I originally posted this in other 4x4 section and another member recommended I post it here in the CRD section. I am not trying to start a brand war and didn’t want to violate any posting rules. So, the following is basically 3 or 4 posts kind of merged together for simplicity’s sake.
As the result of a long drawn out divorce, I now have 2 vehicles and have had them both less than a year. One is a 03 Excursion 4x4 6.0L (mine) (150k miles)and a 06 Liberty Sport CRD 4x4 (90k miles)(was hers, I got stuck with it after the divorce cause she didn't want to make the payments when we just bought the dang thing). As a single guy, I can’t justify keeping both, so one of them has to go. I am trying to decide which would be best to keep as a daily driver/BOV. I am willing and able to do a decent amount of work on my own. I always seem to be fiddling around with my vehicles. I do most of my own repairs and maintenance, but some of the bigger things I leave to the pro's.
I love the Excursion on the Highway, it has space galore. When I moved, with the 3rd seat out and 2nd folded I put a washer/dryers and chest of drawers in the back with room to spare. It has seating for 8 and tows up to 11k lbs, but the turn radius is rough in tight spots, just like the F250 w 7.3L it replaced. The excursion is part time 4x4, so no go using it on the road. The Excursion has a 6.0L, with the risk of EGR cooler and head gasket failure. And it is complex enough to keep me busy with fixing little things all the time. The AC quit working, no power to it at all. Then I found out if that happens and it's not a fuse I should try to cycle the Headlight switch 3 times in a row to try to make it come back on. What kind of quirk is that and what book do I find that info in? So far I have spent 2400 on IPR, IAT2, EGR, brake sensor, and some other stuff. And it will cost me at least 3-4k in parts and then labor(if I cant do it all) to make it anywhere near reliable (head gaskets/ studs/Bulletproof EGR repair/oil cooler/ gauges and I still need to replace the shocks/springs and the ball joints barely passed inspection). It also has mediocre takeoff/power compared to the F250, so I want to upgrade exhaust and get an SCT if I keep it. So am I really considering spending up to 10k on a truck I paid 15k for just to have it as reliable and powerful as the 7.3L F250 I used to have?
The Liberty CRD is smaller than I am used to, but is all I really need for me so down-sizing to the Liberty is appealing. The turn radius is good and ease of parking is nice. Highway handling is squirrelly, probably because of the Goodyear Wranglers. I know that supposedly the Liberty in general has a horrible reliability record . A bigger concern is the rust I found on the undercarriage and finding affordable parts, or even to find a knowledgeable mechanic willing to work on the engine(I am too chicken to do the timing belt in 20k miles). I am having issues w leg/ hip pain after driving the jeep for longer than an hour, so the drivers seat needs changing and it needs a dvd player for my son. My mom is 84 and doesn’t like to ride in the jeep, she says it is too small and unsafe, but it’s easier for her to get into it. I have done the ORM and EHM mods and the mileage got about 2mpg better. If I keep it it has a GDE hot tune and a tcm tune in it's future.
And I have actually begun to like having the little Jeep as it feels like a little sports car compared to my Excursion and it is small enough to take on smaller trails/roads than before. I am still concerned about the rust I found under the jeep on the subframe and underbody, but think maybe por15 could help w that. And during the rediculous amount of rain recently I liked being able to put the Jeep in full-time 4x4 and going on, albeit more slowly. I don't like the way water stays on the outer edge of the drivers side of the windshield during heavy rain though.
I used to feel that the Excursion was safer but lately I have seen the results of real-world rollovers, statistics, and the testing done. It looks like maybe the Ex isnt as much safer as I thought, but my f250 had a tree fall on it and it dented the roof. I think it would have collapsed the Ex roof.
The mileage advantage of the jeep, has been slow showing. I originally got between 17.1/21 city/hwy in the jeep hand calculated after finding using GPS that the speedometer in the jeep was showing almost 7% higher than actual speed. My ex used to get 21/25mpg (city/hwy) on a pretty regular basis in the liberty. And I kept seeing folks getting 28-30 using a GDE tune. I was actually hoping for the same mileage as the ex. The last month or so, I have driving the jeep in the city only and been more careful not to drive it like I do the Excursion and have been getting 20.3 mpg city. I normally would do almost a 50/50 mix city/hwy driving which kept my average about 16 mpg in the Excursion and around 19-20 in the Jeep. If I can raise it to 23-24 I would definitely keep the jeep.
I get between 13.9 (city) and 18.7(hwy/no AC on a long trip) in the Ex, also hand calculated and GPS verified that the speedo is within 1%. I tend to mix city/highway 5/50, then every other weekend (visitation with my 3 yr old) I put about 700 miles on whatever I am driving. Best I can figure, that’s maybe 600 a yr saved with the jeep on fuel (20K miles a year @ $3 gallon), but I am not sure that makes enough difference with the trade-offs to be worthwhile.
I don’t really wheel offroad, but I do drive on a lot of dirt/fire roads and hunt/camp. Hoping to get a small camper (maybe something like a forest river surveyor or an Rpod to keep it small) soon to start getting my son involved also. I figured I can use it for camping in the Blue Ridge and at Lake Gaston, visiting friends/family and going to shooting competitions and not have to get a room. And it would be nice to keep pre-staged in case of a weather related or regional bugout.
And as the economy is big for everyone right now, I can afford to drive either SUV, but would prefer not to keep up both. So I am going to get rid of one of them. I like the Excursion and the jeep, my mom and 3 yr old don't like the jeep and it is smaller than I am used to. So I have been waffling for 3 months as to which to keep. The jeep was supposed to get 26ish mpg and didn't for me, but it is better than before. While I am not strapped for cash, if I get rid of the either of them it does free up about 400-500 a month (payment, insurance and upkeep)for other things. Unfortunately, neither is paid for. I wish I hadn't gotten rid of the F250 or that I had found a 7.3L Excursion. I got tired of looking and took a decent deal on the one I have. So I am in the middle of a wants vs needs evaluation and trying to think ahead
about the best choice.
I have posted the same question on a couple of full-size diesel boards and a prepper board. And it has been almost 2 to 1 to keep the Excursion. I was leery of posting the question here because of the worry about jeep fanboys (I have dealt with them before over a XJ I had in 2001). And one of the guys recommending keep it on the prepper board was saying only"keep it, its a jeep". But I have the fullsize fanboys at the other sites, so I had to deal with it anyway.
I realize no one can tell me what to do, but I am looking for suggestions especially seeing as how a few of you here have a lot of experience with the CRD libby and some have downsized from a fullsize diesel truck. I am not far enough into owning either to just trade in both and get something else. I am not considering buying another vehicle, only which of these 2 to keep. I need to keep a backseat, 4 doors, 4x4, and I am a bit of a diesel nut. If Jeep sold a diesel Rubicon Unlimited JK in the US, I would change my mind in a heartbeat and get rid of both at a loss.
Thanks for the help, this forum has helped me a lot already with the Liberty.
Excursion
39254_1430395651145_1570483779_31037983_1663398_n by buddy357, on FlickrJeep
32566_1375637202218_1570483779_30900731_8181995_n by buddy357, on Flickr
It also seems the sharp decline of the CRD's value has stopped and could possibly go up if not staying where it's at now. 
