Why Are Jeep Patriots So Cheap?
Jeep might be known for their ruggedly durable vehicles, and the impracticality of some models, but they’re also known for the high price tags associated with their vehicles. Jeep as a brand tends to be a little more expensive than the market average – not that their fans mind paying a little extra for the extras that come with a Jeep.
So why is the Jeep Patriot so cheap?
There are a lot of reasons behind the low price point on the Patriot, but the good news is that most of the reasons this Jeep is more affordable aren’t reasons that consumers need to worry about.
Instead, it’s all about marketing, who the Patriot was designed for, and the legacy of the now-discontinued SUV.
Let’s dig in.
Why Are Jeep Patriots So Cheap?
To be clear, a Jeep Patriot might not be cheap when it comes to other used vehicles, but they are cheap compared with other models of Jeep, and with other used Jeeps.
There are a lot of reasons for the low price, but we don’t blame you if you were initially surprised or skeptical when you saw the price tag at first.
Ultimately, the things that make the Jeep Patriot so cheap are the same things that made the vehicle a departure from the Jeep norm, and why it got discontinued despite its popularity with consumers.
Let’s talk about the discontinuation, what that means for current Jeep Patriot owners, and why being discontinued helps keep the prices lower.
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The Jeep Patriot Was Discontinued
One of the biggest factors in the low price of the Jeep Patriot is the fact that this model isn’t being made right now.
Like other discontinued vehicles, there is a possibility that Jeep will resurrect the design and model name in the future. In the meantime, the current supply of Jeep Patriots is entirely used, and they can be harder to find because a lot of owners are holding on to the Patriot instead of getting a newer vehicle.
That said, the idea that maintenance might be more expensive on a discontinued vehicle (it isn’t on the Patriot, at least not yet) along with other market pressures has worked to help keep prices lower.
The other big contributing factor to the discontinuation is that the Patriot was discontinued in part because it really wasn’t aimed at Jeep’s core audience. As a more practical commuter SUV, the Patriot bucked Jeep’s tradition of rugged overpowered engines and supped up suspension systems.
The people selling Patriots know that a lot of Jeep’s core audience isn’t interested in them, so they end up being priced more like the general consumer SUVs they are, which means lower than your typical Jeep.
Let’s talk about those design differences a bit more though, because they are a big reason for the lower price point as well.
The Jeep Patriot Is A Commuter Vehicle
Jeep is known for having more powerful engines, detailed interiors, and smooth suspension built into most of their models, so the Patriot was a bit of a departure from the form when they first released in 2006.
Don’t get us wrong, the Jeep Patriot was still a good vehicle, it just wasn’t quite what consumers would have expected from Jeep.
Instead of a growling engine, the Patriot came with a good engine, but without the extra power or torque of their other models. Realistically the Patriot wasn’t much more powerful than other compact SUVs and wasn’t designed to be.
The Patriot was also released with a pretty basic interior. In terms of features and functionality, it had everything that general consumers were looking for in a commuter vehicle, and it had a few optional add-ons that could make a difference in the appearance and functionality, but not many.
Since this was a vehicle that was released back in 2006, it would probably be considered a low-feature vehicle today in fact. Newer models did offer a few more benefits than the originals, but they didn’t change that much through the end of production in 2017.
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No Power Windows
This is one of the bigger reasons for the low price point of the Jeep Patriot. While the vehicle does have functional windows, they’re manual.
That’s not a huge issue for a lot of buyers, but it was a big point of difference between the Patriot and other vehicles that were coming out at the time. Electric windows were more common at the time, and it was only older models that routinely had manual windows, which meant that more consumers were looking for the electric kind.
Though, despite this more serious design difference, the Patriot still sold fairly well and was a popular model with the commuter market.
Patriots Are Relatively Common
This is another big reason that the Jeep Patriot is so cheap is that they are still relatively common. Since 2017 was the last production year, there are still plenty of Patriots that haven’t hit the 100,000 or 200,000-mile mark, which means that the used market still has lots of them available.
Even with Patriot owners holding on to their models a little longer than average, there are still plenty of used models available.
That means that all Patriots, but especially Patriots from early in the production run, are relatively common on the used cars market. People who want a Patriot might not be spoiled for choice, but neither are they going to wait years for a workable option to be available for sale.
In fact, chances are there are a few Patriots for sale in your local area in any given year, and there probably will still be Patriots for sale in 5 years’ time.
Jeep Was Trying To Make A Cheaper Vehicle
This last reason is probably the single biggest reason that the Jeep Patriot is so cheap, especially since the vehicle was discontinued.
The Patriot was very much Jeep trying to capture more market share by making a vehicle that was more affordable and aimed at a very different audience from their other vehicles.
That said, the low initial price doesn’t always track when a vehicle is discontinued and being sold used. The other factors we’ve already talked about are important for helping keep the price low.
But if Jeep hadn’t decided to build an economy commuter compact SUV in the first place, and had instead created a supped up compact SUV closer to their other models in features and price, then we probably wouldn’t have an affordable used Jeep option today.
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