Jeep Problems

You haven't given us the weight of the caravan you want to tow, which goes a long way to determining the best car for you. We'll err on the side of caution and go for cars with a towing capacity of at least 2500 kg that fall within your budget. It's always best to go for the latest model you can afford, which means around 2103 in your case. I'm guessing you're over the Pathfinder given your experience with the holed piston in your current car, but the Nissan is an option for you. So too are the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Mitsubishi Pajero, although the Pajero's rear suspension is prone to sagging when heavily loaded and I would rule that out on that basis. If you can stretch your budget a little you could consider the Landrover Discovery 4, which does everything you want well, but is the most expensive of this bunch. For me the pick of the bunch for me is the Toyota Prado, for performance, economy, and reliability. The only issue for you could be that the Prado's towing rating is 2500 kg, the lowest of the cars we mention here.

Your need for low maintenance rules out the Europeans, Jeeps are popular but aren't as reliable as I think they should be, leaving you with the Japanese and Korean brands. The cars I would suggest you look at are the Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5, Subaru Forester and Honda CR-V.

They will most likely offer you the current trade-in value, which is $27,000 to $30,000, although you might get more for yours given that it has done so few kilometres. The only thing you can do in the circumstances is to negotiate hard and try and get as much as you can for the car. Unfortunately the company has the upper hand, because it can simply refuse to deal.

There are companies in America that make extra dickie seats for your Cherokee. You can find them on the net.

This is a disaster, and by your description of events I think you should either get your money back or be given a replacement car. Unfortunately that isn't the way it works in Australia where owners are mostly treated with contempt. Complaining to Consumer Affairs is unlikely to result in a resolution; they seem powerless to do anything when it comes to faulty cars. If it were America I'm sure your car would be regarded as a lemon and you'd have a much better chance of getting a resolution. As much as it might seem impossible I would recommend that you continue to deal with Chrysler, best to do it with head office while keeping the dealer in the loop. Chrysler has a responsibility to fix your car and it would seem they are not doing that. Try sitting down with the people responsible and ask for a plan of action to fix your car.

There are plenty of SUV choices to look at, such as a Toyota Prado or Jeep Grand Cherokee. Both should serve your needs well.

As you say Mercedes generally cost more to service and repair, particularly if you have a dealer do the work.

They're not as expensive if you use an independent Mercedes specialist, and there are plenty around who can do that for you. They not only charge less for their labour, they usually have access to cheaper parts. Most of those parts are full factory parts, just sourced from overseas, instead of locally, so you don't miss out on quality or reliability by using them.

Jeep owners generally swear by the cars, but they have had issues over the years that should make you wary about signing on to the brand.

There's not much to split them, perhaps I would prefer the 'Benz.

You're correct in thinking the Mercedes would cost more to service and repair, particularly if you use a dealer. Going to an independent service mechanic with experience of Mercedes-Benz cars would save you plenty. The Jeep would be the cheaper of the two in terms of servicing, and of the two you are looking at that's the one I would opt for.

Andrew Chesterton again: "FCA Australia's technicians have contacted this customer to arrange a like-for-like loan car and a longer test drive of this vehicle to determine exactly the issue so we can fully resolve it under warranty."