Prado vs Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD

[JoshF Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close JoshF]

I do understand the resale concept, but that also assumes you are turning the car over in 3 years ie part of a novated lease etc. I f you are holding onto it for 10 years I think it means a little less

Assuming the car does exactly what is requried of it (without any warranty claims etc) as expressed by Nagg in his requirements statement earlier $23,000 dollars is a very large gap, which may be hard to justify.

Of course that doesn't mean the requriements won't change over time and force another selection

I guess we shall see what happens, Nagg I hope you report back over time

a friend of mine has the last of the live axle version of the GC's and he loves it, that doesn't include the unreliable Mercedes Diesel that Jeep used in his model...

[Big Block Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Big Block]

Ok here's a comparison:- 2002 GC Laredo $52500 new vs 2002 VX prado $57500 new. Jeep now about 7-9k and toyota about $14-17k. Toyota $5k dearer back then and at worst $5k better now but could be up to $10k better now. Even if you took the best jeep figure and the worst toyota figure you would come out even. (give or take) Now if I was in the market for a car that had done 200+ km and was 10 year old, I know where I'd spend my money and I bet the jeep owners servicing and maintenance account is somewhat different to the toyota owner. My point here is the market for that age car just wouldn't be there for the jeep (thus the price) and the cost of owning it over the 10 years would have to be much higher. So that price advantage is quickly eroded away but the consolation is you could sit in the jeep and push all those fancy buttons that probably don't work anymore cause it was $10k to get them fixed!!

Of course I'm being a bit cheeky here but I just think quality and reliability is worth the extra money. I've been there with saab and other brands like that and lost stacks of dollars in the past!!

[Nagg Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Nagg]

Ok here's a comparison:- 2002 GC Laredo $52500 new vs 2002 VX prado $57500 new. Jeep now about 7-9k and toyota about $14-17k. Toyota $5k dearer back then and at worst $5k better now but could be up to $10k better now. Even if you took the best jeep figure and the worst toyota figure you would come out even. (give or take) Now if I was in the market for a car that had done 200+ km and was 10 year old, I know where I'd spend my money and I bet the jeep owners servicing and maintenance account is somewhat different to the toyota owner. My point here is the market for that age car just wouldn't be there for the jeep (thus the price) and the cost of owning it over the 10 years would have to be much higher. So that price advantage is quickly eroded away but the consolation is you could sit in the jeep and push all those fancy buttons that probably don't work anymore cause it was $10k to get them fixed!!

Of course I'm being a bit cheeky here but I just think quality and reliability is worth the extra money. I've been there with saab and other brands like that and lost stacks of dollars in the past!!

I can understand the defence of the beloved Prado ...... & why not -they are a great car ......... but you really cannot quote figures of a car from a different era ....... Times have changed & cars have progressed - the 2011 Jeep GC is a quantum leap forward ........ yet something like the current Toyota Hilux is quite a disappointment - a car that ruled the roost has had a steady decline with issues over quality well documented ! ...... & literally blown away by the competition.
But not to digress & back to the GC .......... right now it's the dollar that makes the GC such a wonderful prospect and the strong Yen that makes the Prado overpriced ...... Going from low $70s to $100K in 1 generation is pretty hard to justify..... 5 years ago both cars were pretty close on price but the Prado had it all over the Jeep ( you cannot deny this) ..... but in 2011/2012 which is truly the better car ( both do certain things better than the other) - it's not an open and shut case anymore!
as for resale ...... I can tell you right now - i never got anywhere near the trade in that I had as a balloon payment (based on what I was told at the time of purchase by Toyota) ...... and that includes getting a trade in that fitted in the middle of the "Redbook" range .... it was still lower by a substantial amount & still inflated by the high Aust dollar. The point of what I am saying is that Resale is determined & influenced by many factors ............. If the Yen fell substantially this year ...... A 2011 prado's value would fall dramatically
anyhoos ...... i'm not here to bag a Prado nor to praise up the new Jeep GC - just offer some balance to some discussion based on experiences and now ownership of both.
I'll stay involved ...... and give updates along the way - If things turn sour , you'll also hear about it !

Chris

[Nagg Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Nagg]

One word......resale!! You will never beat the toyota for resale. Jeep just don't have the volume of sales to create good resale and with all the past reliability issues it will be a long time before they see any decent market share no matter how good the new car is. That's a shame for jeep but unfortunately the reality. I can't see the new model changing that. People will always be enticed by the cheaper price tag and more features. Manufacturers do this to buy market share but in reality it is false economy. It might be cheaper but you WILL lose heaps more at the other end. When you put more into a car for less money something has gotta be the difference, and that difference is quality!

By the way since when is a 150 a backward step! I own both cars (120 and 150) and let me tell ya the 150 ain't no backward step!!!

The current price is a product of the strength of the Australian dollar Vs US dollar ..... nothing to do with discounting - right now Detroit is the best place to build a car - on the other hand we have the Aussie $ only buying 80 yen ....... several years ago it was 100 yen . the turn around is what makes the GC exceptional value - Add to that the features and engineering & you place the GC in a favorable position with a $23,000 price advantage - what does that add up to in interest alone over 3 years ..... another $7-9K ..... so the gap widens

Chris

[Big Block Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Big Block]

I was quoting cars of a different era because the question posed was that of 10 years turnover versus 3 years. As I don't have a crystal ball I can't predict future resale on the current models but I would suspect it will only get better for the toyota. I don't need to defend the prado to anybody. I buy cars based on quality, resale, features and the suitability to its intended use. I don't like tearing up cash, it's too hard to make, so the equation for me is simple:- d4d auto GXL = best resale on the planet and they just happen to be reliable to. This is just my opinion not trying to convert the jeep lovers. I actually like the jeep but I would never buy one. 1. Poor build quality, 2. Horrific resale, 3. Expensive to service and repair. As for Detroit, it's on the bones of its ar$e currently with people leaving on mass because of the current state of the motor vehicle industry and US economy in general. There are whole suburbs of empty houses with no one to live in! I'll stick with Japan for now!

[Big Block Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Big Block]

Also meant to say if your paying $70 - $100 for a prado then you're paying to much. Mine had a 5 in front of it. Good buying and selling private rather than trading will solve any shortfall problems.

[JoshF Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close JoshF]

another approach

maybe you take the $23K you saved and invest it wisely on the stock market, earn healthy dividends, watch the stock price grow...instead of investing in slightly slower depreciating metal than the faster depreciating metal

[Big Block Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Big Block]

Excellent idea! I wish I hated cars and spent less on them!

[eatlovelearn Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close eatlovelearn]

I was quoting cars of a different era because the question posed was that of 10 years turnover versus 3 years. As I don't have a crystal ball I can't predict future resale on the current models but I would suspect it will only get better for the toyota. I don't need to defend the prado to anybody. I buy cars based on quality, resale, features and the suitability to its intended use. I don't like tearing up cash, it's too hard to make, so the equation for me is simple:- d4d auto GXL = best resale on the planet and they just happen to be reliable to. This is just my opinion not trying to convert the jeep lovers. I actually like the jeep but I would never buy one. 1. Poor build quality, 2. Horrific resale, 3. Expensive to service and repair. As for Detroit, it's on the bones of its ar$e currently with people leaving on mass because of the current state of the motor vehicle industry and US economy in general. There are whole suburbs of empty houses with no one to live in! I'll stick with Japan for now!

very good points big block , i dont see any body lining up to invest in anything american these days ,
its sad but true , asia is the new king .
JEEP , thank god there is only one !

[croozza Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close croozza]

JEEP , thank god there is only one !

And that is one too many

[Nagg Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Nagg]

another approach

maybe you take the $23K you saved and invest it wisely on the stock market, earn healthy dividends, watch the stock price grow...instead of investing in slightly slower depreciating metal than the faster depreciating metal

That $23K has to be financed ....... so it is money in the bank (literally)

chris

[Nagg Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Nagg]

Also meant to say if your paying $70 - $100 for a prado then you're paying to much. Mine had a 5 in front of it. Good buying and selling private rather than trading will solve any shortfall problems.

The trouble is that I use my car for work ...... and play - If I don't consume my allowance - I get smashed by the taxman (& other things) ......... This is the driving force behind selling the Prado . Regardless I've had it too long anyhow & i'm going to get hit ........
I'm lucky that I'm in a position that lets me change over cars on a fairly regular basis ......... It's not as if I'm buying a car that has to last 10 years and ticks over 10-20K pa ........
The GXL Prado just didn't do it for me - coming from a Grande ......... call me spoilt

chris

[Big Block Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Big Block]

I went from a Sahara 100 series to a GXL prado. All for resale. I change cars every 3 years.