Troubles in Jeepville?

[NC_Pinz]

I just drove a brand new Rubicon for the first time on Saturday. Told the salesman that I could not handle the constant steering and my fiancé said she thought the TRD Pro drove easier and more comfortably ... his response was "yeah these don't drive as well but the resale value is better."

Sounds like something a salesman would say. I'd say he is wrong (surprised?). The Rubi might well have a good resale value, but a Tacoma TRD Pro will have at least as good a % of original value. My FJCruiser had crazy good value at 8 yrs old and 90k on the clock. It never even saw the lot. My TRD Pro should make for a nice trade in on the Bronco.

No way I'd buy a Jeep.

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[WarthogJr]

[rant]

Basically all of my woes can be traced back to a casting problem Jeep had with their engine blocks cir. 2012/2013... where they may have left a bunch of sand in the block.. whoopsie.

Good news is Jeep "fixed" these issues for the 2014 model year, but the bad news is that my 2014 was built in Mid 2013 (so basically, very first run) so it's technically "not effected by the known problem" but very much totally is.

Jeep straight up refuses to show any consideration for my vehicle when determining whether it will fall under the extended warranties they issued for the 2013 units.

Right now it's getting a new left cylinder head because this one is cracked.... no compression.

...oh, and did I mention that for 2014 jeep changed coolants to an incompatible one... but it was early/mid 2014 for the rolling change?

Want to guess how many times I've had to argue with service departments about who is going to be responsible for the $900 clogged heater core replacement? How about the replacement radiator?

Was it because the coolant turned to gell because the tech didn't run the VIN to see what kind to put in? Just grabbed the stuff for the 2014 onward?

Wet sandy mixture became dislodged and traveled to my heater core like some blot clot traveling to my Jeep's lungs?

Who's to say!

And don't even get me started with the leaky roofs....

[/rant]

Well...other than THAT Mrs. Lincoln...how did you like the play?

 

[broncoj11]

Common knowledge that fiats aren’t reliable. Lol I don’t even know how this is considered competition at this point

 

[BR0NCO]

I have two JKs and love them both. Both are used as a jeep should be used and the only issue I had was a bad wiper motor, replaced under warranty. Maybe I got lucky but they’ve been great and I’ll continue to enjoy them when I get my Bronco.

 

[HotdogThud]

his response was "yeah these don't drive as well but the resale value is better."

A salesperson said that a jeep has a higher resale value that a comparable toyota product?

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

A clapped-out, 20 year old tacoma with 250k on the clock STILL goes for upwards of 12-14k on craigslist these days. Tundras have to be missing entire body panels to be worth less than 20-25k anymore.

Sounds like that salesperson's career is going to do about as well as Jeep long-term

 

[bronc'o]

 

[Zeno]

Just my two cents here. The Jeep has to compromise many creature comforts ride wise to allow for its off road capabilities. A removable top adds to the annoying problems. I could never get past the way it drives and its quirks enough to buy one, and liked my Raptor, F150s, and Ranger too much to take a chance on a Jeep with all of the documented issues. I opted to restore a 1983 FJ40 to use for fun knowing it is and acts exactly as it should without the expectations many car buyers have with the newer Jeeps. My expectations of the Bronco are much higher than I have of the Jeep. I accept that a new first year model comes with its own problems that will have to be sorted out and addressed over time. I just hope that its highway manners and steering are much better than the Jeeps I have driven. I think that if the Bronco can thread the needle between off road and everyday driving it will be a Jeep killer. If not, it is likely to become another niche vehicle that everyone wants to own at least once in his/her lifetime, but doesn't replace with another one unless they are off road enthusiasts.

 

[JesseS]

I considered getting a new Rubicon last year, and my wife did a bunch of research. She told me NO!, it was rated very low for safety and reliability, so I waited for the Bronco..... smart move!

 

[DaveH]

Without checking myself, is CR ever favorable to any manufacturer that's not Japanese? At least that's how I remember it over the past 10-15 years.

I don't think Jeep deserves an excellent quality score, but CR's reputation is far from golden in my book.

Edit: Ditto Dads_bronze_bronco.

I agree. Consumer Reports is not a reliable source for automobile evaluations. I stopped looking at them decades ago. For example, if the same exact car was produced with a US brand badge and a Japanese brand badge, the Japanese brand was always rated higher in every instance I looked at. CR also faked rollover test for the Suzuki Samari. Donut Media has a youtube video about it.

I'm not surprised at all that CR doesn't like the Wrangler, and I bet they won't like the Bronco either.

 

[Dlerojo]

Ford isnt without their issues though either.

My F150 is currently in the shop with cam phaser issues at 35k miles. People seem to be chewing through them every 30k miles or so. Thats a couple grand repair out of warranty. They just released an FSA for a computer update a few days ago that hopefully keeps it from coming back.

They also have a problem with turbo wastegate rattles, turbos going out, IWE failures, good thing Broncos dont need doors because Ford cant seem to figure out how to make them close in the cold, coyotes burning oil, plus other very common issues.

 

[Rick Astley]

Without checking myself, is CR ever favorable to any manufacturer that's not Japanese? At least that's how I remember it over the past 10-15 years.

I don't think Jeep deserves an excellent quality score, but CR's reputation is far from golden in my book.

Edit: Ditto Dads_bronze_bronco.

CR's reputation is well known and understood by now. Those who pay them get favorable reviews and often win awards and it turns out Consumer Reports are no choosier than a heroin addict occupying a bathroom stall at the Troubadour.

Perhaps Stellantis has told CR they won't be pushing out the blood money the same way that FCA was? Could be with all the hundreds of millions of dollars in emissions penalties around the world they don't have the budget to pay off hack journalists?

 

[AcesandEights]

I noticed CR rated the Chevy Trax and Fiat 500X pretty high in the SUV ratings. I didn't even know the Fiat was an SUV. The Chevy Bolt and Ford Bronco Sport are in the same category. I wonder how the Sport stacks up against the Bolt, since CR considers them to be in the same category. Haha, CR sucks.

However, that all still means anarchy is a valid political philosophy and ideology.

 

[BroncoBully]

I had a 2003 Rubicon with the 4.0L inline six. I never had an issue with that vehicle. That engine was bomb proof and reliable as hell. There also was not a lot of complicated technology installed in that vehicle as well. Cant speak to the newer ones as I have not owned one.

However, Fords quality the past 5+ years has not been without its issues either. Hopefully the new Broncos are not $50K+ piles of issues. Good thing the engine, transmission, and other components have been in production and used in multiple vehicles so that should help with reliability long term.

 

[Dlerojo]

A good description of my old XJ:

Something was always broken but it never left me stranded.

 

[Coach.major]

I have owned many Jeeps without major issues but the last 3 have all had issues with suspension components and brakes. The Wrangler I own now will be my last Jeep.

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