Featured Jeep: 2005 Wrangler X (TJ)

From Patti in Union, NE:

“Within 2 weeks of purchasing my 1st jeep, I took it on some of the roughest mining roads in the Colorado mountains! My jeep surpassed my expectations of “adventures” promised in all those jeep commercials. I am forever now a jeeper!”

Were the mountains of Nebraska not good enough?  Kidding!  Glad you had fun!

Rumors swirl concerning the fate of Chrysler & Jeep.

My head is spinning trying to keep up with the bevy of rumors and speculation regarding the sale of Chrysler and the Jeep Brand.  GM is merging with Chrysler, Nissan/Renault is buying the Jeep line while GM takes the rest, GM is buying Chrysler to keep  Jeep and scrap the other lines, GM is gobbling up Chrysler to eliminate a competitor, and on and on.  Does anyone else’s head hurt trying to keep up with this stuff?  Regardless, the situation is one god-awful, ugly mess and it only looks to get worse before it gets better.  Here’s the latest information on the goings on.

Freep.com 10/22/08

“What will become of Chrysler? And of General Motors, for that matter?

Chrysler’s 80% owner, Cerberus Capital Management, desperately wants out of car and truck manufacturing, and will soon sell Chrysler to GM, merge it into the Renault-Nissan alliance, break it into pieces and pawn them, or just crash the Auburn Hills automaker into bankruptcy court.

GM, careening toward insolvency itself, sees in Cerberus-Chrysler a wad of cash that may help GM buy enough time to see the promised land of 2010, when the U.S. economy is stronger, when retiree health care costs shift to a UAW-run trust, when the electric Volt and other hot, new cars hit the market.”

Forbes.com 10/22/08

“Most of what you have read about the prospective deals for Chrysler involving General Motors, Cerberus Capital Management and Nissan/Renault is misleading.

Let me make this clear: Any merger between General Motors and Chrysler would mean the death of Chrysler and another coffin nail for GM.

If GM gains control of Chrysler, it would shut most of Chrysler’s plants and fire most of the workers. I have seen estimates that 30,000 to 40,000 people would lose their jobs, and I do not dispute these figures.

A Chrysler takeover could also be fatal to General Motors. GM needs every bit of its energy to save itself–and adding Chrysler would be a huge distraction, with no rewards…

Jeep would survive. It was part of Willys when it went down, and it survived. Jeep was part of American Motors and endured. The Chrysler minivan plant in St. Louis might last for a few years, but the bloom is off the minivan market. It is hard to see why GM would want 450,000 units of capacity for the Dodge Ram trucks. GM cannot sell the Chevy and GMC pickups it builds now. Nor do I think that GM would have much interest in Chrysler’s passenger cars.”

More on the potential sale of Jeep, enter Renault.

Last week we brought you the news of a potential merge between Chrysler and GM. It now appears that certain lines may head to GM and Jeep may be bought by Renault.

“Private equity firm Cerberus is in talks to sell all or part of Chrysler’s operations to Renault and General Motors as it considers a range of deals that could break up the No. 3 US automaker, people familiar with the talks said on Thursday. A Renault spokeswoman denied the talks.

Cerberus Capital Management, Chrysler’s majority owner, is talking to GM about a transaction in which GM could buy some of Chrysler’s assets as an alternative to an outright purchase of its smaller rival, the sources said.

Renault’s interest in Chrysler range from an alliance to an acquisition of Jeep, widely considered to be Chrysler’s most valuable brand, the sources said.

Any deal with Renault to buy Jeep would put the world’s first and best-known sport-utility brand back in the hands of the French automaker that sold it to Chrysler along with American Motors in 1987.”

Check out the rest of the story from Wheels 24 here.

How to: Carry skis or snowboards on a Jeep Wrangler.

As the nights get frosty and leaves turn bright here in the Northeast, many thoughts wander to fresh powder.  Skiers and snowboarders rejoice!  Winter is on it way.  So pack up those skis and head up to the mountains, it’s as easy as that.  Or is it?  Those of us with Jeep Wranglers know just how tricky it can be to stow our equipment for the journey to the resort.  Some of us just throw the skis and/or snowboards between the seats, making holding your coffee difficult and awkward let alone shifting.  Still others lean their boards diagnolly in the backseat, with the ever looming risk of having something poke through a soft window.  Believe it or not, there are a couple of easy solutions out there.  The Jeep Wrangler Ski Rack, by Mopar, attaches directly to the spare tire (this one won’t work on Rubicons or other oversized tires) and safely carries up to four pairs of skis.

Another option for snowboarders and skiers both is the Jeep Wrangler Ski & Snowboard Rack by Thule.  This one is a little more expensive, but works as a carrier for all seasons, holding two bikes as well.  This high quality product holds up to six pairs of skis or four snowboards.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to hit the slopes.  Let is snow!  Let it snow!  Let it snow!

Chrysler and GM to merge?

I’m a little behind on this one.  You’ll have to forgive me.  According to the AP, GM and Chrysler have been talking about a possible merge.  I hope everyone had a nice long weekend.

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors Corp., Chrysler LLC and Cerberus Capital Management LP have held preliminary talks about a merger or an acquisition of Chrysler by GM, according to a person familiar with the talks.

Chrysler, which is 80.1 percent owned by Cerberus, already has a joint venture with GM making a hybrid gas-electric powertrain, and has discussed a full merger or acquisition with GM, said the person, who did not want to be identified because the talks have not been made public.

The Wall Street Journal, citing people it described as familiar with the discussions, reported that Cerberus, a private equity firm that also owns 51 percent of GMAC Financial Services, proposed trading Chrysler’s automotive operations to GM in exchange for GM’s remaining 49 percent stake in GMAC.

The New York Times, also citing people familiar with the talks, reported that the automakers were discussing a merger.

GMAC, primarily an auto lender, also has significant mortgage lending operations that have been hit hard by the crisis in that industry.

The talks have stalled because of the recent turmoil in the financial markets, according to the Journal. Its sources said negotiations could resume if markets stabilize because both GM and Cerberus want to quickly divest the assets under discussion.

The negotiations between 100-year-old GM and 83-year-old Chrysler have began more than a month ago. The Times said its sources pegged the chances of a merger being completed at “50-50.”

Read the full story here.

Featured Jeep: 2000 Jeep Cherokee (XJ)

From Luis in Venezuela:

“I love my xj, cauze it takes me whetever I want to go…. lots of power…no problem during water crossing..( always keep your Jeep original… ) and NO PROBLEMO AMIGO!!!”

You’re a brave man, Luis.

Jeep Sales down -43% for September 2008

Chrysler LLC announced their September 2008 sales figures this week and the news is not getting any better.  Jeep Brand Sales are down -43% overall from the September sales period in 2007.  All models had significant drops in sales, with the gas-hogging Commander and relatively fuel-efficient Compass taking the biggest hit, a -65% drop.  The Patriot, having the same or comparable gas mileage as the Compass, had sales drop only -25%, probably speaking for the public’s preference for the Patriot’s boxier body style.  Sales were down for the Jeep Grand Cherokee -56%, the Jeep Wrangler -29%, and the Jeep Liberty -27%.  Jeep Brand Sales are down -26% for the year.