FCA: More Jeep less Dart & 200

[Lerxst]

Marchionne said Wednesday when announcing changes to the company’s 2014-18 business plan. “So one of the things that we’ve decided to do is to essentially de-focus, from a manufacturing standpoint in the U.S. … the passenger car market.”

He said the cars “will run their course” for the company to “withdraw the current 200 and Dodge Dart from the marketplace over a prolonged period of time.”

The company, according to Marchionne, is in continuing discussions with potential partners that could “provide a product from their facilities” to allow the company to cover gaps in the lineup left by the compact Dart and midsize 200. It’s unclear whether Fiat Chrysler would purchase re-badged cars or produce the cars using their current platform.


http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/chrysler/2016/01/27/fca-plan/79400188/

 

[sunvalleylaw]

If more Alfas return to the US, might make the Dart and 200 redundant.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Meh. Not looking like that so much either.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/new...-dart-puts-brakes-on-alfa-romeo-ramps-up-jeep

 

[reverend1]

If more Alfas return to the US, might make the Dart and 200 redundant.

Except they will cost double, and probably manage to be less reliable. That's tough to do.

 

[baimun]

It sucks that I really wanted to root for Chrysler... I did when they were paired with Daimler, and I did when they announced the Fiat Group merger....


... but other than a handful of cool but unreliable Jeeps, there's not been much to get excited about.


I've sold one of my BMW's and will be selling the other sometime this year, and I'll probably stick with Lexus/Toyota.

 

[reverend1]

It sucks that I really wanted to root for Chrysler... I did when they were paired with Daimler, and I did when they announced the Fiat Group merger....


... but other than a handful of cool but unreliable Jeeps, there's not been much to get excited about.


I've sold one of my BMW's and will be selling the other sometime this year, and I'll probably stick with Lexus/Toyota.

It's interesting that Jeep always ranks low in reliability. I don't doubt it, but I have had three (2 wranglers and a Grand Cherokee) and never had problem.

I feel like most new cars are pretty good anymore. I thin it comes down to maintenance.

 

[baimun]

I've owned a bunch of Dodge and Chrysler cars and things alternators, radiators, and transmissions are like timebombs for those brands. It's tough to compare when people are talking about cars they bought brand new and then trade in before 100K miles. I'm most interested in how a car holds together between 50K and 200K. It's amazing how many cars on the market start to disintigrate at 90k.

 

[Coralkong]

Chrysler/Jeep products are always ranked as some of the worst for reliability, build quality, etc...good thing we bailed their asses out (a little sarcasm there).

I have a friend (a woman) who was smitten with the new Jeep Grand Cherokee.
I said it sure is pretty, but you'd better buy the extended warranty!

But she's rich, and traded in her Cadillac SUV on a fully loaded one. Pretty car (other than I don't particularly care for the styling on the newest model). I don't know exactly what she paid for it, but I would suspect north of $45-$50K.

Sure as shit, she has less than 15K miles on it, and it has been back at the dealer FOUR times, for 3 different issues. (Twice for the same problem). And I'm not talking minor issues, either (unless you count the leather seat stitching started coming out of the drivers's seat seam.) Transmission issues (twice) and she needed the computer (ECM) replaced.

I find it kind of humorous that they want to focus on promoting the Jeep brand.

They sure are pretty, though.


Fucking junk.

 

[jp_nyc]

I didn’t even know that there was a Dodge Dart on the market.

 

[Denverdave]

I'm most interested in how a car holds together between 50K and 200K. It's amazing how many cars on the market start to disintigrate at 90k.

This is it exactly. This is why I won't even consider buying certain brands of cars - I buy mine used and expect 200K out of them. My current Honda is at 140K so three more years maybe.

Chrysler/Jeep products are always ranked as some of the worst for reliability, build quality, etc...good thing we bailed their asses out (a little sarcasm there).

I have a friend (a woman) who was smitten with the new Jeep Grand Cherokee.
I said it sure is pretty, but you'd better buy the extended warranty!

My GF owns an older (2004) Jeep Grand Cherokee. It is at 180K and starting to have little problems often. She wants another Grand Cherokee and is looking to lease a new one. I am heavily discouraging her but ultimately the cost of the vehicle (low end is 30K) will take care of that. She cannot afford that.

 

[Coralkong]

I didn’t even know that there was a Dodge Dart on the market.

They hyped them up when they came out (with some God-Awful TV commercials), but there was no appeal for them.
IOW, you're not missing much. I don't think they sold well (too many other cars in the small sedan market for the same money with better track records).

 

[Coralkong]

This is it exactly. This is why I won't even consider buying certain brands of cars - I buy mine used and expect 200K out of them. My current Honda is at 140K so three more years maybe.



My GF owns an older (2004) Jeep Grand Cherokee. It is at 180K and starting to have little problems often. She wants another Grand Cherokee and is looking to lease a new one. I am heavily discouraging her but ultimately the cost of the vehicle (low end is 30K) will take care of that. She cannot afford that.

I just bought (well, he picked it out and paid for it) a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee Loredo, fully loaded.
It just turned 200K miles on the 6 cylinder engine.

Of course, he paid $1700 for it, not $50K, lol......so, yeah, it's kind of a rusty shitbox, but we need it up here (well, normally) for the 4WD in the wintertime.

I'd stay away from the new ones, you know?
Just look up some of the issues/reviews people are giving out. Some of them are frighteningly bad.
Chrysler seems to piss more people off than obtaining new fans......


I'd love to see them get their shit together, but unfortunately, they just can't seem to get out of their own way.

I'd rather have a reliable vehicle in the snow and dirt roads than a leather-clad, chrome wheeled, street tired, wood inlaid turd.

 

[OGG]

Chrysler/Jeep products are always ranked as some of the worst for reliability, build quality, etc...good thing we bailed their asses out (a little sarcasm there).

I have a friend (a woman) who was smitten with the new Jeep Grand Cherokee.
I said it sure is pretty, but you'd better buy the extended warranty!

But she's rich, and traded in her Cadillac SUV on a fully loaded one. Pretty car (other than I don't particularly care for the styling on the newest model). I don't know exactly what she paid for it, but I would suspect north of $45-$50K.

Sure as shit, she has less than 15K miles on it, and it has been back at the dealer FOUR times, for 3 different issues. (Twice for the same problem). And I'm not talking minor issues, either (unless you count the leather seat stitching started coming out of the drivers's seat seam.) Transmission issues (twice) and she needed the computer (ECM) replaced.

I find it kind of humorous that they want to focus on promoting the Jeep brand.

They sure are pretty, though.


Fucking junk.

If you're talking about the Reagan era bailout, that was paid back with a fat interest rate tacked on. It cost the taxpayers nothing, and ultimately became a profitable investment for the US Government.

The only other "bailout" for Chrysler was provided by FIAT. If a foreign company invests heavily into an iconic American industry and in so doing, saves thousands of American jobs, and you have an issue with that, your priorities are a bit whacked.

Don't buy one if you don't want one.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

I've owned a bunch of Dodge and Chrysler cars and things alternators, radiators, and transmissions are like timebombs for those brands. It's tough to compare when people are talking about cars they bought brand new and then trade in before 100K miles. I'm most interested in how a car holds together between 50K and 200K. It's amazing how many cars on the market start to disintigrate at 90k.

This is it exactly. This is why I won't even consider buying certain brands of cars - I buy mine used and expect 200K out of them. My current Honda is at 140K so three more years maybe.



My GF owns an older (2004) Jeep Grand Cherokee. It is at 180K and starting to have little problems often. She wants another Grand Cherokee and is looking to lease a new one. I am heavily discouraging her but ultimately the cost of the vehicle (low end is 30K) will take care of that. She cannot afford that.

Seems like most have some issues, depending on maintenance. Suburbans blow trannies around that time and start leaking oil. Hondas start burning oil. Toyotas have had head gasket issues (6 cylinder light trucks and 4 runners in the 90s). The list goes one. The trick seems to me to buy a rig where you know what the main issues are, and are willing to accept them as a cost of maintenance. Usually cheaper than financing a brand new rig, considering the drop in value when you drive a new car off the lot.

 

[reverend1]

I've owned a bunch of Dodge and Chrysler cars and things alternators, radiators, and transmissions are like timebombs for those brands. It's tough to compare when people are talking about cars they bought brand new and then trade in before 100K miles. I'm most interested in how a car holds together between 50K and 200K. It's amazing how many cars on the market start to disintigrate at 90k.

I can't ague your experience, but here is the odometer on our 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 Hemi. I've never done anything to it other than the recommended maintenance.

 

[Coralkong]

I can't ague your experience, but here is the odometer on our 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 Hemi. I've never done anything to it other than the recommended maintenance.

View attachment 25543

That's impressive.

 

[Mark Wein]

I've never owned a Chrysler product but I've been watching my in-laws emergency vehicle business and many of the local police departments are switching away from the Dodge Charger because they spend more time at the dealer for engine replacement than on the street.

 

[mongooz]

I've never owned a Chrysler product but I've been watching my in-laws emergency vehicle business and many of the local police departments are switching away from the Dodge Charger because they spend more time at the dealer for engine replacement than on the street.

i think most of the P.D.'s that had the Crown Vic's would trade a kidney to get them back. just sayin'

 

[Mark Wein]

i think most of the P.D.'s that had the Crown Vic's would trade a kidney to get them back. just sayin'

Well, they had complaints about that car too but between the additional expense of the dodge (it is several thousand more per car in the police package) and the down time they are making a move towards using the Ford Explorer more and more. The new Impala from GM was a massive failure and the Taurus police package didn't go over so well here either.

 

[mongooz]

Well, they had complaints about that car too but between the additional expense of the dodge (it is several thousand more per car in the police package) and the down time they are making a move towards using the Ford Explorer more and more. The new Impala from GM was a massive failure and the Taurus police package didn't go over so well here either.

yea....there's a ton of PD's around me that are driving explorers more and more.