New Jeep Renegade yay/nay?

[Kaido]

If you want resale I'd get a Wrangler and be done with it. That's the quickest way to recoup costs. They're horrible to drive but at least you'd have zero issues getting good money for it.

Yeah...they have the most amazing resale value of any car I've ever seen, even moreso than Subaru, which holds their value like forever.

 

[PricklyPete]

Any product that comes from Chrysler is suspect in my opinion. I had a Jeep Cherokee and it folded up when it was hit by a Honda Accord. It had the 190hp straight six....that engine and the cool Jeep accessories I picked up for cheap on ebay were the only good things about the vehicle.

I'm currently driving a 2011 4Runner we bought new (only 45k miles on it) and would definitely consider another one in the future for the way it drives, handles, and looks. The only things I complain about is having to remove the skid plate for oil changes and that they have the cartridge type oil filters, but it's just an extra step and isn't quite as messy as some of the canister types.

I have a 2013 4Runner. I hate how it drives (like a truck...which it is and I'm ok with that), but otherwise LOVE it. Just continually grows on me. Just about to crest 60k miles on it and have only done basic maintenance and recently new tires. Changing the oil does take an extra ~20 mins or so because of the skid plate...but nothing excessive. I adore the simplicity of the vehicle and plan on driving it till the doors fall off.

 

[PricklyPete]

this. I dont know if anyone figured out good tuning for it.

heres some deeper reading on it

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/20...-transmission-puts-dog-clutches-on-the-leash/


http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/02/ur-turn-saturation-dive-into-the-zf-9-speed/

any car with that transmission I would avoid.

Ugh...that design with the electronically synched dog clutches sounds terrible from a feel perspective. No thank you and I will certainly be paying more attention to these high number auto transmissions in the future. I would hate to have a car where the shifting behavior/engine management varies greatly between different ratios.

 

[Kaido]

It's only the 9 speed front wheel drive transaxle that seems to be a lemon. Used in the front wheel drive platforms like the Renegade and Cherokee.

The Acura TLX also uses it, and it's been recalled for replacement.
http://www.torquenews.com/1574/acura-fans-saddened-2015-tlx-transmission-recall

The rear wheel drive trannys seem to be good.

If you want to avoid that transaxle, here's a list of vehicles it's used in:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_9HP_transmission

Yeah, Dodge uses the 8-speed instead of the 9-speed, which seems to be more reliable. I checked out my buddy's Durango and it's not bad at all. Might be the best choice actually because you get a lot of features, plus I can get AWD. It's not a car I'm in love with like the Renegade, but at this point, something I can drive in all seasons, hassle-free, and is more reliable, is basically what I'm looking for.

 

[Kaido]

Ugh...that design with the electronically synched dog clutches sounds terrible from a feel perspective. No thank you and I will certainly be paying more attention to these high number auto transmissions in the future. I would hate to have a car where the shifting behavior/engine management varies greatly between different ratios.

It is. If you are sensitive to the driving experience, it will drive you nuts. That's one of the reasons I'm pushing for a replacement vehicle...I don't want to deal with the 9-speed tranny in my Renegade anymore. Again, mine is a lemon, and maybe the rest don't exhibit similar behaviors, but mine was annoying to drive in specific situations (re: the downshift lag on the highway when you need to gun it & it takes 2-3 seconds to give you power...it's like I'm driving a Yaris lol).

 

[NutBucket]

Don't get anything but a Wrangler or RAM unless you want to be stuck with a worthless FCA product.

 

[PricklyPete]

Don't get anything but a Wrangler or RAM unless you want to be stuck with a worthless FCA product.

Yeah, I'd probably get the wrangler. Drive it till the warranty is over, then get a good resale on it and move on.

 

[Kaido]

Don't get anything but a Wrangler or RAM unless you want to be stuck with a worthless FCA product.

Yeah...that's the flip side of the coin, post-purchase value. A basic Wrangler is over $30k locally (and the safety rating is pretty crappy). Not a big fan of trucks, plus a barebones RAM is around $30k as well (I'm also burnt out on RAM trucks...drove them at a previous job & had endless expensive issues with them, ugh). Feature set is another issue...my Renegade is a Latitude model & has so many goodies in it...remote start, heated steering wheel, etc. You throw those features into say a Durango & all of a sudden you're looking at $40k. My Renegade's sticker was $29.5k & I paid $25k (Truecar woot woot!). KBB says it's worth $17k right now, yay depreciation

 

[Scarpozzi]

I have a 2013 4Runner. I hate how it drives (like a truck...which it is and I'm ok with that), but otherwise LOVE it. Just continually grows on me. Just about to crest 60k miles on it and have only done basic maintenance and recently new tires. Changing the oil does take an extra ~20 mins or so because of the skid plate...but nothing excessive. I adore the simplicity of the vehicle and plan on driving it till the doors fall off.

What kind of tires came with yours and what did you replace them with?

Mine came with the Bridgestone Dueler HT Revo2s....I'm in the market. I'm with you on the handling...it drives like the Tacoma and I feel like the suspension is just a little loose. I like the way my F150 handles better. I have no complaints because my wife wanted a van and I used that as an opportunity to dump my 13 year old Buick and take over her old daily driver....I'm less picky about what I drive as long as I have enough legroom and 18MPG isn't great, but it could be worse.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Yeah...that's the flip side of the coin, post-purchase value. A basic Wrangler is over $30k locally (and the safety rating is pretty crappy). Not a big fan of trucks, plus a barebones RAM is around $30k as well (I'm also burnt out on RAM trucks...drove them at a previous job & had endless expensive issues with them, ugh). Feature set is another issue...my Renegade is a Latitude model & has so many goodies in it...remote start, heated steering wheel, etc. You throw those features into say a Durango & all of a sudden you're looking at $40k. My Renegade's sticker was $29.5k & I paid $25k (Truecar woot woot!). KBB says it's worth $17k right now, yay depreciation

Yeah...dealerships can really mess with the values. F150 is an example I always use...sticker price is around $42k for their XLT SCREW 4x4...but if you nag them a bit, they'll quickly drop to the $33-35k range...which is about $4-5k over what a moderately used one costs...because the used value is based off the MSRP and not the discounted typical price you can get.

The same thing happens when you get serious about any other vehicle and it falsely inflates the used vehicle price which is win/win for the dealerships because it's easier for them to push new units and mark up trades.

If you really like the Renegades and other fast-depreciating brands/models, you should be able to talk the dealerships down closer to the trade values...especially if they have a lot of inventory. My last sedan and truck purchases were basically 1-3 years old (truck was older, but still mint and had less depreciation because it was a truck) with 20k miles and I paid $12k off the MSRP...

 

[PricklyPete]

What kind of tires came with yours and what did you replace them with?



Mine came with the Bridgestone Dueler HT Revo2s....I'm in the market. I'm with you on the handling...it drives like the Tacoma and I feel like the suspension is just a little loose. I like the way my F150 handles better. I have no complaints because my wife wanted a van and I used that as an opportunity to dump my 13 year old Buick and take over her old daily driver....I'm less picky about what I drive as long as I have enough legroom and 18MPG isn't great, but it could be worse.

Mine is a limited which came with 20" Yokohama street tires (for shame Toyota). I ended up getting 2015 Trail wheels off a neighbor who was upgrading her wheels to TRD wheels for $350. I then bought a spare wheel online and got a set of five BF Goodrich A/T K02. Our car is primarily for exploring the mountains, and this tire is perfect. It is surprisingly good at highway driving as well. Seems to be decent for snow...although I haven't tried and will still likely get dedicated snow tires this fall. Very happy so far...we'll see how they age.

 

[Kaido]

Yeah...dealerships can really mess with the values. F150 is an example I always use...sticker price is around $42k for their XLT SCREW 4x4...but if you nag them a bit, they'll quickly drop to the $33-35k range...which is about $4-5k over what a moderately used one costs...because the used value is based off the MSRP and not the discounted typical price you can get.

The same thing happens when you get serious about any other vehicle and it falsely inflates the used vehicle price which is win/win for the dealerships because it's easier for them to push new units and mark up trades.

If you really like the Renegades and other fast-depreciating brands/models, you should be able to talk the dealerships down closer to the trade values...especially if they have a lot of inventory. My last sedan and truck purchases were basically 1-3 years old (truck was older, but still mint and had less depreciation because it was a truck) with 20k miles and I paid $12k off the MSRP...

Yeah, one of the things I'm hoping is that if I get a Chrysler credit, I can use it towards a used car. They have plenty of non-FCA cars on the lot & I like the dealer (they were pretty easy to work with), so I'm not going in blind like I would to a new dealership.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Mine is a limited which came with 20" Yokohama street tires (for shame Toyota). I ended up getting 2015 Trail wheels off a neighbor who was upgrading her wheels to TRD wheels for $350. I then bought a spare wheel online and got a set of five BF Goodrich A/T K02. Our car is primarily for exploring the mountains, and this tire is perfect. It is surprisingly good at highway driving as well. Seems to be decent for snow...although I haven't tried and will still likely get dedicated snow tires this fall. Very happy so far...we'll see how they age.

KO2s are popular because they look off-road and handle decent in the city. My 4Runner is 2wd because we didn't need 4WD...so I may stick with the Revo2s.

 

[Spicedaddy]

Yeah...that's the flip side of the coin, post-purchase value. A basic Wrangler is over $30k locally (and the safety rating is pretty crappy). Not a big fan of trucks, plus a barebones RAM is around $30k as well (I'm also burnt out on RAM trucks...drove them at a previous job & had endless expensive issues with them, ugh). Feature set is another issue...my Renegade is a Latitude model & has so many goodies in it...remote start, heated steering wheel, etc. You throw those features into say a Durango & all of a sudden you're looking at $40k. My Renegade's sticker was $29.5k & I paid $25k (Truecar woot woot!). KBB says it's worth $17k right now, yay depreciation

After this thread, it's worth -1000$.

 

[Kaido]

TL;DR update:

1. On week 4 of climbing FCA's corporate support ladder. I am hoping for, but not expecting, a buyback resolution. Next step is lemon-law. My car has now spent over a month in the shop total.
2. They replaced the computer. Replacement was DOA. They ordered a replacement for the replacement BCM. On national backorder with no ETA.
3. Sent me home with the car. Has bugged out on me in more weird ways multiple times (red flashing lighting bolt on dash, BLIS randomly going off, transmission lurching, iPhone no longer streams music via Bluetooth when plugged into USB, panic alarm randomly goes off 10 to 60 seconds after locking the car, just to name a few).

Test-drove some cars at the dealership while I was there, on the off chance I do get a full buyback:

1. Dodge Caravan R/T: The top-end model. Ugh. Loved the room & visibility, but...the transmission sounded & felt grindy. I asked the sales guy if this was really a brand-new vehicle. Leather seats were really bad - left leg completely covered the side support arm. I'd be curious to sit in a cloth model just to see if it were any better. The seats really killed the deal tbh. Also, strong knee knock. I have long legs & my left knee always hits against the door panel or armrest on most cars in a very annoying way.

Also checked out the new Pacifica, hate it. They ruined the concept of a minivan. Lots of cool tech, but they made it smaller. When you sit in it, your knees are now up to the steering wheel like a car, instead of sitting in a nice, comfortable upright seat like in every single other minivan on the planet. What the heck lol.

2. Dodge Charger SXT AWD : Drives like a mid-size car instead of a full-sized car. The electric steering or whatever is in there is fantastic. I had an '89 Mercury Marquis in the past & even though they felt similar sizes, the driving experience was completely different. It was comfortable, although my knee knocked a bit. It didn't really have a good peppiness coming out from a dead stop (this was the V6 model). Oh the highway, it had a turbo-like delay when punching it. When the power DID come, there was plenty of it, but there was a lag similar to my Renegade. I'd have to test-drive it again to see how much it bothers me, but that was a red flag because that's one of the things that drives me nuts about the 9-speed transmission in my Jeep. This was an 8-speed Torqueflite tranny in the Charger. Oh and ENORMOUS trunk. Oh my gosh.

I did sit in the Challenger (very cockpit-ish) but didn't particularly care for it. Like the Camaro, it didn't feel like a good use of interior space. Cheap to lease though!

3. Dodge Durango: Pleasantly surprised all around. More than adequately peppy off-the-line & no noticeable lag when asking for power on the highway. No punch like the Charger, but I had no issues merging into packed evening traffic on a sharp merge. Very smooth ride. Much like the Charger, it looks like a tank on the outside, but the steering system is fantastic...very easy to turn, doesn't feel huge. I believe this has the same 845RE transmission as the Charger, but I don't understand why it felt so much quicker off the line & didn't have the power lag on the highway.

I got back in my Renegade & was really sad because I really like the little car. Then when I parked at the grocery store on the way home, locked it, and walked into the store, the alarm went nuts for a minute & did the "I'm defective" screech & then calmed down. Made me jump two feet lol. Then it happened to me again when I got home, arg! They still haven't gotten in a stick-shift Renegade at the dealership (I've read it feels slow, ~20hp less than the auto but it's a turbo, anxious to try it myself)...again, I like the car, just not the problems, so maybe a second-year model, in stick-shift, with no fancy UConnect jumbotron might not have issues.

One guy I talked to online said instead of a buyback, they just cut him a check. If they do that, screw it, I'll probably get a Mustang, which was choice #2 originally before I got the Renegade

 

[microAmp]

I'm having issues with my Dodge Avenger too. Trunk lid gets water in it when it rains. RTV the bolts from the spoiler and it helped, just not perfect.

Check Engine light comes on once in a while for: "Powertrain - Auxiliary Emission Controls - ISO/SAE Controlled
Description

EVAP Purge Flow Monitor Fault Conditions
Cause

Engine running in closed loop, ECT sensor over 170°F, engine at idle speed for 2 minutes, Low Fuel not on, MAP sensor input under 15 7" Hg, altitude less than 8000 ft , PTO not enabled, then the PCM detected that no airflow was present through the EVAP system in the test period Refer to Monitor Test, code repair chart to test the code Note: The stricter EVAP purge flow test is used to verify the EVAP system functionality on vehicles with the LDP"

Then goes away right away, then comes back a few months later. Already replaced gas cap with OEM, no luck.

And I also wonder if the heater isn't quite up to par either, doesn't feel like it gets that hot but winters here are mild, so???

I also had a the Heater Blend Door Actuator break on me, fixed that one myself. All these issues before 60k miles on it.

The car was free, so, not complaining too much.

 

[Kaido]

I'm having issues with my Dodge Avenger too.

Yeah, the more I hear about FCA, the less I want another car from them. First level is seeing how a corporate buyback pans out. If it gets rejected but they fix my computer & that nixes the problems, I may just keep the Renegade until it depreciates so I can do a straight trade-in to another dealer. My job also changed again & I can lease again if I get a 15k/yr lease, so I may do that once the car hits KBB value. Bah, cars!

 

[Kaido]

BODY CONTROL MODULE! BODY CONTROL MODULE! BODY CONTROL MODULE!

See: http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f309/instrument-panel-causing-battery-drain-2829330/index2.html

That's exactly what was happening to my grand Cherokee, and it took them a month to figure it out. Call them and tell them the body control module needs to be replaced, and if it isn't done in a week you're getting a lawyer.

BCM arrives mid-August for installation (first one they sent was DOA...rofl). Fingers crossed it resolves my issues!

After 4 weeks, Chrysler Corporate rejected my buyback request. Working with their third-party arbitrator as of today to escalate the issue. If that doesn't pan out, I'll have to go the lemon-law route. Then again, maybe the replacement BCM will magically fix everything! It's just sad that it took all this time to finally get them to replace it.

 

[lxskllr]

Gonna look at a 96 Cherokee for a work truck tomorrow. 210k on the odo :^D I love older Jeeps, and it'll only have to last six months or so to get my money out of it. Hope it's as good as it looks sitting there.

 

[gorcorps]

BCM arrives mid-August for installation (first one they sent was DOA...rofl). Fingers crossed it resolves my issues!

After 4 weeks, Chrysler Corporate rejected my buyback request. Working with their third-party arbitrator as of today to escalate the issue. If that doesn't pan out, I'll have to go the lemon-law route. Then again, maybe the replacement BCM will magically fix everything! It's just sad that it took all this time to finally get them to replace it.

It should, it fixed my issues. Then of course I was in constant fear that it was going to go bad again (it took a year before I had issues with it in the first place). I don't think it's a good sign that both of us had BCM issues, and that yours arrived DOA, AND that they go through so many that they're on national backorder.

I lucked out that Toyota was willing to buy mine out so I could get into something more reliable. Hope you can get yours working though.

 

[Kaido]

It should, it fixed my issues. Then of course I was in constant fear that it was going to go bad again (it took a year before I had issues with it in the first place). I don't think it's a good sign that both of us had BCM issues, and that yours arrived DOA, AND that they go through so many that they're on national backorder.

I lucked out that Toyota was willing to buy mine out so I could get into something more reliable. Hope you can get yours working though.

Yeah. And I mean, if the BCM fixes all of the issues, I DO like the car, but like you said - trust issues. The only thing that bugs me is the 9-speed transmission, having driven it for awhile now, I don't like how it shifts at all (like the highway lag issue).

Anyway, if the BCM proves to be the magic bullet, I might just keep it until depreciation hits KBB next year & then swap it out. We'll see what NCDS says next week. If NCDS rejects a full settlement, then my only other option, aside from an early trade-in, is doing lemon-law, which says it can take between 4 weeks to 6 months. If the BCM works & I keep it another 6 months, I can just do a straight trade-in at that point...no legal hassles. Decisions, decisions.

 

[NutBucket]

Even though I would go the legal route out of principle the best choice is the one that the cheapest for you.

 

[Kaido]

Even though I would go the legal route out of principle the best choice is the one that the cheapest for you.

Yeah...if I end up going the lemon-law route & win, it will be a settlement check, which is going straight into an Ecoboost Mustang :biggrin:

 

[OverVolt]

It sounds possessed. Maybe ask corporate for an exorcism.

 

[Kaido]

It sounds possessed. Maybe ask corporate for an exorcism.

I'm pretty sure it's just a faulty computer, but I'm curious how much of that is tied into the radio & transmission. I'll find out mid-August when they replace it! Assuming the 2nd computer isn't DOA as well