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My dad has a 1995 Cherokee. We purchased it new and still have it. It was my primary vehicle for about 3 years. I grew up with it being our weekend vehicle for the first 5 years we had it. So, I have a strong attachment towards Jeeps. I'm looking to purchase a new vehicle. I'm probably going to buy a sedan but I was looking into smaller SUV's as well. I kinda went thru Jeeps line but everything I have read online ranks Jeep models nowhere near the top...more towards the bottom.
I like how the newer models look but what happen to the quality?
Nothing happened to the quality. They are as good/reliable as they ever were. It's just that everything else got quite a bit better so in comparison, they don't come across as well.
That and people these days tend to be princesses that can feel the pea under 10 mattresses, and have a rather skewed sense of entitlement that makes them think that even the cheapest economy car should be identical in quality/materials/features to the most expensive luxury car or it's crap.
Nothing happened to the quality. They are as good/reliable as they ever were. It's just that everything else got quite a bit better so in comparison, they don't come across as well.
That and people these days tend to be princesses that can feel the pea under 10 mattresses, and have a rather skewed sense of entitlement that makes them think that even the cheapest economy car should be identical in quality/materials/features to the most expensive luxury car or it's crap.
LOL. When I was younger, me and 4 male friends (average 6 feet tall, averging 210 pounds so over a 1k of weight) would cramp into my Jeep and I would drive over speed bumps not fast but enough to make us shake, rattle, and roll. Then I would go to this turnabout by my home in circles over and over. To the point where people walking by in the shopping center would stop and count...went up to 15 before my friend said stop because he was going to throw up.
So they haven't been able to keep up with the times...is that it?
I have an 04 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the HO V8 that I like - I can't say I love it, exactly, but it's gone about 85,000 miles and it's had the good sense to require work only while it was under warranty (2 ECU reflashes for very rough idle and a cracked exhaust manifold). It's been a good, solid, no-flash tow vehicle and all-around work horse. So far.
On the other hand, I absolutely HATE the look of the new ones, the boxy mini-HumVee/Brink's truck styling and all the squared off edges. Plus it feels like there is less room inside, even thought the outside is larger.
Jeeps don't necessarily suck, in fact it's the one part of Chrysler outside of the Ram trucks that is even worth anything. However, the product has gotten horribly dilluted by Chrysler over the years. As Merc said, it's necessarily true that Jeeps are bad, it's just that a lot of other vehicles have gotten a lot better.
If I was to buy a Jeep today I would stick with the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee. They are the only ones that still have the Jeep "roots". The other models Commander/Patriot/Liberty/Compass are all answers to questions no one asked.
The main drawback for the Jeeps is that they are a little more spartan than what most people want, ride a little rougher and aren't all that efficient. However, they are still one of the best off-road regular vehicles you can buy.
The biggest shame for Jeep and something I hope they correct would be to introduce a true replacement for the old Cherokee and ditch the other models. Jeep can be very competitive with only three models and I think a lot of people would be interested in a vehicle that was still a "Jeep" but could slot between the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee and offer more refinement and pasenger ability than the Wrangler, while being more simple than the Grand Cherokee.
So they haven't been able to keep up with the times...is that it?
The issue is that the difference between high quality and low quality in the US market is much less now that it was back in the '90s or earlier. What used to be perfectly acceptable is now "utter rubbish" even if it still does the job well.
I've had a '86 Cherokee, a '93 Grand Cherokee and now a 2005 Grand Cherokee. These have been among the best vehicles I've ever owned. I'm 57 years old and have had a few cars in my time. If you are including Consumer Reports in your research, all I can say is "don't". I bought 2 cars they heartily recommended and one was a complete piece of crap that I had to sell at 60,000 miles because it was literally falling apart and the other required so much work in the first few years I owned it that I was fully disgusted. Yet they continually knock Jeeps. I put over 150,000 miles on my previous Jeeps without major problems and the '05 has almost 50,000 trouble free miles on it now.
I can't speak for others but I love Jeeps and will continue to buy them.
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