2003 Jeep Liberty Sport 2.5 CRD from UK and Ireland

Summary:

I love it, but it comes with a price

Faults:

25.000 miles, the limited slip diff was sticking due to a dealer who charged, but not filled the axle with friction modifier, also 4 alloy wheels replaced due to corrosion.

30.000 miles, ball joint recall, front drive shaft replaced and disk brakes cleaned, 2 wheels replaced due to corrosion.

48.000 miles, hand brake stuck solid and disk brakes beeping, needed a clean again.

50.000 miles, again a ball joint recall.

58.000 Miles, handbrake stuck again and disks need a clean again and limited slip diff starts playing up again.

General Comments:

Good solid 4x4, can get you anywhere at anytime, powerful engine, it handles good on road and is great off road, and it looks good in doing so.

Do not compare this 4x4 with softroaders like the Freelander, Rav4 or Nitro, it is a totally different beast.

There are some negative points, the limited slip diff can be a pain in the butt on wet and slippery roads; it makes the rear break out and gets you into trouble too easy.

The brakes are also a weak point, although they are good in stopping the KJ, they need a lot of attention and the handbrake keeps getting stuck, resulting in low MPG's and overheating rear axles.

Also Jeep dealers are not cheap, mine quotes £80 an hour so for tires, brakes and exhausts. Go to a quick fitter.

The biggest shock I experienced is when I tried to trade my KJ in for a new one, it looks like Jeep dealers in the UK do not want them back, trade in for a 2003 CRD Sport is around £7000. That is a loss of £14.000 is 4 years, ouch.

I will keep my KJ for a while longer as I have not found the right 4x4 yet to replace it, I hate the boxy new model coming out next year and there is no way that I will hand it in to a Jeep dealer for pocket money.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th March, 2007

2nd May 2007, 08:00

Update:

I checked out several car dealers, Jeep and others, but nobody seems to be interested in a Jeep as trade-in, prices are extremely low.

They all offer around £7500,00 but they are selling them between £9500 and £11.000.

My advice: buy one used direct from the owner, if you buy one new you will be in for a nasty surprise 3 years down the line.

5th Feb 2009, 03:53

Update:

Finally sold the Liberty/Cherokee and I was in for a shock, I lost £18.500 in 6 years on a £20.000 car, that's mind blowing.

It was in A1 condition, no dents or scratches and the interior was like new.

My experience with Jeep made me decide to never buy one again, bad dealers and mind blowing depreciation.

2003 Jeep Liberty Renegade 3.7 from North America

Faults:

Automatic transmission slippage at 40000 miles.

Fuel mileage was poor.

General Comments:

The transmission seems to slip when backing up a small grade like my driveway. Feels like not enough pressure from the torque converter to hold the bands tight. Dealer could not find anything wrong. This will probably be the case until the warranty runs out and then they will find it. This is my 3rd Jeep, but first Liberty. Transmissions in my Grand Cherokees went 125,000 before needing major service. Also it seems like the gearing on it is not matched to the engine power band. Going up hill is a real struggle and always have to take it out of overdrive to keep at 65mph. I finally found the combo for improving my mileage. I get 19 around town and 23 to 24 on hi way. I cleaned the Throttle body, threw away my K&N and put a stock one back in, drive at 70mph tops and use Mobile 87 octane gas. The car weighs more than my Cherokee's and has a lot more wind resistance. This destroys the mileage.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th November, 2006

16th Dec 2006, 00:40

I agree with what you said in your review of the Liberty. I had a 2003 Renegade. It's long gone now, in favor of a CRV. Anyway, back to the Liberty. Over all, it was a solid truck that I felt secure in. BUT, the gas mileage was horrible. I tried a K/N air filter, 91 octane gas, and synthetic oil. Driven conservatively, the mileage still was poor. Try 14 city and 18 highway. That's the best it could do, sometimes it would be worse, never better. I would be dancing in the streets if I attained what you did. I didn't bother cleaning the mass-airflow sensor. It should not have been dirty although I am aware of the K/N oil that can build up on the mass-air-flow sensor.

My Liberty was broken in with over 13,000 miles on it. The tires were inflated properly. I don't now what the problem was. I do agree that this is a heavy vehicle that is as aerodynamic as a brick. But still.

Other than that, the Liberty was pretty good. I was however disappointed with the weak radio and small-ish/unsupportive seats. As far as reliability, it was rock solid. I just felt like a bit of a poser in it since I didn't really need the off-road ability. The CRV will suffice and not eat me alive at the pump!!!