Hi Y'all,
I just registered so I could thank you for all the helpful information
I have found here. I recently visited Ocracoke Island at the southern tip
of North Carolina's Outer Banks where I found 4WD ONLY signs at most
of the beach access areas. Upon my return to Delaware I began looking
for my 4X4 vehicle. The first test drive was a Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel 4X4.
The tested vehicles grew smaller as fuel prices climbed higher. I drove a
Patriot last week and have an appointment with a salesman tomorrow to
make the order/don't order decision. The decision process has been made
more complicated by the differing results I get when choosing options on
the jeepdotcom site compared to what the salesman gets when using the
dealerconnect site. The jeep site doesn't offer the sunroof as an option
unless you start by choosing the Limited model. As of now my best match
seems to be Patriot Sport 4X4, 2.4L Engine, CVT w/Off-Road Crawl Ratio,
Steel Blue Metallic Exterior, Pastel Slate Gray Interior, YES Cloth Seats,
Customer Preferred Package 28E aka Sport E Package, Freedom Drive II
Off-Road Group, Tire and Wheel Group, Popular Equipment Group,
4-Speakers, AM/FM Stereo Radio w/In-Dash 6-Disc CD/MP3 Player, Air
Conditioning, Premium Steering Wheel Group, Trailer Tow Prep Group,
All-Season Floor Mats, Engine Block Heater and Power Sunroof. I wish
I could order the Limited without the leather seats and the odd beer can
metal stuck on the bumpers but that doesn't seem to be an option.
Thanks again, Earl

Welcome to the boards! hope you get exactly what you want, either way it will be a great vehicle :pepper:

I ordered my patriot in February. The information the dealer had was pretty much ALL different than the info available on the website. Having said that, the dealers information on what can/can't be ordered was the final say in the ordering process. Luckily, I ended up with exactly everything I wanted regardless.

Hey, I was in the same boat you are...But for me, a sunroof was a must. Im not the biggest fan of leather, but i had no choice. If i wanted my sunroof, Id have to "settle" for the limited with leather. Oh well!! I cant wait for it to arrive!

It all depends how badly you want a sunroof. To me the Sport E pkg. gives you basically everything else. I have a Sport E and with the exception of not having a MP3 player, (I bought mine off the showroom floor), it has everything I want and way more.
Also, is beach driving the only off-roading you're doing? If so, you might be able to get by with the standard 4x4 system. I don't know what the beaches in the OBX are like, but we drove the beach in St. Augustine for quite a few miles in our old Ford Windstar and had no troubles.
Lastly, if you're ordering, how long do you want to wait? From what I've heard they aren't taking any more orders for '07s, and they won't start taking orders for 08's until late June or so and I don't think production for the '08 starts until late July or so, with them probably not hitting dealers until August or so.

Welcome Oldkayaker! I am afraid you are going to need the trail rated for the N.C. sand dunes. Don't think that winches are out yet but the tow hooks will be needed. May want to consider a 3rd party floor mats (see threads). Don't know about an engine block heater unless you spend your time in the mountains. These are serious dunes and you are going to need the low gear and the skid plate if you do drive the dunes. Consider some 3rd party tires as well. Good luck and hope to meet you!

I'm going with the Freedom II package solely to get the heavy-duty cooling system, skid plates, tow hooks, fog lamps, and additional electrical and body sealing. If you have ever had the misfortune of driving through Philadelphia on I95 during rush hour you know most of those items can be as useful on road as off. The sand in Florida is firmer than that found elsewhere. I have managed to survive without 4WD thus far driving on sand mostly but with the infrequent semi-rockcrawling to get to whitewater put-ins and take-outs. I decided to get the sun roof because I like the one on my wife's car. Other than the ultimate sun roof, a convertible, I have never had one. The transmission choice was dictated by my bad knees but I will admit to being somewhat leery of the CVT. Autoweek had a very strong negative opinion of it. I will be spending time in the Appalachians and in New England and figured the block heater was so inexpensive I might as well get it. I wondered about the model year change over but the sales manager said we could still order. I don't really need the car until september but I want it NOW.

Well, Folks, the deed is done. Got my order in today for a 2007 Patriot Limited 4X4 F Pkg, Steel Blue/Pastel Gray Color Scheme, 2.4L Engine, CVT2 Transmission, Radio w/In-dash 6-Disc CD/MP3 Player, 9-Speaker Premium Sound System, Power Sunroof, Trailer Tow Prep Group, Full-Size Spare Tire, Engine Block Heater and Premium Floor Mats. No matter how much I wish it were otherwise I realized no more than 10% of my driving will be offroad. I could not justify the added fuel cost, calculated at 11.5%, of the CVT2L transmission and reluctantly dropped the Freedom Drive II package from my list.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that, of the items included in the package, 4-Wheel Drive Off-Road Mode, Hill Descent Control and Brake Lock Differentials are no cost options with my package. The engine oil cooler is included with the Trailer Tow Group. The Full-Size Spare Tire is available as a stand-alone option on the dealer’s screen even though it wasn’t on the Jeep site. The Fuel Tank Skid Plate Shield, Transmission/Engine Oil Pan Skid Plate and Tow Hooks are all available from Mopar. I can do without the Air Filtering, 140-Ampere Alternator and Trail Rated Badge. I think I covered all the bases and got what I needed or wanted while having to accept only the unwanted bright bumper inserts and leather seats. This forum was very helpful. Thanks again. I hope to see you on the trail in 6 to 8 weeks. Earl

...Got my order in today for a 2007 Patriot Limited 4X4...

Congratulations!!! :beerchug: But I thought ordering was closed for the 2007s... :confused:

...No matter how much I wish it were otherwise I realized no more than 10% of my driving will be offroad...

I can relate to that. My buddy insists that I need the 4x4, but I know that less than 5% of my driving will be off pavement (gravel roads, at that) and less than 1% will actually be off road. For me the sensible thing to do is get the FWD and enjoy the higher fuel efficiency.

...I hope to see you on the trail in 6 to 8 weeks...

Oh man, that is a long wait... You got a tough 6-8 weeks ahead of you. Good luck! I'm sure you'll spend every minute dreaming about your Patriot.

Congrats man! I just picked mine up from Star Jeep and I'm loving it. Where are you located in DE? I'm just outside Wilmington.

No one seems to know the order cut off date. I don't think it has been determined. The shut down will probably be handled in the same efficient manner as the original roll out. The system accepted my order but I won't get any of the build schedule details until tuesday due to the holiday. I wouldn't mind having to settle for a 2008 as I am paying for the car with CDs maturing 8/19. By waiting I could avoid those famous penalties for early withdrawal without having to arrange other payment options.

I'm in the Pike Creek area. Ordered the Jeep via Country Chrysler Dodge Jeep over in Oxford, PA. Perhaps we can arrange to meet if I can decipher the private messaging in this forum.

Got a call from the dealer today. Expected ship date is 6/13! Not bad for an order placed by the dealer on 5/28. If they meet their expectations I should have the car two or three weeks earlier than expected.

Lucky Duck!! I ordered mine Oh heck I April 7th. (For some reason I thought I ordered it the end of April) My order had been accepted. I was told 2-4 weeks ago I may be coming home with a 2008. Called last week and they told me it'd be a month before they hear anything. I don't mind waiting for mine to be a 2008. Your lucky!! Yes I'm starting to get jealous haha!! Enjoy it when you get it!!! You gotta take pictures. :pepper:

Well, Folks, the deed is done. Got my order in today for a 2007 Patriot Limited 4X4 F Pkg, Steel Blue/Pastel Gray Color Scheme, 2.4L Engine, CVT2 Transmission, Radio w/In-dash 6-Disc CD/MP3 Player, 9-Speaker Premium Sound System, Power Sunroof, Trailer Tow Prep Group, Full-Size Spare Tire, Engine Block Heater and Premium Floor Mats. No matter how much I wish it were otherwise I realized no more than 10% of my driving will be offroad. I could not justify the added fuel cost, calculated at 11.5%, of the CVT2L transmission and reluctantly dropped the Freedom Drive II package from my list.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that, of the items included in the package, 4-Wheel Drive Off-Road Mode, Hill Descent Control and Brake Lock Differentials are no cost options with my package. The engine oil cooler is included with the Trailer Tow Group. The Full-Size Spare Tire is available as a stand-alone option on the dealer’s screen even though it wasn’t on the Jeep site. The Fuel Tank Skid Plate Shield, Transmission/Engine Oil Pan Skid Plate and Tow Hooks are all available from Mopar. I can do without the Air Filtering, 140-Ampere Alternator and Trail Rated Badge. I think I covered all the bases and got what I needed or wanted while having to accept only the unwanted bright bumper inserts and leather seats. This forum was very helpful. Thanks again. I hope to see you on the trail in 6 to 8 weeks. Earl

you are going to install aftermarket tow hooks?
I would like to do this as well...
anxious to see what you end up doing once you get your MK

you are going to install aftermarket tow hooks?
I would like to do this as well...
anxious to see what you end up doing once you get your MK

After you put your trailer hitch on, just get a hook that plugs in to your reciever.

I was looking at something along the lines of the tow hooks that the FDII patriot has...

I ordered this http://www.etrailer.com/pc-WTH~CR-111.htm when I ordered the hitch, mostly for pulling the 2wd crowd out of the ditch. I intend to find the FDII type for the front.

Well Folks, the 6/13 expected ship date is now history. I called the dealer yesterday, 6/19, and was told the new ship date is 7/10. I was also told the status is D1 meaning it is built and ready to ship. Of course we all know D1 means the order is approved and the car it is scheduled to be built. I didn't correct them but called the 800# today and confirmed the D1 status. I asked about the plant shutdown and was told I was getting an '07. Apparently they are still building cars.

After 3 weeks stuck at D1 I reached KZ status yesterday, 7/10/07, which was the last expected ship date I was given back on 6/20. I didn't bother to ask for yet another ship date having decided I can get a more accurate estimate throwing a dart at my calendar.

6-8 weeks? You gotta be kidding me. I don't think your dealer checked the backlog. YES! 2007 orders have been closed since early in the first week in June. You WILL be getting a 2008 unless your dealer managed to work out a swap with another dealer that had what you wanted. Possible, but doubtful.

2008 production begins Monday July 23. Given that fact that CRX will also be in a hurry to get out the 08 Clibers and Compasses, I wouldn't expect a serious ramp-up in Patriot production.

As for me, it has already be 5 weeks (almost 6) and my dealer estimates delivery probably in early October. With the week long shutdown to re-tool for 08, that's probably right. From reading the posts, it looks like people that ordered in April are just getting their orders now. Anyone after that is being bumped to an 08.

Might as well settle into a long wait.

From reading the posts, it looks like people that ordered in April are just getting their orders now. Anyone after that is being bumped to an 08.

\.


Hell I ordered April umm 7th I think, and I got bumped to an 2008 around Memorial day.

I called my dealer today and he say delivery probably mid october or even late october. Expect I will get a 2008 even if my order is for a 2007 and was placed a week ago. But of course it will take a wile to cross the "Big Pond" and get to Sweden. It sucks a bit but what is the option?? ;-)

6-8 weeks? You gotta be kidding me. I don't think your dealer checked the backlog. YES! 2007 orders have been closed since early in the first week in June. You WILL be getting a 2008 unless your dealer managed to work out a swap with another dealer that had what you wanted. Possible, but doubtful.

If you read the entire thread you will find I placed the order 5/26/07. The VIN indicates it is a 2007 model. BX = 5/30, D = 6/1, D1 = 6/20, KZ = 7/10. The 8 weeks will end 7/21 so it is still possible, though not likely, I will get it within the original estimate of 6 to 8 weeks.

Dealer just called today, 7/13/07. It is on the lot. He says they can complete prep today and I can pick it up tomorrow. The trailer tow wiring harness is in a bag as expected, thanks to the posts here. They want $67.50 to install it which was not expected. I could probably get them to eat the cost if I insisted it was a deal breaker but will probably just install it myself. They will install my Hidden Hitch and the harness for $135 total. Tempting. For now I'm just going to pick it up and worry about the hitch later.

I will say that is a LOT cheaper than what Nissan quoted to have a hitch etc installed for our pickup. So for Christmas we asked hubbys mom and dad to get us an E-Z lift, hubby installed it. Then when we bought our travel trailer the Dealership did the rest for a fee, except we had to go online and buy a 7 pt plug and it was $60 some and hubby did that also.

I will say that is a LOT cheaper than what Nissan quoted to have a hitch etc installed for our pickup.
The $135 was for installation only. I already have the hitch.