Cabin space--Prospective buyer

[aterfy27]

Hey all, first post here. A local dealer around here has a 2004 Liberty Renegade for sale that's caught my eye. One of my first concerns that i've had is that I've heard some folks say that the front seats aren't very spacious. I'm no small fellow--around 6'4 and have a 40" waist. Do you guys think it'd be roomy enough? I saw a post on here about fabricating some extended brackets to create more leg room if need be, but i'd prefer to not have to.

Second, i wanna get some opinions on pricing. Like i said, it's a 2004 Liberty Renegade. The dealership is asking ~$7300. It has about 109xxx miles. Some things I've noticed:

-Fender flares are all pretty faded/have paint feeling. I was thinking about getting them Line-X'ed or something similar.

-Driver seat has a small tear on the lefthand side.

-Decent sized dent on the driver-side rear bumper (right on the corner, about the size of a grapefruit--no paint damage that i could tell).

-Handful of scratches in the paint and the emblems are fading

-As a plus, it does come with an aftermarket radio (Pioneer) which is something that i would have wanted to have installed either way.

Considering all of this, what do you think is a fair price to begin bargaining from? Blue book says value of $7.8k, whereas Edmunds.com puts dealer retail at around $6k, so i'm really not sure. Thoughts?

 

[u2slow]

I'm 6'4" too, but built like a pencil :icon_lol: Legroom and headroom are sufficient, but there isn't any extra. If you don't mind the auto, a Commander is roomier, and comparably priced (from what I've seen).

 

[aterfy27]

Hmm, ok, well I have not been able to get a test drive yet so i will have to give that a whirl soon and see how it feels. Any thoughts as to pricing? I also have been considering an 04 Grand Cherokee 'Columbia Edition' which looks pretty sharp.

 

[CactusJacked]

Sounds like a semi-fixer upper and is over priced accordingly. Are you married to the Renegade model? Non renegades are $1,000-$2,500k less than what you're looking at. There is an 04 on craigslist (at a dealer) with 96k miles asking $5,900. Or a sport model with 92k miles for $4,999. And with these two, asking price isn't selling price.

 

[u2slow]

I think the main perks of the 04 grand cherokee are solid front axle, and V8 power. I'm guessing its a tad bigger than our KJs. Watch out for a noisy rear end on those... its aluminum, and there can sometimes be problems with them.

 

[M38 Bob]

I'm a leggy 5-11 and my regular ride's a Silverado. The Jeep seats feel like they're ending about mid-thigh compared to the Chevy. Price sound ridiculous for a rusty Yankee to me.

Unless you just love the little bug-eyed Jeeps looks(I do) try to find a G C.

Bob

 

[ArtO]

I have an 02 GC and just traded my Silverado in on a new Patriot for my wife. I inherited her 07 Liberty. Compared to a GC or Silverado the Liberty is tight. Less hip room, foot room, definitely less seat under the thighs. The seats do seam to be firmer and more supportive than the Silverado.
My Liberty has 106,000 miles right now and a dent in the hood. I wouldn't pay $7300.00 for it if I was looking to buy one. Unless you're really set on this Liberty I would keep looking. Just my $.02

Art

 

[aterfy27]

Thanks for the input, all. I like the GC i found, but i feel like it's pretty overpriced too--asking $7.7k with 125,***. But it seems like the Jeep/4x4 SUV market in my area is pretty inflated in general. It also has the "High Output" V8, and from what I've read that engine gets like 13mpg city on a good day, which is kinda tough to swallow...not sure I want to deal with that. I wouldn't say i'm married to the Renegade, per se, but i do like it a lot better than most of the other KJ's in my area (and many of them don't have as low of miles or are close to the same price)......I am not too experienced in working with dealerships. WHat do you think is the lowest i could talk them down to?

 

[aterfy27]

Did a quick search on Craigslist, Autotrader, and Cars.com. Cheapest I found was an '03 Sport with 132,***. Automatic, 4x4, V6. Asking $4k. It's not a bad looking jeep, although the interior is much rougher than the Renegade. And it's approx. 50 miles away--which isn't a dealbreaker, but I was really hoping to be able to take a prospective new vehicle to my local mechanic to give it a check before purchasing, and that makes that more difficult. Other than that, within 50 miles of here the cheapest I've been able to find have all been around the $7k mark.

EDIT: I have a good friend who runs the biggest body shop in our area who could get me a very good rate for fixing the dent and doing touchup paint, so I've considered that as well...He's helped me out a lot in the past. So basically...I'm hoping i could get the dealer to take off more for damage than it would cost me to repair. I dunno.

 

[uss2defiant]

sounds pretty pricey for that liberty at that condition.

 

[aterfy27]

It's a little pricey, to be sure. But the 4x4 market up here is inflated. I guess having a 4x2 wouldn't be a dealbreaker, but honestly they aren't much cheaper and we get a lot of snow so i'd like the option of having 4wd. So...I dunno. Really, it's going for the same or cheaper than a lot of comparable models. Just not sure how far i could talk them down. I'd be much more comfortable with paying like $6.5k or so but i'm not sure if that's reasonable or not

 

[ltd02]

Well if Edmund's came up with 6K I'd start a little under that and see if you can finish at 6500. Also if you can get it to a mechanic maybe they'll give you more little items (a drip here, something worn there) that could reduce the price. Trick is to not look too interested. Always worked for me. I've had salesmen chase after me as I was driving away. If you can't get it for a price you are comfortable with then it wasn't meant to be.

 

[rbm92226]

I'm 6'1, 225 and there is quite a bit of cabin room. The seating/legroom are much more comfortable than my Ramcharger. TBH the liberty is a much better ride than the GC. IMO


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[Birdman330]

I'm 5'10 150lbs and I actually have the front seat about 3 clicks from being all the way up front, I have 36 inch legs just to give you an idea of where my height comes from. The space is perfect for me and that how I have my front seats, rear leg room is nothing to balk at, even with the front seats up near their most forward especially the passenger side you still have great leg room.

 

[aterfy27]

Well if Edmund's came up with 6K I'd start a little under that and see if you can finish at 6500. Also if you can get it to a mechanic maybe they'll give you more little items (a drip here, something worn there) that could reduce the price. Trick is to not look too interested. Always worked for me. I've had salesmen chase after me as I was driving away. If you can't get it for a price you are comfortable with then it wasn't meant to be.

Cool, yeah...I figured dealer is probably going to pay/trade in value around $4.5-5.5k and I would expect a hundred dollars off or so each for fenders, dent, seat tear, paint, as well as carfax showing 2 accidents reported. I have also always heard that some salesmen are more likely to take towards the end of the month if they're looking to make a sales quota....

 

[u2slow]

Considering all of this, what do you think is a fair price to begin bargaining from? Blue book says value of $7.8k, whereas Edmunds.com puts dealer retail at around $6k, so i'm really not sure. Thoughts?

The gf paid $9k in spring 2012. Most were selling around $12k. The criteria was V6 or diesel, 6speed, 4x4. Diesel or Renegade was $14-16k at the time.

I wouldn't pay extra for the Rene... since its basically a cosmetic package. Sounds like $5k max for the one you're looking at.

 

[ftaa]

im 6'2 245 with a 38 " waist and i fit fine lol ... i hit my head sometimes in and out but meh . i do however have trouble fitting 2 rottweillers in the back with 2 kids.

 

[aterfy27]

How's the leg room, horizontally? I've heard the foot wells are kinda cramped. Looks like the center console area kinda protrudes.

 

[jpapa]

It is cramped. I am 6'4" and a bit long legged for that height. Definitely brought back memories of driving a Go Kart (though not as bad) - the steering wheel was between my knees and my legs were angled into foot well. Per my comment on the other forum - seat extensions would be your very good friend if you buy a KJ. I used the extensions for two KJs and a TJ. They make ALL the difference. Fab your own, if you are of the mind, or just buy them from Misch 4X4. It will be the best $120 you spend on the KJ. You will be thankful everyday you drive it.

(and if Misch wants to give me a commission, we can talk

 

[aterfy27]

Any advice for talking down the dealership? Tips/techniques that have worked for you guys?