Looking into a KK.

htkrph · **Posted:** Sat Dec 08, 2012 2:13 pm

Hey Guys:
How are you all doing? My wife and I are looking into a KK. I own a 05 KJ that I dont drive any more and I own a 04 TJ thats my daily driver and my weekend warrior. The point of the KK would be for my wife to have space to carry stuff and drive around town. Her Nissan Frontier is a PITA driving around the city. the turning ratio on it sucks. I'm looking into an 10 or a 13. What should I look into it? Whats the good or the bad about different years. We are going to go test drive one soon. So i want to be prepared before I get we do. Any help will be appreciated.

At The Helm · **Posted:** Sat Dec 08, 2012 3:14 pm

08 was the first model year and there were at least one change in 09 which was an upgraded steering rack. 11s got a different steering wheel, thats about it as far as i know. The 2012 was was the last model year of production, so there will be no 2013s.

Bmxer524 · **Posted:** Sat Dec 08, 2012 5:17 pm

Atthehelm wrote:

08 was the first model year and there were at least one change in 09 which was an upgraded steering rack. 11s got a different steering wheel, thats about it as far as i know. The 2012 was was the last model year of production, so there will be no 2013s.

Basically this. The steering rack is better in the 09+ years. The 08 was also the only year with a manual.

Anyways, I have an '11 so it has the refreshed interior. I love it, and the turning radius is amazing. Basically nonexistent blind spots as well. It drives like a truck, and gets the gas mileage of one so be expected of that as well. Oh I also recommend the skyslider. I have that open almost year round and it's great. Closest thing to a topless Wrangler without owning a Wrangler lol.

lfhoward · **Posted:** Sat Dec 08, 2012 9:07 pm

My wife and I love our KK too! We have an '08 without the sky slider, but I just got a roof basket to stick up there, and I am very happy with that. The seats are extremely comfortable, so it rocks on a long trip. It's a good vehicle to drive if you have a bad back. If the KK you're looking at has a plain old sunroof, check to make sure there are no headliner stains. Some people have posted lately that their sunroofs are leaking, and it seems to be a recurring problem on certain vehicles.

Here is a site where you can paste in the VIN and get a factory build sheet for free (as long as you don't do it too often): http://www.compnine.com/vid.php?. I used this when looking for my KK because dealers don't often list if a used Jeep has CommandTrac (4 wheel LOCK) or SelecTrac (4 Wheel AUTO). The SelecTrac is the rarer option and it allows you to have the 4WD on all the time if you want to. The CommandTrac is part time 4WD, for when you are on slippery or rough terrain. I have the CommandTrac. Other things you can see on the factory build sheet include special packages that include Cruise Control and Fog Lamps, the Skid Plate package, Full Sized Spare Tire, and the Towing package. All good to have if you can get them!

Gageraid · **Posted:** Sun Dec 09, 2012 1:12 pm

Little to no difference throughout the years of the KK. I love my 2008. I believe the 2009 and later have improved rear suspension IIRC. I agree there are virtually no blind spots. You seem to know about Jeeps already, now think of one that is just a little more road friendly. Gas mileage depends on the driver's habits, but you get the luxury of having a 19.5 gallon tank.

htkrph · **Posted:** Sun Dec 09, 2012 4:15 pm

Thanks guys. We have been looking at the 10+ because they seems to have the lower miles and are within our price range. It's good to know that they improved the steering. She will be very happy when she drives and it turns on a dime and not like a semi like her frontier does. Nice I have yet to drive one. We are both active duty so right now we are stationed apart we are waiting to see each other to test drive it together and see what we like and what we don't. I like the sky slider idea. But she does not because she wants to be able to put stuff up there. I'm not worried I have a wrangler that has a trektop Nx top that works like that. So I can live without it. I do want the sunroof. And I will check into the leaks. Any common problems with them? Like some of the older liberties the motors in the windows would die on people. Nothing? Anyways I will let you guys know on the process... She is excited to get one which makes me very happy that she turned is even considering getting a jeep.

Gageraid · **Posted:** Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:02 pm

Most complaints are about the 4 speed auto and gas mileage, but those complaints are usually little to no concern to someone looking into a Jeep. If you need any photos of specific things, feel free to let me know. I have a 2008.

htkrph · **Posted:** Mon Dec 10, 2012 2:25 pm

Gageraid wrote:

Most complaints are about the 4 speed auto and gas mileage, but those complaints are usually little to no concern to someone looking into a Jeep. If you need any photos of specific things, feel free to let me know. I have a 2008.

thanks for the help... well do you happen to have a pic of the trunk full of gear? anyone with kids how the car seats are set up and stuff... i want to show my wife. yeah i dont mind the gas mileage. my tj gets 14 mpg highway so anything above 15 highway is amazing for me.

lfhoward · **Posted:** Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:03 pm

I don't have kids, but have hauled friends' kids in my KK before. There are 3 places to clip the belts for child seats on the back of the rear seats, and also latches in the seatbelt area. When you're not hauling kids, the rear seats can fold flat relative to the trunk floor. That's an awesome feature. I've had it chock full to the ceiling for camping trips, but unfortunately again, no pics! But you can get a lot in there. There is also a shallow compartment in the trunk floor where I keep some safety/recovery gear.

Gageraid · **Posted:** Mon Dec 10, 2012 5:33 pm

htkrph wrote:

Gageraid wrote:

Most complaints are about the 4 speed auto and gas mileage, but those complaints are usually little to no concern to someone looking into a Jeep. If you need any photos of specific things, feel free to let me know. I have a 2008.

thanks for the help... well do you happen to have a pic of the trunk full of gear? anyone with kids how the car seats are set up and stuff... i want to show my wife. yeah i dont mind the gas mileage. my tj gets 14 mpg highway so anything above 15 highway is amazing for me.

I don't have pictures loaded up, but I can vouch for the AMAZING amount of space available when you fold all of the seats down, especially the passenger side one, too.

kayadog · **Posted:** Mon Dec 10, 2012 9:07 pm

I don' t have a picture but my 6 year old in her booster and my 2 year old in his car seat fit fine, even with the seats most of the way back. There is a lot more room than in my KJ. I like my 2010 KK better than my 05 KJ in every way. It's a better handling, better built, and nicer riding Jeep. The down sides are uncomfortable front seats (for me at least), lack of ground clearance, and I don't like the rock hard arm rest. The stock Wrangler ST's are a joke too. I put on 235/75r16 Hankook RF10 ATM's and they are a huge improvement with no down side other than a little more noise.

Even though I like my KK, I like my 2010 WK even better. It's bigger, has all wheel drive (better for my wife in bad weather), and is more comfortable. If you don't mind not having low range you can get a very good deal on a Laredo WK.

I also bet you can get a killer deal on a leftover new 2012 Liberty right now and my local dealer has low mileage 2011 wk2 Laredos in the mid-20's on the lot. IMO WK2's are really nice Jeeps worth looking at.

If you pm me your email address I can send you a picture from my phone.

_benjammin · **Posted:** Mon Dec 10, 2012 9:10 pm

I'm posting from my phone so no pics. With just the passenger seat and rear passenger side down I hauled 20 8' landscape timbers. With the rear seats down I hauled 22 bags of mulch.

htkrph · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2012 1:24 pm

lfhoward wrote:

I don't have kids, but have hauled friends' kids in my KK before. There are 3 places to clip the belts for child seats on the back of the rear seats, and also latches in the seatbelt area. When you're not hauling kids, the rear seats can fold flat relative to the trunk floor. That's an awesome feature. I've had it chock full to the ceiling for camping trips, but unfortunately again, no pics! But you can get a lot in there. There is also a shallow compartment in the trunk floor where I keep some safety/recovery gear.

i like that. thats awesome. i seen that on some pictures but i thought the spare was there. i figure its underneath the trunk on the outside... right?

htkrph · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2012 1:26 pm

kayadog wrote:

I don' t have a picture but my 6 year old in her booster and my 2 year old in his car seat fit fine, even with the seats most of the way back. There is a lot more room than in my KJ. I like my 2010 KK better than my 05 KJ in every way. It's a better handling, better built, and nicer riding Jeep. The down sides are uncomfortable front seats (for me at least), lack of ground clearance, and I don't like the rock hard arm rest. The stock Wrangler ST's are a joke too. I put on 235/75r16 Hankook RF10 ATM's and they are a huge improvement with no down side other than a little more noise.

Even though I like my KK, I like my 2010 WK even better. It's bigger, has all wheel drive (better for my wife in bad weather), and is more comfortable. If you don't mind not having low range you can get a very good deal on a Laredo WK.

I also bet you can get a killer deal on a leftover new 2012 Liberty right now and my local dealer has low mileage 2011 wk2 Laredos in the mid-20's on the lot. IMO WK2's are really nice Jeeps worth looking at.

If you pm me your email address I can send you a picture from my phone.

im not that concerned with the ground clearance... for now! :twisted:

i cant wait to go test drive it. i drove a 2013 Ladero and didnt like it. I actually liked driving the patriot better. i mean the laredo drives amazing but didnt like how it turned. the price tag was over what we where looking for.

Wearyman · **Joined:** Mon Aug 22, 2011 2:01 pm **Posts:** 161

The KK is awesome for carrying loads. I have carried an entire backyard party rental set in it which included four 6 foot folding tables, 20 folding chairs, a 20 foot square pole tent and a 30 foot tall bounce castle (deflated, of course) all in a single trip! I have carried dozens of bags of mulch, 8' 2x4s, plywood, furniture, literally more things than I can count in that thing.

On top of that its great off road, blasts through snow with ease, and fits my family of 5. (Albeit a bit tightly with the baby seat in the back.). And is just generally the best vehicle I have ever owned.

I have a 2008 sport.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

kayadog · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:53 pm

The ground clearance is an issue for me on the beach. The wheels are down in the ruts and the belly plows through the berm. Hopefully the slightly taller tires will help.

My choices for a "new" Jeep in order of desire were as follows:

1:JK Unlimited (Way too expensive, even for a used one, and I didn't like the 3.8. My next Jeep will likely be a Pentastar JK)

2: WK2 (Loved the test drive and there were some available in the mid-20's, but the KK was a better deal and I preferred low range which none of the used ones had. IMO opinion a much much nicer vehicle than the Liberty though.)

3: WK (Didn't want a 3.7 or low range so decent used ones were out of my price range.)

4: KK-- I didn't want a KK because I was ambivalent about my KJ's. However, they were significantly cheaper and the dealer was very willing to negotiate. I borrowed a friends KK and liked it so I pulled the trigger on a low mileage year and half old KK. I don't regret it at all.

Another thing to look out for on the KK is the driver's foot well is pretty tight if you have big feet like me. Not an issue on short trips but annoying on long trips. Also, the 3.7 seems susceptible to carbon build up with gas containing ethanol so use high quality gas with detergents like Shell or regular fuel system cleaner like Gumout Regaine or Chevron Techron. Both my KJ's has carbon issues from cheap gas.

_benjammin · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2012 3:22 pm

Thought I'd post some pics.

Can't find the pic of landscape timbers but trust me, you can haul 8' lumber with the rear closed.
And the KK tows a trailer with ease.

JeepNCrowd · **Posted:** Thu Dec 13, 2012 12:30 am

7 day road trip and I had room to camp inside the jeep every night.

There should be plenty of room, and if not get cross bars and carry stuff on top or tow it.
I love my KK.

Smetna · **Joined:** Mon May 28, 2012 2:43 pm **Posts:** 50

http://www.allpar.com/trucks/jeep/liberty-2008.html

Allpar write-up. Lists many of the changes, year-over-year.

You should be able to get a NASTY deal on a 2013 KK right now, as they're a discontinued outgoing model. That would be my choice. I'd go in and tell them "Do you want me to get that gas guzzler off your lot or what? "

htkrph wrote:

Any common problems with them? Like some of the older liberties the motors in the windows would die on people. Nothing?

Not really. Many guys end up having the water pump go, maybe the radiator. I know the valve springs in the engine *were* somewhat of a weak point, but I'd imagine Chrysler has rectified that by now. The torque converter gives some people issues, but if you don't hammer the throttle, climb steep hills without Lo-range and 1st gear activated, and/or tow more weight than you're allowed, you should be OK

htkrph · **Posted:** Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:18 pm

Wearyman wrote:

The KK is awesome for carrying loads. I have carried an entire backyard party rental set in it which included four 6 foot folding tables, 20 folding chairs, a 20 foot square pole tent and a 30 foot tall bounce castle (deflated, of course) all in a single trip! I have carried dozens of bags of mulch, 8' 2x4s, plywood, furniture, literally more things than I can count in that thing.

On top of that its great off road, blasts through snow with ease, and fits my family of 5. (Albeit a bit tightly with the baby seat in the back.). And is just generally the best vehicle I have ever owned.

I have a 2008 sport.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

thats awesome i love that. that it has space to carry that much my 05 KJ dont think if could fit that much and my TJ definitely does not fit that much. even when i dont have a back seat it does not fit a lot.

Looking into a KK.

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