Overview & Reviews

If you're thinking about purchasing a vehicle rugged enough to finesse rocky trails, chances are, one make comes to mind: Jeep. This specialty automotive manufacturer has a long history of producing trucks and SUVs capable of off-highway adventures — so much so that the term jeep is used by many to refer to all SUVs, whether the vehicle in question is a true Jeep or not.

Jeep took root in WWII as the name of the now-iconic four-wheel-drive military vehicle produced by Willys-Overland and Ford for the U.S. Army. The name's origin is somewhat of a mystery; popular belief is that it morphed from "GP," or "general purpose," though others have suggested that it was a nickname derived from a character featured in the Popeye comic strip of the time.

The mid-1940s saw the introduction of the first civilian Jeep, the CJ-2A. It offered many features not available on military versions, such as a tailgate, an external fuel cap and a side-mounted spare tire, and was targeted mainly toward farmers and construction workers.

Civilian Jeeps caught on with the public, and by the 1950s, new models such as the CJ-3B and the CJ-5 had been introduced. The CJ-5 had the longest production run of any Jeep vehicle, continuing for 30 years after its introduction in the early '50s. The company changed owners during this decade as Willys-Overland was sold to Kaiser in 1953.

Jeep broke new ground in the 1960s with the debut of its Wagoneer. Geared toward active families, this early SUV was the first four-wheel-drive vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission. A new "Dauntless" V6 became available as an option on the CJ-5 and CJ-6 in 1965. This was the first time that a Jeep CJ could be equipped with a V6. Packing 155 horses, the engine's horsepower almost doubled that offered by the standard four-cylinder.

By the 1970s, Jeep had changed ownership yet again, with the purchase of Kaiser-Jeep by American Motors Corporation. New models like the CJ-7 and the Scrambler were rolled out. Additionally, the company unveiled some new technology with the introduction of the world's first automatic full-time four-wheel-drive system. Dubbed Quadra-Trac, it was available in the CJ-7 as well as in full-size Jeep trucks and wagons. During this decade, Jeep's fortunes soared as four-wheel-drive vehicles became increasingly popular with large sections of American buyers.

The 1980s saw the introduction of the Cherokee and Wrangler. The Cherokee was one of the first of the new breed of SUVs — high-riding midsize wagons that skyrocketed in popularity as the decade progressed. The Wrangler replaced the CJ series in 1987 and offered the raw functionality of the CJ along with more comfort features. That year also saw the purchase of American Motors by Chrysler, with the Jeep brand becoming part of Chrysler's Jeep/Eagle division. One of Jeep's most popular models, the Grand Cherokee, debuted for 1993. This handsome, midsize SUV offered considerably more comfort and luxury than the smaller Cherokee while still providing stout off-road capability.

Jeep fell under the umbrella of DaimlerChrysler after Chrysler and Daimler-Benz merged in 1998. This partnership resulted in a few new models, such as the Liberty and Compass, though none were able to attain great sales success. In 2007, Daimler sold the Chrysler Group to a private equity firm. It is now under control of Fiat.

More recently, the company has added a couple of enticing models to its lineup (including a four-door version of the Wrangler and the pavement-scorching Grand Cherokee SRT8) and made substantial performance and quality improvements under the hoods and within the cabins. As such, we expect Jeep will not only maintain a loyal group of customers but will also bring new fans into the fold.

User Reviews:

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  BUYER BEWARE - 2007 Jeep Compass
  By Jeremy Myers - September 16 - 12:15 am

  We bought my wifes 2007 jeep compass, used approximately 2 1/2 years and it hasnt ran for more then 3 or 4 months continuously without a breakdown. I fully understand the risks of buying a used car, but like most people cant possibly afford to buy a new car. This is by far the worst car I have ever owned. Not even a month after we bought it the sunroof quit working it will flip up but wont retract it acts like the tract is stuck & it wont close enough to completely seal so whenever it rains really hard the headliner gets pretty saturated around the passenger door frame. Had to replace the alternator a few months later. You can only get the correct amp alternator from the dealer which was almost $400. Im pretty mechanically inclined and usually work on my own vehicles, generally if I dont know how to fix something I can figure it out. That in mind, the location of the alternator makes it about an 8 or 9 hour job for an ase certified mechanic. I dont have the tools, time or knowledge an ase certified mechanic does. So I took it to a retired mechanic I know & he still charged me $350 in labor (a lot cheaper then a shop would have charged). Died on my wife several times and when I showed up to get her and look at the car it starts up and runs fine. Rear wheel bearings went out a couple months ago $250 for the set and once again it is something better left to a mechanic seeing as I usually work 60 hours a week and couldnt leave the jeep down for more then a few days. $400 in labor for that one. & yesterday the fuel pump went out on her leaving her stranded once again...in 15 degree Ohio weather. At least I have a pretty good idea its the fuel pump that or the starter. Im going to take the starter off first and have it bench tested...anyway, fuel pump is $160 & thankfully looks fairly easy to change. The trade in value is dropping twice as fast as we can get our loan paid down. 2 months ago I checked the NADA & the trade in was $6800, I checked today and the trade is $4900. The car has no acceleration and hesitates and jerks worse then Michael Fox if you get on the accelerator (especially if you have the A/c on.) "4 wheel drive" is basically all wheel drive that you can turn off as there is no 4 lo or high. Its stalled on us the past few times we filled up the gas tank immediately after leaving the gas station (this is part of why I think my current problem is the fuel pump, that & I dont hear it prime when I turn the key on.) The transmission fluid fill tube has no dipstick to check the fluid level so you have to take it to a dealer to have simple top offs. Oil changes take forever, due to the design of the oil fill port limiting flow. My Honda has more cargo room & the trunk then this crossover. On the freeway changing lanes is near impossible due to the design of the rear window creating giant blind spots on both sides, especially the passenger side. The only thing I can say positive about the car is the interior is well thought out and comfortable the gauges are nice and theres plenty of leg and head room. The factory stereo sounds really nice. Needless to say the cons outweigh the pros and I cannot wait to get this thing fixed once again and trade it in on anything else

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  Repairs will come soon if you buy now - 1999 Jeep Cherokee
  By Homer - September 7 - 8:23 pm

  My experience with American vehicles tells me that they will begin need major repairs at or about 70,000 miles. My Jeep Cherokee is no different. I have 69,500 miles and will pickup my vehicle and its repair tab of about $1000 tomorrow. No repairs were due to negligence -- they were due to normal wear and tear (power steering, power window and front end). My last American vehicle was from the 1980s and my next probably wont be until the 2080s! Additionally, electrical features stink. Ive have repetitive problems with a speaker wire crimping in the drivers side door and a repetitive yet intermittent problem with passenger side power window.

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  REALLY WANTED TO LIKE IT BUT.. - 2008 Jeep Wrangler
  By Anthony - September 6 - 7:43 pm

  Bought the Jeep thinking it would be a tough, fun, dependable vehicle. It turned out anything but. Many problems, several of which the dealer wont warranty. Shakes and gets "death wobble" over bumps which is very scary and makes the vehicle undriveable. I really wanted to like this vehicle but the build quality is just too poor. On the plus side the top and doors come off, but the fun is defeated by the poor build and scary ride.

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  Never AGAIN! - 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Bethany - September 2 - 1:03 pm

  I bought this Jeep a few months ago and have had NOTHING but problems with it! I would be driving down the road and the jeep would just shut off. The next day it wouldnt speed up over 10 miles an hour. I have had it in the shop 3 times in 3 months! Chrysler keeps telling me they cant find anything wrong with it. Yeah,right they cant. I will NEVER buy another jeep again.

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  4X4 Junk - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Casablanca - August 28 - 10:00 am

  Terrible vehicle. Have owned another GC and it have had to spend $$$ in repairs at 50K.(Happened after buying lastest and last Jeep). Both differentials went as well as Xfer case.

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  Jeep Needs Help - 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By bluewater - August 16 - 2:00 am

  4 motor mounts (one per year), 1 cv joint, and at 135,000 4-speed automatic transmission quickly ground to a halt and cant be repaired. Ill never buy another Jeep product.

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  Jeep Liberty - 2006 Jeep Liberty
  By bailey26 - August 11 - 12:43 pm

  I have had this vehicle for 3 years, in that time I have spent over 5,000 dollars just in repairs. The rear windows both have fallen off, that is about 350. each time. I have had the air conditioning, heat, transmission, misc electrical and switches fixed. The fabric that they use for the seats is horrid. It stains instantly, even if you drip water on it you cant get the stain out. The seats are uncomfortable and there is not much backseat room.

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  Do Not Waste Your Money!! - 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  By Thomas - August 8 - 9:16 pm

  I hate to express negative reviews on products cause its dissapointing but I Bought this vehicle & loved it for about 4 weeks. Then it was one problem after another! Sensors Going Mad, Transmission got sluggish & slow 2 react.Not 2 say scared since the TV News Report on how dangerous these vehicles are considering the transmissions have taken off on several buyers!!Read all the reviews on the new Jeep styles since 2005 before you spend your money!! You will see they are Horrible.I got so irritated w/ spending so much time in a Servive Dept that I got all my money back & bought a new Honda Accord & I Love It! I learned one thing.. Read Consumer Reviews

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  rear pinion bearing - 2005 Jeep Liberty
  By liberty - August 7 - 8:40 am

  I got this after owning a ford explorer.....wrong thing to do.After only 11,000 miles we had to replace rear pinion bearing.Here we are,only 2.5 months and 4,000 miles later, we have to replace it again.Its not reliable,not comfortable,not roomy enough, no storage room, and the list goes on and on. Worse vehicle I ever owned and I cant wait to be rid of it!

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  Dont buy this thing - 1997 Jeep Cherokee
  By nts550 - July 28 - 5:06 pm

  I drove this car/truck twice a week. I had only 62k on it and heres what went wrong: water pump, fuel pump (3 times), belt, alternator, radiator, oh and the engine (head gasket and bearings). Each of these problems happened with about a month of each other. Cons: When it didnt break down it rode very rough, like a truck. It was noisy and the gas mileage could be 20 mpg if you were going 55 and had no wind. If you drive normally (70mph), then gas mileage dips down to about 15mpg. Doesnt have a split rear seat. The engineering is horrible. Pros: Climbs hills pretty good. Is good in the snow, if you have good tires I hated this POS, you will too.