One last time... (I know, I know!)

Aurezalia

Well-known member
I think I'm FINALLY approaching a final decision about my vehicle choice. Hopefully I can purchase in the next few months!
I'm down to two choices. Realistically, both are good for quite different areas, and I'm just not sure WHICH one to give precedent to, KWIM?

2008 Mazda 5:
21 city/27 highway - combined 23 mpg
Pros: This will work well with Radians. It allows bracing (Which I really prefer my car allow, for a multitude of reasons) because the airbag sensors are under the seats, not on the back. REAR A/C!!! Sliding doors! Drives like a car!
Cons: Would have to use it with back seats folded down for trunk space, so that turns it into a 4-seater car. It's not going to be good for anything outside of city use.

2008 Jeep Patriot
21 city/24 highway - combined 22 mpg (For the automatic 4WD - 2WD gets 23/27)
Pros: Driver's side allows bracing (Passenger's side technically doesn't, so this could be considered a con). Comes in 4WD, would be a MUCH better fit for rougher driving. (Or, as I think of it, driving off on a random dirt road into canyon in the middle of nowhere.)
Cons: No rear A/C. Small-ish trunk with no expansion options, but of a size that I could probably make do with. Has a CVT transmission, which could be worrisome, although there hasn't been any reported problems with the Patriot's. Seats 3 in the back, but 3-across will be tight at best.


Summed up: The Mazda5 will be better for work, but won't have much use outside of that. The Patriot is more than useable for work, but also will work for when I decide to take my random drives out into the middle of nowhere. The safety differences are so negligible, if there at all, that they aren't factoring into my decision.
But I also have to be realistic. I work 60+ hours, 7 days a week right now. I haven't had the time for one of those drives in months, and not sure how long it will be until I'm able to again. That all has me leaning towards the Mazda5, but it is slightly more expensive, and I can't shake the feeling that long term, the Patriot *may* be slightly more useable.

So... all that to say... WWYD?
 
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agave

New member
I'm not much help but, don't you hat it when the practical side gets in the way when your buying a car? If my practical side didn't always jump in I'd be driving a Jeep Wrangler instead of a minivan.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
Does the Jeep not allow bracing? I thought Chrysler/Jeep/etc doesn't have a prohibition.

I think Jeep also allows borrowing LATCH, if that matters. (Car seat also needs to allow it, of course.)

No opinion though. You're on your own. :)
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
I'd go with the Mazda. :) Every single person I know "in real life" who has had a Jeep has had major issues with their vehicles, so I don't trust Jeeps at all.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
Oh, and check the Mazda manual carefully. The LATCH Manual says Mazda is only affected by pressure from under the seat, but someone in a thread in the tech forum posted that her Mazda manual had all sorts of Advanced Airbag info, including not hanging stuff from the seatback or putting pressure on the seat.

The bracing issue wouldn't make or break a car purchase for me, but it seems to be a consideration for you.

Also, does the Patriot have adjustable/removable headrests? I know some Jeeps have those awful ones that make them practically incompatible with FF seats.
 

TXDani

Senior Community Member
Patriot...I just can not wrap my head around anyone wanting to drive the Mazda 5 especially not a cute young girl like yourself. ;)
 

Chely7425

New member
Oh, and check the Mazda manual carefully. The LATCH Manual says Mazda is only affected by pressure from under the seat, but someone in a thread in the tech forum posted that her Mazda manual had all sorts of Advanced Airbag info, including not hanging stuff from the seatback or putting pressure on the seat.

The bracing issue wouldn't make or break a car purchase for me, but it seems to be a consideration for you.

Also, does the Patriot have adjustable/removable headrests? I know some Jeeps have those awful ones that make them practically incompatible with FF seats.

The Patriot is generally fine with most FFing seats, it has the same seats as my liberty :)
 

Aurezalia

Well-known member
2007 rav4 :-O
Shut. Up. :p

Does the Jeep not allow bracing? I thought Chrysler/Jeep/etc doesn't have a prohibition.

I think Jeep also allows borrowing LATCH, if that matters. (Car seat also needs to allow it, of course.)
It allows bracing on the driver's side, but I don't believe it does on the passenger. (I'm basing this information off of Chel's Liberty, so I could be wrong. :p) It does allow borrowng, but meh. I tend to prefer seatbelt installs anyway.

I'd go with the Mazda. :) Every single person I know "in real life" who has had a Jeep has had major issues with their vehicles, so I don't trust Jeeps at all.
Eh. I know people who haven't had a single issue with their jeeps, kwim? I think it really just depends - model, MFY, etc.

Oh, and check the Mazda manual carefully. The LATCH Manual says Mazda is only affected by pressure from under the seat, but someone in a thread in the tech forum posted that her Mazda manual had all sorts of Advanced Airbag info, including not hanging stuff from the seatback or putting pressure on the seat.

The bracing issue wouldn't make or break a car purchase for me, but it seems to be a consideration for you.

Also, does the Patriot have adjustable/removable headrests? I know some Jeeps have those awful ones that make them practically incompatible with FF seats.
I'm pretty sure Wendy and Pixels both said the 5 allows bracing, so I was taking that as truth. :p But thanks, I'll double check on that.
Oh, and you're right about the headrests! Forgot to put that in! The Patriot does have fixed headrests. (But, again, basing things off Chel's Liberty, which also has the fixed headrests, it doesn't seem to really interfere with FF installs.)

Patriot...I just can not wrap my head around anyone wanting to drive the Mazda 5 especially not a cute young girl like yourself. ;)
:ROTFLMAO: But the 5 IS cute! They both are! :p
 

luckyclov

New member
Well, if it were a 2009-2012 5, I'd say 5 - hands down. And I'd probably still go 5 (2008 or earlier) if your potential 3rd row passengers were either large or in an installed 5-point harness. But not for a petite to average sized adult, 5-stepping kid, LBB rider or HBB rider. The 3rd row shoulder belts in 2008 and earlier models are set soooo far forward, there are some major fit challenges. It's one of the reasons I got rid of my '08 when I was pregnant with #3 and realized my oldest would be moving to the 3rd row. Aside from that and the non-existent cargo with all 3 rows up, the 5 has been one of my favorite vehicles ever and I still miss it.

The issue was addressed/revised for 2009 MY 5s.

After the experience(s) DH and I had with various Chryslers over the last few years (Dodge & Jeep), we will never own one again. So I'd only go Patriot if I knew for sure I'd have passengers in my 5 that wouldn't be restrained properly.
 

Aurezalia

Well-known member
clov878 said:
Well, if it were a 2009-2012 5, I'd say 5 - hands down. And I'd probably still go 5 (2008 or earlier) if your potential 3rd row passengers were either large or in an installed 5-point harness. But not for a petite to average sized adult, 5-stepping kid, LBB rider or HBB rider. The 3rd row shoulder belts in 2008 and earlier models are set soooo far forward, there are some major fit challenges. It's one of the reasons I got rid of my '08 when I was pregnant with #3 and realized my oldest would be moving to the 3rd row. Aside from that and the non-existent cargo with all 3 rows up, the 5 has been one of my favorite vehicles ever and I still miss it.

The issue was addressed/revised for 2009 MY 5s.

After the experience(s) DH and I had with various Chryslers over the last few years (Dodge & Jeep), we will never own one again. So I'd only go Patriot if I knew for sure I'd have passengers in my 5 that wouldn't be restrained properly.

That's the thing - I wouldn't ever (Or maaaaybe very very rarely) have 3rd row riders. I'd use it with the 3rd row down almost exclusively. But I've still been eyeing the 09, who knows. ;)
What problems did you have? I haven't heard of the a Patriot having any recurring problems. *shrug*

I may appear to have broken the english language, go ahead and blame my phone. Sent from my Droid
 

luckyclov

New member
The bulk of our Chrysler complaints are with Dodge. But DH had an '08 or '09 Liberty for about a year and a half. He had some brake and gas line issues, all covered under warranty. But dealerships and warranty/recall work is where we always ran into issues. We also outgrew the Liberty when we had #3. There was no headrest in the center of the backseat and center shoulder belt came from the vehicle seat and not the ceiling (think HBB incompatibilities).

If you'd never have 3rd row occupants who needed the seatbelt as the restraint method (in a 2006-2008), it wouldn't even be a difficult choice for me, between the two. It'd be the 5.

Like I say now, if I had realized back when I was pregnant with #3 how easy it would have been to load a RFer from the hatch, I would have just kept DD and DS1 in the 2nd row and put the baby in the 3rd row and kept the 5. That wouldn't have solved the lack of cargo space issue, but I seriously hated trading it in.
 

msg221

Well-known member
I'd go with the Mazda. :) Every single person I know "in real life" who has had a Jeep has had major issues with their vehicles, so I don't trust Jeeps at all.

I agree. Two people I know who had the Jeep Liberty had problems with it and ridiculous things like the window wouldn't stay up to all kind of mechanical problems. I found this site that has consumer reviews on the Jeep. Some are good, but the bad ones report the same problems with it starting to have problems at 40k miles, having to replace the ball joints, the transmission being bad, and a water leak where water was coming out the dome light???? WTH?

http://www.edmunds.com/jeep/patriot/2008/consumer-reviews.html


I would choose the Mazda over the Jeep. Here are consumer reviews on that: http://www.edmunds.com/mazda/mazda5/2008/consumer-reviews.html
 

canadiangie

New member
I guess based on those two choices I'd go with the Patriot.

But actually, I'd be looking at a Hyundai Sante Fe, Ford Escape, and Chev Equinox as well. Eta: and of course the CRV and Rav4, if budget allows.

Hyundai has come a long way over the years. It would be at the top of my list if I was looking for a vehicle in it's class. And the Escape while made by Ford is actually a pretty all-around good vehicle and well respected amongst many vehicle enthusiasts.

The Jeep Patriot... well, it just wouldn't make the cut for me. :eek:

The 5 is adorable for a minivan. If I lived in a climate that wasn't so terrible for snow, and I had 1-2 kids, and was ok driving a van, I might actually consider one. But deciding between a 5 and a Patriot is like choosing between an apple and an orange.

Probably zero help...
 
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Aurezalia

Well-known member
I guess based on those two choices I'd go with the Patriot.

But actually, I'd be looking at a Hyundai Sante Fe, Ford Escape, and Chev Equinox as well. Eta: and of course the CRV and Rav4, if budget allows.

Hyundai has come a long way over the years. It would be at the top of my list if I was looking for a vehicle in it's class. And the Escape while made by Ford is actually a pretty all-around good vehicle and well respected amongst many vehicle enthusiasts.

The Jeep Patriot... well, it just wouldn't make the cut for me. :eek:

The 5 is adorable for a minivan. If I lived in a climate that wasn't so terrible for snow, and I had 1-2 kids, and was ok driving a van, I might actually consider one. But deciding between a 5 and a Patriot is like choosing between an apple and an orange.

Probably zero help...

All the ones you mentioned have been considered, and ruled out for one reason or another. :)

And that's exactly my point, about the apple and orange thing, lol! That's what is making it so hard to choose! *sigh*
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
What problems did you have? I haven't heard of the a Patriot having any recurring problems. *shrug*

Looking around the net and reporting what some of my friends and family have reported, it sounds like the big/frequent issues are with drivetrains, transmissions/grinding while shifting, the hood "catching air" and possibly flapping open while driving :)eek:), seat springs, engine being sluggish, steering being affected by cold weather, and suspension.

These issues were all with Patriots. My other friends and family who have had Jeep issues have had them with what I think were Cherokees, LIberties, and Grand Cherokees, but I know the issues above were definitely Patriots.
 

Aurezalia

Well-known member
Alright... *takes deep breath*
I'm pretty sure... The 5 it is! :eek:
I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for an 09, but will do an 08 if I absolutely can't find anything. I thought they fixed the tire wear issue after 07, but looks like it went into the 08 models as well? I'll have to look into it more.

I just can't believe I've made a decision. :eek: :p
 

jessi f

New member
Alright... *takes deep breath*
I'm pretty sure... The 5 it is! :eek:
I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for an 09, but will do an 08 if I absolutely can't find anything. I thought they fixed the tire wear issue after 07, but looks like it went into the 08 models as well? I'll have to look into it more.

I just can't believe I've made a decision. :eek: :p

Late to this but congrats on making a decision :D Good luck looking! When we were looking for ours we thought our budget was going to keep us in the 07-08 range but we were able to find a an awesome deal on an 09 that was even certified pre-owned.

We love ours, other than being a little on the small side for DH (who's 6'5''), it's been the perfect car for us. Until I started babysitting we hardly ever used the 3rd row but it's so nice to have the option when you need it.
 

Melanie

New member
Alright... *takes deep breath*
I'm pretty sure... The 5 it is! :eek:
I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for an 09, but will do an 08 if I absolutely can't find anything. I thought they fixed the tire wear issue after 07, but looks like it went into the 08 models as well? I'll have to look into it more.

I just can't believe I've made a decision. :eek: :p

I think you made the right choice. You can always rent a vehicle for those infrequent off road times. Then you don't put up with the inconvenient/potential problems with the jeep everyday.
 

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