I'm looking and getting a Jeep Patriot that I will flat tow or on a dolly. But I have heard reliability problems with Jeep. Anyone own one and have practical experience.
Thanks
Fred
I really like the look of the Jeep Patriot and the book says it can be towed 4 wheels down. I called my buddy who runs a medium sized mechanic shop and asked if I should buy one. His answer was a short "no".
Bryan
Vancouver BC
GM PD-4108
Only problem I know of with the Patriot the early models were the lower A frames now I never see one in the Jeep shop in Bullhead any more and he is one big Jeep dealer
good luck
2 wheel or 4 wheel drive?
4 wheel drive Patriots are all wheel drive I don't think they can be towed 4 down with out stopping very 100 or so miles and run through the gears
good luck
They claimed the Patriot was supposed to replace the Liberty. We went out thinking we might trade our Liberty for a Patriot, but after talking to many knowledgable people and checking out a few, we decided just to keep the Liberty. Liberty's were made to be towed but they never get stuck LOL (the first part of that is true) Good Luck, Will
FWIW-we've never had a problem with our Liberty. The taillight housings are large enough that we installed extra bulbs and recepticals for the tow lights.
Ive had my Liberty for 6 years towing. NO problems at all,, use diodes for the lights and extra bulbs are not needed. Only the 4 wheel drive model can be towed 4 down. It is a little heavy at 4415 but solid as a tank.>>>Dan
Reliability wise- Chrysler and Jeep products are at the bottom. Ford is at the top with GMC not to far behind. Good Luck, TomC
I would make every effort to avoid any CHRYSLER product. 3 of my 6 company work van were DODGE's and I would rate them from awful to fair at best. My mom has an '03 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE and she could tell a few horror stories from last year.
I would normally agree with TomC without question, especially since I've been a Ford man most of my adult life. But after owning a lot of different vehicles, I firmly believe a vehicle is only as good as the maintenance it recieves. I dare anyone to disagree with that LOL Will
There's no question that taking care of a vehicle will pay off over the long run. I too am a long time FORD man('04 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS) Even though it broke down Saturday for the first time in the 7 plus years I had this car, I love this car. The fuel pump went bad so I feel there was nothing I could have done to prevent this and if there was, I just don't know. In the case of my mom and her '03 GRAND CHEROKEE, first the passenger window died. Then the drivers side. Then the cooling fan quits and the radiator boils over. Then 2 dead batteries. They worked on this thing for a few weeks trying to figure out what was wrong with this stupid thing and it turns out that the alarm system was causing the battery to drain. Mom takes pretty good care of her truck but sorry for those of you CHRYSLER fans but given all of the problems they have in that company, plus all of the trouble I had with my DODGE work vans in the past, I can see why they almost went out of business. I'm sure many of you could tell similar stories of FORD and GM products and I risk opening a can of flys but I'm just trying to give the original poster some perspective.
I have owned Jeeps since the 80's when the French owned Jeep had very few problems with one and the guy is talking about a Jeep here not a Dodge van
Yes sir I fully understand that but JEEP has been a CHRYSELR division since the late 1980's longer than any other company that couldn't keep it going so it's still a CHRYSLER product so while I hope otherwise, you have to expect problems.
They all have problems Milton from time to time we have had a few with our Lexus
good luck
All vehicles-whether it be a car, truck or bus are now terribly complicated. On our big rigs, they have three on board computers all talking to each other. With all the sensors, electronic this and that, I'm surprised they even run.
This is why I'm converting my '85 Kenworth with Cat 3406B mechanical. Not one piece of electronics on the whole truck. If it doesn't run, it is either not getting fuel, or something mechanical broke-just like I like it. Good Luck, TomC
If you tow one of the new chev's be sure to check to see if the steering wheel has fallen off during the tow... ;D
Son of a gun, I can out-do Clifford one time ::).
I have owned many jeeps including close to the original public version - '47 CJ2. Even owned a few of the AMC versions (currently have a '72 Commando). Even had a Scrambler for a while.
That said, jeep in those days were very basic (like TomC's truck ;D).
We have had a few Chrysler products (currently own a '98 Durango '02 Dodge 3/4 ton truck and '06 PT Cruiser). I am a pretty died-in-the-wool GM man - don't know how I fell off the wagon :o. In my defense, I do own several GM project cars.
I have had virtually equal luck with GM/Ford/Chrysler.
I would not be afraid of the Patriot, if it is rated for pulling four down.
Jim
I do believe that towing a car is hard on it. The front suspension gets beat up, wheel trash thrown at it, dragging it over curbs, etc. so I strongly urge most folks to use a beater for towing.
We like the old Cherokee Sport, lightweight, plenty of power, very basic but reasonably reliable. If it gets a few scratches in the woods, or stuck in the sand on the beach, it's not a heart breaker. They are plentiful and reasonably priced.
Fred -
Around my neck of the woods, I see an awful lot of Honda CR-Vs being used as toads, mostly the all-wheel drive models.
Might be a consideration?
FWIW & HTH. . .
;)
There is something to be said if the old ways work don't you dare touch it. However, the electronics in cars and buses are not of themselves bad IF they are designed right in the first place. Just my 7 cents worth. :)
well, to bring this topic full circle I decided to buy a Ford Escape. Its sold by Ford(only one NOT to take a bailout) and its made by Mazda(good Japanese company). I'm sure it can't be towed 4 down and probably not even on a dolly(its AWD) so we may just have to borrow our daughters car for those times.
Thanks for all the spirited comments.
Regards
Fred Mc.
PD 4106