New Aspen owner saying hello.
 

Hi, new guy here just saying hello to everyone, though it seems pretty slow in this forum.

We just picked up a new-to-us '08 Aspen to replace our '04 Jeep Liberty 4x4 because our family basically out grew it. The Aspen has just a little over 20k on the odometer. It's Cool Vanilla color with the 28J package, Trailer Tow Package, Popular Equipment Group II package, and a bunch of other options. It is loaded. We weren't wanting to buy something with that many options, but it had the few things we did want (things that seemed hard to find all together in a Durango), so it was hard to pass up.

Anyway, looking forward to chatting with you all. I'm a moderator over on a dodge Ram forum, and am used to a lot more discussion then I see happening here. Oh well, maybe that will change over time. Good to meet you all.

Welcome. Sounds like a great ride. I hear you about "outgrowing" smaller SUVs. We had 2 Mariners prior to the Aspen. They were great for around town driving, but luggage was pretty much to the roof on long, extended trips. We just bought our Aspen (new) in Feb. We were lucky to find a killer deal on a new 09 2wd Hemi.

I agree with you about the "traffic" here. The Escape/Mariner forums were quite chatty, and I also frequent the Explorer/Sport Trac forums -- because my other ride is a Sport Trac.

Post some pics when you get a chance.

I don't have any great pictures of it yet. We've only owned it about 2 weeks. Here's a few the dealership had sent us when we where deciding on buying it though.

http://dodgeforum.com/forum/members/...529-aspen3.jpg

http://dodgeforum.com/forum/members/...528-aspen1.jpg

Some of the inside:

http://dodgeforum.com/forum/members/...522-aspen4.jpg

http://dodgeforum.com/forum/members/...526-aspen5.jpg

http://dodgeforum.com/forum/members/...521-aspen2.jpg

http://dodgeforum.com/forum/members/...527-aspen6.jpg

Looks very nice. That is loaded. I wish I had the overhead DVD.

Welcome! I bought my 08 when it was a year old with 16k on the odometer, and I'm glad I didn't buy new. Even in 2009 when I bought the car, it had already lost more than half of its value (in comparison with sticker price), which made for an amazing deal for a lot of truck. Similarly to you, ours is loaded as well. We haven't had any problems other than needing to replace a gas tank and fuel filler neck due to a sticky check valve. If you happen to start having problems with fuel spilling out after the pump shuts off, let me know and I'll give you the details.

These are great trucks, but as you know, they're out of production. I don't think many sold when they were in production, so there's not a ton of traffic on this board. I think many Aspen owners spend time on the Durango message boards, as the vehicles are essentially identical other than cosmetic details.

One of the only real necessary mods for this truck (in my opinion) is a chrome exhaust finisher. I found a screw-on finisher on ebay that looks stock.

Finally, you'll want to check out the MyGIG info site (http://mofv.com/mygig/) to get free downloads/updates for your Gracenotes software and MyGIG software updates. That site has been invaluable for me in keeping the software current, especially if you're burning CDs to the hard drive and would like current title info to be available.

Good luck with your Aspen!