Looking to buy a Liberty - need your advice

[sharpy]

i have an 06 liberty limited......i have put 6000 miles on it since last april.

only issues i have had is a blown tail light bulb and the heater fan resistor pack went out. all toll 40 bux

i love this vehicle. its great in the snow and off road.

when i go downtown its not uncomon 4 me too see 6 or 7 libbys out runnin around.....i see em everywhere so they must be fairly reliable lol.

best vehicle i have ever owned so far anyhooooo

 

[offroadohio]

I was gonna ask offroadohio.

Why do you still have your KJ if it is "That bad"?

There are many many Toyota's for sale these days!

Ive been waiting until I got the loan down enough that it could be sold. I still owe 5000 more than I am selling it for but I was able to transfer the colateral to another vehicle so I could sell the Lib at dirt cheap and move it fast.

9,000 for an 07 is cheap, on top of that its already lifted and on brand new tires, so its an even ebtter deal to those of us that lift our stuff.

Ive said it many times, aside fromt he issues I have faced I love this thing, but when it goes to the shop more than my 25yo vehicles do that out wieghs all that I like about it. I dont know if 07 was a bad year or what, guess I should have bought an 02-05 maybe id had better luck.

 

[brucebotti]

Ive been waiting until I got the loan down enough that it could be sold. I still owe 5000 more than I am selling it for but I was able to transfer the colateral to another vehicle so I could sell the Lib at dirt cheap and move it fast.

9,000 for an 07 is cheap, on top of that its already lifted and on brand new tires, so its an even ebtter deal to those of us that lift our stuff.

Ive said it many times, aside fromt he issues I have faced I love this thing, but when it goes to the shop more than my 25yo vehicles do that out wieghs all that I like about it. I dont know if 07 was a bad year or what, guess I should have bought an 02-05 maybe id had better luck.

The new owner will probably drive it for 200k with no problems because you fixed them all...

Good luck with your new purchase!

Bruce

 

[kjpaguy]

I have had my 05KJ since May of 09. Picked it up with on 32K miles for $8,500and I now have over 43K miles, couldn't pass up the deal. Only thing I have done is oil changes, brake pads and rotors, wheels and tires and boilers shims cause of my error buying bigger rims and tires. There is a slight issue with the ****** on back up but not to concerned since it only happens under load. Found out the powertrain warranty doesn't transfer 3 times, previous owner parked it on a steep hill which I think it resulted in this problem. There are so many of these things out there. An inexpensive suv with a true 4X4 and not AWD, it makes a big difference when the snow gets deep as I have just found out, my girls suv only has AWD and doesn't go nearly as good.

 

[offroadohio]

The new owner will probably drive it for 200k with no problems because you fixed them all...

Good luck with your new purchase!

Bruce

You are probably right, im just about out of things to go wrong.

 

[richardkay624]

I own a 2004 Limited with 71,000 miles. I have replaced the TPMS sensors and control unit, water pump, and transmission torque converter...all under warranty.
The selec-trac transfer case needed new seals and a rebuild, under warranty also.
Ball joints were replaced under a re-call.
I love the truck,especially in the winter! I have owned a Jeep Cherokee Laredo (1992) that acquired 250,000+ miles before unibody rust made it unsafe. The Cherokee did not use more than 0.5 quarts of Mobil 1 between changes, and the transmission was in great shape. I owned a 2002 Liberty Limited briefly for 29,000
miles. I took it Graham Jeep in Mansfield,Ohio where after service they backed it it
into a light pole and ruined the rear end of the Jeep completely. The dealer "gave"
me the bank pay off on the Jeep, plus the amount that I had paid in 24 months.
The 2002 Liberty had a ball joint re-call also. I loved that vehicle!
Needless to say, I will never darken the doorstep of Graham's again!!

 

[kb0nly]

btw - the Libby I am looking at has a P/S pump leak, where exactly it is, I am not sure. Also the auto ****** is leaking around the flat "bottom" seal? Thus, I may be able to bargain with him a little. How expensive would these be to replace? How difficult are they to do myself? I converted my VW camper to Subaru power so mechanic ability is not much of an issue, I'm more concerned in the P.I.T.A. factor.

Any input will be much appreciated.

The P/S leak is pretty common on these KJ's, usually the high pressure line or the o-ring at the pump, but its something you can repair yourself or live with for a while until you can afford parts. Speaking of parts i haven't had any problem getting stuff i need, from the dealer or places like RockAuto.com, most everything you need can be found no problem. There is a few rare dealer only parts that might take some lead time to get through a dealer but its not that bad.

As for the transmission pan leak its probably due to the previous owner having a fluid and filter change done and they didn't get a good seal on it or they used a cheap cork gasket. Easy fix, pull the pan and clean it up, a new gasket or some black RTV and slap it back together and fill it back up. If you do that get a new filter too, then you know for sure where you stand on the transmission maintenance.

Take it for a spin though before buying and beat on it a bit, make sure the trans is shifting good and such if it has any problems avoid it, transmission repair or replacement can be damn spendy on these KJ's.

As for engines... I have heard some mechanics say the same thing, but then you get some who say they have never even had to tear into a 3.7 because they are so reliable. I know other KJ owners around here that are not ******** Jeep owners, just daily drivers, and most of them are over 100k, one is nearly to 200k, and he hasn't done anything but a water pump and serpentine belt and tensioner, oh and i think he did radiator hoses last year.

 

[sleeve]

I am getting quite interested in buying a '02-'07 Liberty for my daily driver and a part-time Colorado Rocky Mountain pass explorer.

To keep this on topic: Please review my comments on "what to look for" when shopping for a Liberty [KJ only / I know not of the KK]

Mouse Click Here!

What can you tell me about what I am getting into. How reliable are these Libbies? Are you guys worried about the Chrysler/Jeep bankruptcy?

I don't have the mileage racked up like some of the guys but I do have 8 years of uninterrupted dependable usage out of the KJ in a city environment with major potholes and the worst roads out of the whole U.S.A.

The only thing that ever failed on the KJ:
1. The Full-Time indicator light in the instrument cluster. Replaced, along with the shift indicator switch under warranty

2. Drivers side seat heater... I like a toasty rear!

Re are we worried: No. My Jeep is paid for and I plan to keep it running until the doors fall off of it. The KJ has been the most dependable vehicle I've ever owned in my short driving history [14 years so far]

btw - the Libby I am looking at has a P/S pump leak, where exactly it is, I am not sure.

The PS leak is a very common problem. Easy fix is just keeping PS fluid in the reservoir.

Also the auto ****** is leaking around the flat "bottom" seal? Thus, I may be able to bargain with him a little. How expensive would these be to replace?

I had to replace my transmission pan last year. It was starting to rust through and developed a pin hole leak. The cost was $45.00 at the dealership. If your 2002 is leaking from the gasket, it should be an easy and cheap fix.


Recommend that you CarFax the vehicle and ask the dealership to provide you any service records that they can give you.

 

[diyman]

My Libby is the reason for my nick..... No kidding, I'd never used a wrench before owning her. Now I`m not so good at mechanics
as most of You guys are, but I do my best.

The vehicle made most of us fall in love with her, but yes, let's be honest, maybe she`s not so unreliable to let you down abruptedly,
but little troubles that call for replacements are a bit annoying and costly, expecially over here where buying from the US is somehow
`cumbersome` and aftemarket parts are available for all vehicles but the KJ. `...... What, for a Liberty? Well, You know son...`.

BTW, there is assembly facility here!!! My VIN starts with 8Y4GL58K16xxxxxxx

Not to mention stea... sorry, dealeships, prices are hellish. You need to be a great buddy of the salesperson, otherwise You'll get ripped off
( more than that). I`m not even naming the price of 1 qt. of ATF4+ for decency...

The nice part? Nice to handle and takes You almost everywhere, on the road as a car (YES I said car ) and off road as a true JEEP.

Go Ahead get one and fall for her !

(welcome)

 

[twack]

mine just rolled over 130k. the engine, ******, transfer case, and axels have never had a problem. Ball joints have worn out aswell as rotors, but other then normal matinence issues its been great to me. I can kcik the crap out of it or take it across country and i have no worries about it.

 

[CRD Joe]

CRD all the way baby!

 

[ThunderbirdJunkie]

BRB, eyes fell out of head while rolling

 

[osufans]

I would have to say, as a newer Liberty owner...that this has been a pretty good SUV. I was driving on my bumpy snow-packed road the other night and really appreciated the handling of this over other vehicles I have owned. I don't know if it's the coil springs at all four corners, but even over that rough terrain, it handled pretty well.

As for maintenance...I'm not exactly the best person to chime in here since I've only put about 5K miles on mine so far...but do your oil changes and regular maintenance...and most likely you'll be fine.

My only concern with the Jeep you are looking at is the mileage, and the minor issues that may indicate it was abused. Without seeing it, it is hard to say how well it was taken care of. My suggestion is to look it over, check out the interior, see how worn out that is (not always, but usually a clean interior, limited scratches and well taken care of seats indicate a well taken care of vehicle.) Also, do a carfax, and a thorough test drive to check brake feel, rotors, check out the tires for tread remaining, and also check ALL the functions on the inside (defrost, A/C, front/rear wipers, pwr windows/doors, 4x4, etc.)

That should give you a feel for the overall quality of the vehicle, and should serve as a comfort to whether the vehicle should be purchased or not.

Oh....one other thing....of all the vehicles I've ever owned (mostly Fords), Chrysler's have been the easiest for me to work on. It seems they lay things out a bit better. Just my $.02!