About That Outrageous Claim By Romney That Chrysler Was Moving Jeep Production To China.....

The Detroit News: Chrysler to build Jeeps in China.

So, will Washington Post take at least one Pinnochoio back now?

Goodbye Jeep, Hello RAV4!

After 11 years since its production and 8 years in my care and over 152,000 miles, it was time for the Jeep to go.

So introducing the new dive-, shooting-, kiddie transport- and everything else mobile my new Toyota RAV4.

My first new car, ever. Now I know what they mean by that new car smell.

11 Years worth of technology upgrades and automotive know-how makes this a very smooth and fuel efficient ride. So much so that I calculated I'm going to save $80 a month in gas at current prices. The 4 cylinder engine has plenty of pep and while it is not as quick on acceleration as the Jeep with the straight six, its actually pretty close.

I've already taken it to the dive site and the side opening rear door is perfect for gearing up - unlike the Jeep it does not come crashing back down on my head at awkward moments, such as when both arms are busy. The tanks and gear fit in perfectly.

The interior is quite roomy with everything laid out in a logical fashion, the seats are more comfy and form fitting and the suspension is so much nicer.

In short, its a very impressive vehicle and should be very suitable for everything I need it to do.

I spent quite some time online researching compact SUVs to decide possible worthy successors to the Cherokee.

Now I did try at first to buy American, but was stumped. You see, in the Detroit area they don't advertise the price that you as a consumer will actually be charged for the car. No. Instead it is the employee price plus lease loyalty and all sorts of other discounts that the non-employee doesn't qualify for so figuring out what you will actually be facing when you go to sit down and make a deal is just about impossible.

That is how a Jeep Liberty advertised as a $144/month lease ended up being $286-296 after the test drive and once we sat down to discuss it with the salesman (even with a CDI number I was being given by a friend), and the Jeep Patriot ended up costing even more! Apparently the Patriot's residual value is so bad, you can buy it for just $60/month more than the lease.

As to the Jeep Liberty, I was hoping it would be a worthy successor to the Jeep Cherokee it replaced. The current version doesn't even come close.

The steering was brutally stiff, so much so I wondered if the power steering was defective, the ride extra harsh and pickup seemed much less with as much road noise as the old Jeep. The turning radius was worse as was the overall responsiveness. After 11 years of engineering and IMHO an inferior engine that is all of 2 mpg more fuel efficient than the Cherokee it replaced, not impressive. In addition, the setup and height into the passenger compartment made it very hard for the kids to get up into the back seat - far worse than the Cherokee. If you want truck-like handling that makes it feel like a much larger truck than it is along with feeling every bump on the road in your lumbar region (this is not a good thing), go for it.

The Jeep Patriot was rather intriguing - 4WD, smooth handling, fuel efficiency with a 4 cylinder almost matching the RAV4s, good pickup, a decent layout and a CVT transmission that was capable if very noisy, but the price was ridiculous and a deal breaker. The salesman weren't willing to work things out package wise and couldn't make a 4WD fit our budget requirements. Maybe in three years when this RAV4 lease ends I'll look again at some Patriots coming off lease if they hold up. I expect they'll be going for quite cheap as most of the value of it will have been paid for in the 3 lease years.

Thence we went to Toyota and the experience was completely different.

At the Toyota dealership the advertised price was the actual price on arrival at the dealership. Quite refreshing after the Jeep experience. The sales staff were friendly, not pushy and very helpful in getting cars out to try and answering all my questions, not to mention encouraging me to take my time and thoroughly drive the car to be sure I like it.

So I now have a new RAV4.

Something to be said about the capitalist system when you can get a superior and more refined automobile for less than a demonstrably inferior one. So my first non-American car and so far its been a top rate driving experience.

I'll miss the Jeep but I'm really enjoying my new ride.

Its a Jeep Thing

My 2001 Jeep Cherokee passed a major milestone this week:

Yes, 150,150 Miles, and it is still going strong.

Aside from some issues with the A/C system and the Idle Air Controller going bad, there have been no serious problems. The utility of the Jeep for shlepping stuff, including everything from heavy dive tanks to household goods is excellent, and its four-wheel drive has been a serious help this winter as it has every winter.

Sadly, 2001 was the last year of production for the XJ for North American and Eurpoean sales, but they were still being produced through 2005 for sales in China.

With luck and continued regular maintenance, I'm hoping my Jeep will make 200,000 miles. #1 Daughter (age 7) wants it for when she turns 16 and can drive, as long as we repaint it pink.

Of Jeeps and the Wisdom of the Internet

Friday night, heading home from work I'm driving along, minding my own business and then I come to a stoplight and my 01 Jeep Cherokee idles and then stalls out and dies when I come to a complete stop.

It starts right back up and I continue to drive until the next red light where, guess what, it stalls and dies again as soon as I get to a complete stop.

This was not happy making.

I get very good at shifting the automatic transmission into neutral and constantly feeding the engine gas at stops in traffic to stop it from stalling out and then shifting into drive while simultaneously manipulating the gas and brake pedals. Shades of when I was driving a stick, many years ago.

So I get home and of course the local Jeep dealer can't see it until Monday and has no clue over the phone, my friend the home garage mechanic that does my regular service is mystified. One of my buddies thinks it is the alternator.

So off to the Internets I go.

I search many a forum and find a few people with the exact same problem.

One of the suggestions is it is the Idle Air Control. So I go to the local O'Reiley's Auto Parts get the part for $80 and take it and the Jeep to my friendly home garage mechanic.

On accessing the air intake, its plainly visible that the intake and throttle plate is filthy with carbon which we comprehensively clean with carb cleaner. My mechanic friend unscrews the IAC, which is also filthy and on running the suggested test of setting the car to on ( but not starting the engine) it actually breaks into its component parts, which is a pretty good indication that it was the cause of my woes.

We replace it with the new part, do an oil change and it runs beautifully, with no more stalling at idle.

So if your Jeep suddenly develops a habit of stalling at idle when you come to a stop, check your IAC and thank the wisdom of the Internets.