Going to drive a '10 Limited tomorrow...

Overclocker · **Joined:** Fri Apr 23, 2010 1:04 pm **Posts:** 17

Good evening folks!
We've been looking for a while for a replacement for my spousal-unit's '98 Stratus. We'd like someting 4WD and either GM or Mopar. It also has to have room for the pups and our stuff for road trips. The wife couldn't see well out of the smaller GM units, nor did she like the size of the full-sized units. I'm all "meh" on the GMs, plus they can be expensive. She didn't like the appearance of the Nitro, Caliber, or Compass. We both like the design and features of the Patriot, but I'm not sold on the 2.4/CVT combo. The KK's solid combination of Dana30(a), Mopar 8.25, well-known 3.7, MP1522 and 42RLE make me rather comfortable with the mechanicals. Reliabilty seems to have improved dramatically since the introduction. I've pored over all 27 pages of the KK general discussion and technical how-tos here at lostjeeps.com and several other forums, and I'm still trying to find a really good reason not to buy one of these. The KK is a truck, but it's also similar in footprint to her Stratus; about a foot shorter and an inch wider. And it's a Mopar.

Last weekend, we visited a nice new 2010 KK 4x4 Limited just to have a good look at it. We've had a week to think about it, and we're going to go drive it Saturday afternoon (weather permitting). They want $28,499 for it; $4,121 off MSRP. Seems to be a good deal compared to other similar units in the area.

Here's the sticker:
http://www.jeep.com/hostc/getWindowStickerPdf.do?vin=1J4PN5GK3AW111378

This could possibly be our first Jeep, and our first new vehicle. I'm somewhat nervous, to be honest; we'll be keeping it long-term. The KK isn't like anything we've owned, so I have nothing to compare it to. What did you guys consider before settling on the KK? What proved to be the deciding factor in favor of the Jeep? Should we wait for a better deal when the 2011s come out?

Thanks!

Tim

kskj · **Posted:** Sat Apr 24, 2010 12:58 am

I think you will like it. I have a Kj and my wife loves to drive it. I keep telling her I will get her a car so I can drive the jeep all the time and she doesn't want to give up her jeep. :lol:

Pm Mntlvr he has a 2009 And it is the first jeep he has owned.

DirtyKK · **Posted:** Sat Apr 24, 2010 1:06 am

The front is a D30(m) :wink:

Don't plan on gas mileage.
Better not stay here long after getting it or you'll catch the fever. :mrgreen:

Welcome to LOST :JEEPIN:

Diggerfreek · **Posted:** Sat Apr 24, 2010 1:31 am

I chose the KK over the KA because of the t case and I didn't have the cash for a 4dr JK :lol:

I personally know of 2 KK's with 50K + on them and so far, they have been near perfect.

I will advise you to look over the maintenance schedule for the KK (sever service) as proper maintenance is essential to a long life.

wecwbe · **Posted:** Sat Apr 24, 2010 1:53 am

Welcome. I bought a 2010 Limited and I really like it. It is my second Jeep (I own a 1999 Wrangler also). I looked at other things but most "similar" vehicles out there either aren't really capable offroad vehicles or they cost much more. I spent a great deal of time researching it (including reading this forum). I also rented one on a business trip. I felt very comfortable in it and I really liked the layout of the vehicle and the space (especially with the passenger seat folded flat).

I read many reviews on it and I didn't agree with the ones that rated it low. I thought about what they said but it just didn't ring true to me. I think the problem is that many of the reviewers out there know about cars but they just don't have a clue about offroad-capable vehicles. One thing that did stand out to me was a poll that showed Liberty owners were one of the most satisfied groups of owners.

I've had mine about 4 months now and I am extremely happy with it. One bonus is that I always get better mileage than the EPA estimate. I get 19 MPG in my normal mix of hiway/city driving that is my commute. When I drive on the hiway only, I average about 23-24 MPG.

I highly recommend the Liberty. I think you will really like it. :JEEPIN:

Overclocker · **Joined:** Fri Apr 23, 2010 1:04 pm **Posts:** 17

I really appreciate the replies. Deb and I drove that specific Libby today. I have to say that we liked it. Me more than her, I think. I would have preferred a little more low-end torque and a bit more steering feedback but I understand that there are some trade-offs with this type of vehicle. It's an over-built 4wd truck in a small SUV body. I made the huge mistake of suggesting we drive a vehicle with the global 2.4 and CVT just to see how the CVT operated. Due to price, I had originally considered the Patriot Limited 4x4 over the Libby until I found this particular deal. In this case, the platform for the 2.4/CVT was a Compass. Bad idea. Deb comfortably took to that like it was just another car, and seemed to like it much better, although she mentioned that she did not dislike the Libby. :BANANA:

I don't like saying this about a Mopar, but considering the price, the Compass we drove felt...cheap, and not in a good way. The CVT was interesting. While I didn't drive the Compass, as a passenger, I felt that the CVT wasn't as odd as I'd thought it would be. We may go back tomorrow and drive a 2009 Pat CVT just to be sure. However, I think that I'm ready to buy this Libby.

Overclocker · **Joined:** Fri Apr 23, 2010 1:04 pm **Posts:** 17

DirtyKK wrote:

The front is a D30(m) :wink:

Don't plan on gas mileage.
Better not stay here long after getting it or you'll catch the fever. :mrgreen:

Welcome to LOST :JEEPIN:

Hmmm...I hadn't heard of the (m) sub-type. I must have mis-read about the (a). What's the difference? I enjoy exploring these geeky things. I have a Dana 60 in my Ram and it handles 525 lb/ft quite well.

I'm sure the Dana 30 will be just as durable with the 3.7. The design has been around for quite some time, but all of the detailed specifications I can find seem to be related to the older Jeeps rather than the modern applications.

DirtyKK · **Posted:** Sun Apr 25, 2010 1:17 am

Overclocker wrote:

DirtyKK wrote:

The front is a D30(m) :wink:

Don't plan on gas mileage.
Better not stay here long after getting it or you'll catch the fever. :mrgreen:

Welcome to LOST :JEEPIN:

Hmmm...I hadn't heard of the (m) sub-type. I must have mis-read about the (a). What's the difference? I enjoy exploring these geeky things. I have a Dana 60 in my Ram and it handles 525 lb/ft quite well.

I'm sure the Dana 30 will be just as durable with the 3.7. The design has been around for quite some time, but all of the detailed specifications I can find seem to be related to the older Jeeps rather than the modern applications.

The front diff is similar to the JKs D30, lockers and gears are the same between the two models but are different from all previous D30.

Overclocker · **Joined:** Fri Apr 23, 2010 1:04 pm **Posts:** 17

wecwbe wrote:

I read many reviews on it and I didn't agree with the ones that rated it low. I thought about what they said but it just didn't ring true to me. I think the problem is that many of the reviewers out there know about cars but they just don't have a clue about offroad-capable vehicles. One thing that did stand out to me was a poll that showed Liberty owners were one of the most satisfied groups of owners.

I admit that I did start with professional reviews of these vehicles. As I went deeper, the reviews didn't seem to jive with the opinions of those people who live with these vehicles daily. Although I could be completely wrong, I think the disconnect comes from the prfessional reviewers stepping out of a car-based vehicle and into a more truck-based vehicle and expecting the same dynamics. I just don't think they compare. Most often, they are completely different design philosophies!

Diggerfreek · **Posted:** Sun Apr 25, 2010 1:28 am

Not trying to be all negative, but it seems like the compass and patriot are more prone to front end component failure than the KK. Most of the forums I have seen, there have been numerous reports of things like ball joints and tie rod failing before 30K with the CV boots lasting a little longer on both lift and stock units...

Overclocker · **Joined:** Fri Apr 23, 2010 1:04 pm **Posts:** 17

Diggerfreek wrote:

Not trying to be all negative, but it seems like the compass and patriot are more prone to front end component failure than the KK. Most of the forums I have seen, there have been numerous reports of things like ball joints and tie rod failing before 30K with the CV boots lasting a little longer on both lift and stock units...

Not at all! This is good info. I had no idea. This is the reason I join these technical forums.

wecwbe · **Posted:** Mon Apr 26, 2010 1:23 am

Overclocker wrote:

wecwbe wrote:

I read many reviews on it and I didn't agree with the ones that rated it low. I thought about what they said but it just didn't ring true to me. I think the problem is that many of the reviewers out there know about cars but they just don't have a clue about offroad-capable vehicles. One thing that did stand out to me was a poll that showed Liberty owners were one of the most satisfied groups of owners.

I admit that I did start with professional reviews of these vehicles. As I went deeper, the reviews didn't seem to jive with the opinions of those people who live with these vehicles daily. Although I could be completely wrong, I think the disconnect comes from the prfessional reviewers stepping out of a car-based vehicle and into a more truck-based vehicle and expecting the same dynamics. I just don't think they compare. Most often, they are completely different design philosophies!

Exactly! They just don't understand what they are looking at and they don't realize that people that buy this type of vehicle value different things than they do.

Diggerfreek · **Posted:** Mon Apr 26, 2010 2:05 am

One option you might look at is trying to rent a few different vehicles of a couple of days. Test drives are nice and all, but you really need to spend some time in the drivers seat before you can make a fair assessment........

Overclocker · **Joined:** Fri Apr 23, 2010 1:04 pm **Posts:** 17

Diggerfreek wrote:

One option you might look at is trying to rent a few different vehicles of a couple of days. Test drives are nice and all, but you really need to spend some time in the drivers seat before you can make a fair assessment........

That's a very good idea. We rented a Patriot for two days and found out that we liked the Libby much better. Unfortunately, no Liberties have been available around here for rental. My spousal-unit is rather short, and she had to scoot the seat up in the Patriot to the point where she bumped her knee into the dash almost constantly. I drove it once to return it. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't as comfortable and solid as the Libby. It would have been rather uncomfortable on long trips. At least we found out what won't work for us!

Overclocker · **Joined:** Fri Apr 23, 2010 1:04 pm **Posts:** 17

We walked into the dealer last Friday to buy the new Liberty that we had been looking at for a few weeks, and a nice older couple was already signing the papers for it. I was bummed. However, the dealer was able to track down a very similar copy of the one we wanted with the added bonus of the Trailer Tow Package. We pick it up on Monday. Our first new vehicle!

4x4 Limited
Deep Water Blue
SkySlider
Comfort/Convenience
Tire/Wheel (I could do without this option, but when buying off-the-rack...)
Trailer Tow

DirtyKK · **Posted:** Sun May 02, 2010 12:18 am

Congratulations! :JEEPIN:

Diggerfreek · **Posted:** Sun May 02, 2010 12:31 am

Overclocker wrote:

We walked into the dealer last Friday to buy the new Liberty that we had been looking at for a few weeks, and a nice older couple was already signing the papers for it. I was bummed. However, the dealer was able to track down a very similar copy of the one we wanted with the added bonus of the Trailer Tow Package. We pick it up on Monday. Our first new vehicle!

4x4 Limited
Deep Water Blue
SkySlider
Comfort/Convenience
Tire/Wheel (I could do without this option, but when buying off-the-rack...)
Trailer Tow

The Deep Water Blue is such a nice color!

Congrats on the purchase :pepper:

wecwbe · **Posted:** Sun May 02, 2010 2:00 am

Overclocker wrote:

We walked into the dealer last Friday to buy the new Liberty that we had been looking at for a few weeks, and a nice older couple was already signing the papers for it. I was bummed. However, the dealer was able to track down a very similar copy of the one we wanted with the added bonus of the Trailer Tow Package. We pick it up on Monday. Our first new vehicle!

4x4 Limited
Deep Water Blue
SkySlider
Comfort/Convenience
Tire/Wheel (I could do without this option, but when buying off-the-rack...)
Trailer Tow

Congratulations. I know you will like it. :JEEPIN:

By the way, the trailer tow package also comes with the bonus of heavy duty engine and power steering cooling.

Overclocker · **Joined:** Fri Apr 23, 2010 1:04 pm **Posts:** 17

Diggerfreek wrote:

The Deep Water Blue is such a nice color!

Congrats on the purchase :pepper:

Thanks, man. We saw one in this blue at the Columbus Auto show and were instantly drawn to it. It will look great next to my truck!

Overclocker · **Joined:** Fri Apr 23, 2010 1:04 pm **Posts:** 17

wecwbe wrote:

By the way, the trailer tow package also comes with the bonus of heavy duty engine and power steering cooling.

Doesn't it have extra trans cooling as well?

The tow package was the one option that I really wanted, but the first Liberty we looked at didn't have it. I figured that it was OK considering the price. But once that particular unit was sold 5 minutes before we arrived :ROTFL:

, the dealer was able to find us another unit that was identical except for the addition of the tow group! Strange how things work out like that sometimes. I really wanted a vehicle that I could tow a fair amount with, should the need arise. You never know what could happen! Plus, it never hurts to have extra cooling.

Going to drive a '10 Limited tomorrow...

Who is online