Car Shopping ...

Looked at Renegades and Compasses (that's the correct plural spelling!) in California.

 

That's a long drive...

 

So are you getting rid one of your AMC Jeeps?

 

Is that because every where else is covered in snow?

 

I need a new DD. Tired of battling VW rust while driving it regularly. Mostly I've been walking. The Jeeps stay off the road in the winter. I drove the J10 a few times in the winter and the rust acceleration was startling.

Was considering a Wrangler (too big) or a WJ (too big and too old) or a VW Alltrack (a wimp off-pavement and nearly impossible to find in a MT). Not keen on the ZF but considering what else is available ...

I was in California for a couple of weeks over the holidays.

 

only draw back I would see is the additional california emissions that might be on it
but then again . all cars might be simpler equipped . now a days
I would rather buy one from out west then anywhere north of me
used or new

 

Mmm. I'd buy something new or lightly used here. I was visiting and was asked what I'd like to do during the day, so we went to look at cars. I grew up in the LA area, and don't feel the need to do a lot of sightseeing. We had plenty of activities on other days - Will Rogers SP, hiking in the San Gabriels, Rose Parade, Travel Town at Griffith Park, a visit to urgent care (not for me). In the past I've gone on junkyard crawls, but it's hard to justify that unless you go by yourself. SoCal has great junkyards.

The cars in CA did say "50 states emissions" on the sticker. MA is pretty strict about emissions too, so I'd expect the same emissions equipment here. NH might be different - they allowed the diesel Beetles in prior decades, while MA did not (again adopting the CA rules for diesels).

 

One reason I keep my '88 YJ for a DD. Old enough to be exempt from emissions testing, here in NH.

I try to "oil" it once a year with Penetrol, to slow the rust.

 

Just bought a '17 Renegade two weeks ago. Nice little car, the Trailhawk badging is a bit bogus, no low range, no Rubicon trail accomplishment, and no rear lock like the wife's Cherokee.

 

oh, I'm averaging 26.6 mpg. I like the car, the 9 speed shifts smoothly, and it has the 2.4ltr. I did not look to try and find the turbo 1.4ltr.

Complaint so far and the expected wind noise, the Renegade is boxy. But I like the interior, it fits me well, the seats are very supportive, and I like the title and telescopic steering wheel. I picked up a 16gb mp3 player and have been putting my CD's on it. It would be nice if it had access to the oil drain plug from underneath, and a hood access oil filter. Taking the front skidplate off will get tiresome. I did put anti seize on all of those bolts to make future removal less troublesome.

I drive about 100 miles daily to and from work daily, so getting some more fuel efficiency was a major factor in my search. Yeah, I could have went to some hybrid. Cross bars for the roof rack are pricey. I may make my own. Overall, thumbs up.

 

I rarely see a Renegade around here. I wonder how popular they are in other parts of the country?

 

congrats.

I saw two in a jaunt across town the other day. They look nice.

 

Yes, congratulations! The Trailhawk variant has a low range of sorts, with a very low first gear. Works out to about 20:1. According to the reviews they do alright off the pavement. "Best in class" 4WD.

I drove one of the Renegades with the 1.4L and manual when I was car shopping. I think they would be fine for an all-weather car, but the engine does not have much low speed torque. On the highway, if you drop down a couple of gears it will scoot, but off the line it's pretty weak. The salesman seemed surprised by this maneuver ...

 

drive it like you stole it
before you buy


seem to be very popular around here

 

My wife bought a Renegade Trailhawk 2 years ago. We have had it on some very rough logging roads and fire roads around here for hiking purpose's. I have a Kayak rack for the top so we have had it in some decent back country. She has the 2.4 4 banger which is a Chrysler engine, the turbo engine is anemic compared to the 2.4liter engine. The 9 speed automatic is a pretty decent transmission even with the 20:1 low gear. Quite roomy inside for the small size of the outside, the ride reminds me of the more truck like ride of the original Cherokee than most modern SUV's, hers has around 48,000 miles on it now, no drivetrain problems as of yet.