Wednesday, Feb 18, 2009 at 21:41
G'day westozal .......
Hope your not trolling .... mentioning jeep on a jap car market orientated
forum like this ... LOL
Couple of things for you to consider .....
1/.. There is no such thing as a jeep ... its a badge stuck on vehicle models by whichever company has the design rights.
Basically anything sold in Oz since 2000 is a chrysler. Prior to that anything with a jeep badge was a chrysler built to the
original basic designs of AMC/Renault. Before that ... the list goes on right back to ford and bantam.
2/.. Did I mention you would be buying a chrysler ????? ...
A chrysler with a jeep badge is no different to a big toyota shopping trolley/school bus with a landcruiser badge off a
40 series stuck on it ... its not what it makes itself out to be ... ( wink wink )
The only real differences between the brands are build quality / dealer network and a huge saving in purchase price. Your ability to deal with those issues is what will govern your ability to own a "jeep".
3/.. Have owned jeeps for about 12yrs now ... First one was a new SWB soft top used for solo touring for about 5yrs throughout Qld/NT and western NSW .... gave me less grief than any of the tojos and the subaru I have owned. Was almost good enough for me to compare it with my best ever, reliable / go any where vehicle ... a daihatsu F50.
The second one is an 97 XJ cherokee ... getting tired now .... and about to be rebuilt back up - to tackle another bout of touring. Must have something to do with how 4x4 can be produced almost unchanged for 20yrs and still sell
well ... that makes it a keeper.
4/.. Chryslers jeeps are not an Oz tested and proven product ... Checking out the jeep forums will highlight what is needed to make them more suitable for use here .... Just a shame that the Oz govt didnt allow the XJs to be built here back in the 80s ... Anything wearing a jeep badge today would be quite a vehicle by now, with 30yrs of acclimatization.
5/.. Have heard lots of good stories about the Grands and a few sad ones ... Parts prices are no worse than any other brand ... unless you are dealer dependant ... shopping around locally / importing will get you parts as quick and as cheap as it used to be for old holdens.
6/.. Perhaps the only really useful hint - personally I wouldnt use a vehicle without a chassis for towing anything more than a 6x4 box trailer ... brand regardless ... if its going to be used on anything less than bitumen roads.
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