Behind the Blogger: My New Obsession is the Jeep Renegade, But It's Not Out Yet!

Over the seven-plus years of this blog, I've written several times about cars. Specifically, my cars. I've written and rewritten a "Cars I've Owned" post, which began as one of those internet trends. After re-reading it though, it's in desperate need of a complete rewrite. Was I drunk when I wrote it? Wrong years in a couple of places, repeat sentences, I don't know. It's not my best work.

High-end Trailhawk on the left, mid-range Latitude on the right.

But I'm going to hold off rewriting it until I get my next car. That wasn't supposed to be until several years from now. My most recent vehicle, a 2009 Mitsubishi Galant, was bought four and a half years ago, to replace a 1998 Jeep Wrangler I'd had for nine years. I even bought an extended warranty that doesn't run out until 2018. But you know what? I've got new car lust.

My mom is to blame. She gifted my siblings with some car-buying help, and offered the same to me. My first response was, "I don't need a car." And I don't, my car's in good enough shape. Upon reflection, however, I thought "Am I NUTS?" Why would I turn down an offer like that? So, I embarked upon a plan: accept whatever she offers, couple that with the proceeds or trade-in from my car, plus some cash of my own. If all of those puzzle pieces come together correctly, I could actually buy my first brand new car ever! If I stick to a reasonably-priced one, of course.

The super-nifty interior (I think the red is only available on Trailhawk)

And I know, buying new is a gamble. They say it depreciates the moment you drive it off the lot. Which is why I was initially focusing on a Toyota product, namely a Scion xB, just like The Other Half drives. They barely depreciate, and when they do, it's at a much slower rate than most. I thought this was a great idea. Mom thinks the car is ugly (yeah, Mom, but funky ugly!). Mom's got other ideas, and I'll entertain them when her summer of travelling is over.

Meanwhile, I've fallen head-over-heels for a vehicle that hasn't even reached our shores yet. A Jeep Renegade. I know what you're thinking. "Jeeps are made in Toledo, dummy." Yeah, but the Renegade is based on a Fiat, and is built in Italy. "An Italian Jeep? They were part of the Axis!" Sure, but Chrysler is owned by Fiat, and used to be owned by Daimler-Benz, the Germans!

See? Similar, but different. Better different.

Except for the lack of air conditioning (in Las Vegas), and the high cost of maintaining a 12-year-old vehicle, I really miss my old Jeep Wrangler Sport. I'd wanted one since childhood, and I just loved it. This new Jeep has enough flavor of the brand to suit me. It's almost exactly the size of the xB I was also considering, but with a nicer interior, more attractive exterior, available dual sunroof, backup camera/touchscreen stereo, more hauling ability, the possibility of a trailer hitch, and four wheel drive.

All of this has me over-anxious and a little obsessed. I have a Google alert set up for it, and even triggered it myself by writing on the Jeep Renegade Forum! I've dwelled over the spec sheets, trying to figure out what iteration (Sport, Latitude, Limited, or Trailhawk) I want, with which options. Which things are deal breakers (no A/C, no sunroof, no 4-wheel drive), and which I can live without (leather seats, fog lights, tow hooks, rock-crawling package). And this might be a complete waste of time, because I have no idea when it will be coming out, or how much it's going to cost.

There are tons of guesses out there for price and timeline, but little in the way of definitive information. I'm just hoping that Jeep doesn't price this to the stratosphere, and that the dealers don't tack on thousands in "just because you want it so bad" fees.