200,000 mile liberty - would YOU buy it?

PTAaron · **Posted:** Sat Dec 13, 2014 12:03 pm

Hi guys, newbie here that needs your insight.

Recently a very close friend of mine that owns a business let me know that they are planning to sell one of their company cars - a 2006 Liberty 4x4 for a nearly impossible to walk away from "friend price", but the catch is that it has 200,500 miles on it. As a company car they have had all maintenance done on schedule and have replaced some parts (I don't have the full list of repairs yet as I am going to be stopping by to look it over tomorrow) - their honest assessment of it is that it runs well, but needs the interior detailed.

I've been in the market for a Liberty sized SUV and have a $8-10,000 budget for it - but the less I have to spend upfront the more I have for repair work and upgrades in the future. In general I do my own mechanic work on my vehicles... so that is why this is pretty tempting.

Anyway - what would you guys (the KJ experts) look for when checking out a 200,000 mile Liberty? Would you consider it to be a good investment for the right price? I know this is limited information at the moment - just looking for a little insight from folks that know the Liberty line.

Thank you!

Gageraid · **Posted:** Sat Dec 13, 2014 12:14 pm

The Liberty is a great SUV and do last. Once you get up in mileage is when you have to worry about oxygen sensors crapping out and a few more replacement parts.
If the Liberty can be had for cheap, I'd say go for it.
Some things I'd address would be the oxygen sensors, starter, all elements of the heater, and the fluids in the front diff, rear diff, trans, and transfer case.
Your springs and shocks are definitely shot as well at this point unless they've been recently replaced.
In conclusion, don't be afraid to walk away, but at the same time, if it's been taken care of, there shouldn't be too much work on your end.

tommudd · **Posted:** Sat Dec 13, 2014 12:20 pm

Look for signs of rust, make sure it hasn't been run hot any time
check to make sure all fluids have been done on a regular basis
Like mentioned above suspension is shot unless replaced
Mine has 211,000 on it and I'd buy another with that many miles (BUT only if i knew the complete history and who drove it)
Mine would run across country tomorrow if needed but have seen some with 75,000 that I would not drive 5 miles

Gageraid · **Posted:** Sat Dec 13, 2014 12:22 pm

Please post if it's a diesel or gas Liberty.

PTAaron · **Posted:** Sat Dec 13, 2014 12:32 pm

Gageraid wrote:

The Liberty is a great SUV and do last. Once you get up in mileage is when you have to worry about oxygen sensors crapping out and a few more replacement parts.
If the Liberty can be had for cheap, I'd say go for it.
Some things I'd address would be the oxygen sensors, starter, all elements of the heater, and the fluids in the front diff, rear diff, trans, and transfer case.
Your springs and shocks are definitely shot as well at this point unless they've been recently replaced.
In conclusion, don't be afraid to walk away, but at the same time, if it's been taken care of, there shouldn't be too much work on your end.

Thanks for the input. Definitely no fear of walking away - I now that they would be able to make more money if they sold it to someone else, so I wouldn't feel guilty about turning it down. It is the price that is keeping me interested, since I am truly looking for a daily driver that will last me a few years without adding a car payment to my bills

Once I examine the maintenance records and the list of what parts have been replaced I will have a better idea of what to look at,

Sounds like the items you listed should be fairly simple DIY (fluids, O2 sensors, springs, shocks) with the exception of the heater - are we talking about mechanical parts to inspect like the blower/electronics or is there more of a concern on the engine (hose, fluid, raidator) side of things?

Thanks again for the reply!

PTAaron · **Posted:** Sat Dec 13, 2014 12:33 pm

Gageraid wrote:

Please post if it's a diesel or gas Liberty.

Gas.

PTAaron · **Posted:** Sat Dec 13, 2014 12:38 pm

tommudd wrote:

Look for signs of rust, make sure it hasn't been run hot any time
check to make sure all fluids have been done on a regular basis
Like mentioned above suspension is shot unless replaced
Mine has 211,000 on it and I'd buy another with that many miles (BUT only if i knew the complete history and who drove it)
Mine would run across country tomorrow if needed but have seen some with 75,000 that I would not drive 5 miles

Thanks for the reply, and awesome to hear about your high mileage Liberty!
My understanding is that as a "company car" they were very strict about all fluid changes and all regularly scheduled maintenance being done on schedule. I believe they have documentation of the full history of the vehicle and kept on top of any repairs that needed to be done so their guy didn't get stuck out in the field.
Definitely wasn't used off road - only for to-from jobs.

The rust thing was one of my bigger concerns since it is a Michigan Jeep... hoping it looks clean.

Gageraid · **Posted:** Sat Dec 13, 2014 12:42 pm

Quite a few members have had to change radiators and blower motors in their Liberties. I don't know much about them, but you do see a post once a month about someone's heat or a/c not working properly.
Make sure all the windows work as well. I believe there was a certain year that the window regulators would crap out.
The maintenance items are extremely easy on the Liberty. The site has all the info you'll need on that category.

PTAaron · **Posted:** Sat Dec 13, 2014 1:14 pm

Very good! Thank you.
I'll post back once I've looked over the jeep and reviewed the records

PTAaron · **Posted:** Sun Dec 14, 2014 12:13 am

Strange timing... As I am pondering this - my sister just called and asked if I wanted to buy her 2009 Patriot with 90k miles. Probably going to go that direction - but still going to look at the liberty tomorrow.

lfhoward · **Posted:** Sun Dec 14, 2014 4:45 pm

The Patriot and Liberty are very different beasts, but Patriots have their advantages too. My brother has a blue 2007 Patriot that he bought new and will probably drive until it becomes iron oxide. He loves it!

Function > Form · **Posted:** Tue Dec 16, 2014 2:13 pm

I have a 115k mile liberty up here in salty Ontario...your rockers are probably toast. You could cut and replace with 3" square bar, or put sliders on, or leave it...

Heat problems can also be due to blocked heater cores, which could be from a rusting water pump at least that's what I've heard...+/- due to wrong coolant. The core is behind the dash, so a PITA to change, but not expensive.

If it had a rad replaced, make sure it's a Koyo, or OEM, or other good quality. Most other aftermarket rads fail in < 1 yr.

No one mentioned bushings...with that much mileage most if not all bushings will be shot. Budget in some replacements or live with the crappy ride.

On that, check out the condition of the suspension mounting points, esp the upper CA and the lower CA and whether or not you can move them for an alignment. A lift on rusted CA bolts will not a good alignment make. UBJ is not replaceable on OEM arms, but the ones available from Jeepin By Al, the place to go for most good Lib upgrades, have better clearance from the spring for when you are lifted, plus a replaceable UBJ.

Front hubs don't last long - ensure that any replacements were good quality - Timken or SKF, otherwise, have one on hand for WHEN it goes.

Check the oilpan - engine needs to be partially removed to replace it. Yes, you read that right.

KJ V6 is a pig on gas but makes good power and has a good 4x4 system, the 09 Patriot will be far better on gas, but it's basically an in-town / light gravel road compact SUV. Much smaller than the Libby. Decide whatcha want! A stock KJ will go places the Patriot could never go even if it was lifted.

I recently did the psgr valve cover (known to leak when coming to a stop while warm, literally smells like a blown out birthday candle when the oil falls on the hot exh.) and most of the protective wire loom over top of it fell apart (the corrugated black plastic sleeve) as well as the injector plugs basically fell apart too.

The stock dash speakers sound like crap, but you can just swap a tweeter into it. For the door speakers, use the metal part of the old speakers to make a mounting plate (go nuts with the angle grinder). Forget putting in a stock replacement in the dash.

Front Driveshaft CV goes bad easily - check for tears and jingly jangly sounds. On that, the parking brake can get jingly too.

Porter.CRD · **Posted:** Wed Dec 17, 2014 9:54 pm

If you wanted any maintenance records. I have a carfax account. I could do vin check for you.

PALiftedKK · **Posted:** Thu Dec 18, 2014 12:16 am

I used to be in construction and my boss had money pouring out of his ears. He bought 3 new tri axles in 1 day that's about a million dollars after taxes. What I was leading up to is, even though he had money, the company trucks were never serviced other then state inspections. No oil changes, no radiator flushes, no nothing. They still are up and running. I left the company 4 months ago and most of the trucks besides the tri axles had over 100k miles. I'm no trying to persuade you to forget about this kj, but just because its a company car doesn't mean it was treated like you and I would treat our personal cars.

I know my father has had 2 company trucks all over about 10 years. The first one was almost 250k miles. The second one is still in progress with about 180k miles. Those trucks were taken in before they need oil changes and everything else. It just depends on the driver.

Sorry for the lengthy response.

PTAaron · **Posted:** Thu Dec 18, 2014 7:15 pm

Thanks everyone for the input and advice!

I typed out a reply after I looked at the Liberty over the weekend, but apparently I never hit the "post" button! DOH!!

From the outside the Liberty was in great shape for a 200,000 mile vehicle! It is a "65th anniversary" edition so it had the body color fenders/bumpers and it is the great dark blue color. The interior was a whole different story - it looked like someone had a fight with some sort of brown/black liquid and soaked all of the seats! I can't imagine that they would ever come clean. Windshield had some pretty good size chips, but no spreading cracks.

Started up quickly and easily, idled nicely. For some reason while sitting at idle in 2WD mode the dash was showing "Part Time" - so I pulled it up into 4HI, the display went blank - pulled it into 4LO and display stayed blank... and it got stuck. After fighting with it a bit I got it back down into 2WD. A Check Engine Light came on almost immediately after startup - but I hadn't brought along my code puller so I don't know what it was showing. The test drive was uneventful. I put it into 4HI again during the drive, encountered some clunking when I tried to turn at a light in 4wd - it went away when I put it back into 2WD and made a similar turn again. I remembered that happening in another 4WD vehicle I drove in the past.

Reviewing the paperwork I found out that the radiator was around 1 year old, tires were around 1 year old, transmission had some work about 2 years ago, all fluid changes were done on schedule... and there was some body panel replacement done about 4 years ago after an accident.

Ultimately after considering the possible expenses if I picked up the car: new windshield, MAJOR interior cleaning and probably replacement of the seats, getting the 4wd system checked out, replacing shocks/springs (I didn't see a reference to them being replaced recently even though the car rode very well), and getting a couple of other minor problems fixed - I decided to pass on the Liberty.

I did however take my sister's 2009 Patriot 4x4 out for a drive this morning, and ended up agreeing to buy it as soon as she picks up her 2014 Cherokee sometime next week. She gave me a heck of a deal - so it was impossible to pass up!

So I am still joining the Jeep world - in a wimpier Jeep than I intended to... but it is still worlds better than the 1994 Cutlass Supreme I've been driving!

Thanks again for the input everyone!

PTAaron · **Posted:** Thu Dec 18, 2014 7:16 pm

Porter.CRD wrote:

If you wanted any maintenance records. I have a carfax account. I could do vin check for you.

Thank you, they had every record from the day the car was purchased available

Function > Form · **Posted:** Fri Dec 19, 2014 9:58 am

Aw too bad, it didn't sound bad except for the interior. BUT at least you are in the vehicle you are most comfortable with right now. You can always change later!! :mrgreen:

The 4wd light issue on the dash is not indicative of what mode the 4x4 is actually in. The lever is a mechanical connection to the transfer case. So, you could have ignored the light on the dash as it is activated by a switch under the console (on top of the TC) and is only for display purposes.

The binding in a turn is because you put it into 4wd Part-Time with the centre diff locked (4Hi), so it has difficulty with tighter (e.g. pkg lot) turns. This is normal. Sounds like you were driving one with the command trac TC, which only has a centre diff locked 4x4 system. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_four- ... mmand-Trac

Gageraid · **Posted:** Fri Dec 19, 2014 12:52 pm

You should be very happy with your new Jeep. You did the right thing by coming on here and sharing your story.
I believe JeepForum or another Patriot forum may have a bit more info on that Jeep versus the Liberty here on Lost.

PTAaron · **Posted:** Fri Dec 19, 2014 3:52 pm

Function > Form wrote:

Aw too bad, it didn't sound bad except for the interior. BUT at least you are in the vehicle you are most comfortable with right now. You can always change later!! :mrgreen:

The 4wd light issue on the dash is not indicative of what mode the 4x4 is actually in. The lever is a mechanical connection to the transfer case. So, you could have ignored the light on the dash as it is activated by a switch under the console (on top of the TC) and is only for display purposes.

The binding in a turn is because you put it into 4wd Part-Time with the centre diff locked (4Hi), so it has difficulty with tighter (e.g. pkg lot) turns. This is normal. Sounds like you were driving one with the command trac TC, which only has a centre diff locked 4x4 system. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_four- ... mmand-Trac

Yeah, it wasn't really "bad" - something in the back of my mind just kept nagging me about the 200,000 miles on the odometer. While there is a chance I missed out on something great - I'm not regretting the decision. The Patriot was just a little more than twice the price (still below blue book value) - the sibling discount is awesome, and with less than half the miles that little voice in my head seems happier. You're absolutely right about changing things up in the future, I am sure I will

I was pretty sure that the dash light issue was just a bad connection somewhere along the line - that is the REALLY nice thing about mechanically engaging it by pulling the lever. You know that it switches when you pull that lever. The electronic switch like the Patriot has is a lot less satisfying. I thought the binding was probably normal - an ex used to have a Liberty and I thought I remembered that happening.

Thanks for the reply! :JEEPIN:

Gageraid wrote:

You should be very happy with your new Jeep. You did the right thing by coming on here and sharing your story.
I believe JeepForum or another Patriot forum may have a bit more info on that Jeep versus the Liberty here on Lost.

I'm extremely excited! My sister just signed the papers for her new Cherokee - so I'm hoping to have the Patriot in my garage next week some time.
Thanks for the forum suggestions, I will go check them out.
You guys have been great!

ktmrider · **Joined:** Sun Dec 07, 2014 12:13 pm **Posts:** 15

I just bought a 03 with 220000 miles on it. Repoed and sat up for a year and was running really bad. I got it so cheap I could not pass it up and I needed a new daily driver. Ended up being a bad head so I just did a complete top end so now I have about $3500 in it and it runs great. The engine internally looked really good. One of the heads had a cracked lifter holder.

200,000 mile liberty - would YOU buy it?

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