Liberty question

[Southern Gorilla]

I've noticed something after a month and a half of driving this thing-- I just don't care about it. I've been a car guy my whole life. It's very rare for me to own a car that just does nothing for me. But there's just nothing about the Liberty that tickles me. I'm thinking that after I get a real job and get some money together I might sell it and buy a convertible.

It's not that the Liberty is a bad vehicle. I mean, the interior is cheap. But it's been decent to me. It just doesn't do anything my Cherokee can't do. And it doesn't get that much better mileage. And the Cherokee can do things the Liberty will never do.

[will e]

My wife adores hers. She likes the size. The 3.6 is peppy but not fast. We have the limited so it has a leather interior (but still kind of plasticky). A/C works like a champ, which is important here in AZ. It doesn't see more than dirt roads. Gas mileage is not impressive.

[Southern Gorilla]

My Limited doesn't have leather. But I don't think that would make a difference to me.

You nailed exactly why I don't giggle over this rig. It's peppy, but not fast. It doesn't get great mileage. It isn't particularly roomy or comfortable. It doesn't really do anything well. I might as well be driving a Civic or Prelude. At least it is rear-wheel drive.

If I sell it and buy an old Cadillac convertible, then I'd have something to giggle about.

[Stuka]

The Liberty is pretty much a mixed bag. A very middle of the road vehicle. It does nothing great, but isn't really bad at anything either.

My life liked hers a lot. And it towed pretty well (Ours was rated for 5k pounds). Fuel economy was not great around town, but we easily got 20-23 on the HWY.


Sent from my iPhone 5S using Tapatalk

[will e]

When I do more major repairs on the Liberty I usually drive it for a day or two and it's kind of fun but every day would take the fun-ness out of it.

[Southern Gorilla]

The Liberty is pretty much a mixed bag. A very middle of the road vehicle. It does nothing great, but isn't really bad at anything either.

Exactly. There's nothing "wrong" with it. It just doesn't fulfill my car-lust.

...but every day would take the fun-ness out of it.

Yup. A manual transmission would help. I just know the rig would be a little rocket without that slushbox absorbing 80% of its torque. (mild exaggeration)

[serehill]

I've rented several & believe them to be exactly what they were built to be . An entry level low glitter get by unit that is affordable. I have no problems with them. Drivability & performance are exactly what I would expect. Everything today is plastic that's no surprise. Everyone I know who has had one loved them. They are not in my future of ownership but when in Canada I rent them.

[carnuck]

I'll just leave this here.

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs/bl ... re-hazards

http://jalopnik.com/why-jeeps-catch-on- ... -511435881

[Stuka]

That was the most ludicrous recall ever. Which is why Chrysler refused at first. NHTSA can't arbitrarily recall vehicles that met and surpassed every safety regulation of the time. Not to mention the cases involving fires also involved being rear ended by big rigs.


Sent from my iPhone 5S using Tapatalk

[carnuck]

They also had issues with the PS/Cooling fan system hoses puking oil all over the exhaust and catching fire. Grand Cherokees too. I've seen 6 of them in the past year here.

[Southern Gorilla]

So they ordered a recall because those models had more problems than the average of similar models? Do they understand mathematics? By definition, somebody has to be below average. If they turn the worst into the best then there will be a new worst which must mean another recall.

[will e]

Reminds of a California Legislator who said "Our goal is to make sure every car gets better than average fuel mileage".

Which supports the old saying, "Half the people are below average intelligence".

[RockRollin]

That was the most ludicrous recall ever. Which is why Chrysler refused at first. NHTSA can't arbitrarily recall vehicles that met and surpassed every safety regulation of the time. Not to mention the cases involving fires also involved being rear ended by big rigs.


Sent from my iPhone 5S using Tapatalk

There was also alot of bantering that the accidents survival odds were very low even without the fire.
I have a soft spot for the Mopar underdog, so I am bias. I feel Mopar gets picked on alot more than the other big two. This heavy handed recall is just another example.

[Stuka]

Yeah, pretty sure anybody int he back seat of this Jeep would not have survived. Even if the fuel tank was in front of the axle, the axle got pushed up under the front seats:

[Southern Gorilla]

What kind of mileage are others getting from this thing? Mine says it's averaging 15.1 MPG. Now I know it won't compete with my wife's Hyundai. But 15.1 seems a bit low to me. I mean, an FSJ can manage 12 or better.

[Pablo]

What kind of mileage are others getting from this thing? Mine says it's averaging 15.1 MPG. Now I know it won't compete with my wife's Hyundai. But 15.1 seems a bit low to me. I mean, an FSJ can manage 12 or better.

That seems just a tad low, especially for 2wd. I used to be in a Liberty group and we averaged 15-18 MPG with the 3.7's and almost everyone had 4x4. Fuelly says it is just a tad low as well: http://www.fuelly.com/car/jeep/liberty? ... bmodel_id=

I do believe the 2002's had a better transmission than the newer ones--- 45RFE versus 42RLE. My old Liberty got 23 city 26 freeway, but I had a tuned 2.8 CRD.

[nc wagoneer]

Hand calculate your mileage. If your going off of the computer it's most likely going to be wrong. Chrysler computers suck...a friends Cummins dually was reading 123.6 mpg on the computer.

[Stuka]

Here is the fuelly page for our Liberty. 11,424 miles tracked over two years.

http://www.fuelly.com/car/jeep/liberty/ ... uka/106498

[Southern Gorilla]

Here is the fuelly page for our Liberty. 11,424 miles tracked over two years.

http://www.fuelly.com/car/jeep/liberty/ ... uka/106498

So 16.1 MPG average over street, trail, and highway in a 4x4. Meanwhile my 4x2 only manages 15.1 with almost all highway miles. Something is definitely amiss. I checked the tranny fluid the other day. The level is good, but it has a slight brown tinge to it. I'll see about getting the tranny serviced this weekend and see if that helps.

Hand calculate your mileage.

Did a rough calculation last fill-up. Didn't come up with a huge difference.

[Stuka]

Here is the fuelly page for our Liberty. 11,424 miles tracked over two years.

http://www.fuelly.com/car/jeep/liberty/ ... uka/106498

So 16.1 MPG average over street, trail, and highway in a 4x4. Meanwhile my 4x2 only manages 15.1 with almost all highway miles. Something is definitely amiss. I checked the tranny fluid the other day. The level is good, but it has a slight brown tinge to it. I'll see about getting the tranny serviced this weekend and see if that helps.

Hand calculate your mileage.

Did a rough calculation last fill-up. Didn't come up with a huge difference.

Had our trans served at 95k miles. Both filters (yes it has two, at least for the '05) were pretty plugged. Shifting got a lot smoother and less laggy. It certainly needed it.

Forget how many miles your has, but it may be time for plugs too.