Bought my wife a Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4 a little while back. We enjoy the truck for its features and comfort and size, but... this thing has been turning into a problem child here lately. Back story below. Fast forward to the
red to get to the actual point of this thread.
The transfer case grenaded (full time 4wd) which required a month to get a replacement delivered. This happened right before the birth of our daughter, so the timing was "fine" since we weren't going anywhere as it was. Had it happened pretty much at any other time, this would have been disasterous as the dealer/corporate were unwilling to provide a loaner despite it being under warranty.
The rain sensing wipers just stopped working in the middle of a rain storm recently with an error on the dash indicating as such. Don't really need to explain why that's not okay, but seemed like a fluke as they have worked well otherwise.
Twice in the past week while I was driving it, I noticed the transmission started to
slightly slip when leaving out of the neighborhood.
I stopped at the local grocery store to pick up a few supplies for dinner. When backing out of my parking spot I got about halfway out and the thing just stalled. My wife wouldn't have known what to do in that scenario.
I could go on with a few other things, but you get the point. Clearly the issues aren't just happening while I drive - what's going on when she drives that she just doesn't necessarily know is a problem? A 2017 in really nice shape with ~40k on the clock is having some issues - some of which are outside of the only remaining warranty - powertrain. Funny enough, the verbiage of the warranty looks to only cover the mechanical bits of the powertrain. So if an electronic bit that tells the transmission to shift fails but the box also holds a function for something else in the vehicle, it wouldn't be covered per my dealer (of which, I actually do trust - they're a great bunch over there).
Buying another Jeep just isn't in the cards. I've probably had a dozen from the brand, but the newer ones have been giving me headaches, and I've learned my lesson. Ended up getting rid of my Gladiator Rubicon due to some safety issues that no one could resolve, and now I'm getting rid of this Grand Cherokee we had no intention of ever getting rid of for fear of taking a financial bath on something that "should" be reliable.
What should we get?
- I'd say budget is ~$40k, but I am ALL for spending less. But I'm done dicking around with stupid problems. I need some reliability as I just want my wife to do what she needs with no concern.
- Something that can hold its value. I don't mind buying new, but I don't want a 50% depreciation in a couple years. That said, I certainly don't mind buying used if we're getting good for the coin.
- I'm not a brand snob, but I think we also enjoy flying under the radar.
- An SUV seems to make the most sense - one kid with her already talking about another. It will be the vehicle of choice for long trips as a family. But open to other options (wagon?).
- I still want a little bit of a cool factor to it as I'm a car guy at heart. Can't have my wife driving an appliance!
At this point I'm leaning pretty heavily towards a Toyota 4Runner TRD Off Road Premium or a used TRD Pro. The lack of depreciation, utterly proven reliability, and still some cool factor checks a few boxes. That said, I already have a Land Cruiser that is effectively the same size, but it's a pure toy. I'm afraid of too much "overlap." Worried that I'll be spending a good chunk of change on a vehicle when I've already got a paid-for one sitting in the driveway
If I had the scratch (or the justification really), we'd be picking up a 200 Series Land Cruiser. They're just too much damn money.
I've also been looking at the F31 diesel wagons. Get a hell of a lot of car for <$30k. Just concerned with repair bills/reliability.
Should I revoke my cool card, just accept the need for the vehicle for what it is, and go minivan or something? I have a company car that I drive, my Land Cruiser for the fun, and then this vehicle will be hers (works from home) but also the primary family vehicle for trips, going to restaurants, etc. What vehicles am I missing? I feel like I've got tunnel vision. Hell my wife even said we could go get another E90 M3; she loved that thing. As much as I want to say yes, I don't think our primary family hauler should keep rod bearings and $250 oil changes in the back of our mind.
Final thought and this novel can be over... Should we consider a lease? I've never done one and don't like the idea of pissing money down the drain, but we may get a lot of the creature comforts we "want" without fear of failure later on in its life. I just truly do not know enough about them.
Thoughts?