[Hypocrite]

Hi, everyone! My name is Bob, and I'm a hypocrite.

I owned a Wrangler probably 8 years ago. Absolutely loved it, but crashed it and ended up with a Caliber, which my daughter now drives. I now have a 1996 Honda Civic.

I loved the camaraderie of Wrangler owners. I loved the idea of those Jeep get-togethers. I loved the little steering wheel finger wave greeting we all did. I've wanted to get back to a Jeep ever since.

The time has now come to replace the Honda.

I've been putting down the Compass, Patriot, Cherokee and Renegade every chance I get as "not a Jeep." I'd see an ad, and I'd say "not a Jeep." I'd see one on the road and I'd say "not a Jeep." An ad for one would pop up on my Facebook feed and I'd comment "not a Jeep." I'd vocally blame the Compass, Patriot, Cherokee and Renegade for the destruction of a "Great American Icon" at every opportunity.

So logically I'm buying a Renegade Trailhawk.

I need something sporty that can get through fairly deep snow. My first choice was, of course, a Wrangler. But I do a lot of driving, so for me it came down to 21 MPG vs 29 MPG.

I like the look of the Renegade. I enjoyed the test drive. I also test drove a Cherokee and liked it, but the Renegade is more my style. While being made in Italy, the Renegade Trailhawk does seem to embrace the Jeep heritage. The ground clearance is decent, and it appears to have good off-road capabilities. The reviews are, for the most part, good.

So now I wait for my dealership to find an orange Renegade Trailhawk with the premium audio system.

I'm a smidge concerned about buying a vehicle in its first model year (something my dad, a 50-year veteran of the Chrysler engineering department, used to warn against), and I'm worried about the problems I'm reading about on this forum. But overall it appears owners are pretty happy with their Renegades, so I'll move forward and hope for the best.

I'll post pics when I finally have it in the driveway, and I look forward to continuing to follow everyone's posts here on the forum.

 

[Foobar]

Greetings back at ya. You are in good company. My introduction to Jeep was an 83 CJ7, I got a TJ Sahara back in 98, and I have a 99 XJ that I am currently building into a highly capable trail machine. Our most recent is a Renegade Trailhawk with all the trimmings that serves as my wife's daily driver. We absolutely love driving and riding in it. The MySky evokes memories of my open top TJ experience and its off-road capabilities are sure to impress.

It may have FIAT influences, but Jeep runs deep in its DNA.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[twospirits]

Welcome Hypocrite to the forums.

I've been putting down the Compass, Patriot, Cherokee and Renegade every chance I get as "not a Jeep." I'd see an ad, and I'd say "not a Jeep." I'd see one on the road and I'd say "not a Jeep." An ad for one would pop up on my Facebook feed and I'd comment "not a Jeep." I'd vocally blame the Compass, Patriot, Cherokee and Renegade for the destruction of a "Great American Icon" at every opportunity.

As I read that I thought to myself, yeah yeah watch him get a Renegade. and then
BOOM

So logically I'm buying a Renegade Trailhawk.

lol I love it.
Again welcome.

TS

 

[Beerwolf70]

Welcome!

 

[bwbike]

. . . I'm a smidge concerned about buying a vehicle in its first model year . . .

Welcome Bob. I wouldn't worry about troubles. Granted, some have reported serious issues, but most have not. I have over 2,000 trouble-free miles on my Trailhawk thus far. Mine was part of the first shipment of ~3,000 vehicles to arrive in the U.S.A. and the first Trailhawk my dealer had.

And I purchased a first-year car model three times without issue (the Renegade was the third). If something breaks on the Renegade, the warranty will cover it.

 

[Lackadazikal]

Glad to hear you've gotten over your non-Wrangler Jeep prejudice haha. Although you might have to wait a bit for the waves until more people have Renegades! :laugh: I've yet to pass one close enough to wave to.

Anyway, you'll love the TH. Best of luck!

 

[bunburry]

welcome to the boards Bob, we appreciate your honesty Orange is pretty yes, but everyday? I don't know, you're braver then I

 

[Spiff]

Love the first post, Bob--I laughed out loud at your intro. Welcome.

I had the same problem when I owned a Patriot. It NEVER felt like a "real" Jeep to me; I know that's dumb, but it just didn't. I'd never refer to it as a Jeep when talking to friends--it was always "the Patriot" (which made for some weird movie reference moments), or even "my car".

Driving the Renegade feels totally, completely different, in every way. It's a Jeep. And it doesn't feel at all awkward to call it one.

If it's any consolation, a Wrangler pulled up alongside me the other day at a stoplight, and when I looked over, the driver gave me a casual nod. Apparently Wrangler drivers have high standards for what they consider "real Jeeps", but it looks like their grudging acceptance of the Renegade as Wrangler's little brother may be forthcoming. But whatever their opinions, I'm ok with doing just a little less on the trails when it's offset by 30 mpg on weekdays. I think you'll be glad you joined the dark side once you have a Renny in your driveway.

 

[Hypocrite]

Here it is...

Got the Mojave Sand Trailhawk. Leather, My Sky, premium audio - very nice!

 

[Rado Red]

Hi, everyone! My name is Bob, and I'm a hypocrite.

I'm a smidge concerned about buying a vehicle in its first model year (something my dad, a 50-year veteran of the Chrysler engineering department, used to warn against), and I'm worried about the problems I'm reading about on this forum. But overall it appears owners are pretty happy with their Renegades, so I'll move forward and hope for the best.

This is the third time that I've purchased a new model (first was '95 Neon Sport Coupe, the second was my 2001 PT Cruiser). Never had any trouble with either. And I have 1000 trouble-free miles on my Colorado Red Limited. You'll do great!