Change in Store

Our visit to the Jeep dealer in Puyallup yesterday resulted in a major decision for us. After waiting several hours for a prognosis on the water cooling problem, we decided we would investigate other options - including changing out the Jeep for another vehicle. The problem - according to the dealer - was that there was calcification in the radiator which was blocking complete flow of coolant through the engine causing the hot fluid to drain from the radiator reservoir when the engine is turned off. The fix for the problem was to replace the radiator - for $600.

We have been looking at trading for a new vehicle for awhile now knowing that there were going to be some problems with the Jeep eventually that would justify a change. We just spent $500 a few weeks ago to have brakes put on the front and to replace the coolant at the same dealership. They didn't charge us anything yesterday since we instructed them to just stop any actions on fixing the Jeep, and they didn't charge us for another evaluation. While thinking about the money we would save by not performing the fix, gas money saved by not driving the Jeep to WY, insurance premiums for a month and the 3,000 mile service that we would omit, the money saved would amount to almost $1000. That is over 10 percent of the value of the Jeep today. Even though we originally planned to keep the Jeep for another year or so, we don't want to have problems while on the road in strange locations that could impact our schedule while waiting for repairs.

Since we only have until Tuesday to dispose of the Jeep, we did an online Auto Trader price guarantee which sounded like a fair deal for us. Of course, our phone rang constantly with calls from dealers anxious to take our Jeep in trade. We decided to drive it to one of the nearby participating dealers - one in Issaquah, only 5 miles away - to get our guaranteed price which must be within 72 hours of the quote. We will empty the Jeep this morning and drive it to that dealer to sign over the Jeep and collect our money.

We have been communicating with a Jeep dealer near Jackson - actually located in Rexburg Idaho about 80 miles away from Jackson - and he has identified a new vehicle for us that has everything we are looking for, so we will pursue that option. We will purchase (hopefully) a new - 2014 - Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit that should satisfy our needs for the next 7-10 years. It will be a 4WD loaded vehicle that will also be able to tow up to 7000 lbs which are key requirements for us. We hope to complete that deal after our arrival in Jackson around the 19th of May. Josie will ride with me in the truck for the first time since we hit the road 5 years ago. It is already a record for me to have kept the same vehicle for 8 years and the Jeep has been the most reliable and best vehicle for us that we can remember. Let's hope all goes according to the new plan...