You can lead a horse to water ...( Friend buying a Jeep )

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by ME_Andy

Actually there are physical reasons why heavier vehicles fare better in crashes, regardless of vehicle design. See conservation of momentum.

There are likewise physical reasons why smaller cars are less likely to be involved in crashes, and actual data showing that (at least as of 10-15 years ago, when the study was done) SUVs and large pickups had worse safety records than smaller cars.

[2000mc]

Has she driven one yet, or just like the look of them? We had a relative visit in a rented one, and none of us were impressed. It might be one of the cheapest, hence the appeal, but it definitely feels like one of the cheapest(harsh words from a guy driving a 99 Saturn w 250k on it) Suggest she drive more vehicles, I'd take a certified Equinox over a brand new patriot given the same money.

[redpoint5]

Let her buy the Jeep. It will be the last one she ever owns after it spends most of it's time in the shop.

I too am amazed that it is rated to get decent fuel economy. The best I ever got out of the 2002 Liberty was 19 MPG.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Basically she wants an ego-enhancer. Anyway, wouldn't a Honda CR-V or a Toyota Rav4 provide a higher fuel-efficiency than this Jeep?

[redneck]

Cd

Soooo she emails me this : I am also researching cars that would be acceptable to me and dad. We are thinking of buying a new Jeep Patriot.

Cd

I think she wants something that looks less 'feminine'.

That means bulging fenders and mean grilles.

Let her get the Jeep then, or maybe she should consider a Hummer, or give one.

They all suck one way or another...




>

[Fat Charlie]

Originally Posted by ME_Andy

And 20-28 for a Jeep is actually pretty decent. I would've expected like 18-26.

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I too am amazed that it is rated to get decent fuel economy. The best I ever got out of the 2002 Liberty was 19 MPG.

The Liberty was a Jeep. It gets Jeep mpg. The Compass/Patriot are a rebadged Caliber, and get Caliber mpg. The current Cherokee is the same idea, based off the Dart. It gets impressive mpg for a Jeep, too, because it isn't one.

[user removed]

I remember a salvage auction where there were 3 of those older giant Toyota Land Cruisers, out of 350 wrecked vehicles, which, considering they are much less than 1% of the vehicle population would be very unusual.

Every one was rolled.

Anyone who thinks tall, top heavy vehicle is safer, should consider this evidence to the contrary.

regards
mech

[Xist]

As I have mentioned before, my over protective mama bear sister purchased a super-save "SUV" for her baby bears, only to roll over in someone else's SUV, and suffer a TBI.

Curiously, that was in Flagstaff, where I have HWMMV rollover training every year.

That Jeep is not eco in any way. That is an ugly color.

People want larger and heavier vehicles because they see themselves as safe drivers, while everyone else is bad. I put away my cell phone and focus on preventing anyone else from hitting me, but if you would rather teach the other driver a lesson...

/palmface

I am kind of surprised the other driver did not say "I dunno, Officer, she just swerved into my lane, and I could not avoid her!"

I imagine that a new Jeep would have higher maintenance costs than an older Toyota. Aren't there always things not covered by warranties?

On one of my many trips to the Subaru dealership to pick up parts (mostly small ones, like bolts and pieces of trim), I asked them about also selling Jeeps and Jeep parts.

He indicated that Subarus were far more reliable because they sold many more Jeep parts. Well, there were 700k Jeeps sold last year in the U.S. and 500,000 Subarus, and ten Jeep dealerships in the valley, but only three for Subaru.

I was not impressed with Subaru reliability, but I can believe that Jeep is worse.

[Frank Lee]

I'm addicted to watching Russian dash cam vids of crashes and it's astonishing that just about every collision shown shows that the "drivers" steer INTO the collision path rather than away from it. Had they read the "tea leaves" correctly about where the other vehicle was headed a great many of these collisions would have been avoided. The description of this incident sounds exactly like so many of those eminently avoidable crashes.

Another thing I pondered about this woman's mindset is hey, she SURVIVED the collision in pretty good condition and the little car and all it's safety equipment DID THE JOB. So I'm not getting the motivation to trade up to a battering ram? Oh- silly me, being logical again.

[Cd]

SUV safety, once a key concern for the segment when it was booming in the 1990s, has made real strides in recent years. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported in June 2011 that SUVs (including crossovers) are now safer than cars, even when comparing vehicles of similar weight. Real-world fatality data for 2005-2008 models reveal 28 driver deaths per million registered SUVs. There were 56 car driver deaths and 52 pickup driver deaths per million for the same period. Minivans were the safest with 25 driver deaths per million registered vehicles.


I found this bit of an article interesting, but I hove* to wonder if minivans are 'safer' because they are driven safer ( by families with children ! )
Most likely, the data includes all sorts of cars and trucks, without regard to the type of driver, their ages, and driving style.
With this sort of data, you might could surmise that 1998 Oldsmobiles are the safest cars out there, only to find out that the data was taken from little old ladies that never drive over 50 mph.

* That was a purely coincidental typo I swear, but hey, that's the way it's pronounced in Canada, so I left it !