First Jeep Ever, should I keep it?

[JackieRedShoes]

Hello there!

I just purchased a 2005 Liberty Sport for $1000 with 203k. I work at a garage and the guy who sold it to me spent nearly $3000 on repairs for this vehicle in the last year, including a new A/C compressor, radiator, thermostat, hoses and 4 tires.

The 4wd lever moves loosely but it used to work, and I've already learned in the threads here that it is usually just a small plastic clip and they seem to fail fairly frequently but are easy to repair.

According to Jeep's website, this vehicle has not been serviced for the gas tank issue recall or the rear suspension links, so I should be able to get those taken care of for free.

I drove it around the block and put it on the lift, and other than the 4wd lever and broken bumper covers, the only other thing I saw was the rack & pinion boot was wet.

It's a steal for the price, and I already ordered a bumper cover for $115 and hopefully can fix the 4wd for almost nothing, but I live in NH and commute to Boston for work and I'm really just wondering if any of you think a 140 mile commute 5 days a week will be too much. If I can get through the winter I'll have got my money's worth, but I also could freshen it up and sell it for probably double.

I really want to keep it, especially since I can get a free trailer hitch, but I've never owned a Chrysler engine before and I don't know if they generally can surpass the 200k mark and keep chugging. Is this one of the Mitsu ones?

Thanks in advance!

 

[tommudd]

Roll of the dice, if its been well maintained then it should go for quite a while
My 04 I bought new has over 217,000 and I'd leave for a cross country trip tomorrow in it

 

[Jbergun]

I agree with tomm my jeep i bought used and have put nearly 50k on her. I baby her never punching the gas always changing and checking the fluids. She runs like a dream. At nearly 160k i wouldn't give her up easily. I trust her on long trips. I trust her with my newborn baby inside. Check all the fluids make sure it is HOAT for coolant. Keep a close eye on the oil levels. If she is running good now she should run good for a while. It is a hit or miss kind of thing.

 

[JackieRedShoes]

Thanks.

I confirmed the 4wd cable came loose and put it back on and it shifted fine, just need the clip to make it permanent.

I always take care of my vehicles, and unless I discover something else significant is wrong with it in the next week or so I'm going to keep it and drive it. For 203k, it has a solid frame and very little rust.

Looking forward to reading and learning more in the future!!

 

[CzarKJ]

Keep it if you can! I can verify mine works well on the potholes of MA

 

[2nd]

I guess I have a low mileage '02 with 186k, LOL

 

[Jbergun]

Man mine must be ultra low at 160k

 

[Dave]

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your Jeep.


Dave

 

[nocTurNalX]

Well you are in the right place to get lots of good ideas. Welcome and enjoy

 

[renegade 04]

Welcome, Over time I think you will like the KJ more and more like me.

 

[JackieRedShoes]

So I'll be putting her on the road by the end of the week or early next week after giving her some much needed TLC.

When I bought her the back bumper had about a 12" piece missing caused by a minor collision and patched up with duct tape, and since I recently moved to NH and they are quite strict and thorough with their vehicle inspection stickers, I bought an aftermarket bumper for $115 and replaced it myself. The front bumper has about an 8" hole in it next to the plate bracket, so I just moved the plate bracket over about 6" to cover it. One of the front marker lights was also broken and had water in it, so I ordered a replacement for $12, but when I went to swap it the ground wire was spliced without any connector so I fixed it the right way, then one of the little electric connection plates where the bulb goes just fell out, but we have a ton of various old bulb sockets lying around and I found one that clipped right into the harness. Then when I used the rear wiper sprayer I noticed that it leaked into the cargo area, so I pryed out the sprayer nozzle and broke it (DOH!). Then my inner MacGyver kicked in, and I used a vacuum hose connector, a knife and some black silicone. It works and looks like new.

Finally, the transfer case shift cable bushing...

After a number of diagrams faxed back and forth to the *wholesale* dealer, (wholesale is key here...) I was told that the bushing only comes as part of the cable, and the cable only comes as part of the entire shift assembly, all the way back to the lever.

Sigh...

So within about .1769836 seconds, Google showed me the part number, and when I told it to her, she just said, "oh, that."

In case any of you aren't familiar with how a large dealer wholesale parts department works, allow me to inform you. Those places are usually just a warehouse with people working who don't necessarily know anything about cars, just computers and databases. So if there's anything slightly "outside the box" (no pun intended) they are useless. I'm certain if I talked to any entry level mechanic, he/she would have known exactly what I needed before I could finish my sentence.

I'll be receiving 5 of those little plastic a** holes today for a whopping $2.45.

Thank god for forums like this one.

 

[nullptr]

Haha, glad you got it straightened out and the parts on the way!