I have to let go of my Jeep. :(

[Chako]

I knew this time would come. I just hoped I would have been able to postpone this for another year or so, but my 2011 Jeep Patriot has told me it is time to look for another ride.

I bought it used back in 2013 and fell immediately in love with it. My first 4x4 which is a godsend in North Eastern Ontario winters. The memories I have with this vehicle is amazing. I grew to love it more and more. It treated me very well in my two accidents where people would run into me while I was stopped at a red. The Jeep was the perfect size of not being too small or large. The fuel economy was also good, or at least, it never broke the bank when it came time to fuel up.

Alas, not all was good though. It has been a few years now that rust showed up, and more so in the past 2 years where it grew like cancer. I was having increasing issues with it as well. Happily enough, seeing as how I work at a High School, I was able to let the auto class work on it for free (Just paying for parts and a pizza or two). I know the shop teacher and he is a fantastic mechanic.  However, that could only last for so long. I ended up taking a day off work because my break lines broke and I had no brakes. I paid $1000 Canadian to have rear brakes and break lines installed. I was thinking just one more year. The Canadian Tire mechanics told me that my drive shaft was compromised. That didn't sound all that good. I brought it to the school to have my trusted colleague to look at it. He told me at the end of the day after teaching my classes that you could poke your finger right through the front but the drive shaft was ok. When I drove it home on Wednesday past, there was an ominous grinding coming from the rear. Back at work, He inspected it up on the hoist and found that my differential was going. I was told it was bad news and that I could maybe drive it for a while before it breaking and stranded me. I knew it was time to look for a replacement while my partner in crime can still get me to places. I knew that a taxi from my west end house to my east end workplace cost me $60 Canadian. That not always grinding noise is driving me nuts.

I started to look up various local online car dealers and used cars. I was completely shocked to find that used cars are no longer considered used cars. In this market, they are now commanding as new prices, or darn near. I have an aversion to buying new, thinking that a 2 or 3 year car always was the sweet spot. I no longer think like this. Apparently the Ontario Government enacted tougher and more stringent safety inspections, that it is boosting the used car prices high. Yay me!

Then I started looking at new vehicles from various dealers. It amazes me that most vehicles appear to be over 40.000 dollars, including many cars. I liked my small Jeep Patriot that I cannot see myself ever buying a car. My first vehicle was a Chrysler Neon, and I remember how low that was. The Jeep was a good height that winter snow banks were not a visibility issue like I remember in the Neon car. I gave up researching for the night somewhat defeated.

The next day, I was perusing Facebook when a Hyundai add popped up on my feed. It was for a Hyundai Venue for a price in the mid 20,000s. I figured this was American money but decided to look into it further. I found out that it was in Canadian funds. After doing some online searching on this vehicle I decided to stop into the local Hyundai dealer on my way home. I drive past the place twice daily going to and from work. I took a look at the Venue with the help of a salesman and thought it was terribly small, but I could afford it, which was a great thing as it was cheaper then most used vehicles at the moment. The market sucks for used vehicles right now. I asked the million dollar question. Does it come in all wheel drive or 4x4. No it didn't. That was a deal breaker. I grew to love my Jeep's 4x4 in winter. The Salesman told me the next higher up vehicle in their lineup, the Kona did come with all wheel drive as an option. It is about the same size as my Jeep. A little shorter, but also a little wider. The height is about the same, and the best part, I can get the Kona preferred model for low 30,000s. I bought one and I will be picking it up this Wednesday.

Here is my 2011 Jeep Patriot North Edition at the park this past Saturday while doing a bit of photography. The rear differential is till making grinding noises. I decided to stay in today (Sunday) to not exacerbate the differential. It still has to survive till Wednesday.

IMG_0629A by Chako, on Flickr

Here is my Hyundai Kona. I opted for the black to blend in with the dark gray plastic panels. This is the Preferred variant which is 1 step up from the base line essential model. That gives me 18" wheels, and a smart cruise control, among a few other things. Most of the higher trim packages come with a sun roof and fake leather seats. I am not a fan of either. 

20250510_100944A by Chako, on Flickr

What shocked me are the items included in the base model up. So many freaking safety options that I am unsure if I can live with them. Happy to find out I can turn every one of them off if I do not like it. That rear camera will be helpful though. My Jeep only had heated seats, heated side view mirrors, a car starter and upgraded 17" tires because it was the North Edition. This Kona has all of that and a heated steering wheel. Not to mention radar all around plus a camera facing foreword and backwards.

20250510_100951A by Chako, on Flickr

I know they will clean it up nice before I pick it up. I also opted to get it undercoated with one of the longer term treatments. Rust was a big factor in my Jeeps demise.

20250510_101010A by Chako, on Flickr

You can't really see it in this photo, but the instrument is all electronic. Since I got my dashtop GPS, I have rarely looked at my analogue gauges in my dash for speed.

20250510_101032A by Chako, on Flickr

There will be a lot to get used to. Least of all push to start, and all of the features including the adaptive cruise control that will hold a steady distance with the car ahead of you, including stop and go. Lane assist might be something I might turn off as I don't know if I would like the vehicle to nudge my steering while driving. I guess my Jeep is rather basic and rudimentary compared to vehicle these days. The Kona even has Bluelink which allows me to start my vehicle, set up various parameters, all from my phone. That will be weird.

Now I cannot wait for Wednesday, and pray my Jeep will last that long.

[Barry Rowland]

That's too bad about your Jeep Chako, but I think you'll like the Kona.  A friend of mine has one and likes it a good bit.  We're in Central Pennsylvania so we have the road salt, etc that destroys bodywork too. 

I picked up a slightly used Mazda CX 5 when my Beetle died last year.  It has all the electronic goodies too.  I got used to them, and actually like the key fob and push button start.  You can hang anything you want on your keychain now 

[Chako]

I found my post when I first got the Jeep on here back in 2013. I know I am going to miss the Jeep. I did not look in getting another as the local Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealer is a real horror show in terms of hiring people who think they are mechanics. I had some warranty still on the Jeep when I bought it and every visit to the place was shocking. The Kona is going to be interesting with all the modern features to try out. I am just happy to be able to get something with all wheel drive. The Kona does have 4x4 mode but only for slow speeds (There is an option to split 50/50 front and back wheels), which I am ok as I can use it whenever I get stuck...if that is a thing with all wheel drive. No clue as this will be my first all wheel drive vehicle. The AWD option adds 2000 Canadian above the FWD version. I also get better suspension front and back as well as snow mode along with the standard and sport drive modes.

There is rust forming on all wheel panels, the lower tailgate lip, inside door panels, and even around the door handles. I am told the underside is eaten away as well. I did get it undercoated back in 2014 but never afterwards. That is on me. I want to be sure I will not do the same error on this car. The dealer does an undercoating that is supposedly long term compared to the annual ones I am more familiar with. I have agreed to that, but not to the extended warrantee.

[Barry Rowland]

I still wash mine every chance I get in winter.  The salt and brine here would rust a ship 

[Chako]

I hear you. X fingers my old Jeep will hold up till Wednesday. My buddy mechanic said I could possibly get a year of driving as is provided it doesn't get worse. Being stranded with no brakes and having to call CAA to tow me to the garage was painful enough. Problem with that was I spent 1000 two weeks ago only to have my differential start to go. She is telling me its time.

I have already bought 2 accessories for the new vehicle off of Amazon.ca. The 2025 has a weird open center console. I purchased a fitted tray that will use that space much better. It came with black rubber mats to prevent things from sliding around overly much. I then spied a 14 piece rubber mat set designed for the vehicle in matching black. This includes mats for the center console, cup holders, door storage bins, etc. Once I take possession of the Kona, I will look into all weather mats for front and back floors as well as the back hatch area.

[Alan K.]

Congratulations Chako. I hope you enjoy your new ride.

[pfrsantos]

Sorry to hear about your Jeep. Still, a baker's dozen is not a bad run. Glad to know you managed to find a new ride you like so soon! Hope it lasts at least as long as the Jeep!

 

P.S.: One thing, though: it seems a little weaker than the Jeep. The back is awlready hold together with duct tape.

 

P.P.S.: I keep giggling while I read your posts, 'cause of the model name. In portuguese, if you write it with a C instead of a K, it's what we call a lady's naughty bits. So, again, congrats on your new Hyundai Smurf!

 

[Chako]

 

I know. Not a good start.

Nothing like your current ride dying to incentivize a quick replacement. No, the Jeep has been great to me. If it was not for the rust, I would still attempt to repair it.

[Grant Lamontagne]

It's a bad year for Jeeps!

Mine has been off the road since last November and I have since bought a 2025 Ford Maverick Hybrid AWD.

You may see it next week as I'm spending the second half of May in BR, and there will likely be a trip into SSM at some point!

Congrats on the new ride- my brother loves his Kona (he's on his second one) and my coworker is very fond of hers as well.   

Def

[Chako]

It looks like a great vehicle...so much so that I did not even test drive it.

[nate j]

In portuguese, if you write it with a C instead of a K, it's what we call a lady's naughty bits.

Seems like a miss for the Hyundai Marketing Dept!
 

Hopefully the vehicle will serve Chako well!

[Chako]

 

 

[Vidar]

Before we bought our current car I had a phone talk with another car salesman. As the car I had been interested in wasn't interesting anymore after some clarifications the talk (in Norwegian) took a weird turn.

"I have a barely used wife for you. Great with kids, great for shopping, and about the age you are looking for". Something like that. From there it just got even weirder and weirder until I realized the car was named Kona. Which in dialect is wife around here...

As for the jeep I think I have to quote the mechanic after my mother tried to keep her old worn yet loyal Subaru going. After almost 300000km and 20 years it was a staple in the family. "I'm sorry. There is a time for everything. Remember the good times, and let it go to rest now. It is time".

[nate j]

"I have a barely used wife for you. Great with kids, great for shopping, and about the age you are looking for". Something like that. From there it just got even weirder and weirder until I realized the car was named Kona. Which in dialect is wife around here...

[Farmer X]

I hope the new Hyundai serves well. Consensus seems to be that they are a stellar company.

A couple of side notes: I spotted a 2003 Wrangler on Saturday. It looked good, but a pickup is more practical for me, and I recall the issues Def had with his TJ. And I'll have to see about the higher grade of undercoating. Steel has a bad tendency to turn into ferric oxide in my area.

[Chako]

Well I did a somewhat comprehensive job of moving most of my gear into 2 folding grocery containers. I just have to dig out the owners manual which will go back into the glove box. I might have the odd receipt in some hard to get places, but I think I will not worry about those overly much. I even removed the Garmin GPS Data port cable from the Jeep. I am taking my old GPS with me.

[SteveC]

It looks like a great vehicle...so much so that I did not even test drive it.

 

I sure hope you like it.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I hope the new Hyundai serves well. Consensus seems to be that they are a stellar company.

A couple of side notes: I spotted a 2003 Wrangler on Saturday. It looked good, but a pickup is more practical for me, and I recall the issues Def had with his TJ. And I'll have to see about the higher grade of undercoating. Steel has a bad tendency to turn into ferric oxide in my area.

I didn't have many problems with my TJ, and short of the current transmission issues I haven't had many problems with my JKU.

I'd say a 2003 TJ with a solid frame would be a good purchase.

Def

[Chako]

I got the Kona home right now, having picked it up after work today. Even left my Jeep there. There is a lot to get used to.

1. Keyless start is just plain weird to me at the moment. I am sure I will get used to this, and probably wonder how I ever lived without it.
2. The power steering is light and touchy compared to the stiffer heavier steering on the Jeep.
3. Grateful that this did not come with dual climate zones. I have my traditional round knobs for fan speed, etc.
4. Going to take a while to figure out the ideal seat adjustment for driving.
5. I can mirror my cell phone content on the one touchscreen display using Android Auto, Frankly I never thought of it like this, but the side display is a tablet.
6. The salesman walked me through a lot of the safety features, turning on and off various settings and explaining to me why he liked these settings himself. I appreciated the walkthrough, and he reinforced that I could always play with those settings myself once I know and understand this stuff better.
7. What the hay...after reading every review and video online about the Hyundai Kona, I was thinking the base 2L engine was terrible and slow. Everyone saying go for the turbo. This engine has more pep than the one in my Jeep!
8. I can't wait to see what this vehicle will look like with all the lights on at night. I am sure it will be pretty.
9. I already started to plunder Amazon.ca for accessories. I ordered an organizer tray that fits the open center console. A set of rubber mats for the cup holders, center console, shelf above the glove box, door panels, etc. All weather mats for front and rear seats, and cargo bay. Last but not least, 2 leather protective sleeves for the key fobs. The sales guy told me how much it would cost to replace one. I almost fell out of my seat. They are also larger then I expected. Not sure I would want them hanging on my keychain. I will have to think about carrying it another way...possibly on its own belt loop maybe.

 

[Farmer X]

Going to take a while to figure out the ideal seat adjustment for driving.

That's why I like a regular cab pickup; I just slam the seat all the way back, and I have the ideal driving position.

Newer vehicles have a lot of things I'll never get used to. Some of them are kinda cool, while many others fly in the face of my KISS ethos. It's entirely possible that I'm much older attitudinally than I am physically.

[Chako]

Nothing wrong with that. I never liked pickups myself.

Here is the inside of the Jeep Patriot.
20250513_153918A by Chako, on Flickr

Here is the interior of the Kona.
20250514_204517A by Chako, on Flickr

20250514_204537A by Chako, on Flickr

I used my dashtop Garmin GPS unit for my speed as it was digital. I won't need it for this one, I think I like digital over analogue dials because I find them easier to see.
20250514_204611A by Chako, on Flickr

Right of the instrument section is a tablet more or less. I thought I would have to use my Garmin for GPS duties as this level doesn't come with a built in one, but I see I was mistaken. It comes with Android Auto using the cell phone as your GPS unit. Freaking cool if you ask me. This is even far bigger than my Garmin's 7" screen. This is 12 point something inches.
20250514_204915A by Chako, on Flickr

20250514_205026A by Chako, on Flickr

Plenty of places to charge things.
20250514_205033A by Chako, on Flickr

The higher trim levels of the Kona offered several things I am not a big fan of. Power seats are a waste as I find you set them once and that is it. A sun roof is a hell no as I know they tend to leak down the road. Pleather seats just means you stick to them in hot weather, and freeze in cold, Dual Cabin climate controls are fiddly. For the last, I kind of like the simpler dial method, and this one has it. I feel right at home here.
20250514_205039A by Chako, on Flickr

Of course when I got out to take these photos, the vehicle was full of bird poop. 

[Farmer X]

Two features in newer vehicles that I'll never adapt to are rotary dial things in place of gearshifts (in part because I intend to stop driving vehicles with automatic transmissions altogether) and electronic parking brakes. Nice to see that the Kona sticks with a gearshift lever. I assume it has an electronic parking brake?

[Chako]

You are correct. I never used the emergency break on my Jeep, and it fused solid with rust. I guess, the electronic one won't suffer the same faith. This car also has downhill breaking assist which I will never use either. I like to control my own breaking.

The higher trim levels have a weird rotary gear shifter off the steering column that you twist to change gears and tap the end to get it into park. I don't think I could ever get used to that.

I must admit that Hyundai did a good job with providing buttons for most functions. Easier to operate than a touch screen while driving.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Looking great there Dan... uh... Ontario Dan!   

Don't let Dan... uh... Michigan Dan get you down about the fancy toys in your new ride! 

Seriously, here's a little tidbit of info for you regarding the keys.  The dealer charges hundreds of dollars for them, but you can buy them from a variety of online sources for $100 or less and many you can program yourself.  For the ones you can't, the dealer may charge you $40 or so to program them.  Yea, this is a lot more than the good old days of paying Canadian Tire $6 to cut a new key for you, but it is way cheaper than the $300-500 the dealership will charge for a new key.

Megan's Volvo is having issues and since I was in a training course yesterday I gave her the Maverick for the day since I didn't need it.  I got a ride home from a coworker in her Kona.  It's about three years old and been through the ringer, having been used for construction duties, but it is still a sharp looking car.  My brother is on his second Kona (car, not wife!) and he seems to really enjoy them- especially that huge screen.

Congratulations on the slick new wheels!   

Def

[Chako]

Def, that is a relief. The dealer asked me if I wanted to buy all weather floormats for it and I said no once a price was quoted. I found a full set off of Amazon for only $135 dollars.

The Kona definitely feels more spacious up front compared to the narrower Patriot.

[pfrsantos]

Glad you like your new ride. Looks pretty nice! Enjoy it, safe travels!

 

[Alan K.]

I don't like all the touch screen and push button controls either Chako.  They're way too complicated for me.  Winter road salting really shortens a vehicles life considerably, doesn't it? I'm driving a 2006 Ford Escape that I bought used in 2020, and thankfully I don't have a rust problem because I can't afford to replace it.  At least I'll never lose money on it, as I have a standing offer to buy it from a guy I know, that sends Ford Escapes to Haiti for a taxi service.

[Farmer X]

I never used the emergency break on my Jeep, and it fused solid with rust. I guess, the electronic one won't suffer the same faith.

Now that I think about it, I wonder if that's why mechanical parking brakes are disappearing.

[nate j]

Having spent significant time driving vehicles with some of these features, here are my $0.02…

Keyless start - Weird at first, but I came to appreciate the increased speed and efficiency of not having to fumble around with keys, and not having to even take the keys out of my pocket.

Dual zone climate controls - In my experience, these are a gimmick that don’t work right in auto mode.  Fortunately, all one has to do is sync the zones, turn the temperature up if cold and down if hot, and set the fan to the desired speed, and it works the same as the older systems.

Android Auto/Apple Carplay - Very handy, as long as the touchscreen works.

Rotary dial shifters - Weird at first, took some getting used to, but I’ve actually come to appreciate the space-saving design and reduced likelihood of accidentally bumping the shifter.

Electronic parking brakes - I like them, I believe they are less prone to operator error than the mechanical versions.  Regardless of electronic or mechanical, I think it is a best practice to set the parking brake every time you park the car.  This provides extra protection against roll away, and exercising the parking brake helps keep it from freezing/seizing up.

Downhill brake assist - I like it in a hybrid that has regenerative breaking, but not in a standard ICE vehicle

[Vidar]

I must admit that Hyundai did a good job with providing buttons for most functions. Easier to operate than a touch screen while driving.

Totally, fully, utterly agree! And I've never understood why using cell phones while driving is banned, while roaming about in menus on some screen some distance away to the side is fine.

Seriously, here's a little tidbit of info for you regarding the keys.  The dealer charges hundreds of dollars for them, but you can buy them from a variety of online sources for $100 or less and many you can program yourself.

Car keys has become a major issue over here at least. Some brands now use keys that are forever locked to hardware specific for each car. Apparently that makes the cars very hard to steal, but the downside is you can't make any extra or replacement keys later on. Thus, if you loose a key you have to not only change the key but also some locking hardware in the car. Which they made difficult to access and thus also time consuming to replace. Some people have gotten key bills of USD 3000. Yes, that is three thousand... which is way above the insurance companies key coverage here.