2003 or 2004?

[jimheem]

I'm looking at 2 KJ's for my wife. Both are pretty equal:

Sport, Sunroof, 5 Speed Manual, V6, 4wd, ABS, Cloth interior.

The 2003 has 27,000 miles, the 2004 has 55,000 miles.

All things considered equal (the 03 is slightly more expensive, but pretty close in price) Would you rather have a year newer, or lower miles?

The one thing that I'm not so sure of, is that 27,000 miles on a 03 seems VERY low, almost too low... like maybe the odo was disconnected, or it only ran very short trips, not allowing the engine to fully warm up.

Which would you choose?

 

[KJ04]

With half the mileage, I'd go with the 03.
The only changes on the 04 I think, was the grab handle on the dash, and they added a 2nd. cat. convertor.

Maybe, like myself, the person had two vehicles. I can only drive one at a time, and have 23,000 + on my 04 purchased Aug. 6th. of 03.

 

[2003KJ]

Personally, and not just because I have one, i'd go with the 2003. Those low miles dont necessarily mean that it was short trips. It could have been that it didn't get driven much, but when it did it was for a decent amount of time.

Even if it is short trips, there are several things you can do to help it "recover" from short distance driving, and they're relatively easy.

 

[BLS WA Chapter SDMF]

The '03 might have the good ****** in it too. Mine does.

 

[thecause17]

I'd go with the '03, the milage difference alone I think is worth any difference in price. Does it still have the powertrain warranty(7/70) on it by chance? Mine did when I bought it with 30k on it this past fall, and it was a big factor in buying mine, especially since I didn't even have to pay to transfer it because the place I bought it from threw that in with the sale...usually it's $150

I wouldn't worry about milage being too low, if you get it, do an oil change and tune up stuff (you're almost due for plugs anyway) and drive it, I'm sure it'll be fine, mine has been. Check both of their VIN's to see if the recalls are up to date also.

 

[2003KJ]

The '03 might have the good ****** in it too. Mine does.

He said that they were both 5 speeds (atleast thats what I got out of the orig. post), so they should have the same ****** in them.

 

[thecause17]

The '03 might have the good ****** in it too. Mine does.

He said that they were both 5 speeds (atleast thats what I got out of the orig. post), so they should have the same ****** in them.

I'm surprised they are both 5-speeds, and both have ABS.

 

[Marty]

I'd go with the low miles.

 

[Dave]

Yea, I'd go for the 03 with the lower miles.

 

[Tokyojoe1965]

Low mile older car. Also means less wear on the interior.

BUT....it could also have been off-road more than the higher mileage. Look into the driving history (on-road to off-road).

 

[2003KJ]

The '03 might have the good ****** in it too. Mine does.

He said that they were both 5 speeds (atleast thats what I got out of the orig. post), so they should have the same ****** in them.

I'm surprised they are both 5-speeds, and both have ABS.

me too. And i'm also surprised he found two that are just about equally optioned.

Dont see many 3.7's with the 5 speed manual around...

 

[jimheem]

And i'm also surprised he found two that are just about equally optioned.

Dont see many 3.7's with the 5 speed manual around.

Yea.. don't I know it. We spent hours scouring the internet over a very large area. You'd be surprised how many dealers I walked into that said in their ad that they had a Liberty with a manual transmission, but in person tried to tell me that "There is no such thing!".. grumble...

Over all after spending 2 full weekends driving around to many many dealers, we found a grand total of 6 Liberties with manual trans.

----

So.. Thanks to all. Looks like its unanimous. The 03 it is. Probably going to buy it this afternoon.

 

[2003KJ]

And i'm also surprised he found two that are just about equally optioned.

Dont see many 3.7's with the 5 speed manual around.

Yea.. don't I know it. We spent hours scouring the internet over a very large area. You'd be surprised how many dealers I walked into that said in their ad that they had a Liberty with a manual transmission, but in person tried to tell me that "There is no such thing!".. grumble...

Over all after spending 2 full weekends driving around to many many dealers, we found a grand total of 6 Liberties with manual trans.

----

So.. Thanks to all. Looks like its unanimous. The 03 it is. Probably going to buy it this afternoon.

Glad to hear it! Do post up some pics when ya get her! \/