Buying a New Jeep
- Alex Cabrero
- Nov 21, 2023
- 9 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
(Spokane, Washington) Yes. I know this is a website dedicated to Utah adventures, so why am I posting something from a trip to Spokane, Washington? It's because the Jeep that is going to continue taking me on Utah adventures was in Spokane. My old 2016 Jeep Cherokee was at 193,000 miles and needed a repair that was going to cost about $2000. After chatting with my mechanic, he said it was probably a good idea to instead spend that money toward a new vehicle instead of fixing my Jeep that was going to start costing me more money. Plus, the 4-wheel drive needed servicing, the rear lift gate wouldn't work anymore, and the back passenger door didn't lock. Don't tell anybody they had easy access to my Jeep for a couple of years. So, we decided to just fix the immediate issue in my old Jeep (the front passenger wheel bearing) so the wheel didn't fall off in traffic. That would buy me some time to find a new vehicle.
I played around with thinking of getting a Toyota 4Runner, Subaru Outback or Forester (Wilderness editions), and even a Kia Sportage. But when it came down to it, I knew I wanted a Jeep. I have owned three Jeeps before this new one, and all of them were green. I'm not one for much change. It had to be green, with the panoramic sunroof, and the Trailhawk trim. I went to Blackfoot, Idaho, to look at a green Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk and almost bought it. I spent the night in Idaho Falls because I like to sleep on big decisions. Something told me to do a little more homework on the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. When I did, I noticed something on it called Quadra Lift. It's basically an air-suspension system on Jeep Trailhawk trims. However, lots of people online and on the Jeep forums say the Quadra Lift will eventually fail and it's close to $4000 to replace it. It's not a recall because it isn't safety related, but there were reports upon reports upon reports of problems. So, I decided not to buy a Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. I like Trailhawks because of the skid plates and off-road trail rated capabilities. I don't do a ton of off-roading, but I do enough that I want to feel like I can do it without any major problems. My stepdad is a mechanic and he called one of his friends asking about the Quadra Lift after I asked him about it. His friend works at a Jeep dealership in Tennessee and admitted they see a lot of Grand Cherokee Trailhawks with Quadra Lift issues. The regular Cherokee Trailhawk model does not come with Quadra Lift, and since a regular Cherokee is exactly what my 2016 Jeep is, and I loved it, I began looking for the same model... just newer. I did a national search and after about a month and a half, a new ad popped up that seemed to fit exactly what I wanted. That's the ad in the picture above. It was located in Spokane, Washington.
I contacted the dealer in Spokane and we went back and forth a few times. He even made a video for me because I wanted to hear how the engine sounded. By now, I know the sounds of a Jeep engine to where I can tell when some kind of service is going to be needed soon. It sounded great and it looked great. It was also priced very fairly. When I put in everything I wanted on the internet, there were only 25 Jeeps across the country that matched my preferences, and only 10 that had fewer than 30,000 miles. This one had 19,000 at a great price. The price also dropped $1000 on the day I was going to call them and ask if we can go lower. Plus, being a 2019, it had all the newer technology my 2016 Jeep did not have like Apple Car Play, lane assistance, and even brighter headlights. So, we settled on a deal, and I flew to Spokane after I got off work Saturday night to buy it and drive it back to Utah.
My salesman, Dan, picked me up at my hotel and drove me to the dealership. It's Lithia Ram, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep in Spokane. No, they did not pay me to write the name of their dealership. I should've asked for some money off of the Jeep for mentioning it, but honestly, how many Utahns are crazy enough to go to Spokane for their vehicle? The first time I saw the new Jeep it had snow on it. I thought it was beautiful and rugged looking, like it was ready for adventures. The front end was a little different on the 2019, but I liked it a lot.
The salesman I worked with, Dan, was awesome. He was very patient, answered all my questions, and totally understood I had to do a little negotiating with some things (such as the price of a lo-jack that was already installed on the Jeep). He's even the guy who picked me up at the hotel first thing Sunday morning. It took a couple of hours signing all the paperwork, proving I am me, and making sure my insurance was in place. I didn't come prepared with my insurance cards so it took a little bit to get my policy number. But once I did, we shook hands, I promised I'm not a scam artist, and I was on my way home. Getting back to Salt Lake City was going to be an 11-hour drive without stops. I figured it would take me 12-13 hours with stops. I love driving and road trips. The only bummer was I knew it was going to get dark soon so most of my drive home would be in the dark.
I was pretty hungry after all that. I didn't eat any breakfast, so by the time I was done signing paperwork, I wanted to get some chow. Fortunately, Spokane has some Jack and the Box restaurants, which I absolutely love. Salt Lake just got its first one a couple of months ago. What a great way to celebrate a new Jeep by getting two tacos (no lettuce) and a sourdough Jack (no tomatoes) and chowing down in the Jeep! I didn't, however, throw the wrappers in the back like I normally do. I'm sure that time will come.
Spokane is pretty much on the Washington-Idaho line, so I wasn't in Washington long. It's kind of funny because when I signed paperwork, I had to make sure I was insured and registered for a 3-day permit to transport a new vehicle in the State of Washington without license plates. The drive to Idaho was less than ten miles, which is silliness to me. Rules are rules and laws are laws, though. I didn't even finish my Jack in the Box before I made it to Idaho. I was excited for the pretty drive through Coeur d' Alene and some of the mountain passes and canyons on I-90. I was just hoping to see them before it got dark. I also realized all of my four Jeeps I have owned came from a different time zone.
The '98 Jeep Cherokee was from New York (Eastern)
The '08 Jeep Liberty was bought in Utah (Mountain)
The '16 Jeep Cherokee was bought in Oklahoma (Central)
And now the '19 Jeep Cherokee was bought in Washington (Pacific)
I told Kylie that means my next Jeep will have to come from Alaska or Hawaii. She didn't seem amused.
The Jeep was handling great. I loved how it felt tight to the road, accelerated with no problems, and ready to go. Driving a Jeep with 190,000+ miles, I forgot what it's like to drive a new one. Of course, this new Jeep was a 2019, so it wasn't really new, but it only had 19,000 miles on it. The previous owner drove it about 4000 miles a year, so it's basically brand new. I wanted to play with all the technology but figured I should just pay attention to driving since it was new to me. It was snowing on the mountain pass that got me into Montana. I wish I had more time to look around some of these places. The mountains, trees, and lakes I saw are all beautiful.
Sure enough, it was dark by the time I got to Missoula, Montana. This is where I stopped to fill up the Jeep for the first time. I was getting about 24-25 miles a gallon on straight interstate, which is about what I got with my old Jeep. It probably would've been a little higher if I didn't see how smooth the Jeep was at 90 miles an hour and maybe a tad at 100. Allegedly. Montana's speed limit used to be "reasonable and prudent" without an actual number, so I figured if a seasoned Montana trooper pulled me over, I would explain, and he or she would understand. When I lived in Idaho Falls in 1999, I visited a friend in Rapid City, South Dakota, and drove on I-90 through Montana to get there. The speed limit back then was "reasonable and prudent," but my little Nissan Sentra couldn't hit 100. I'm happy I got to experience a no speed limit American highway before there was an actual number.
About halfway through my 750-mile-ish drive home, or maybe a little more than halfway, it was time to leave I-90 near Butte and take I-15. That's the main north/south interstate that goes through Salt Lake City. I still didn't see any Salt Lake City signs, but that familiar I-15 sign made me feel closer to home. It was nice seeing Idaho Falls on the sign, though. I worked in Idaho Falls from 1998-2000 and loved my time there. I learned a lot and made some friends I could call at any moment today and I know they'd be there for me.
It's also tough taking a picture with a cell phone in the dark. I even slowed down because there was no traffic behind me. It still came out shaky.
Eventually, after Dubois, Idaho Falls (another stop for gas and dinner), Blackfoot, Pocatello, and Malad, I finally got into Utah. I hope you can make out "Utah" on the state sign in the picture above. It felt great to be in my home state and to introduce the new Jeep to Utah. Yes, I talk to my Jeep. And she talks back. She thanked me for getting her out of Spokane and asked me what Utah was like. I prepared her for salt stuck to her undercarriage from the Salt Flats, red rock dust in the the Moab area, and spilled fry sauce in the seats from almost anywhere. I also explained the fast lanes in Utah on the interstate are the far right lanes because it seems like everyone drives and camps out in the left lanes. If you live in Utah, you know. After a full day and night of driving, 13 hours later, I was home.
The next day, I parked the new Jeep next to the old Jeep to see how different they are. The front end on the 2019 was redesigned but they basically look the same. Timber was definitely confused. She knows what the word "Jeep" means and whenever you say it, she runs to the door expecting to go for a ride. This video shows her reacting to the word "Jeep" when she was about 2-years-old.
I'm looking forward to her nose prints all over the back windows on many adventures in the new Jeep. I'm sure she'll have it smelling like her in no time.
The day after I got back, it was time for the hard part. I had to take everything out of the old Jeep because I was selling it. I had an offer from the local Jeep dealership that was fair for all the issues it had and the high mileage. I'm sure they'll fix it up and sell it for $4000 more than they bought it from me :) But, that's okay. I like to think my old Jeep might go to a new driver who is excited to own their first Jeep and will take it on more adventures.
I drove the old Jeep to the dealership saying goodbye and thank you. As I said earlier, I like to talk to my Jeep. If that makes me slightly strange, blame my mom for me being an only child :) It was a bit emotional selling it and saying goodbye. This Jeep was my office when Covid hit and we couldn't go into the office. As a TV news reporter, I still had to go out and do stories. We interviewed people using a long makeshift boom mic and kept our distance. Our station also decided to have reporters and photographers drive separately for social distancing purposes. That Jeep became my home away from home for a full year. It felt safe and was the perfect little office to get my work done. I also know I have to live in reality, and keeping it would start costing me more money in repairs than it was worth. At some point, it would completely stop running and then I couldn't get anything in return for selling it. The time was right. I kept one of the key fobs from the old Jeep and will have it reprogrammed for the new Jeep. That makes me feel like a part of the old Jeep will still get to go on adventures with me. Again, I was an only child who was very creative with my imagination ;)
Kylie picked me up at the dealership and took me home. It's time for the new Jeep to begin its Utah Adventures!
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