Tears!

[mgmlot93]

I owned a 2004 Scion, now a 2007 Nitro. The Nitro does not remind me at all of my Scion. Actually I liked the Scion better than the Nitro except for the lack of 4 wheel drive and the 4 cylinder. Those are the main reasons I choose a Nitro over another Scion.

[top gun]

Originally Posted by mgmlot93

I owned a 2004 Scion, now a 2007 Nitro. The Nitro does not remind me at all of my Scion. Actually I liked the Scion better than the Nitro except for the lack of 4 wheel drive and the 4 cylinder. Those are the main reasons I choose a Nitro over another Scion.

Really??? What was better about the Scion... if the the engine & the drive train weren't as good? I mean I'll give ya Toyota builds dependable vehicals... but it can't be the Scion looks you like better... can it? I see 'em all the time and they're little things almost on the ground that kinda look like they're a crushed box. Maybe it's great gas mileage???????? I'm really curious to know.

[mgmlot93]

Well, the Scion was MUCH more comfortable, more reliable (never had a problem in 58K miles versus first 14 days of ownership at dealer with Nitro) & yes the mileage was much better but it is a small 4 cyl. I must say overall build quality and fit/finish was much better with the Scion also. However, the 4wd and 6 cyl in the Nitro are real selling points.

[top gun]

Originally Posted by mgmlot93

Well, the Scion was MUCH more comfortable, more reliable (never had a problem in 58K miles versus first 14 days of ownership at dealer with Nitro) & yes the mileage was much better but it is a small 4 cyl. I must say overall build quality and fit/finish was much better with the Scion also. However, the 4wd and 6 cyl in the Nitro are real selling points.

That's interesting. What kind of problems did you encounter with the Nitro? I was actually impressed with the fit & finish quality (Looked to me like the Damiler influence was creeping into the whole line) and as I compare the ride comfort to both my Explorer & GMC Envoy the Nitro is really good and a lot more nimble!
My girlfriend buys only two types of cars... Corollas and Jettas so I'm with ya on depedability. Actually 58K is kinda early for a problem with a Toyota product.
The thing is though unless you're into kinda strange nitchy looking vehicals (I see a lot Scions around here done up in graphics as pizza delivery vehicals) they're really pretty strange and out of proportion looking. Hopefully the Nitro will endear itself to you the longer you have it. Might be just new car bugs...

[mgmlot93]

Right when I picked the Nitro up the heater didn't work. The service dept decided that it could not be repaired and a new heater assembly would be required. Well, there weren't any yet so it took 14 days to get Chrysler to grab one from the assembly line and get it to my dealer. In that 14 days no one wanted to return my calls or offer any updates (the dealer or Dodge).

As far as fit and finish go this thing is a embarassment to Chrysler. I had to finish putting the dash in mine when I picked it up. It hadn't even been snapped on completely! Many of the pieces don't fit properly - parts stick up and appear to be forced into position. The pad on top of the dash is a mess and the silver around the heat/ac vents is "warped" in shape - looks like it didn't really fit and was forced to fit. Stickers are put on crooked around the 4wd switch, etc etc.

Mechanically I can't decide what to think. The vehicle seems to run ok but it sounds like a poorly running diesel when at idle. I don't know if this is normal or not but everyone keeps saying to me "is it supposed to sound like that". Not really what you want to hear when you pull up in something new with in transits still on it. And the tranny is a mess, but I know there are posts about that already.

Hopefully this thing and I can get along for 1 months until it's time to get something new!

[top gun]

Originally Posted by mgmlot93

Right when I picked the Nitro up the heater didn't work. The service dept decided that it could not be repaired and a new heater assembly would be required. Well, there weren't any yet so it took 14 days to get Chrysler to grab one from the assembly line and get it to my dealer. In that 14 days no one wanted to return my calls or offer any updates (the dealer or Dodge).

As far as fit and finish go this thing is a embarassment to Chrysler. I had to finish putting the dash in mine when I picked it up. It hadn't even been snapped on completely! Many of the pieces don't fit properly - parts stick up and appear to be forced into position. The pad on top of the dash is a mess and the silver around the heat/ac vents is "warped" in shape - looks like it didn't really fit and was forced to fit. Stickers are put on crooked around the 4wd switch, etc etc.

Mechanically I can't decide what to think. The vehicle seems to run ok but it sounds like a poorly running diesel when at idle. I don't know if this is normal or not but everyone keeps saying to me "is it supposed to sound like that". Not really what you want to hear when you pull up in something new with in transits still on it. And the tranny is a mess, but I know there are posts about that already.

Hopefully this thing and I can get along for 1 months until it's time to get something new!

WOW! That's is totally unacceptable. From all the happy campers on this and <other sites> it sounds like you really got lemoned. If I were you I'd do everything I could to turn it back in... I'd try to talk the dealer into just trading you into another Nitro. Check into the "Lemon Law" statutes. If they have to work on similar problems 3 times I think they have to refund or replace. Really sorry... the Nitro "can be" a great vehical.