What do you drive?

[Spikedriver]

We've owned Jeeps for close to 20 years now. Never had a serious problem with any of them. My Rubicon is an 07 model and have had zero problems with it. Same with my wife's Grand Cherokee, except for mice damage. My parents had a Jeep Liberty, again zero problems. I guess with any product, there could be problem ones made.

I'm very surprised by your good luck with them and I hope it continues for you. My dad, my 3 siblings, and myself have probably owned 10 between us and only one was any good. The interior of my Ram fell apart with less than 100k on it. The door trim fell off, the console latch broke off, the rearview mirror fell off the windshield, the cruise quit working, the radio only worked half the time, and there were a couple other things I don't remember. Mechanically, the power steering was very loose. My siblings had a glut of problems at relatively low mileage. Blown transmissions, electronic failures that shut the car down, power sliding doors that quit, a myriad of sensor problems, valve problems, and my oldest brother's Chrysler just flat out died and burned up on the side of the road. My sister had a Cherokee that kept dropping the transfer case. I'll never own another one of their vehicles. To me they are a ticking time bomb...

 

[Spikedriver]

My family is now 100% Toyota.
Me, Tundra.
Wife, 4Runner.
Son, Camry.
Daughter, Highlander.
Son in Law, Corolla.

This is the way...

 

[Mountain trapper]

I'm very surprised by your good luck with them and I hope it continues for you. My dad, my 3 siblings, and myself have probably owned 10 between us and only one was any good. The interior of my Ram fell apart with less than 100k on it. The door trim fell off, the console latch broke off, the rearview mirror fell off the windshield, the cruise quit working, the radio only worked half the time, and there were a couple other things I don't remember. Mechanically, the power steering was very loose. My siblings had a glut of problems at relatively low mileage. Blown transmissions, electronic failures that shut the car down, power sliding doors that quit, a myriad of sensor problems, valve problems, and my oldest brother's Chrysler just flat out died and burned up on the side of the road. My sister had a Cherokee that kept dropping the transfer case. I'll never own another one of their vehicles. To me they are a ticking time bomb...

That's a lot of problems. I don't know anything about Dodge or other Chrysler vehicles. I only know about the experience that we've had with our Jeeps.
For now, I'll only buy Jeep SUVs and Ford pickups. Where we live we need true 4 wheel drive vehicles with plenty of power and decent ground clearance. In my opinion, my Wrangler is under powered. Which is why I wanted to upgrade to the 392.

 

[Spikedriver]

That's a lot of problems. I don't know anything about Dodge or other Chrysler vehicles. I only know about the experience that we've had with our Jeeps.
For now, I'll only buy Jeep SUVs and Ford pickups. Where we live we need true 4 wheel drive vehicles with plenty of power and decent ground clearance. In my opinion, my Wrangler is under powered. Which is why I wanted to upgrade to the 392.

The newer Wranglers have 3 or 4 engine choices. I know a guy that has had both the V6 and the turbo 4 cyl in his Wranglers. He says the turbo 4 actually has more power. His Wranglers are weekend toys, not workhorses. I'm not a huge fan of turbos, not sure what you think of them. Having a Hemi in a Wrangler would be a lot of "Go" in a relatively small package...

 

[zoomzoom]

Mazda is solid. The ones built in Japan have a fit and finish that would make Lexus proud.

Both of mine were made in Japan.
Funny you compared it to a Lexus. We have the Mazda CX-5 and a Lexus RX-350.
The interior in the Lexus is a bit nicer, but not by much.
Although the Lexus has the V-6 and more HP, the Mazda's turbo 4 cyl is much quicker.
The Lexus only gets around 16MPG's around town, the Mazda is about 23MPG's.

 

[Spikedriver]

Both of mine were made in Japan.
Funny you compared it to a Lexus. We have the Mazda CX-5 and a Lexus RX-350.
The interior in the Lexus is a bit nicer, but not by much.
Although the Lexus has the V-6 and more HP, the Mazda's turbo 4 cyl is much quicker.
The Lexus only gets around 16MPG's around town, the Mazda is about 23MPG's.

I had a 2015 Mazda 6 sedan. It was the Touring trim, which is second from the bottom when it comes to being fancy. It still had full power drivers seat and most of the essential goodies. It was also a 6 speed manual transmission, with the regular non-turbo motor. It wasn't fast but I never felt like it was underpowered, and it could accelerate up a 5% grade in 6th gear. It also handled like a sports car. I could drive into a 25mph, 90 degree curve at 45mph, drop from 6th to 3rd, and come out of the curve at 60-65 mph. The only limiting factor was tire grip.

I wouldn't hesitate to have another Mazda, but it would have to be a SUV with the higher seating position. I'm just too old and beat up to spend 12 hours in a car that sits low to the ground...

 

[zoomzoom]

it would have to be a SUV with the higher seating position. I'm just too old and beat up to spend 12 hours in a car that sits low to the ground...

I resemble that. As of yesterday, my wife and I no longer have sedans. SUV's or the truck are all we do nowadays.

 

[d_marsh]

I'm reluctant to buy a Chrysler, or anything in the Chrysler family - Dodge, Chrysler, Ram, or Jeep. I, and all my family, have owned them before. None of us have owned one for at least ten years. There's a reason for that - they don't last. I don't have time for shop queens...

You must have not provided them the proper love and respect. Toyotas are like atheists, they roam around but have no functional soul. Dodge on the other hand is what Jesus would drive if he comes back tomorrow. Probably a purple Challenger R/T.

 

[Spikedriver]

You must have not provided them the proper love and respect. Toyotas are like atheists, they roam around but have no functional soul. Dodge on the other hand is what Jesus would drive if he comes back tomorrow. Probably a purple Challenger R/T.


View attachment 168386

Jesus might drive a Dodge, because every week when something broke he could just lay hands on it and heal it.

Dodge makes some cool toys. That Challenger would be fun. But I don't believe in toys. I have to be able to depend on my vehicles to get me where I'm going, whether that's 10 miles or 100 miles or 1000 miles away, and they have to be comfortable to ride in for 1000 miles. In the past 20 years I've had Chevy, Buick, Oldsmobile, Saturn, Mazda, and unfortunately for me, Kia. Toyota is what I drive now because Toyota is the best at doing what I need a car to do.

As for maintenance, my experience is that it doesn't matter with Chrysler/Stellantis vehicles. You could change the oil every 1000 miles, and they'd still break. My Ram got all the scheduled services and it was still junk. Never again.

 

[AMC]

 

[d_marsh]

Jesus might drive a Dodge, because every week when something broke he could just lay hands on it and heal it.

Dodge makes some cool toys. That Challenger would be fun. But I don't believe in toys. I have to be able to depend on my vehicles to get me where I'm going, whether that's 10 miles or 100 miles or 1000 miles away, and they have to be comfortable to ride in for 1000 miles. In the past 20 years I've had Chevy, Buick, Oldsmobile, Saturn, Mazda, and unfortunately for me, Kia. Toyota is what I drive now because Toyota is the best at doing what I need a car to do.

As for maintenance, my experience is that it doesn't matter with Chrysler/Stellantis vehicles. You could change the oil every 1000 miles, and they'd still break. My Ram got all the scheduled services and it was still junk. Never again.

First, Charlene is not a toy. She is a real car. If you pull up next to a hot 20-something lady and and she gives you and your car a nice long look, you know you are driving something special. If not, it doesn't matter what you drive. It's nothing more than a box with wheel that gets you from one place to another.

Charlene has 146,000 miles on her and is 7 years old. She has been all over the US, sans liberal crap holes, and has never once been in the shop for anything other than routine care. I am in a couple car clubs and I hear the same from all of my Dodge loving sisters and brothers.

I can't speak to Dodge pickups or minivans because I am not a soccer mom or a farmer.

 

[Mountain trapper]

The newer Wranglers have 3 or 4 engine choices. I know a guy that has had both the V6 and the turbo 4 cyl in his Wranglers. He says the turbo 4 actually has more power. His Wranglers are weekend toys, not workhorses. I'm not a huge fan of turbos, not sure what you think of them. Having a Hemi in a Wrangler would be a lot of "Go" in a relatively small package...

I wouldn't want a 4 banger in any vehicle with or without a turbo, with the possible exception of the diesel. If the 392 Rubicon is no longer available then I may consider putting a Hemi in my Rubicon.

 

[Spikedriver]

First, Charlene is not a toy. She is a real car. If you pull up next to a hot 20-something lady and and she gives you and your car a nice long look, you know you are driving something special. If not, it doesn't matter what you drive. It's nothing more than a box with wheel that gets you from one place to another.

Charlene has 146,000 miles on her and is 7 years old. She has been all over the US, sans liberal crap holes, and has never once been in the shop for anything other than routine care. I am in a couple car clubs and I hear the same from all of my Dodge loving sisters and brothers.

I can't speak to Dodge pickups or minivans because I am not a soccer mom or a farmer.

I've no interest in hot 20 something ladies any more. I could afford a (used) Porsche if I wanted one, and that would get attention from lots of ladies. It means nothing to me, because I prefer women my age that can afford their own nice cars. (GF has a Toyota Avalon and a Mustang.)

If your car has that many reliable miles, that's a good thing. I'm not questioning your experience, just like @Mountain trapper has had good luck with Jeeps I'm not questioning him either. But I believe that's an outlier, not the norm. My coworkers come from all over the country and pretty much none drives anything Chrysler made, aside from mini vans. Nissan is the same way, when we park at our job sites you don't see any. It's because just about everyone who has had one has been burned by it. But I see guys with Toyotas, Honda's, and even GM cars with 200K +, driving them 800 or more miles to and from work, 4 times a month. I just don't trust a Chrysler/Stellantis vehicle for that. I don't even trust GM for that very much. (Never owned a Ford so no comment there.)