot, I ended up with a Scion xB. Was looking for a family box on wheels, preferably a 4 cylinder. It came down to no AC under $20k for the patriot, decent features for $17k on the xB.