need advise on buying a Jeep Liberty CRD limited Flame red

mrwaibel · **Joined:** Mon Apr 29, 2013 7:50 pm **Posts:** 43

Hi Iam new to this forum and Iam dead set on buying an 05 Jeep Liberty Limited. I currently already have a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta TDI and its been awesome so I am familiar with diesel and working on them. I really want to get a Jeep Liberty CRD and Ive been searching auto trader, Cars.com and Ebay and it appears that they are selling all the way from $7,500-15,000 depending on mileage, condition and options. I really want Flame Red and a Limited with leather seats and sun roof however flame red was discontinued after 05 and the CRD was only available 2 years so its going to be really hard for me to find. I was wondering what price I should be willing to pay for a really nice one with around 80-100,000 miles and what things that I should look for before I make a purchase.

papaindigo · **Posted:** Tue Apr 30, 2013 7:03 am

Price I cannot comment on as I've not been in the used CRD market for a while and I don't know what limitations color, leather seats and sunroof place on what's on the market. I also don't know about color; stoutdog's 06 is REALLY red especially when in the sun (viewtopic.php?f=5&t=69117&p=739421#p739421) and I think the color is Inferno Red but could be wrong (I don't have access to his build sheet at the momement) which is a touch darker than the Flame Red.

As to what to look for 1) see Sir Sam's NOOB guide for CRD specific items/mods and maintenance that should have been done including proper fluids and 2) the usual brakes, tires, battery for any used car purchase. In an ideal world one that has had the EHM, or SEGR or GDE tune from early on would be best to keep soot out of the intake and combustion areas. At minimum dig in far enough to check the turbo end shaft for play and demand a full CarFax report.

I assume you are aware that these vehicles can require some personal hands on maintenance attention although some of the known problems can be avoided by upfront preventive work and of course this forum is a wealth of information on what's really wrong and how to really fix it.

PS - in looking at Jeep KJ colors by year it appears that in 05 both Flame and Inferno Red were available. It would take a better eye than mine to determine which color I was looking at absent a paint chip or some such for comparison although I do know that if you have a vehicle's build sheet that the color codes are different. Bottom line is many online ads seem to say just "red" without saying which red.

tech57 · **Posted:** Tue Apr 30, 2013 8:46 am

The noob guide thread was very helpful in preparing me for CRD ownership.
Local vehicles seemed to be priced between $12k and $15k when I was in the market last year.
I found mine on eBay and paid just under $10k with timing belt service complete.
Flew to another state and drove it 800 miles home.
Good luck finding your CRD!

geordi · **Posted:** Tue Apr 30, 2013 12:26 pm

I do hope you aren't planning to have the CRD as your only vehicle.

The generation of TDI that you have is widely considered to be one of the best vehicles ever produced - Maybe not inside the car, the trim of course is a problem... But the engine is as close to bulletproof as many have ever seen.

My humble opinion? Keep the TDI, no matter what else you do with a CRD. You WILL need a second vehicle with the CRD at some point, it is only a matter of time. If for no other reason than waiting for parts to arrive from orders to the UK. When they run, they are solid vehicles.

Things to look for pre-purchase, use the NOOB guide as a help, but especially from a dealer, you will have a hard time verifying much of anything about the history. Figure that the timing belt has NOT been done, and adjust your offer accordingly. For any of these to still be selling above $12,000... The marketplace is very very confused. These are getting on to 7 and 8 year old vehicles now. Yes, I know diesels last a long time (usually) but A: this is a Jeep, you have to consider the rest of the body as still an 8 year old car... and B: This is also an 'orphan' vehicle. There will be ZERO dealer assistance on these, and truly, you don't WANT a clueless dealer touching them.

Negotiate accordingly. Every time I have visited a used car dealer, the story has been the same. If I am bringing a car TO them... "These really aren't selling well at all" (low offer only)... If I am interested in a car FROM them... "We can't keep these on the lot, they are in VERY high demand."

Any dealer makes a bundle off of used car sales. Be ready to beat the heck out of them, and if they won't budge, walk. That is your ultimate power, don't EVER let them see that this is exactly the car you have been searching for.

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Tue Apr 30, 2013 8:47 pm

no offense - but for a 7-8 year old used vehicle - you really need to concentrate on finding something in good condition -

with a documented maintenance history -

and if you don't like the color - repaint it - you'll be dollars and aggravation points ahead.

mrwaibel · **Joined:** Mon Apr 29, 2013 7:50 pm **Posts:** 43

Thank You everyone for your advise it is all very well appreciated and I will take everthing into consideration when making a purchase. Don't worry Jeep CRD won't be my only mode of transportation plenty of back up vehicles in my collection I will be keeping my VW Jetta TDI for sure and I also have an extremely rare 2 wheel drive regular cab 1993 Chevy 2500 with the 6.5 turbo diesel with 95,000 miles.

My search will start with the CARFAX and by looking over the mechanical condition of the vehicle not just mileage or options to find any mechanical defects such as excessive oil or carbon buildup in the intake tube pipes, leaks from the engine, transmission, and rear axle then I will check out the service records to see if its due for a timing belt service, transmission fluid change and rear axle fluid change. I then will have it put on a hoist and check the steering ball joints, tie rods and rubber control arm bushings, while Iam underneath I will check for any rust or accident damage on the unibody frame and brake lines which would indicate that the vehicle had been driven in excessive corrosive environments such as road salt. Sonetimes I can tell because the dealers will paint the outer parts of the frame to try and hide it but their to lazy to crawl under it between the frame rails to finish the job so its real easy to spot a cover up job. I always check the brake rotors for grooves or warping but I don't worry too much about brake pad thickness because they are one of the cheapest and easiest things to replace on an automobile. Oh and I forgot to mention I also have an automotive diagnostic code reader that I can plug into it to check for any issues that may be covered up by taking out the check engine light bulb. As far as color I think Iam going to have to narrow my search to the color that I want first of all because it could cost upto $3000 to repaint a vehicle to factory specs with clear coat paint not to mention that its a real pain to repaint a vehicle a different color than it was origionally because of all the door jams and under the hood, and that would defeat the whole purpose of getting a good deal so Iam going to try to get exactly what I want up front. Iam sure I will find a good one sooner or later as Iam looking forward to owning a CRD I don't want to be in too big of a hurry and regret it later.

papaindigo · **Posted:** Wed May 01, 2013 6:51 am

Some random comments:
1. both the 05 and 06 KJ, likely other DCJ vehicles but I don't know, have a real cludge of a computer system and as a result most code readers, other than the dealer ones, can only read ECU codes not BCM or TCM codes. FYI if you do pull a P0700 it's a generic ECU code that simply says there is a stored TCM code.
2. unless the vehicle has been serviced by a dealer only and maybe not even then your best bet is to assume that the antifreeze, tranny fluid, and other places that use ATF+4 are currently filled with incorrect fluid and need to be flushed and filled with the correct fluid.
3. if you are looking at a CRD at or over 100,000 miles as you know the TB job must be done at or near 100,000 miles. Do not take anyone's word, other than a forum member, that the TB job has been done; demand proof of some sort as in work order or parts receipt. There have been a number of reports, not just CRD, of sellers saying "oh the TB was checked and it's fine" when all they really checked was the serpentine belt.
4. that reminds me, at idle look down the serp belt from the alternator and see if the tensioner is running steady or bouncing. If bouncing you will need a new alternator or at least a new alternator pulley.

Happy hunting.

jqc99 · **Joined:** Fri Jul 09, 2010 2:26 pm **Posts:** 11

I have the exact one you are looking for. 2005 flame red limited, sun roof, leather. Low miles (mid 50k). Pre-F37, GDE ecotune and ehm since ~18,000 miles. Second generation fuel head. New tires. Probably some other details I'm forgetting, but I sent you an email...

need advise on buying a Jeep Liberty CRD limited Flame red

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