Why do people hate jeeps

[onyxjeep]

HI guys and girls
I have owned my xj Cherokee for 2 years now and i have to say i love it to bits. They have powerful, reliable engines, sweet interior, off road potential and are just cool as! My question is why does the 4x4 world hate jeeps and particularly the xj's so much? Every magazine shows thousands of Toyota's, Nissan's, and the occasional wrangler but no Cherokees! Is it that not many people have them or that magazines, websites etc simply don't think there worthy and what is the reason?
What do you guys reckon?

wHeN I gRoW uP i WaNa B a JeEp

[Raisins78]

I see quite a few cherokee's in magazines, but its the whole "foreign vehicle" thing.
I was a Nissan man, built Aussie tough (sure it was, I wont deny it)
But I too have fallen for the Jeep.
Lack of knowledge is the biggest killer, because its not as popular, people are afraid of owning one.
Id say 99% of Jeep fans are either born into it (Family had Jeeps) or bought a cheap one (Like an XJ or older wrangler) to start with. Not much risk, as the car was cheap......then.....THEN.....you understand the "Jeep thing".

In the USA, Jeep is king, but landcruisers are in the same boat over there, as Jeeps are here.....Foreign vehicle, not trusted, except those who own or owned one...
I enjoy the unpopular stigma, its so much more satisfying when my $2000 XJ follows or goes further than the $50,000 patrols and cruisers lol

[sladey]

I'll jump in on this one

i think raisins nailed it in saying that over there (the U.S) that patrols and cruisers are in the same boat.. and even more so is the lack of diesel powerplants in 4x4's in the states, which is changing. there is also a lot of anti-americanisim in general these days and their reputation in manufacturing has slipped from the reputation a lot of the old classics had in years past, in some ways I feel its true. the 'big american heap of junk' thing is echoed alot by people who are now looking for more efficient, reliable and precisely manufactured cars, europe has that in spades but i think its only japanese car companies have been able to offer similar levels of quality to europe, I hope this changes. that is not to say I dont love my jeep, my jk is the 1st car I have owned that really suits my lifestyle but as someone else on this site said.. i love my jeep DESPITE the build quality and DESPITE the dealerships. true enough i think.

[scarps]

Cause they just don't understand. 'It's a Jeep thing!'
A friend of mine has a go at me all the time, but just this week He's ended up with a $4k repair bill for his 4WD.
I've given Him a new slogan for his 'Ouch, what a feeling!'

[r8tourer]

I'll just say how it is from my experience!

I have owned 3 x Toyota's and was extremely close to laying down the $ for a JK Unlimited. I thought i'd buy an XJ as a temporary vehicle and glad I did...

Why? During this time it has confirmed all the rumours and reputation that Jeep has. Bad quality parts and refinement. For a cheap car second hand to get you out of trouble, yeah its OK but would be a very bad decision financially to keep it long term.

Along with this, 2 of my mates also have Jeeps and nearly every trip something goes wrong, its an endless repair list. Fair enough though, some people are into the whole jeep thing and thats why they put up with it.

When comparing to a toyota, you can't beat the durability and reliability of a Toyota, especially if you plan on going Outback. My next vehicle will be a Toyota, again.

In the meantime I will continue to look and only look at JK's as I think they're a tough off roader but I wouldn't even consider one now.

[junglejuice]

Originally Posted by r8tourer

I'll just say how it is from my experience!

I have owned 3 x Toyota's and was extremely close to laying down the $ for a JK Unlimited. I thought i'd buy an XJ as a temporary vehicle and glad I did...

Why? During this time it has confirmed all the rumours and reputation that Jeep has. Bad quality parts and refinement. For a cheap car second hand to get you out of trouble, yeah its OK but would be a very bad decision financially to keep it long term.

Along with this, 2 of my mates also have Jeeps and nearly every trip something goes wrong, its an endless repair list. Fair enough though, some people are into the whole jeep thing and thats why they put up with it.

When comparing to a toyota, you can't beat the durability and reliability of a Toyota, especially if you plan on going Outback. My next vehicle will be a Toyota, again.

In the meantime I will continue to look and only look at JK's as I think they're a tough off roader but I wouldn't even consider one now.

I must be in trouble as I have had mine for 9yrs, almost always the people who complain about their Xj's have bought a cheap, poorly maintained example and then compare them to the overpriced Toyotas.
People also claim then Jeeps are expensive for parts but in fact they can be cheaper then the same brand part for a Falcon let alone the almighty 'cruiser, they will also sprout about how excessive the fuel consumption is even though they can use significanlty less then a much newer designed Pajero etc.
The other common complaint is with the rear diff but no-one wants to talk about the pathetic front diff in a 'cruiser or the fact that the handbrake on a 'cruiser almost never works just like the 'cruisers LSD.
Mechanics turn people off Jeeps especially Xj's as they claim that they are hard to work on which is absolutely false, like most people they will bag on a product if they don't know it.
The only reliability issues I have had with mine is from taking short cuts.
The other common gripe is the cost of a decent lift and the usual comparison to a Patrol or a 'cruiser but in fact they cost around the same to lift properly but that like most things is overlooked.

As for the JK, they are without a doubt the most capable 4wd off the showroom floor, the only good feature that the 'cruisers have is the V8 twin turbo diesel wrapped in a rubbish body and as far as the Patrols go, the 3.0l grenade, no thank you or the IFS Hilux, please, no flex and rough ride and don't get me started on the ultimate in design cock ups the FJ Cruiser, what were they thinking??????

So for me the Xj wins hands down, drives past the big boys offroad (same lifts etc), gets through places they can only dream of fitting through, cheaper to run, cheaper to own and just good fun to drive something that is a little different....

JJ

[junglejuice]

Oh and as far as magazine articles go....





There has been plenty of Xj's features, remember they are less common and you also have to get passed the stupidly backwards idea that is perputuated all the time that autos are rubbish offroad which is utter garbage...

JJ