I know Jeep Patriots don’t get a lot of love, but I loved mine. I swore I’d drive it till I died. But my son totaled it, so I have to find something else. It was paid for & I can’t afford payments right now, so I figure I’ll have about $4000 to spend. I know for that price it will be an older car. Can you recommend something similar to the Patriot that won’t need a huge amount of maintenance & is good for country driving in a northern climate?
One of the small SUVs, such as Honda CRV, Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4.
Older Subaru’s had a problem with head gaskets, so I’d stick with the others.
I drove Jeep Cherokees for many years. If you can find a 2001 model in good condition for 4K…that’s what I would get. It’s very similar to the Patriot. Avoid the Jeep Grand Cherokee because it’s a totally different animal.
Seconding the Cherokee. My brother in law had one, and it was a good vehicle for him. Fairly reliable mechanical-wise. The main problem he had was with the interior trim pieces tending to want to fall off over time.
Since the vehicle will be old, I suggest that you find one in excellent condition regardless of the make and model. If you want to replace your SUV with another, look at the size you like. Look online at sites like Autotrader and CraigsList to get an idea of what is available from dealers in your area. You don’t have to buy from a dealer, but it will give you an idea of what your money will buy. Look for low miles and a seller with receipts for repairs and maintenance.
Why not a clean, older Jeep? The one you had served you well and they seem to hold up well; otherwise, a lot of the rural mail carriers in this area would not use them.
Running rural mail routes is very, very tough on a vehicle and if they were that problematic the mail carriers would not be using them.
If you’re going to get another Jeep, I’d avoid the Commander, Liberty and Patriot
Forget the SUV and buy a car. $4k buys a better car than a Jeep. Spend the extra money on winter tires on separate rims.
I don’t understand why people feel they need 4WD/AWD these days. I grew up driving in CT and Boston winters, moved to CO 30 years ago for grad school, lived in Moscow for five years – DRIVING RWD CARS! Sorry for shouting, just tying to make my point.
As kids, we went skiing every weekend in the 1970’s – we drove CARS (and kept chains in the trunk). My current RWD BMW 328i with four Blizzaks will run rings around my girlfriend’s Audi A4 with all (read three) season tires on a snow packed mountain road.
Buy a Hyundai Sonata, Honda Accord, Toyota or what ever you prefer and get a set of winter tires.
Most people could buy a sonata accord or camry and not even bother with winter tires.
Your son did you a favor. Take advantage of it. Get a Corolla.
I don't understand why people feel they need 4WD/AWD these days.In all honesty, no one really needs to explain why they want something, as long as they can afford it, and aren't asking you for money to buy it. I love the AWD on my Mazda and have felt that the times it has helped me in winter justifies my want for it.
That being said, in the $4k price range, I wouldn’t look at A/4WD vehicles.
Mazda makes really good cars that fair pretty well over the years and will be cheaper to buy than Honda and Toyota counterparts.
My current RWD BMW 328i with four Blizzaks will run rings around my girlfriend's Audi A4 with all (read three) season tires on a snow packed mountain road.Assuming it has AWD, how would your car perform against the A4 with winter tires on said road?