my80chevette
New Member
Well how do folks! I have been eyeballing a variety of vehicles to replace my broken down 1997, 2.3, 5-speed 2wd Ford Ranger. Something in the clutch assembly went south and since I lack a proper place to do such an involved repair I am considering something with a few less miles and 4 wheel drive. I spotted 2003 Liberty Sport with the 2.4 and five speed and thought it might be a good choice for me. Before I ask for your opinions I will tell you this little KJ has what some consider a lot of miles...221k to be exact. My Ranger has 300K (had 260K when I got it) and has done well for me the last two and a half years I've owned it. Now I could get the Ranger fixed, but the engine is down on power (lower compression evenly across all cylinders) and I'm leery about spending over a thousand dollars to fix the truck. The Liberty appears to have been well cared for and runs like new with the exception of a driver side cv joint which clicked a bit on tight turns in 4-wheel. The Liberty is $2200 and I would like to run a car fax on the Jeep before buying it but but wanted some opinions on the long term durability of the 2.4. Anyone with a idea of how well these engines hold up and anything I should be especially aware of with these KJ's? Thanks for any input!!