Jeep Liberty
 

Discuss.

i'd choose death.

Our lovely daughter is leaning away from death and toward the Liberty. She test drove one Sunday and loves it. Now we're trying to find a way for her to get one.

new one?

Unlikely, given her financial resources. Champagne tastes, etc, etc.

tweener for size, good if you don't wanna shrink down to a CRV class for gas mileage or go up to Tahoe class because of lack of same...

My only negative experience with the Liberty was the backseat. the doorframe and seat were positioned so that it was difficult to do without slamming your hip into the frame. or i could just be retarded. probably the second option.

What year are we talking about?

The early ones had a lot of bugs and problems. The engine gives poor mileage if you don't baby it. The fit and finish has been getting better but still isn't up to standards. Interior design has gripes too.

I have a friend who had one for three and got rid of it as soon as he could pay it off. He (and his wife) hated it and like the Pathfinder better.

no they didn't. the liberty and the pt cruiser were jeep's and chrysler's most reliable vehicles in 02-03. the only recurrant issue the liberty had was a heat shield rattle. It's a good car for a young person. handles tight, great off road or in snow, and sturdy.

If you can find one at an import dealer, you might get a better deal.

There's an 05 with 55k miles for about $12K. An 06 with 108K miles for $8K.

Trying to economize on $$, size is just right.

What do you mean about an import dealer, lj?

According to Car survey, it's so-so. It appears that some cars were good and some were bad, depending on who built it, I guess.

Are there features in the Liberty not available in other vehicles, or other practical reason to have it, like cargo hauling ability?

There's no aspect of the Liberty (as far as I can see) that is the ultimate expression of that aspect, size, mileage, economy, ruggedness, cuteness, cargo space, etc, etc.

It does have an early, but probably not insurmountable lead in "I like it-ness" since she has driven a couple cars and likes that model the best. She's being quite rational in her decision making process, considering many aspects of the whole car buying/owning adventure.

I think, if anything, she's underestimating the burden a five year loan represents. She's not (completely) swayed by the emotional response to one vehicle or another. She wants a nice car. I think this could be a nice car. She is coming to understand the economics of owning the car (payment, gas, maintenance, insurance, etc).

Other contenders:

Saturn Vue

Honda CRV

Toyota RAV-4

Suzuki SX4

Current ride:

Volkswagen Golf

The 2007 Jeep Liberty fuel mileage:
(Sorry about the table formatting.)

Considering gas prices, I'm surprised you're not looking for something with lower operating costs.