[mudcatca]

I lurked here for a long, long time before my wife & I decided to take the plunge and special order two Renegades. I've been reading another thread with a lot of traffic, started by someone who doesn't even own a Renegade nor apparently plans on buying one... seems like a bit of a buzzkill, so I thought it would be a nice contrast for those who've purchased or committed to purchase, to share their own "Here's Why!" answer to why they've decided to buy.

My wife & I are early adopters for all sorts of products: iPhones, plasma tv, gadgets... & now a pair of Jeeps As early adopters, we expect and anticipate the usual kinks to get worked out -- if someone wants to buy a first year (for US) production model of any type of complex machine, with the expectation of no minor nor major issues, man that just seems kinda nuts! For us, part of the excitement is buying a new-new product, fixing glitches, customizing, and the waiting for new aftermarket stuff to roll out. It's like Christmas for adults! And that's what the Jeep brand seems to stand for: that individualism, do-it-yourself, and just keep going no matter what mentality.

So what's your "Here's Why!" story?

 

[normsf]

Hello and a great thread. I appreciate your enthusium. I and my wife absolutly love our TrailHawk. Have all the bell and whistles, except Sky roof and hitch.
My intention is to modify with custom side flares and increase its off road capability. Which we have done with other cars that we entered in SEMA and other venues. Possibly to even advertize here products that we can produce.


On a side note concerning the OP of that other thread. I really enjoyed his threads as they were nicely thought out and well researched, its a shame to see him become disallusioned, I hope he stays on and actually own a Ren eventually.


Now where is that spell check button. Thankyou very much, Norm

 

[SHEEDNYC17]

Great post! My why? Well a year ago I saw the Chevy Trax and instantly said I wanted one. I'm relatively young and never heard the CUV term! I googled-Ed it and lo and behold Jeep was jumping into this arena where The soul and the juke were making their respected manufacturers millions. I saw the renegade in pictures and INSTANTLY started calling dealers. Once they were available over seas I called friends and begged to have one shipped. Clearly it didn't happen but being an extremely early adopter I can say the wait was worth it. Understanding early adopters have the potiential to deal with more issues etc is why the allure is so high. For me at least.

 

[clee]

Have had my renegade latitude 4x4 for a little over a week now, no major issues. I absolutely love driving this vehicle! I have had some minor issues, 4x4 light came on once, followed by the service engine light. It quickly went off after about 15 minutes of driving. I did get everything checked out and the dealership saw several codes so I do have it scheduled to get checked out next week. They also said that there is an update to the transmission programming. No big deal imo as long as they make it right. That is part of driving a first generation vehicle.

 

[clee]

Have had my renegade latitude 4x4 for a little over a week now, no major issues. I absolutely love driving this vehicle! I have had some minor issues, 4x4 light came on once, followed by the service engine light. It quickly went off after about 15 minutes of driving. I did get everything checked out and the dealership saw several codes so I do have it scheduled to get checked out next week. They also said that there is an update to the transmission programming. No big deal imo as long as they make it right. That is part of driving a first generation vehicle.

This almost makes this sound like a bad reply but not at all. The issues seem to be small and the pleasure of driving is great so all is good there.

 

[jamie]

I've bought my renegade in december 2014. And i have not had any problem what so ever... So i dont really agree with the "dont buy a renegade" topic. But on the other hand, the most issues are with the automatic and the 4x4.... I dont have either ( due to the high insurance prices for young people in Belgium). But i still think the renegade is a decent and nice jeep.and i'm happy i bought it

 

[bwbike]

My Trailhawk has 1,300 trouble free miles thus far. I like the car a lot. It was everything I wanted in a car and replaces a small SUV I gave to my son. If it develops problems, so be it. That is what the warranty is for.

Many years ago, I thought I shouldn't buy a first-year car. But I did buy a first year 1984 car and ran it over 150,000 trouble free miles (traded it in). I also bought a 1997 first year small SUV and it is currently at 230,000 trouble free miles (my son has it now).

And I bought a 2009 (sort of) first year car and the only trouble it had was the water pump went bad at 45,000 miles (replaced at no cost to me under warranty). That car I traded on the Renegade. I really liked that car. :crying:

Sure, there will be some that get a problem car, but many will get a good one. I think the Renegades will be mostly good.

 

[Rammer]

We and especially my wife loves her Renegade. She waited for over a year to get one. We bought the first one sold at the dealership.

Only 1 issue (door locks) in the close to 4000 miles it has on it now. It's comfortable, gets good gas mileage, it's just the right size for us and looks great.

Wife traded in her 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek for it. When asked if she liked her Crosstrek she would say "it's OK".

If you ask her if she likes her Renegade she says "I freaking Love it".

 

[Strike Z]

I bought a TrailHawk and had a computer problem. FCA went all out to fix it and get it back to me. I still am glad I bought the Renegade. I love it's style, size, ride and ergonomics. It is the best SUV we've owned. Message boards dwell on the problems.

 

[JayhawkOne]

I don't "own" a Renegade but I put 10s of thousands of miles on them during development. I'm a big time car enthusiast and can honestly say, personal bias aside, that the manual trans Renegade with MySky is one of the most fun affordable vehicles on the market today. It's like a less capable but more practical manual Wrangler that handles

 

[Strike Z]

The turning radius for my TrailHawk is amazing.

 

[Zectron2348]

Just over 1000 miles on our three week old Latitude, and not a single problem. Wife just had to have a Jeep, and the fuel economy of the Renegade was a real positive for us. Lots of daily hwy driving, and computer is saying we are getting 30.33 mpg, ... Very nice. Really like this little Jeep so far, no rattles or wind noise, and the transmission is super smooth. Big thumbs up!

 

[Reg]

I don't "own" a Renegade but I put 10s of thousands of miles on them during development. I'm a big time car enthusiast and can honestly say, personal bias aside, that the manual trans Renegade with MySky is one of the most fun affordable vehicles on the market today. It's like a less capable but more practical manual Wrangler that handles

JayhawkOne, since you participated in the development, can you answer why the 1.4T/MT is not rated to tow? That would have been a game changer for me. That, or offering the 2.4 with a manual.

 

[diyguy]

Why do I believe I made the right choice when I purchased a renegade is that for the last forty some years I have owned jeep brand autos of different models and have never been f.o.r.d and for me that has to be it. I replaced a wrangler for it.

 

[Lackadazikal]

Great thread, thanks for starting it!!

If it develops problems, so be it. That is what the warranty is for.

My feelings exactly. Yes it would suck to have something happen straight away but at least you'll be covered if it does.
As I've posted a few times here I was coming from a 94 Cherokee which I loved, loved, loved. And after owning it for 14 years I have had to replace/fix multiple things on it. It did leave me stranded once or twice. So I don't freak out if crappy situations arise.
Anyways, my story: I knew I'd probably need to replace the Cherokee sooner or later but I just didn't like much else that was out. The Patriot just didn't look sporty enough for my taste. Plus I was leery in general of anything brand new because of the computerization of everything now. So anything new I bought would be me taking a chance anyway.
When I saw concept pics of the Renegade way back I just knew that's exactly what I wanted. It looked perfect and just what I was waiting for all that time to replace my baby.
And so far I couldn't be happier. It's sooo fun to drive and super comfortable. I love all the features and to have the option to take it off road is great too. It gets compliments every day.
I sold my old Jeep recently and I am a little bit shocked to admit that seeing it go didn't affect me as much as I thought it would. And that is really saying something for how awesome the Renegade is because I was attached to that Cherokee!

 

[JNJ]

GREAT TOPIC! It's about time we see some positive stuff. I will list our reasons quickly below for easy reading.

1. It's very good looking and nothing like it on the road in its class even comes close or is even in the same universe!
2. It isn't a soul sucking bland mobile (*see Toyota & Honda).
3. It isn't very expensive.
4. Great equipment including a very good stereo.
5. It has Italian passion and soul (inside joke only the Euro blokes will get)!
6. Did I mention it is darn good looking?
7. Great ground clearance even in 4x2 trim.
8. Parking is a snap!
9. Very good road manners for this segment.
10. Trailhawk model = badass.

I may have forgotten to mention that it's extremely good looking?

 

[bwbike]

I like the unique look of the Renegade. It looks like nothing else on the road, yet is unmistakenly a Jeep. My other car looks like nothing else on the road and resembles a muscle car of the early 1970's (Dodge Challenger).

I like driving cars that don't look like 75% of what's out there and won't cost $100,000 or more. If anything does go wrong with my Trailhawk, I'll get if fixed and drive on.

 

[vivliolilith]

Love my Renegade Latitude. Have almost 3K miles on it. Drove her from ATL to SGI over Memorial weekend. I went Renegade instead of Wrangler because I commute 40 mile to and fro everyday but still enjoy something sporty.

 

[rhicks]

That is what the warranty is for.

Warranty might be good for fixing problems but nobody talks about everything else that goes with warranty repairs. You have to make appointment/s, be without the auto for X hours or days, find other transportation during that time, etc. It's great to have a warranty but better if it never has to in the shop to begin with.

 

[Echo Niner]

I have been a die hard Honda person for years. We are into paddle boarding in our household and I wanted to get another functional vehicle, so I had been searching for 2010 or 2011 Honda Element. However, this caliber of Elements are running from 15-20K with low mileage and getting an extended warranty was challenging.

I read that several previous Element owners were looking at the Renegade as a replacement for the their Elements. Both in look and functionality. While not as roomy and utilitarian as the Element, in my experience, the Renegade has proved to be quite functional and possesses much personality and performance. Of course the gas mileage is crucial due to travel to different paddling spots.

It is really difficult to beat Honda in customer service or reliability. However, I do like the fact that this vehicle is not just a Jeep, but a Fiat........you could call it a Feep! I have owned two Jeeps in the past and I can certainly tell the difference in performance with the Renegade. Like many of you have said, I want this to work and can't wait to watch this vehicle get better and exhibit more functionality.

All The Best