Newbie here

[Kilrvady]

Looking to buy a liberty renegade. I did a little research but want to here feedback from the non bias experts. I know about rusty rockers and sometimes bad window regulators. What else should I look for when shopping? Thanks in advance

 

[tommudd]

Looking to buy a liberty renegade. I did a little research but want to here feedback from the non bias experts. I know about rusty rockers and sometimes bad window regulators. What else should I look for when shopping? Thanks in advance

Depends on what year you are looking at
Maintenance , how well its been cared for etc.
Just general things , rockers are usually not an issue unless it has not been maintained well ( washed well in winter )
Check up around the upper brake light for rust, again if not washed it tends to rust in that area.

 

[jharrisliberty]

Which year is going to determine whether or not you have abs or not as well as what the grill and front bumper looks like.

Also why specifically a renegade?

 

[Kilrvady]

I was looking at 2003-2005.I read somewhere about motor problems due to sludge in the motor.rockers and cams?I like the style package on the renegade

 

[Adam Roby]

...want to here feedback from the non bias experts.

I am not sure you can really get a non biased opinion of a Liberty on a Liberty specific forum... most here love the KJ and defend it to the death.

I personally find it very capable off road (even though I am completely stock). If your intent is to modify the heck out of it - which most of us do - then it'll cost you a few bucks. I find the gas mileage is horrendous, worse than on a full size pickup F-250 would be, but I do very little mileage so doesn't bother me much. The handling is pretty terrible stock, if you are prone to getting sea sick then you'll want to consider an upgrade to the suspension. Stock parts are pretty cheap, easy to find... easy to work on. For me, getting the full suspension upgrade would have cost 1/2 of what I paid for the Jeep so it was not an option I could afford. I don't drive long or far, or in too twisty areas for fear of barfing my lungs out.

That's about as honest as I can be. I will keep mine for a few more years to come but will eventually swap out for a larger truck.

 

[Kilrvady]

so what your saying is,Gas mileage *****.handling *****.suspension *****?Whats the upside to these truck?

 

[jeeplib05]

As stated, everyone will be biased about it here but I can tell you my opinion

I don't think it's a very good looking vehicle, gas does suck, its covered in cheap plastic inside and out, lifting it costs a fortune compared to actual trucks (unibody means no body lift, only suspension), also to go along with that, even lifting it over 3" only allows you to BARELY fit 31s, but it doesn't stop there because once you get to that size it's highly suggested to regear or else it'll be even MORE of a slug that it was stock..
The one benefit I've found of it is that it's a 4x4 so you can be a little safer in winter, but it still isn't that great of a system for being a "truck"
Basically it's a brick on wheels, and to get it to ride good, which it is suggested to use OME springs for a great ride over stock, is just as bad as the original (very bouncy ride) and costs almost a grand
So in order for it to "ride like a Mercedes" as a familiar company likes to say, it costs twice as much for a fully adjustable suspension which when all said and done is pointless to be spending that much on such a poor quality vehicle IMO... Sorry to be blunt but it's the truth
Now, there will be others here to bash me for saying all of these things, and praise the Liberty for being the best thing to have ever driven down the road when it's far from it
My opinion, buy something far better than a Liberty, like an actual truck! Which come stock with 31s without the need for a lift and regearing :happy175:

To answer your question, "Whats the upside to these trucks?" Nothing but endless money being spent fixing things and trying to get it to come close to a JK.. and all of the JK owners laugh at Liberty's because, well, it's a Liberty

 

[boboborino]

:enguard:

(popcorn)

Bert

 

[Kilrvady]

Well there you go,thats what I was looking for .Thanks

 

[tommudd]

Well there you go,thats what I was looking for .Thanks

Some do not appreciate the KJ for what it is, I bought a 04 new , drove it 221,000 miles, also have an 03 and an 05
GREAT vehicles, on the road I never get below 21-22 , in town 16-17 if I keep my foot out of it
As far as lifts costs no more for a lift for a KJ than an XJ if you compare OME for example.

 

[tommudd]

As stated, everyone will be biased about it here but I can tell you my opinion

I don't think it's a very good looking vehicle, gas does suck, its covered in cheap plastic inside and out, lifting it costs a fortune compared to actual trucks (unibody means no body lift, only suspension), also to go along with that, even lifting it over 3" only allows you to BARELY fit 31s, but it doesn't stop there because once you get to that size it's highly suggested to regear or else it'll be even MORE of a slug that it was stock..
The one benefit I've found of it is that it's a 4x4 so you can be a little safer in winter, but it still isn't that great of a system for being a "truck"
Basically it's a brick on wheels, and to get it to ride good, which it is suggested to use OME springs for a great ride over stock, is just as bad as the original (very bouncy ride) and costs almost a grand
So in order for it to "ride like a Mercedes" as a familiar company likes to say, it costs twice as much for a fully adjustable suspension which when all said and done is pointless to be spending that much on such a poor quality vehicle IMO... Sorry to be blunt but it's the truth
Now, there will be others here to bash me for saying all of these things, and praise the Liberty for being the best thing to have ever driven down the road when it's far from it
My opinion, buy something far better than a Liberty, like an actual truck! Which come stock with 31s without the need for a lift and regearing :happy175:

To answer your question, "Whats the upside to these trucks?" Nothing but endless money being spent fixing things and trying to get it to come close to a JK.. and all of the JK owners laugh at Liberty's because, well, it's a Liberty

Sorry to be blunt ( as well ) but if you dislike the KJ so much, bash it every chance you get, why in the H do you still have it.

 

[jeepop]

I drive a 4x4 truck 50 miles round trip every day. I got a Liberty for my daughter. She kept noticing them so i started researching them. Our family friends passed one down they bought used through their 3 boys, It has 200K and is still going. Another neighbors is at 175 also bought used for their daughter. One of my students is a 4th sibling, and the fourth to drive it. It is still going and lived in NY salt for years. I found a good deal and got it for my daughter and have been tightening it up.

Here is the thing, I have driven it to work several times. I love the thing. My city - Nashville - is increasingly crowded an urban. This Liberty has great visibility, good pickup, and it much easier to park and live with in a city, and it will still tow 5000 lbs. There are a lot of GM and Ford smaller trucks out on the market that will only tow 2000, which is the upper end for most of the sport SUVs. This thing will tow either of my boats with ease (why I have a truck). It is fun to drive. One pull of a lever and I am in 4 wheel drive. Etc. It's gas mileage is better than my trucks.

Also, having recently been t-boned by a passed out driver, there is a minimum amount of metal I want around me or my family members.

All this to say, I have started thinking about replacing my truck with KK.

 

[jeeplib05]

Well, I know the resale value on it is terrible, and I'd probably barely get my money back JUST for my lift and then some just because it's a running and functioning vehicle, that's one reason
And if I knew what I know now about it I wouldn't have bought it, I just got it a while back because I needed something to get by and that's really all it ever was good/used for
Threw on the lift to get a better ride and hope to get some nice sized tires but that all was a waste of time/money considering it still rides like stock but with even more bounce
People praise the towing capacity but it's a Jeep for crying out loud, I'd hope it could pull some stuff
Comparing an XJ to a KJ isn't a very good comparison to eachother because although XJs are even uglier than KJs, you can still put a body lift on it for $200 and throw on 33s which could never be done to a KJ unless you spent a stupendous amount of money, so no need for the "great" OME on the XJ :gr_grin:

BUT, looks like the OP made his mind up (hopefully) so this all over with.. in the meantime, I'll be laughing at my KJ (aka car with 4x4) sitting in the grass where it belongs and take my nice car out in this nice weather :happy175:

 

[tommudd]

Comparing an XJ to a KJ isn't a very good comparison to eachother because although XJs are even uglier than KJs, you can still put a body lift on it for $200 and throw on 33s which could never be done to a KJ unless you spent a stupendous amount of money, so no need for the "great" OME on the XJ :gr_grin:

BUT, looks like the OP made his mind up (hopefully) so this all over with.. in the meantime, I'll be laughing at my KJ (aka car with 4x4) sitting in the grass where it belongs and take my nice car out in this nice weather :happy175:

Hopefully the OP comes back.
Now about that body lift for 200 bucks on an XJ LMAO
little hint, XJs are just like the KJs , no frame !
XJs need at least 4 inches with suspension lift to clear 33s ( and a regear )
been through 3 of them fully modded

 

[tommudd]

Well there you go,thats what I was looking for .Thanks

Wait listen to several very satisfied owners !!!

 

[jeepop]

People praise the towing capacity but it's a Jeep for crying out loud, I'd hope it could pull some stuff

Hope and change ... When you have toys to tow you don't hope, you find out facts.

Fact = a 5000 lbs tow rating for a mid-sized SUV is non-existent other than with the Liberty, FJ Cruiser, and some X-Terras.

Few wranglers can even tow 3500. Most are rated for about a good bike rack (class II - 2000 lbs). The wife's mini-van could tow that.

Stick to the criticisms you know. Your wrong on the towing.

 

[Adam Roby]

so what your saying is,Gas mileage *****.handling *****.suspension *****?Whats the upside to these truck?

Hah... my "review" did focus only on the bad.

Some context: When I bought my Liberty, I was actually looking for a small SUV that could tow my camper, have 4x4 for winter and to access my land (4 acres of rough terrain) and enough room to lay the seats down and let the dog stretch out on long rides. I thought I wanted a Ford Escape, and went to a used car dealership looking at a 2011. The thing was a rust bucket. Drove it around the block and hated it, it was basically a car with 4x4... but the body was in such bad shape I could not believe what I was looking at for a 4 year old vehicle (at the time). They had a ton of them there, including the twin Mazda tribute. Same difference, terribly rusted out and not appealing to me at all. Just before leaving disappointed my wife spotted the liberty. It had no stickers on it, had just come in and had not yet been appraised. Its the first time I ever noticed they existed. It was very clean, not a spot of rust for a 9 year old (at the time) vehicle. I did not really have time to research, it was an "on the spot" decision. Price was good compared to the other crap they had, and I needed to pull my trailer to storage the following weekend so was in a hurry. I pulled the trigger.

Unlike some of the others, I do really like the look of the Liberty. When polished up its a good looking vehicle. I find towing with it is smooth, the 4x4 is great to have when you can't leave from a stop sign on sheer ice, but it is like driving a brick as you can't stop very easily (heavy vehicle). I like that you are up above other cars, gives good visibility and the access is easy for me (I've had surgery on my back and still need some so crouching into a car is difficult for me). The inside is a headache, any drop of water that touches the cloth seats immediately stains it... very strange, but I see it as a utility vehicle and not a shiny toy.

My average gas consumption is around 15 MPG, that's when I am being good with the pedal. Others are reporting up to 22, maybe Mr. Mudd's vehicle is in better shape, maybe mine needs a tune up, maybe I am just a lead foot... I guess that is a very subjective thing and there are many differing numbers from different members. If you've never had anything other than a car, then expect any SUV or truck to be 50%-100% more fuel per mile that most cars, unless you are used to a V8 muscle car etc.

I do not dislike my Jeep. Some days I love it, some days not so much. When I sit down and start typing everything comes out negative for some reason. I think people that like the liberty, the like comes from a feeling more than any facts or numbers that you can throw at it. Anytime I've bought then sold a car, I've lost $1000 - $1500 easily so I am not about to sell the Liberty just to buy what... an Escape and lose $1500? An F-150 might be nice, but its double the price... for those reasons I will keep mine for a while still but like someone else said, having known what I know now when I bought it, I might have considered another vehicle, although after 2 years I still don't know what other vehicle would be better than what I have...

Sounds to me like I can't even make up my own mind... I'll just stop blabbing now. :signs75:

 

[Kilrvady]

So can I get a list of things to look for when shopping for one?Going tomorrow to look at a 2002 with 140k.He said new water pump,new head gasket,new heater core,new transfer case 4 years ago.it needs an A/C heater actuator and a windshield.asking 2k what do you guys think?

 

[jeepop]

uss2defiant gave me a good list in this same section. Look for the thread I started.

He was spot on about the rubber boot on the propeller shaft.

Hopefully he did the thermostat when he did the water pump?

Seems like the radiators get a small leak around those miles.

Mine needs the AC too. Weather permitting I will tackle that this week. I got a compressor kit that came with the other components to replace.

 

[Dave]

So can I get a list of things to look for when shopping for one?Going tomorrow to look at a 2002 with 140k.He said new water pump,new head gasket,new heater core,new transfer case 4 years ago.it needs an A/C heater actuator and a windshield.asking 2k what do you guys think?

Sounds abused. The head gasket replacement and it needed a new t-case makes me wonder. . If you gotta replace the a/C and windshield offer $1,000-1,200 maybe?????

My KJ is 12 years old and has been used off-road hard and none of that stuff went bad. Take a mechanic with you to look at it????

Look at it carefully and try out the 4x4 on dirt.

Just thinking out loud here.

Dave