If I HAD to buy a new car tomorrow, it'd probably be a Mazda CX3 or a RAV4.

 

I ponder this occasionally. The utilitarian "station-wagon-like" Patriot suits my country lifestyle.

I've thought about the Renegade - most of the bugs should be worked out by now. Maybe the KIa Seltos? The Ford Maverick pick up is interesting. The problem is that none of today's vehicles really interest me. The Subaru Forester IF I could get a 2wd.

 

When I replaced my 2008 Patriot I really wanted to stay with a Patriot, but they were throwing money around on the new ones so they cost less than a Patriot with low miles. I compared the Renegade and I liked the Renegade a little better, but I bought the Compass because it got better fuel economy -- I couldn't even get the Renegade to take 9th, even on a highway downgrade at 70MPH. I'm basically happy with the Compass, now at 100,000 miles.

The new Renegades only come with a turbo and I'm a little leary of tubos after my Pontiac experience.

What keeps me driving what I've got is the electronics in all the new vehicles: they are overly complex. For example, I can't adjust the heater in my Compass without using the touch screen. Frankly, the touch screen is a driver-distraction. I'm also on the Compass site and I can tell you the leading problems are the electronics -- mystery codes and mystery problems that dealers seem to struggle with. While my Compass has been pretty much trouble free, I did have one instance of all my warning lights coming on. I went straight to a parts store to scan the problems and when I restarted, all the lights went away and they could find no stored codes. I also have a 2021 Wrangler (10,000 miles) and the 4wd went on the fritz. Turns out it was a broken wire. One must wonder why electronics are involved -- it should be purely mechanical, but some computer whiz decided to improve it . . . and made it less reliable. I might add that my Wrangler doesn't do severe off-roading, either; we have it mostly to get Wifey to work when the snow is deep. The 4wd went out on my town-maintained dirt road -- the same road that our 2014 Patriot travels every day with no problems.

Simply put, new cars of all varieties are far too dependent on electronics. "Complexity is the enemy of reliability." I'm driving what I got till the wheels come off.

 

I bought a 2015 Cherokee brand new, couldn't get rid of it fast enough. What an absolute piece of garbage.. I had it 3 months and put less than a thousand miles on it after bringing it home. I traded it in at a significant loss just to be rid of it.

The only reason I later ended up with a Patriot is that the Patriot is basically a Mitsubishi Outlander with skidplates and while I wasn't planning to ever give Jeep another dime (and still won't) the Patriot was bought used so no money to Jeep, and I'm more pragmatic than I am spiteful.

If I was shopping for a Patriot replacement right now it would be a Outlander PHEV.

 

As far as I'm concerned Jeep died when the last JK rolled off the line, as it was the last of the non-Fiat models to be produced. Honestly the WK2 is even a bit computerized for a Jeep, and should have really been named the Grand Compass since it's got no solid axles.

With my 2010 Patriot, 2003 Impala, and 1998 Suburban, I'm very content with my automotive choices so far. The cruise control in the Chevys does exactly what I tell it to, rather than picking its own slower speed than what I told it, like the rolling computer I'm assigned to for work. And the Jeep doesn't even have cruise control, not that I really need it. Need to get the Impala to stop turning its own lights on, but none of them have blind spot monitors, backup cameras, any of that crap. And it's not needed anyway. That's my job as the driver. I've got mirrors, a working neck, and a strong sense of individual responsibility.

 

Yeah, all of the electronic gizmos, with their thousands of lines of required software and endless updates are mostly designed for today's younger generation who grew up with this crap. Bron with their faces buried in screens. Don't get me wrong, I have worked in IT, and with computers, for a number of years of my lengthy career. There is a time and a place for them. Today's cars, and appliances, are a great example of "just because you can, doesn't mean you SHOULD"! Because you can stick a chip or a computer into something, doesn't mean it's always a great idea. As Rosso says, we have lost personal responsibility when it comes to driving. First, with the distractions of cell phones, then NAV and infotainment screens, and now most vehicles require your almost constant attention to ever-growing large screens which distract from the job at hand - DRIVING! Change a channel? Eyes off the road and onto the screen. Change volume, temps, disable Stop/Start, get directions, etc.? Eyes off the road, and onto the screen.
KISS principle!

Then, we have the PSUEDO self-driving cars, like Tesla and GMs, that boast their "self-driving" capabilities, and their tech-enamored youngin' buyers who buy into the BS and hype, who are either too tired, too drunk, or too lazy to drive, climb into them, program in their destination, thinking this techie vehicle will safely know how to get them home, with little or no driver input. CRASH! It will probably be perfected - SOMEDAY, but that day is far from being perfected. Cars still can't always detect a bag blowing in front of it versus a pedestrian, and driving is like a game of chess, where you need to be looking, and thinking, at least 3 or 4 moves ahead - a sequence of "what-ifs" constantly running through your mind and eyes. Right now, "self-driving" cars are more like playing a game of checkers. About the only "tech" I really find useful in my Pat' is hands-free Bluetooth for making/taking phone calls on the road, and I seldom even use that. The one feature on my wife's '21 tech-filled Durango GT Plus is a Voice Command button on the steering wheel, where you press it and can tell her/him you want to change from satellite to FM and what channel to tune to, change cabin temps to 68, lower/raise volume, etc. This, at least, allows you to not have to take your eyes off the road and fiddle with a touch screen just to do simple tasks. But, the downside, besides the initial costs, was having to get like a 10 year/100K extended warranty, because WHEN something breaks, it's BIG $$. The explosion and proliferation for ever-more tech in new vehicles is also adding immensely to the initial costs of them, as well as the added costs and often inabilities to adequately diagnose and fix them.

 

You should write that up and send it to AAA or your state legislator. I'd love it if someone in Concord (my state is NH) proposed a rule to ban touch screens in cars. Back in the 1980s I got a traffic ticket. On the back there was a list of the reasons for a ticket and the officer had to check what applied. Things like speeding, stop sign, lane violation, unsafe distance, etc., and one of those reasons was a display screen in view of the driver. Now they've created exemptions, but I think the exemptions should be limited to back-up cameras only. As you say, all those other functions require the driver to look away from the road.

 

And, then there's this from the IIHS...

Too Many Drivers Trust Autonomous Technology Too Much: IIHS Study (msn.com)

I guess maybe it'll take enough lives to be lost, and enough billion$ in loss/accident damage before states/feds/insurance companies will start mandating updates on this distractive nonsense.

 

This just gives the lawyers more people to sue in the event of an accident. Not just the driver, but the manufacturer and software designers.

If you don't want to drive, take the bus! When I was in grad school I took Trailways to Boston. 🚌 I could study or sleep on the trip to and from. Weather didn't matter, either.

 

Parents not watching their kids anymore is part of the problem, but keep an eye on your surroundings and take it slow, and it shouldn't be an issue.

 

Another Patriot!

 

After my recent wiring harness replacement down to the wires, me I am out of Jeep forever. In fact I am done with American cars, period. I got my 2012 Patriot at 38k miles 4 years ago and at 48k miles things started to go wrong...Alt, struts, AC Compressor, Alt killed my battery, A-rms, tranny whining...etc....MPG were horrible in this car and man even my 2004 Trailblazer that I rebuilt was better than this Patriot....It served its purposes for me and now I dont ever want to have another Jeep

 

Me? I wish they were still making Patriots. We liked the first one so much we got a second one. 450,000 total miles.

Oh, about your tranny whine. The owners manual doesn't tell you this (it should): Tranny fluid and filters should be changed every 50,000 miles. That whine is telling you the fluid is worn out.

 

Wow, that one question really brought out the what if, I just don't have the heart to sell my 2010 Pat (only 93000 miles) but now has company 2021 Grand Cher Laredo E

Actually my oldest boy had the 2010 Pat. I brought it He brought a New a 2015 GC L E, just brought a ( my wife thinks a repo) 2021 GC L E with 11936miles. My youngest will be driving soon so I got Her protection...

And I think I'll be driving the 2010 Pat again Real soon...
Go figure !

 

I have asked the same question and considered Subaru. After doing comparisons particularly between a ‘16 or ‘17 Patriot to a ‘15 Subaru Crosstrek, I concluded that qualitatively they were actually similar and the Patriot wins on price. It’s all about parts replacement even for a “dead” car, which is long term cheaper than buying new or certified pre-owned.

 

We still have our 2011 Patriot Latitude, that we bought new, as a second car with only 73xxx mi. After selling our MH and toad, we needed another vehicle and bought a 2020 Santa Fe Limited made in Montgomery, AL. It gets twice the MPG as the Pat, and is much more comfortable on long road trips. Right now Stellantis has nothing that we would buy. We will keep the Pat for hauling bulky items or conflicting schedules as it runs and drives well, just not as classy as we want now.

 

#1 Toyota (10-year-old Corolla, Camry, Rav4, or Highlander)
#2 Honda CRV (pre CVT) Honda's best vehicle ever made.
#3 Mazda CX3

Stay away from: European (including Crysler), Domestic, and Nissan.

Subaru's are middle of the road; the H engine has Gasket problems.

 

I hope my 2017 FD-2 Patriot (96,000+ miles) lasts a few more years, at least long enough for the new Ford Bronco to become a reasonable replacement option in terms of price and quality.

 

@AzJeepGuy have you considered your Jeep's whine to be an AC issue? I've heard that can sometimes be the case, and people throw money at the CVT because that has a bad reputation(not entirely without cause, but I think not as bad as is often thought).

 

I wish man, happens when the tranny gets warmed up after a while or hour of driving

 

I don't expect to replace mine any time soon but I think we're looking at a GMC Terrain or Chevy Equinox to replace my wife's car.

Not sure if it will happen but I'd like to get 20 years out of our Patriot. It's at the dealer having its 15 year inspection as we speak. It's funny to think the only reason I bought it was because of the Lifetime Powertrain Warranty and I only ever used it once for a leaking oil pan.

 

ALL vehicles - I repeat - ALL vehicles have their weak links. Some more than others, but if you look at recent 5-year history of recalls alone, I'm amazed that anybody even buys Hyundai/Kias. ABS issues, electrical issues, fuels leaks, fires, and now the multitude of ones built without immobilizers, where the teeny-bopper gangbangers are making videos of stealing those things with a USB cord. Lol. Yes, many Subarus pancake 4s have head gasket issues. A lot of Nissan owners hate their CVTs. Even the almighty Toyotas have had some recalls for various issues. You truly think brand "X" is better than another? Just peruse over to their forums and read some of the comments/complaints on that brand. I look at the overall cost of the Jeep (or any vehicle), look at the most common and likely complaints, weigh the cost of repairs likely to be encountered during the life of ownership. I also look at simple things like how easy/cheap is it to do normal routine maintenance yourself. Parts costs??? Hey, owning a Ferrari would be really cool, but over six years of ownership, the mandatory factory services can run you as high as $60K during that time. NO BUENO!!!

I'll take a Red-Eye Hellcat I can run up on ramp stands, grab a couple jugs of synthetic oil and a Mopar filter off the shelf at the local Wally World, and change it myself for well under $100. Plug changes in under a couple hours every 60K or 100K on the Hemi. I'm lucky I have the 6-speed auto in my 2015 Pat', so many of the issues with the manual or CVTs I shouldn't encounter. It may not be the most refined vehicle on the road, but for what it is, I'm happy with it. It has just enough creature comforts and tech yet is still kind of rudimentary. It has a decent auto-AWD system for daily driving, and in the most severe conditions the 4WD system has gotten me places even bigger 4WD trucks didn't dare in over a foot of snow, with deeper drifts. And, that was only with a decent set of A/S tires, not dedicated snow tires! I plowed through a lane with deep snow, and it tracked straight and true where others couldn't maintain control or traction. I consider it good bang-for-the-buck.

If you're all about owning the most/latest tech, gadgets and whiz-bangs, or cushy ride then, yeah, there are plenty of other vehicles out there better suited for you.