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A safe vehicle or better gas mileage??? I got my answer yesterday

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surfsnowgirl

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The ONLY incentive for me to entertain another vehicle would be better gas mileage. If i have to put premium in the alltrack well then I might as well keep my jeep as i won't be saving any money. Need to drive crosstrek to experience the lack of power because jeep has power so that's another incentive to keep it as well. Not mention my solid bumpers aka forcefield all around the wranglers body.

Thanks everyone for sharing your opinions and experiences.

I've got stuff to think about and perhaps some test driving but so far my jeep isn't going anywhere.
 

Varmintmist

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surfsnowgirl

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Had a grand ol time driving around today in the heavy rain. Drove though some fabulously large puddles.

Drove past the subie dealership without a twinge of temptation to stop.

:beercheer:
 
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Monique

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The longer my husband and I can't agree on a vehicle purchase, the longer we don't have to worry about car payments.

I wanted to go to some dealerships yesterday, but I was feeling ucky post-flu-shot (not awful, just worn down) and didn't motivate to go. I'm betting we won't get that close to looking till spring. Phew!
 
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surfsnowgirl

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Ok so I just built a fully loaded VW Alltrack SEL with every conceivable option including 18" wheels and we're looking at $35,000 which is about the same as a fully loaded Crosstrek. A fully loaded Jeep Wrangler unlimited is waaaay more than that so price wise the Alltrack and Crosstrek are cheaper. Price wise it would either be a toss up between the Crosstrek and the Alltrack cause I like em both. Thank you to everyone who offered their opinions on the other two vehicles.

However, at the end of the day I'm just too in love with my Wrangler to really even go test driving. Plus it's a safe vehicle whether it's a big crash or a small fender bender. It feels good to not only have a crazy functional and fun vehicle but one that will hold up well in an accident. I could list 10 reasons why its the best vehicle for me and if the only thing I don't like is the gas mileage than there's really no reason for me to give it up so I'm Jeep status quo for now and the unforeseeable future.

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surfsnowgirl

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I think for front end and rear end I'm good, side impacts are more of a risk. I indeed love driving it. Mine's a 2011 which is apparently safer than the 2017 model. https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/jeep/wrangler/2011/safety

Not arguing the subaru isn't a safe vehicle but I'm sure it would be scuffed up in seconds whilst the Jeep is fine because of the plastic bumper all around. Other than my doors I feel pretty impervious to little nicks. I love the clearance of the Jeep too, once you get used to being high up it's hard to step away from that.

Subaru makes a good car no doubt.
 

VickieH

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I wanted to go to some dealerships yesterday, but I was feeling ucky post-flu-shot (not awful, just worn down) and didn't motivate to go. I'm betting we won't get that close to looking till spring. Phew!

Whoa! How was the 17/18 ski season? I must've slept right thru it. ;)
 

Monique

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François Pugh

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Here's a review of the Crosstrek where they mention the Alltrack.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech...aru-crosstrek-comes-blizzard-ready/106753882/

"If you want a more engaging driving experience from a car-based crossover, the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack costs a bit more but also offers additional cargo space, quicker acceleration and more nimble handling. And if you want an inexpensive crossover with an off-road heritage, the redesigned Jeep Compass is a good choice."
I would be a little leery about buying a low cost Jeep. I have experience with the Jeep Patriot for work. While I like the way it works (not the most powerful vehicle, but adequate if you're patient) despite the CVT. I was quite taken aback by the amount of repairs/parts replacement considering it's low milage, (e.g. a left and a right front axle in less than 70, 000 km - about 45, 000 miles WTF?).

BTW I wouldn't consider the Jeep Wrangler all that safe. Sure if someone hits your spare tire at a slow speed, maybe no damage, but if someone hits you at speed you're toast. Mass Matters. Also roll-over is more likely with higher centre of gravity.

P.S. If you get a real ugly dent in a plastic bumper, all you need is a heat gun to push it back into shape by hand (and maybe a leather glove).
 

jzmtl

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Safe isn't a Jeeps strong suit, but if you like driving it, that's all that counts.
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/jeep/wrangler/safety

The Subaru is a safer vehicle
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/subaru/crosstrek/2017/safety

Those ratings don't translate 100% into real world, since the other car you collide with can vary a lot whereas it's always the same sized block in crash test. When I had my Wrangler the majority of the vehicle bumper would hit my box frame and not me, whereas I'm driving a civic many truck's bumper is at my head level. Crash protection in the unibody and door doesn't help when window glass is the only thing between me and the other car.

I would be a little leery about buying a low cost Jeep. I have experience with the Jeep Patriot for work. While I like the way it works (not the most powerful vehicle, but adequate if you're patient) despite the CVT. I was quite taken aback by the amount of repairs/parts replacement considering it's low milage, (e.g. a left and a right front axle in less than 70, 000 km - about 45, 000 miles WTF?).

BTW I wouldn't consider the Jeep Wrangler all that safe. Sure if someone hits your spare tire at a slow speed, maybe no damage, but if someone hits you at speed you're toast. Mass Matters. Also roll-over is more likely with higher centre of gravity.

P.S. If you get a real ugly dent in a plastic bumper, all you need is a heat gun to push it back into shape by hand (and maybe a leather glove).

Previous gen Patriot/Compass is nothing more than a reskinned Dodge Caliber, which is crap. Not sure about the current Fiat based version though.
 

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Previous gen Patriot/Compass is nothing more than a reskinned Dodge Caliber, which is crap. Not sure about the current Fiat based version though.

I have a couple racer buddies who LOVE the old Caliber. Just sayin'.

Since I believe I can avoid crashing due to my awesome situational awareness and quick reaction time, I will always choose utility, economy, comfort, coolness and pleasure over safety. A little unwieldy but a cool mantra.

Eric
 

Monique

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Since I believe I can avoid crashing due to my awesome situational awareness and quick reaction time, I will always choose utility, economy, comfort, coolness and pleasure over safety. A little unwieldy but a cool mantra.

I totaled my car when, under stress, my brain told my eyes that there was no one in the road in front of me, so I could just make that left turn and pull over and then I'd be out of the way of the fire truck coming in hot behind me.

I tell you, I looked for oncoming traffic. I saw nothing in the oncoming lane. It was empty. Except that once I pulled out, another car "appeared," and we collided.

But we were both in Subarus, and we both were more or less fine, physically.

Anyway, I don't trust my awesome situational awareness anymore. It lies.
 

Eleeski

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@Monique As much as I like your advice to beware of trusting "awesome situational awareness", I can't give you a "like" for crashing your car. Maybe if they'd featured you in an ad.

I fly private planes (10× more dangerous than driving) and ride motorcycles (10× more dangerous than flying) and ride bicycles on the road (10× more dangerous than motorcycles). I do need to manage risk reasonably well.

No squirrel suit parachuting for me - too dangerous (might be more than 10× worse than everything else). I do have limits.

Get the Geo Metro - all time mileage best. But be careful. The crashes are dangerous - even with a bike.

Eric
 

Philpug

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I fly private planes (10× more dangerous than driving) and ride motorcycles (10× more dangerous than flying) and ride bicycles on the road (10× more dangerous than motorcycles).
I don't do any of that and still find myself if sticky situations.
Get the Geo Metro - all time mileage best. But be careful. The crashes are dangerous - even with a bike.

Eric
In the early 1990's I was exporting cars to Hungary and the Metro was our top seller, I probably purchased close to 500 of them. What a scary unsafe car it was. Up against the Subaru Justy, it really felt like a ball of tin foil and that is not a knock against tin foil. The Justy at the time was a very over engineered car. Solid as a rock.
 

Monique

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I fly private planes (10× more dangerous than driving) and ride motorcycles (10× more dangerous than flying) and ride bicycles on the road (10× more dangerous than motorcycles). I do need to manage risk reasonably well.

Yes. It was humbling and scary to realize that brains lie. I did recently quit motorcycles and road bikes, and a large part of that was being at the mercy of other, larger vehicles.

@Philpug you ever seen a Soviet Bloc Trabant (Trabbi)? You ever seen one after an accident? The whole damn thing shatters.
 

Philpug

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Yes. It was humbling and scary to realize that brains lie. I did recently quit motorcycles and road bikes, and a large part of that was being at the mercy of other, larger vehicles.

@Philpug you ever seen a Soviet Bloc Trabant (Trabbi)? You ever seen one after an accident? The whole damn thing shatters.
Yes, I have seen a bunch of Trabants..especially when I was over in Hungary. Those did nothold up well in collisions at all.
 

Monique

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Yes, I have seen a bunch of Trabants..especially when I was over in Hungary. Those did nothold up well in collisions at all.

When I was little, East Germany was still a thing. I lived in West Germany with my parents, but my grandparents were in East Germany. We crossed the border several times for holidays. My grandfather had a Trabbi. I vaguely remember it was sort of a status symbol to have been assigned a car at all. (Yeah, you didn't just go *buy* a car.)

Anyhoo ... (We've been watching The Americans, and the scenes behind the Iron Curtain got the details so right that I have weird emotional reactions.)
 

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