[wadespencer99]

It must be in the air, John.

I’d been wanting to trade the Cherokee Trailhawk in for awhile before it self-destructs. They aren’t particularly well known for longevity anymore and we’d already started having trouble with various electronics so we traded it on a 4Runner TRD Pro. What a difference! We love that it doesn’t have all the autonomous safety “features” that the Jeep had, and it’s just a normal 5 speed automatic transmission with a normal transfer case instead of the 9 speed/2 speed time bomb the Jeep had.

I’ve also been reeaaaallly disliking my Fiesta lately. I bought it because I was driving 30k miles a year and needed something good on gas that I could just pile the miles on. I’ve been chasing tons of problems with it and I’m not driving as much as I used to so it was time to replace that as well. I considered a few cars and decided on an MK7 GTI SE. I LOVE it. I had forgotten what it was like to drive a fun car after 8+ years in the Fiesta.

Attached are some fabulously mediocre phone pictures.

 

[B3NN3TT]

I've had a nagging voice in the back of my head bugging me about looking into a tow vehicle. I've been telling it to STFU so far.

GTI looks good - 3 pedals, or DSG?

And HOLY COW you've had that Fiesta for 8 years?!

 

[wadespencer99]

I've had a nagging voice in the back of my head bugging me about looking into a tow vehicle. I've been telling it to STFU so far.

GTI looks good - 3 pedals, or DSG?

And HOLY COW you've had that Fiesta for 8 years?!

C’mon, you can tow with the Honda!

3 pedals was a requirement. I’ll stop driving manuals when they pry the clutch pedal out from under my cold, dead foot.

Almost 9 years with the Fiesta actually, isn’t that wild?

Overall it’s been an “ok” car, no major issues until the latest problem with the sticky brakes that I’ve determined isn’t going to be solved for less than the car is worth. It wasn’t worth trading, so I guess after I detail it I’ll sell it as a mechanic’s special and let it be someone else’s problem. I’m really just over it and I was definitely ready for something else.

 

[mmc757]

[

I've had a nagging voice in the back of my head bugging me about looking into a tow vehicle. I've been telling it to STFU so far.

Throw a hitch on the Mustang. I would stay off the highways if towing the Cougar, but at low speeds it should be safe...enough.

I put a hitch on the Miata. So far I've only used a cargo rack with it but it has been insanely handy. I might actually get a tiny utility trailer if I can find one rated for highway speeds.

 

[JScullin]

Nicely done! My friend has a 4R and loves it, and Kari has been wanting a GTi for a few years now but she's gonna stick w/her '14 Focus Ti just a bit longer.

 

[wadespencer99]

Nicely done! My friend has a 4R and loves it, and Kari has been wanting a GTi for a few years now but she's gonna stick w/her '14 Focus Ti just a bit longer.

I can already see why the 4Runners have such a big fan base.

Any problems with her Focus? My ‘13 Fiesta Ti was great until everything started to just seem to go wrong at once. It has 139,000 on it.

 

[JScullin]

That seems like a good life for an economy car. She's only got 22k on her Focus and the DCT in those are the worst but luckily she's avoided any out of warranty issues.

 

[jaged]

Throw a hitch on the Mustang. I would stay off the highways if towing the Cougar, but at low speeds it should be safe...enough.

I will come steal the Bullitt back from him if he puts a hitch on it

 

[wadespencer99]

That seems like a good life for an economy car. She's only got 22k on her Focus and the DCT in those are the worst but luckily she's avoided any out of warranty issues.

Wow, that's low miles on a '14. Ford has been sued over the DCT in the Fiesta...I guess they were really terrible. Mine was a 5 speed so I avoided that, thankfully.

And yes, I suppose that was acceptable for a cheap car. I've always maintained it well and it still runs great, it's just....everything else.

 

[B3NN3TT]

Buddy of mine had a 15-ish Focus with the DCT and his wife stopped driving it because of how janky the trans was. They traded it in on a new Fiesta with a traditional automatic.

 

[mmc757]

I will come steal the Bullitt back from him if he puts a hitch on it

 

[Pyro81]

It must be in the air, John.

I’d been wanting to trade the Cherokee Trailhawk in for awhile before it self-destructs. They aren’t particularly well known for longevity anymore and we’d already started having trouble with various electronics so we traded it on a 4Runner TRD Pro. What a difference! We love that it doesn’t have all the autonomous safety “features” that the Jeep had, and it’s just a normal 5 speed automatic transmission with a normal transfer case instead of the 9 speed/2 speed time bomb the Jeep had.

Something strange is going on here. Your post had drawn me out of hiding.
I've had my Chevy truck since 2007 and it currently has 155k miles on it and it's falling apart. Been thinking about replacing it but was unsure with what. Don't really want another truck so i started looking around. I was actually looking at used Cherokee Trailhawks and I like the look of them. But you say they are a ticking time bomb, eh? Damn, might have to keep looking. Trouble is nothing really catches my fancy.
I f** hate vehicle shopping.

 

[Beans]

MK7 FTW

 

[wadespencer99]

Something strange is going on here. Your post had drawn me out of hiding.
I've had my Chevy truck since 2007 and it currently has 155k miles on it and it's falling apart. Been thinking about replacing it but was unsure with what. Don't really want another truck so i started looking around. I was actually looking at used Cherokee Trailhawks and I like the look of them. But you say they are a ticking time bomb, eh? Damn, might have to keep looking. Trouble is nothing really catches my fancy.
I f** hate vehicle shopping.

Back from the dead!

I know a couple people locally that had Trailhawks and had problems with them, mainly electronic and with the rear differential. Let's say that they weren't the type of people that really take care of their cars, so I chalked it up to abuse.

We bought this one with 25,000 miles on it. At 37,000 (just out of warranty) both front wheel bearings needed replaced, which was a pricey repair. Various electronic issues would come and go - the annoying stop-start function would fail randomly (totally ok with it not working, but it did mean something was wrong). The blind spot indicators in the mirrors stopped working. The screen in the dash would only work when it felt like it, which is an issue because a lot of vehicle functions are controlled through that.

A rather large headache was when the push button start failed. The plastic delaminates and causes the button to stick, meaning there is no way to start the vehicle. According to Jeep the part was "backordered indefinitely with no ETA". The parts guy gave me the current part number (5th revision) and I was luckily able to find a new one listed on eBay from a Jeep dealer.

A mechanic friend has been replacing a lot of rocker arm roller bearings in them. Ours wasn't ticking...yet. The icing on the cake was when the rear axle seal started dripping fluid, meaning that the rear differential bearing is failing. Bye, Felicia.

Unless you buy a brand new one with a warranty and trade it when it runs out I'd steer clear. They don't make 'em like they used to.

 

[wadespencer99]

MK7 FTW

My fave.

 

[mmc757]

We've got about 130k on our 2015 Grand Cherokee 5.7l.
No significant issues so far. It does seem to have a bit of a lifter tick that comes and goes but its been doing that for a long time so I'm not worried about it.

 

[wadespencer99]

We've got about 130k on our 2015 Grand Cherokee 5.7l.
No significant issues so far. It does seem to have a bit of a lifter tick that comes and goes but its been doing that for a long time so I'm not worried about it.

This was the 3.2 V6, probably a specific problem to that engine.

 

[mmc757]

Stellantis (Still cant get used to that) Has seemed a little directionless in the small motor department for the last few generations, even as they have been pulling the hemi's back.

 

[B3NN3TT]

I think the collision of Chrysler and FIAT has been rocky. The all-Chrysler vehicles (300, Pacifica, Wrangler, Grand Cherokee, etc) seem mostly good, and the all-FIAT vehicles (500, 124) are mostly good, too. But the Patriot, Dart, 200, Cherokee, Renegade, etc, that share platforms, seem like kind of a nightmare.