I may be the only BITOGer who liked his Neon 2.0 5 speed. Ran good, felt good. The Caliber is the successor to the neon, but bloated and just as chintzy. $6300 is way too much and these things are marketed to (and probably formerly owned by) the "special credit" crowd.
Jeep Compass-Yea? Or Nay?
- Thread starter bullwinkle
- Start date
You guys can bad mouth CVT's all you want to, but the one in my 2016 Honda CR-V EX AWD is a pleasure to drive, and even enough fun to drive when put into sport mode (S) to put a smile on your face. Changing the cvt fluid is as easy as doing an engine oil change. Changing that cvt fluid fairly often is important and it's best to only use honda fluid. 2015 was the first year for the cvt and they had an engine vibration problem that has a tsb but not a recall. So if you get a 2015 be sure it had that tsb done. 2016 have that already take care of.
Honestly, if someone hit mine and totaled it I would be looking for a 15 or 16 with very low miles and change the cvt fluid soon after I bought it, or one with a carfax showing that fluid was changed.
And Honda had been making that 2.4 for a very long time, so it is very reliable.
Honestly, if someone hit mine and totaled it I would be looking for a 15 or 16 with very low miles and change the cvt fluid soon after I bought it, or one with a carfax showing that fluid was changed.
And Honda had been making that 2.4 for a very long time, so it is very reliable.
Not all CVT’s are created equal. The CVT in the Altima rental I had once was great, I had to look it up to make sure. But the JATCO CVT Chrysler used is a rubber banding hot mess that sucks all the power out of the engine and turns it into noise.
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- Jan 12, 2022
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How about a Corolla Hatch Back. Can be had with a 6 speed manual. They are still built in Japan if that means anything to you. I'm in the market for a new commuter car and test drove a 2020 Corolla SE sedan with the 6 speed manual. The car was roomier than I thought it would be and is on my short list for final consideration. The tranny was pretty smooth and easy to shift. Probably will have to do a little searching to find one but they are out there.
Those are terrible vehicles. The subframes rust out. Balljoints don't last long at all. Interiors are awful.
I'd run.
I'd run.
I own a 2014 Patriot (purchased 3/13) with the 2.4L engine and 6 speed Hyundai tranny. Going on 12 years, it has been a very low cost of ownership vehicle. Before purchase, I researched to the nth. degree - my pro MOPAR mechanic friend explained all of the improvements they made during the 2011/2014 refreshes that fixed most of the first generation problems - suspension, etc.. I just replaced the alternator - went with OEM Mitsubishi ($$$) due to questionable aftermarket quality and install difficulty (move A/C pump for access). The Dundee MI built engine is simple, unrefined, but very reliable. It's Achilles heel is the throttle body, an easy DIY ($250) replacement (seems to be rectified with replacement models).
The 2.0 is lethargic. The manual transmission is known for not being very stout. The sub frame rust issue was warranteed (not anymore). The JATCO CVT was problematic when no fluid changes were done. While my well taken care of Patriot has been great, I would hesitate to buy a used one with unknown history. They are econo box, entry level vehicles with cheap trim, etc.. Ours fits our farm style life perfect, but I think my meticulous care (Krown, etc.) is one reason for our excellent results.
From the horses mouth.....................
The 2.0 is lethargic. The manual transmission is known for not being very stout. The sub frame rust issue was warranteed (not anymore). The JATCO CVT was problematic when no fluid changes were done. While my well taken care of Patriot has been great, I would hesitate to buy a used one with unknown history. They are econo box, entry level vehicles with cheap trim, etc.. Ours fits our farm style life perfect, but I think my meticulous care (Krown, etc.) is one reason for our excellent results.
From the horses mouth.....................
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The compass has only 22 cuft cargo, same as almost all the hatch backs. Personally I would get a 5spd Focus, Mazda3, Golf, Corolla, Civic(2015+) hatch instead.
You would have to do some research but I believe the Elantra GT's don't have any of the engine issues the rest of the Hyundai 4 bangers have as they were always made in europe or atleast have an engine from a different plant than the rest?
You would have to do some research but I believe the Elantra GT's don't have any of the engine issues the rest of the Hyundai 4 bangers have as they were always made in europe or atleast have an engine from a different plant than the rest?
What you and your wife would love is a Mazda 5. Has a 2.5L motor and a real automatic transmission and has sliding rear doors and a decent size spot in the back for groceries or 2 more kids. We love ours and use it a lot. We have had it over 10 years now and still no rust anywhere. Gets 25mpg around town with the AC on and 30-32 highway with 4 adults and luggage. I would buy another one if they still made them. With the sliding doors the grand kids in baby seats are easy.
They are disposable cute utes
The manual toasts a bearing and starts making noise, however it's actually easy to replace from the LF wheelwell. Several vids on that, including a guy in the UK who does it with the vehicle on a rollback-esque truck.
They also tend to eat rear wheel bearings, but replacement is fairly run-of-the-mill
In comparison to other things of the era, they're kinda crude, loud, harsh and underpowered. But sometimes you can pick up a mechanic special for a song and revive it for awhile
The manual toasts a bearing and starts making noise, however it's actually easy to replace from the LF wheelwell. Several vids on that, including a guy in the UK who does it with the vehicle on a rollback-esque truck.
They also tend to eat rear wheel bearings, but replacement is fairly run-of-the-mill
In comparison to other things of the era, they're kinda crude, loud, harsh and underpowered. But sometimes you can pick up a mechanic special for a song and revive it for awhile
I'd pass.
Both of those were made by JATCO but they are made and or tuned different.
Many on BITOG already know that there are only 4 companies that make CVTs : Toyota and Honda make good units, JATCO and Subaru units have a high failure rate. All CVTs require frequent fluid change if you want them to last.
Garbage is garbage no matter if it’s tuning or hardware. I’ll stick to my 8hp70, they seem to thrive on neglect.
Underpowered and slow often enough a non-starter for many would be purchasers, even with a Jeep nameplate.
Drove a Jeep Patriot for work for a few years, I think it was a 13-14. Had the 2.0 CVT, thing couldn't accelerate to get out of its own way. Especially since it was loaded with equipment to the max for my job. Plenty of issues with it too, especially the CVT. It liked to leak and after a 3 hour trip one time coming back home it went into limp mode as it was overheating. After it cooled back down for about 45 minutes I was able to get it started and drive the rest of the way home. Turned out it was low on fluid about 2 quarts and the constant highway speeds eventually overheated it.
Probably went in the shop at least 10 time while I had it. Finally got rid of those things and replaced them with Dodge Caravans, which was a MUCH better choice of vehicle as it could actually hold the equipment we needed to carry around for the job. That and the 3.6 V6 was a much better engine. Drove those until I got a new job in 2016, I probably would have had the same one the entire time until I quit if it hadn't ended up hitting a deer on the interstate at 70 MPH. Definitely wasn't worth fixing after that one so they had to get me a new one.
Probably went in the shop at least 10 time while I had it. Finally got rid of those things and replaced them with Dodge Caravans, which was a MUCH better choice of vehicle as it could actually hold the equipment we needed to carry around for the job. That and the 3.6 V6 was a much better engine. Drove those until I got a new job in 2016, I probably would have had the same one the entire time until I quit if it hadn't ended up hitting a deer on the interstate at 70 MPH. Definitely wasn't worth fixing after that one so they had to get me a new one.
If you can curtail the rust, the body seems well-made and solid to me. But I knew one which left the owner stranded 3+ times despite professional care. Recurring electrical problems. And also, the mpg was only ok. I think there are better choices.
I wasn't surprised at all. But this was a work vehicle and I did none of the maintenance on it, it was maintained by the fleet company. The point I was making was that it was a pile of junk and had far too many issues to be considered reliable. It was a terrible choice the company I work for made and they paid for it in the long run when they had to replace all the Patriots with Caravans in less than 2 years due to all the problems with them.
And manual!