New Jeep Sugestions?

[Tucson T4R]

We have a local Jeep dealer that is going out of business and I am close to neediing another vehicle that will eventualy end up being for my daughter. It might be a good time for me to find a good deal.

Of the Jeep models currently on the market what would you folks recommend if you were buying one for your daughter? Also, what should my expectation be ballpark on the price range? I wasn't thinking Rubicon (but that would be cool) possibly a JK model??

Also, hows the current model Jeep's reputaion for reliability?

I'm new to thinking Jeep so be gentle.:shakin:

Thanks

 

[ox4mag]

Hey there! Good to hear you're considering a Jeep vehicle for your next purchase. I would probably say the Jeep Patriot would be a great choice for your daughter. It's an excellent entry-level SUV (as Scott Brady can tell you) and I'm sure you can get a pretty loaded Patriot for under $20k. The JK is another good option though it really depends on the primary purpose of the vehicle. Lastly, the new KK Liberty has earned quite a bit of praise (including a review we featured in the new issue of JPFreek) though you'll pay more for the Liberty than a Patriot. Either way, I believe Jeep's reliability is pretty solid but then again, so is Toyota's and other brands on the market.

Good luck with the purchase, and keep us posted as to which vehicle (if any) you decide to pick-up.

 

[mountainpete]

Take your daughter to the dealership and ask her to pick... always best to ask the ladies first I say

Pete

 

[Steve Curren]

Which dealership is it, might find some parts I need..

 

[2500Adventures]

Well first off you have a LIFETIME POWERTRAIN WARRANTY!!! That is just cool.

If you can find a 2007 Jeep Liberty I would recommend it. Not only from a practical, it has tons of room and a great off-road ability (if you were to get 4x4) BUT it has saved my life before and I can comment on how awesome the interior held up in my accident. It also handles very well but if it comes with the Wrangler SRA tires I'd be weary, they have been known to be troublesome on Jeep Liberty's in the wet, just not enough grip for the weight and power the Libby has.

But as mentioned before the Patriot is pretty cool but also be sure to take your daughter and see what her car/Jeep interests may be. You may be surprised, you may not.

 

[articulate]

Take your daughter to the dealership and ask her to pick... always best to ask the ladies first I say

Pete

Classic.

Brad, Pete's got a point.

Also, does your daughter want a Jeep? Is a Wrangler her style? Do you want her to have a sweet off-road ready machine? What's her age? Do you just want to get her a "cute" SUV (or is that what she wants)?

Getting a smoking deal on a JK (Rubicon or otherwise) or Liberty will be tough to pull off, even on a dealership going out of business. You'll probably get the best deal on the Compass or Patriot - in comparison to the other models, these are the least popular. But, if you can manage a Wrangler (JK), go for the "X" package since the Rubicons are in such high demand.


Good luck. My TJ is ready to roll 100,000 and we're going to be doing a celebration run soon......

 

[goodtimes]

I gotta say, the Patriot isn't to bad. My girl friend is getting 25/28mpg with hers (4 cyl, 5 speed), has absolutely no trouble pulling long grades (will outrun my TJ -4.0/5speed--on any hill), handles/rides good, has enough room to sleep inside of it with the rear seat folded down....

The interior is kind of ...uh, plastic-ey. Not so bad considering her dogs shed worse than mine...it feels, I dunno...'un-refined' compared to some other vehicles. But I guess you can't have it all...at least for $18K.

But the real question is, what are the plans for this vehicle? Is there a need for 4wd? High clearance and a 2 speed transfer case? Cargo room? number of passengers?

 

[Tucson T4R]

Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions. My daughter turns 16 in Decemeber. The plan is for her to initialy take over my wife's 2000 Bonneville. The new vehicle will be driven by my wife until my daughter graduates HS then the Bonnie goes, daughter gets the jeep (or whatever) to take to college and my wife gets a new car.

That's the plan anyway.

Good advise on including her in the decision since in the long run, it will be hers. She likes Jeeps but still good to better understand what model fits her the best.

I'll let ya know what I find, if anything. The dealership that is closing is:

Steve Christy Chrysler Jeep
7800 E. 22nd St.
Tucson, Arizona 85710


With all the bad ratings I found about the delaership, it's not surprisng they are closing.

 

[goodtimes]

Are you sure they are closing? From what I heard, Steve Christy sold the business, and is having one last sale. The business will remain as "Tucson Chrysler/Jeep" or something similar.

Did I misunderstand the ads I keep hearing?

 

[Tucson T4R]

Are you sure they are closing? From what I heard, Steve Christy sold the business, and is having one last sale. The business will remain as "Tucson Chrysler/Jeep" or something similar.

Did I misunderstand the ads I keep hearing?

I could have it wrong...my wife brought that news home from work today and I didn't really verify it. I noticed his websites are all messed up and not working tonight too...coincidence?? Maybe. I'll do some digging on it tomorrow.

 

[Tucson T4R]

Are you sure they are closing? From what I heard, Steve Christy sold the business, and is having one last sale. The business will remain as "Tucson Chrysler/Jeep" or something similar.

Did I misunderstand the ads I keep hearing?

I did some digging and did find that Steve sold the delaership. This is probably just and inventory reduction sale and nothing to get too excited about. A credit union employee got my wife all excited with the rumor.

I still may drive by just see what kind of deals can be had.

 

[kjp98TJ]

according to a few acquaintances that do service work for jeep dealerships, libby's are some of the most reliable vehicles they've ever seen from jeep.

 

[robert j. yates]

As a side note and for comparison for considering a small SUV....I bought my daughter a 2000 XJ for her 16th birthday and it has been a great truck for her...she will turn 21 this April.

The XJ for her has been very reliable, has good lines of sight from behind the wheel, strong (as in able to take a hit) and reasonable on gas and I would highly recommend it or something similar from the Jeep lineup.

I mention these points as they are all important considerations for kids when they first start to drive. From experience...they tend not to pay attention to other drivers at first, have a hard time using mirrors consistently, have tight budgets and they *will* get in an accident. Best to get them a vehicle right up front that will make their learning/adaptation experience easier.

Now that being said...I put a mild lift and a few other modifications on my daughters truck for her HS graduation present to make it more off road friendly and frankly, its a kick in the pants to have my daughter drive her own rig with me on the trails. We have had some great times 4 wheeling and camping together with the most recent being this past summer over 7 days in the Sierras...... so get your daughter that Jeep...you won't regret it.

 

[calamaridog]

I mention these points as they are all important considerations for kids when they first start to drive. From experience...they tend not to pay attention to other drivers at first, have a hard time using mirrors consistently, have tight budgets and they *will* get in an accident. Best to get them a vehicle right up front that will make their learning/adaptation experience easier.

Very good points. Pick a vehicle that will be practical through the end of her college.

 

[robert j. yates]

Pick a vehicle that will be practical through the end of her college.

....and another good point. I should have mentioned that one myself. The XJ manages to carry all of her stuff back and forth to college so its very convienient for her....and Dad.