Thinking about buying a new Jeep? Might want to think again...

[buffo]

Found this on Reddit this morning, and have been reading comments for about an hour now.

http://www.wired.com/2015/07/hackers...-jeep-highway/

This shit scares the hell out of me. I can't believe they didn't air-gap the entertainment system.!.

Fortunately the "U-connect" feature wasn't available in 2000, so my old Jeep Grand Cherokee is safe. But what about my next vehicle?

Adam

[DrEvil]

I honestly don't understand why vehicles need all that crap in them. A lot of that stuff also causes distractions. My first car, which I got from my parents, had an AM/FM radio with a mono speaker. All of this wireless stuff is just asking for trouble.

[absolom7691]

I am not one of those people that thinks that Big Brother is watching all of us but I don't like the idea of a car being "connected". I will never buy a car that has a cell connection or wifi. I agree with DrEvil, a car is a vehicle to get you from here to there and back again. Why the hell do I need all the comforts of home in my car?

[Bradfo69]

I am not one of those people that thinks that Big Brother is watching all of us but I don't like the idea of a car being "connected". I will never buy a car that has a cell connection or wifi. I agree with DrEvil, a car is a vehicle to get you from here to there and back again. Why the hell do I need all the comforts of home in my car?

Wait a sec.... you're in southern Cal and don't understand why you need the comforts of home? With the outlandish traffic doesn't it take you like an hour in the car just to get to the store for milk?

I'll answer that question though... age. There just are some niceties you begin to appreciate as you get older. I was the same way though. When younger, I wanted basic inexpensive transportation. I wasn't about to pay extra for power door locks or power windows. That was just silly. I wanted a tightly sprung, somewhat performance oriented machine. No bells and whistles but, a kick ass stereo. I'd certainly driven more plushy cars as my dad liked Cadillacs and, I will say I got very spoiled driving a Lincoln Continental as a rental when mine was in for service. LOVED that car.

But, as I've gotten older, the bells and whistles have developed their appeal. I fought a GPS forever because I think they contribute to the dumbing down of America but, I'll say the nav system in my current car has saved me on a couple of occasions and is pretty frickin' cool at times. Bluetooth cell phone, being able to control all kinds of things by voice, leather, turbo, sunroof (I always get one). Now... I also average 20,000 miles a year and have for 34 years of driving so, yes, it's a home away from home and, I've decided a long time ago, it should be cushy.


But.... I DON'T like all the stuff with the engine all being so computer controlled and, keyless entry and start still needs some refinement. It's cool when it works and frustrating as hell when it doesn't. I want the tactile feeling of turning a key.

[dnar]

Everyone I have met with a Jeep has had no end of mechanical problems. My Hemi V8 is used in some models, I have not had one issue in 7 years.

[DrEvil]

Wait a sec.... you're in southern Cal and don't understand why you need the comforts of home? With the outlandish traffic doesn't it take you like an hour in the car just to get to the store for milk?

I'll answer that question though... age. There just are some niceties you begin to appreciate as you get older. I was the same way though. When younger, I wanted basic inexpensive transportation. I wasn't about to pay extra for power door locks or power windows. That was just silly. I wanted a tightly sprung, somewhat performance oriented machine. No bells and whistles but, a kick ass stereo. I'd certainly driven more plushy cars as my dad liked Cadillacs and, I will say I got very spoiled driving a Lincoln Continental as a rental when mine was in for service. LOVED that car.

But, as I've gotten older, the bells and whistles have developed their appeal. I fought a GPS forever because I think they contribute to the dumbing down of America but, I'll say the nav system in my current car has saved me on a couple of occasions and is pretty frickin' cool at times. Bluetooth cell phone, being able to control all kinds of things by voice, leather, turbo, sunroof (I always get one). Now... I also average 20,000 miles a year and have for 34 years of driving so, yes, it's a home away from home and, I've decided a long time ago, it should be cushy.


But.... I DON'T like all the stuff with the engine all being so computer controlled and, keyless entry and start still needs some refinement. It's cool when it works and frustrating as hell when it doesn't. I want the tactile feeling of turning a key.

I do like having a good stereo in my vehicle only because that is about the only time I ever listen to the radio. Having a GPSr is nice if traveling alone. You can't exactly look at a map while driving. I decided a GPSr was a must after I tried making my first trip in Germany. Mapquest wasn't very helpful.

I think most of this other junk is part of the reason car have gotten so expensive. All I want is power locks and windows, CD changer with satellite radio, manual transmission and AC. Two more things, quit making the headlight housings out of plastic and give me a real bumper.

Here's a list of things I won't fix in my car if they ever break. Too bad they weren't real options since that would have saved money.

blind spot monitoring - I think that crap has made people lazy.
TPMS - Check you tire pressure once in a while. It isn't that hard.
Sunroof - I rarely ever open the shade unless it is night. As long as it gets stuck closed and doesn't leak, I don't care.
Traction control
Bluetooth
Rain sensing wipers or whatever they are - They'll go crazy with the slightest drizzle even if I put them on intermittent. Luckily I use Rain-X so they hardly get turned on.

I never have to remove the keys with my car. I just put my hand in the handle and it will unlock as long as it senses the key fob. It is finicky at times. Sometimes it will beep but won't unlock the doors. I talked to the dealership. The service rep just said keep trying. :/ If it beeps and doesn't unlock, there is a problem. Stupid idiot... The only times I've had a problem with the button start, a battery was dead; either in the car or the keyfob. Mine also came with partial leather seats which I hate. Give me full cloth.

These are just general things I don't like about some vehicles.

Black interiors - Especially during the summer.
Instrument panels that require back lighting to be seen during the day as well as night - I think these are partially to blame for some people not turning lights on at night. And like you said, all the electronically controlled drivetrain stuff. Especially the throttle. No more cable between the throttle body and pedal. What was wrong with having a TPS tell the computer how far it was open?

With all this electronic stuff in our lives, a nuclear or EMP war is going to cause all kinds of problems. Hopefully it won't happen any time soon. Even with pilots relying on GPS, they'll be screwed if that system goes out.

[hitekvoop]

I'm buying one, probably a diesel. My co-worker has one and told me about this issue yesterday, but it won't deter me. That thing is a Benz underneath and it'll rock 30+ mpg all day, or tow a vehicle @> 10mpg. Yep, ya'll will see it @SELEM 10. For this year I'll still be in the Kia

[flecom]

Just
Empty
Every
Pocket

[buffo]

I agree that when a Jeep breaks, it's going to be an expensive fix. But consider this: My current Jeep (2000 Grand Cherokee) has 275,000 + miles on it. I bought it 5 years ago for $3,600 when it only had ~ 200,000 miles. In those 5 years I've done tires, a brake job, a radiator and fan, and the "clock-spring" wiring harness in the steering wheel. If you do the math, you'll see I've come out WAY on top!

My old Jeep (1993 Grand Cherokee) had almost 290,000 miles on it when I decided to get rid of it. That thing had been through hell and back (pulled my boat with it for 9 years, and had both my kids driving it when they were teenagers). 5 trips to SELEM, and more than double as many to FLEMs. My youngest son even wrecked it once.

But everything still worked (more or less) when I got rid of it, and the only reason I ditched it was because it was going on 18 years, the interior and exterior were completely ragged out, and the transmission was starting to act funny. I figured it wasn't worth doing an overhaul on the tranny when I could get a much nicer one for about the same amount of money.

One common item between both my Jeeps is that they all had the 4.0 L in-line 6-cylinder engine. That thing is just about bulletproof. Another common feature is that both came with the factory towing option (clutch fan AND electric fan, transmission oil cooler, solid 2" receiver hitch). That certainly helps when carting all my gear to SELEM and back!

So I guess the moral is: buy your Jeeps USED, and make sure you get one with a good engine. (Sadly, they don't make that 4.0 L engine anymore.) Also, make sure you don't get a new one with this stupid U-connect service. (Or if you do, make sure you get the dealer to patch it to close this security hole!) But if you find a used one that looks well kept and has high mileage, chances are good that you've found a keeper.

When this one craps out, I'll probably get a 2008 or something.

Adam

[Draco]

I like the styling of the new jeep till i saw that artical and my friend kept calling it fly by wire and not drive by wire and mention that fly feature would be when you go off a cliff, lol then it's die by wire. it will be a sad day when a new car comes with a subscription to security software. I still want my 1998 ZJ jeep grand Cherokee, it was the most comfortable vehicle i even had and even saved my life in a roll over. it even landed upright with the engine still running, i am a hoarder so the debris field could probably been seen from space. like a pinata full off tools, electronics parts, clean depends(i have partial incontinence) bottles cans, lots of sharp things but instead of a pinata hit with a stick think of this hit from an artillery round, I had 208k miles on it at that time and still ran great. I only hope the new ones are as reliable, the ZJ was still mostly engineered by AMC and not Chrysler

OH and i forgot mine was the 4.0 as well, the original exhaust manifold cracked, they just about all did and i did the repair my self and took about 8 hours and a friends but his took longer because the former owner broke a bolt that i had to drill out. We called the 4.0 the 4 slow but it was an awesome engine in my view, i would love to buy another ZJ but in michigan they are all starting to show rust and people still want 5 k for a vehicle with the rust and 250k miles, i got a mercury mountaineer of the same year now and only pain 1200 for it, rust is it's main problem now, my jeep was my Dragon Wagon, the mercury is nice but the jeep was still in my view a better vehicle for that year. when ever i drive my mercury i think of the Firestone recall and how top heavy they are