Hi

[R_Russell]

Hello everyone, I am new here. I am thinking about buying a 2005 Liberty. I am also considering the new X-Terra, and I know it's not an SUV, a Mazda 6 5 Door. I was wondering how everyone here likes their Liberty.

It's going to be mostly used for daily driving, and I dont think i'll ever take it off road.

Thanks for everyone's input.

Rachel

 

[2003KJ]

I absolutely love it! It's nice to have that go anywhere ability, ya never know when your gonna need it. I can't say much about the 05 X-Terra, cause i haven't really seen one up close and driven it to get an idea of what they're like.

Personally, i'd go for the KJ. But of course I would, I have one!...LOL. It really all depends on what your needs are. Take all 3 on a nice long test drive and see what ya think.

I hardly take mine off road, but on occasion, it's fun!

 

[grogiefrog]

My wife and I bought one last May. We have the Limited with all the bells, including leather seats. My wife drives it to work during the weekdays, and then I get it for anytime else. We really love it. It has a great 4x4 system, a great view, the V6 has plenty of power, and it's a Jeep. I don't care a lot for the X-Terra, as I have a buddy that had one. Definitely go and test drive one. I think that you would really like it. If you can, spring for the Limited with selec-trac (the full-time 4x4) and leather seats. My wife loves getting to use it as her daily driver. I could almost see getting a second one! It has seen some trail use, and will from time to time.

Let us know if you have an specific questions. Good luck!

 

[styng88]

We bought our Lib. used and test drove the Xterra and Mitsubishi Outlander. We also own a Subaru Outback, and we absolutely love our Liberty. The Xterra didn't seem to have the power and the Outlander just felt cheap. The Jeep is hers, and it might never see off-road. But, when it comes to durability, this thing is an absolute tank.
Last month during a heavy snow storm, some ******* in a Sunfire was driving too fast and put his car in a ditch. He then proceded to get out of his car and stand in the middle of the road as my wife was rounding the turn. She had no choice but to slam on the brakes and put the Lib. into the ditch across the road. A little 4WD rocking and she was out. She was concerned that something was going to be broken or scratched but there was nothing of the sort. I definitely feel better with her driving a Jeep.

 

[BluPhant]

Last month during a heavy snow storm, some ******* in a Sunfire was driving too fast and put his car in a ditch. He then proceded to get out of his car and stand in the middle of the road as my wife was rounding the turn. She had no choice but to slam on the brakes and put the Lib. into the ditch across the road.

People are frikkin stupid. Glad your wife is ok, and that the Liberty performed appropriately.


Rachel-

We love our libby too - it's been a good vehicle for us. We didnt seriously consider the Xterra, as it was really too big for us, and a friend of ours had had problems with her. As for the Mazda, I'm relative a newbie to American cars, and the thought of buying a Ford product (sorry if I'm offending anyone) turned me off, so we didnt consider that either. We seriously considered the RAV4, the Honda Element, the Toyota Highlander and the Liberty. The liberty won out, largely because of bang for the buck. Bought ours used with ~24k on it. I didnt expect to like it as much as I do.

I'm in the same boat with you, tho, I dont really expect to take it off road, but I like having the ability to, if we ever need to. The one thing I would suggest, particularly if you're getting it used and can negotiate a bit, is to get the tires swapped. The Goodyears that come with it, once they have a few miles on them, are really bad in snow/rain. I'm going to be getting Dueler Revos at some point, maybe you could negotiate for a set if you're in a climate that has snow.

Check out a couple of the other threads in this forum, particularly the sticky one on top, it details how others came across their Liberties.

-Blu

 

[R_Russell]

Thanks for the replies everyone, it seems like everyone in here is very fond of their Liberty's. I have been lurking for some time, and I have read some of the threads, I just wanted to make sure. This will be my first vehicle, and I want to be totally sure I am getting the right one for myself. My ex-BF has the older X-Terra, and it was ok. It was slightly underpowered, but with the 05's having bigger a bigger engine, I am starting to consider it.

One thing I do know is that you all seem to have a nice little community here, and everyone seems to be having fun, talking about your Liberty's and other topics that seem to pop up in each individual thread. To me that is a big to consider too, since I can just come in here, and ask a question without feeling "stupid".

I will be test driving the Mazda 6 this weekend. It's really in the bottom of my list as it's kind of pricey, and with the recent winter we've had, I think I want something with a little more capability.

Thanks Again for all your responses.

Rachel

 

[grogiefrog]

A Mazda 6 is not too bad of a car. When I was a single boy, I owned two RX-7's, and I have been dreaming of having an RX-8. But my wife didn't want one as a daily driver (what it would have been), so a KJ was next. We both love it as it's fun to drive and seems to be very well made. But if I were to get a sedan, I would get a Mazda 6 over an Accord as I think that they look better and are just as well built. Good luck deciding, but honestly you wouldn't be disappointed with a KJ.

 

[-=JoN=-]

Love the KJ.
Seriously, with all the recent weather we've had here in the NOrtheast, I really couldnt see myself driving anything else. It's a very solid vehicle (tho not w/o it's hiccups). And driving it around NYC streets, I dont have to swear so much when going crosstown coming off the 59th St. bridge upper level.
If you do decide on the KJ, I highly doubt you'd regret it, like many of us here.

BTW where abouts in LI are ya from?

 

[R_Russell]

Love the KJ.
Seriously, with all the recent weather we've had here in the NOrtheast, I really couldnt see myself driving anything else. It's a very solid vehicle (tho not w/o it's hiccups). And driving it around NYC streets, I dont have to swear so much when going crosstown coming off the 59th St. bridge upper level.
If you do decide on the KJ, I highly doubt you'd regret it, like many of us here.

BTW where abouts in LI are ya from?

I'm in Hicksville

 

[Flaren]

I looked really hard at a Mazda 6i before I ordered my Libby. Not to bash Mazda or anything, but I wasn't particularly impressed and was actually rather underwhelmed with the 6i after a test drive. To me, the engine seemed horribly underpowered and really lagged getting on the highway. The interior felt really cheap and flimsy, I was afraid to try the dials and other things because I thought I'd break them! Maybe this was beacause I test drove the "i" with the 160 HP engine, but I was put off enough to not want to try the "s" with the 210. You have to get what you like, though. If you liked the 6, then go with it! =) We're a little, *ahem* biased toward toward the KJ around here....lol. Personal opinon, but there's my $0.02....hehe.

 

[Emoto]

If you end up with the Liberty, you might want to make sure you get the SelecTrac with the full-time four wheel drive option. This lets you stay in 4WD even on dry roads. It also has a position for 2 wheel drive for normal driving. That is a good feature for the northeast as on the same drive you can go from snow and slush to dry roads and back again. With part-time (Command Trac) you have to shift out of 4WD when you hit dry pavement or you can damage the drivetrain. Shifting in and out of 4WD 5 times on the way to work gets old, so SelecTrac is the way to go, in my opinion.

 

[-=JoN=-]

ur by Ikea?....

I like the 6, well the looks of it anyway, never driven one....
and I agree with selec-trac...
well, narrow down ur choices, and if you have anymore questions you know where to reach us KJ biased folks here...LoL

 

[R_Russell]

Silver, I am behind Ikea, about 3 minutes away.

I test drove the Mazda 6 today, and yes, it didnt feel right. I test drove the 4 cylinder and it did feel very inadequate. The engine felt too small for it's body, and most of all it didnt fit, it just didnt feel right.

I will be checking out the Liberty, and the X-Terra next weekend.

 

[-=JoN=-]

Silver, I am behind Ikea, about 3 minutes away.

I test drove the Mazda 6 today, and yes, it didnt feel right. I test drove the 4 cylinder and it did feel very inadequate. The engine felt too small for it's body, and most of all it didnt fit, it just didnt feel right.

I will be checking out the Liberty, and the X-Terra next weekend.

cool, havnt been around there in a good while, LIE traffic just turns me off going to Roosvelt Field and Ikea...

hope you chose the liberty over the xterra..

 

[R_Russell]

I have made a decision. I am not getting any of the vehicles I have listed above, instead, I am getting a 2nd hand Subaru Forrester XT. My friends mom is selling hers to get an Outback, so instead of trading it in, they asked me if I was interested. I am getting a pretty good price for it (just below blue book). I jumped at it too, since it's going to be easy for me on the gas.

Thanks for all the replies. Maybe one day i'll think about it again, and end up with a Jeep.

 

[Bennett]

Cool, but remember you are always welcome to hang out here with jeep or no jeep! I hope you have the best of luck!!

Bennett

 

[styng88]

Can't go wrong with the Subie. This is a great forum, and if you'd like a good Subaru forum go to www.nasioc.com. It stands for North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club, but they welcome all makes of Fuji heavy Industries cars. And you can't beat the 250 HP turbo that the XT has.