I Just Bought the One Jeep You All DESPISE...But It's NOT As Bad As You Think! 

I think the Compass (1st gen) would be the most hated Jeep.

I bought a 2003 Jeep Liberty Limited brand new and I still have it today. Never had a problem with it and I love it still.

My wife and I had one of those and it lasted over 200,000 miles and was still running strong when we sold it. Don't really have many bad things to say about it honestly.

I drove a 07 Liberty just like that on. Loved the tough little jeep. Drove it to 245000 miles. Motor was awesome. I do miss that jeep.

I come from a Liberty family! I have an ‘04, my sister has an ‘07, and my mom has a ‘12, and we love them!

My 2005 jeep liberty has 250,000 miles on it V6 and it still runs like a brand new vehicle. I don’t know why people hate this jeep either. It is one of the best vehicles I’ve ever owned. All I do is maintain it change oil when it’s dueput tires on it when it needs tires general maintenance like that I love my liberty

I loved my 2005 Liberty. Taught my kids to drive in that car and passed it down to my daughter as her first car. She looked just like the one in your video 😊

I had a 2006 limited. Loved it. Bought it with 57,000 miles drive it till it was totaled with 290,000 miles. It burned about 1 quart of oil every 1000 miles.

I bought a 2002 Liberty new in late 2001 with the off road package. It was an amazing vehicle both on and off road. It had 3:73 gears with a posi rear end and about as much under body armor from the factory as a Wrangler Rubicon. For the first several years it was my main vehicle so I used it mainly on road but I did take it off road a good bit. In 2009 I put a two and a half inch lift on it with old man Emu shocks, after market A arms, heavy duty ball joints and tie rod ends, rock rails and Wrangler Rubicon wheels with 31x10.50 Goodyear Wrangler MT/R tires with kevlar. At that point I was working everyday on a pipeline project on the second highest mountain in WV. That Jeep was amazing and it went everywhere I needed to go. It surprised most of the guys on the job with how good it was off road.

Bought an '03 limited a couple months ago. I couldn't ask for a better first car. Has everything I need and more.

I love my 05 Liberty! Tight turning ability, very little maintenance. The 4 wheel feature has saved me several times. I am a little old lady, but felt very stylish and capable in my jeep.

A young couple I consider members of my family made their first new vehicle purchase a Liberty that was identical to the one in your video. She was, at the time, a traveling nurse and put almost. 300,000 miles on it before trading it in for a loaded Grand Cherokee in the same color scheme NOT because the Liberty died but because she needed a bit more cargo space. In the area she covered, very rural areas in TN, KY, and OH, the 4X4 capability of both Jeeps came in mighty handy when winter came calling.

I have a 2002 KJ Limited. Running fine with 206,000+ mi. 19+ mpg on highway. Love the part time 4X4 as well as the full time 4X4. Going to keep it until it dies.

I loved my Liberty, V6. 4x4 worked perfectly in the snow. 190,000 miles before it started to have problems. But that was because my wife never bothered doing oil changes... 30k at a time. The size was great for moving stuff and it just worked. Huge fan.

Bought one for my kid since we get a ton of snow and he needed an upgrade with 4x4. Its actually our backup vehicle if our main vehicles need to go to the dealership and our kid gets to use for school. Bought it for less than 2k, since the parts for this are dirt cheap I rebuilt the entire suspension and did some some minor engine work (few leaks, throttle body, IAC valve) rebuilt the diff, all new brakes and calipers and with all that cost me less than $1500. so estimating on the high side Im into it for below $3500 and I have a reliable 4x4 that is awesome in the snow, Cant complain about it honestly.

I loved my old Liberty. It could take a beating, towed my boat really well, great in light offroading and in the snow. It lasted a long time without any major maintenance, just the rocker panels went on it.

My neighbor has an 05 with 300k miles on it original engine and gearbox. Still runs like a champ and all it has ever had replaced other than batteries, tires, brakes, and fluids, was a radiator.

Nice to see some first gen Libertys finally getting some love and attention. I am the 2nd owner of my 2006 Limited and tbh it’s one of my most favorite vehicles I have ever owned! Coming from mostly older Subarus I have been nothing short of amazed how well the liberty does in snow and ice in the mountains where I live (it’s my daily driver/work vehicle and occasional beach/vacation tripper) A few tips from a long time Liberty fan: 1. Upper trim levels in certain years could be optioned with the NP242 transfer case. It offers “Full Time” 4wd in addition to the standard 2wd 4hi/4low options of typical xfer cases. If you want a great winter vehicle seek out a 2006/2007 with the NP242 and the available ABS and ESP (electronic stability program) for a slick set it and forget it winter setup. 2. Yes, the Liberty is “unibody” but it is technically a welded body on frame construction. That misleads a lot of people who actually look underneath the vehicle and notice the Liberty actually does have a frame. 3. The 5 and 6 speed manual transmission Liberties may be fun but have a reduced tow rating of 3500 lbs. The 3.7 autos indeed can be rated up to 5000 lbs. (The 5klbs is official with the equpped the “tow package” which consists of a tow hitch, wiring harness and receptacle, and a clutch fan to aid in cooling.) 4. Other than perhaps tires and a modest lift to help with ground clearance, the single best mod for an off-roader will be adding a locker to the rear differential. (Liberties come standard with 8.25”) 5. The weakest link, imo, for serious off-roading is the front differential. It is a Dana 30a (a for aluminum). It is simply not going to take much hopping and skipping before the case cracks or a mounting flange breaks. Anyway, hope someone finds this helpful. I have enjoyed owning my Liberty and hope I have many more years with it.

I had a 2006 renegade model with 6 speed manual. It was a BLAST. Stock it would chirp the tires from 1-2 and 2-3. I ended up lifting it 4 inches, re-gearing to 4.10’s, 32’s, ARB front bumper, and rear locker. It was really fun offroad even compared to my 06 TJ rubicon (which was obviously more capable but that doesnt mean more fun).

I had a 2005 CRD and had it tuned by Green Diesel Engineering, catalytic converter delete, and a 3" pipe. It went for a while until the turbo failed causing all the engine oil to be pumped out. I wasn't driving it at the time so it was a huge bummer. I ended up letting it go as I no longer had the means to work on it. But the CRD was impressive, I got 32mpg running 70+ and around 26 in town

I have an 08 Liberty with a 4” lift, 31’s, skids, rock rails, and 209,000 miles! Never left me stuck or stranded. It is my favorite vehicle that I have ever owned (and Jeep - I also owned an 00 XJ).

My wife had a 2005 Liberty Limited. She drove it for 10 years. We sold it to my niece with just over 200,000 miles. The only repair it needed besides normal maintenance was a water pump at 189,000. My niece drove it back and forth to college for 4 years before it succumbed to rust. The engine was strong with oil changes every 3000 miles. All others fluids were changed at 50,000 mile intervals. Fuel economy averaged about 18 mpg's.

Most of the hate from purest came from the independent front suspension

I guess the underpowered v6 and 4 speed auto held up decent enough. The bad part is the 3.7 drank almost as much fuel as the 5.7 Hemi.

We had an '05 CRD and loved it. Like a lot of Jeep owners, we did a few mods: Green Diesel eco-tune, full skidplates( Engine, trans, transfer, fuel tnak ), OEM 2" lift ( shocks and springs ) 31" KO2's, tubular upper control arms on the front suspension and a lock-rite locker in the back. We did a lot of trails that Wrangler owners were shocked to see us on, like Hell's Revenge and Elephant Hill in Moab. We put thousands of dirt and trail miles on it, towed it for tens of thousands behind our RV and towed a cargo trailer and 23' Carolina Skiff with it and it handled it all with aplomb. Before the off-road mods ( after the tune ) we were getting 30+ MPG on road trips and 26 MPG around town. The boost and torque could come on fast and you had to be careful when making a sharp turn from a stop not to light up the inside tire. Would own again.

My wife has tried her best to drive the wheels off of her 07 Liberty. She has not yet failed in 17 years and over 200k miles. City/ real trails /boon-docking, you name it. One front drive shaft replaced due to bearing failure. That’s it for repairs…she does maintain it regularly. Spartan interior is a must if you are going to use the ‘trail rated’ functions. You want pretty, hop into my Grand Cherokee. You want legacy…hop into her ‘47 CJ-2A. See you on the trail!

I had an original model year KJ. It had lift, lockers, bumpers, and some other goodies. Besides have a nice looking front bumper, the early KJs also had white backed dials which looked really nice. We did Poison Spider Mesa with it. Send it through the OnX course!

Love my 07’ Liberty ! She is so much fun to drive. Hate the bad gas milage, hate the rust issues but, love that thing. She is great on the trail and in the snow..never let me down yet

Bought my Jeep Liberty Sport brand new in 2006 with no regrets ever and still driving it today. Has original 76 thousand some miles on it believe it or not right now. The best vehicle I've ever owned. I live in Northeast PA where our roads take a beating from severe winter weather on mountainess twisting turning roads where some are very steep incline and challenging decline. This Jeep has proven itself over and over again while as an '06, it runs like a gem. Also great in rain and snow conditions and wherever else it counts. Not getting rid of it. It will outlast me for sure.

Picked up an '02 a couple months ago as a second car - perhaps not an all-time classic Jeep, but considering how cheap they are right now, it was more appealing than a lot of other options.

I had on 06 Limited for 6.5 years. Loved it. Still kicking myself for selling it, three years later. Nimble, easy to maneuver, PHENOMENAL in the Great Plains snow with good tires and 4wd. Not exactly a luxury car, but fantastically capable and practical for such a small package.

The funny thing, I knew 2 people who drove these, I never had the chance to test drive either, but both vehicles were absolutely loved by their families. One was passed down from mom to son, so not his choice of vehicle. And my other friend retired and selected his Liberty on purpose to go to festivals across the US. The only problem I remember is the 4x4 went out on son’s and he had to leave it downtown Portland during a blizzard, rear wheel and couldn’t get it home right then. Apart from that, these 2 vehicles were well loved, well traveled.

Dave G I had an 04 for eight years loved it did everything I needed it to do rustKilled it still ran great have a 2012 liberty now love this one as well they are both great Jeeps and affordable

I test drove one about 10 years ago and i actually liked the way it drove. It felt really solid for its small size. I can't wait to see how it handles the ranch.

I had a 2005 or 2006 Renegade. I had the transmission rebuilt under warranty. Then the transfer case. Then the front water pump or something gave out and made the fan eat the radiator. I had it flatbedded to the dealer, and never drove it again. Traded it on a 2009 Rubicon. When it didn't fail, it wheeled pretty good, but I had too much lift on the front, which caused the front CV shafts to pop loose from the differential with regularity. Don't lift them too much, and don't tow a heavy trailer.

We own a '05 2.4 and couldn't be happier with it. Zero problems with good maintenance. Off-road, city, long travels it does it all.

I have a 2002 and a 2007. The only problem I had was the gas smell on the 2002. And the a/c on the 07. 4wd work good, not an extreme 4 wheeler but is fun to drive in the river banks or snow.

I had an 05 Liberty many years ago, I loved the design and its toughness but that thing was scary tail happy... it was impossible to go around a corner without taking your foot off the gas, even going at really slow speeds. My current JK Wrangler with its solid axles on both ends is far more compliant

I would love to see an off road video of this Jeep because is the one of the closest thing that the younger audience can afford and go off road (myself included in that audience😂)

Unless I am mistaken the 2.8l diesel was only 2005 & 06 in the US market

I have a 2003 limited edition jeep with tow package it has never had a problem for 4 yrs! I’ve taken it drag racing, and off roading and love my jeep!! There also very good for bracket racing🤩

“Cheap plastics” may not look luxurious, but they’re great for a car that might get mud or dust inside it.

I still have my jeep and a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. I have extreme nostalgic attachment to my jeep as I took many adventures with my son who passed, but I had no idea it wasn't a 4×4....ugh. I created a mini lake trying to get myself out of mud once. Not fun. It's definitely been a good help transporting tons of musical equipment and 'side of the road' furniture, but essentially, it's a gas guzzling, high sitting car. So many wonderful memories, but I'm considering selling it.

I bought a cheap beater liberty on big island of Hawaii and it has punched well above its weight as a farm vehicle and mountain vehicle. I used 4low daily and had 3 river crossings just to get home. Love a cheap 4x4 thats not precious. I hated these until i owned one. And super easy to work on. I have used this way more than my rubicon.

Some Jeep Cherokee fans hated the Cherokee Liberty due it was a bit smaller than the previous in an era that most SUV's were GETTING BIGGER IN SIZE. Shrinking Dickks like expanding vehicles.. LOL. But For a small family.. I loved my Cherokee Liberty. Looked like a Mini Wrangler.

I hit a wall after sliding on ice going 45, it took the hit and got me home just fine. Still no issue.

Had that v6 in our work truck and friends 2nd gen Liberty and both had the heads go, otherwise it’s the perfect size fun offroader

"Most Hated" is a loaded term. They weren't hated at the time. The sale numbers of the first gen back that up. Nearly 167,000 units in 2005, The best year the second gen had was 83,000

The Columbia edition came with awesome custom seats, done a lot to mine from lift kit to recovery points & wrangler halo headlight mod. Got a renegade roof light. Put 45k miles on it just since last year. Its an 04.

The towing hitch was the result of a factory recall on many Liberties. They were installed to protect the gas tank in rear end collisions.

Love having the window switches in the middle to roll down the windows you don't have when the doors are gone 😂

I have a manual six gear Cherokee SX in the UK. No problems at all. Use it off road when visiting the troops on exercise. Are they all trail rated?

I have a 2003 Limited. I've replaced rear upper and lower control arms and front upper and lower ball joints. Replaced the prop shaft front CV twice and rear side of prop shat CV. The 4 wheel options are part time, full time and 4 low.

I've got a 2005 Jeep Liberty CRD diesel. Currently workin on a modest overlander build. Just slapping on some new components and doing a little bit of modding. It's in great shape with only 130,000 miles on it.

I had a 03 Liberty Rocky Mountain edition with a manual transmission, here inCanada it was one of my favourite vehicles. Had no issues with power train with the 3.7 v six. The only week issue is the rear brakes seizing up and the parking brake didn’t hold. Bad design and road salt and grime did do a lot to it.Great turning radius and parking it. Yes comfort wasn’t the greatest. I couldn’t do more then 5 hrs on it before my body started to hurt. Also it was a body on frame not a unibody. ,just to let you know

Is there a release button/ latch for hatchback? Mine won't open and there's not even a place for key

I have the Cherokee this replaces which my be cheap but it is bulletproof for the most part. It is also very cheap to fix if it breaks, and the body was way better styled and had a real open feeling with lots of visibility and stock ride height. My dad bought the liberty after it came out and we used it off road every day as we lived out in the country country and had a very long dirt drive before you hit pavement. It was terrible lol. The engine to be fair was very strong and never had any issues. However it went through two or three transfer cases under warranty before one finally held. It also went through ball joints like crazy. This was both under warranty and many more times once that ran out. It was a manual and had no electronics at all accept the rear glass mechanism which is electric no matter the trim. It broke a lot lol, and this sucked as you couldn’t open the rear door until you pop the glass up. It was very rugged and have though through the body of the car, but honestly there isn’t much else good to say about it. It’s also not very big inside for how much room it takes up, which is the opposite of the Cherokee it replaced. It’s such a tragic fall from what they had.

I love my 2007 Liberty. I traded in for a 2019 Ram 1500 Classic when it reached 120,000 miles. The biggest problem was I went through 5 window regulators, but 3 were fixed under warranty. The 3.7L with automatic was ancient and I was getting 18-22 mpg consistently. It is no competition against the 3.6L Pentastar with 8 speed transmission. I have never got stuck in the Liberty, even with the worst blizzards of Northern New York.

I had both, a 2000 Jeep Cherokee and I currently drive a 2008 Liberty. the biggest mistake Jeep made, as you stated, in North America, was the name, if it had been called Cherokee, it would have been better accepted. The drive train is bullet proof, and the body work being a lot of plastic actually holds up well

Had an 07 Liberty sport with the 6-speed. Was a great little vehicle, not fast, not fuel efficient, but it put up with 60,000 miles of absolute abuse and off road stupidity at the hands of 19-22 year-old me

I think the real reason the Liberty was/is not well liked is because of the engine. The 3.7 V6 (really almost all of the ".7" engines - 2.7, 3.7, 4.7) is not a good engine, and was very prone to problems. Also contributing to it's reputation among hardcore off-roaders: the IFS. The Cherokee had a solid axle up front. Hardcore off-roaders could make some extremely capable rigs from those Cherokees, much harder to do in the Liberty. Although it can be done, and I think the Liberty is becoming a more popular platform for off-roading as more and more Cherokees disappear (where I live in MN, you can still find an XJ for cheap, although a cheap one will likely be rusty). I hope you guys can run this one through Tumbleweed (or even Ironclads if it'll make it?). Also, I think these came with the Chrysler 8.25" rear axle, which is a pretty decent axle. It'd be cool to see a rear locker installed and some proper tires (if it doesn't already have some sort of limited slip) and a before/after done, because that's the most logical next step for people just starting out in the off-road world. Just my thoughts on that.

That is one neat ride you got there! Think I might get one. Thank you!

I love my 04/ 2,8 crd limited! Here in Europe its called Cherokee by the way.... 271000km on the clock and still running well and looks good

take it to the ranch!!

I like it! Minus the price tag. But this is great for the segment, more competition 👍 can’t wait to see what it can really do when you guys get your hands on one in Colorado.

Love the video!! Look forward to seeing more of the liberty.

I have 2 of these, a 2007 limited and a 2006 Renegade. These things are so fun! Easy to work on and so cheap.

i have the 2003 freedom edition with the 3.7, i dont see many of them where i live, the other 12 of them here where i live arent freedom editions. whats the difference?

In college my friend had one of these. Her parents traded it in during cash for clungers and got a pretty good amount for it.

My dad had a 2006 liberty, he bought it brand new. He had it until 2018 when it was totalled in a winter crash, it only had 102k on it.

I personally like the KJ. I have owned a couple and they have been really good. I hit many trails with them and they did fantastic. With the 3.7, power to weight ratio isn't bad actually. They feel fairly peppy. From the t-case back the drivetrain is the same as later XJs. The Limited version is nice, with quality leather seats and even seat heaters.

I gotta tell you that that is the cleanest Liberty from that era I have seen. It must have been garaged and well taken care of. Compared to most crossovers made today this is a great off-road vehicle with pretty beefy suspension components and real 4x4 with low-range.

Thinking about buying a 2006 diesel automatic version,any useful tips?

I found a 2006 diesel a few years back, if you drive nice you get amazing fuel economy on the highway, it's super quiet, and a smooth ride. I passed it to my daughter and she loves it, she's got a unique car that not many people have or can find.

My son bought a 2005 Liberty Sport with 100k on the clock about 8 months ago and I must say it hasn't been an awful experience. It's been very useful for his needs. It's pleasant to drive and surprisingly zippy and agile! We've had to make some needed repairs, but like I said, it's got 100k miles. We replaced the rear upper control arm, rear brakes with calipers, pads and rotors, radiator, water pump, spark plugs and ignition coils. I do all the repairs myself and it's easy to work on.

No it is not "Unibody".. Its Body ON FRAME. It has a frame. Some haters are liars too.

The second generation liberty was even crappier than that one.

I had a toy one of these as a kid, and as a result, I have a soft spot for them.

We used to call the Libby a training jeep. I miss my 2004. Currently rocking a 2001 XJ with only 2 doors👍

I own 3 Jeeps… a JL Rubicon, a TJ Rubicon, and a KJ Rocky Mountain Edition. My liberty is so much fun to wheel! Might actually be the most fun of all of them altho I’m looking forward to playing with the TJ to see if I can wheel it like I use to.

My guess, the center window switches were a penny pinching cost saver. One fewer switch up front along with using the same door cards for LHD and RHD. They probably reused the same part from the Wrangler.

Got my jeep liberty in 2007 and still have it now,no issues besides the dumb window regulators . Gets a bad rap but it's been dependable all these years

Thanks for explaining bro!

The liberty is just fine so long as you do not live in the rust belt.

It’s an American car but I liked these. They were pretty cool and a lot cooler than that newer Cherokee.

I had a 2002. Very dependable. The trailer receiver protects the fuel tank in rear accidents.

I love the Rocky mountains in the background, seeing the Flatirons in the background, I figure you're filming in either East Boulder County, Broomfield, or Longmont area. I lived in Longmont for 14 years driving a 1986 JEEP Comanche 4x4, then a 2000 TJ SPORT. I've sold both of them over the years but moved up North to Cheyenne 9 years ago. I picked up another 2000 TJ SPORT with just over 190k on the original 4.0L. I recently came across a 2007 Liberty SPORT, 3.7L but with the 6spd manual. It's got 143k on it and they're asking $3,399. I love my TJ but the soft top keeps things REALLY COLD in the Wyoming winters. I've been leery about Liberty's with the mechanical failure stuff. I'm going to give it a good look at later this week and try for a test drive. Great video!

Cool information 😎 I used to own 2003 KJ sport manual transmission and it's one of the best jeep I've driven in offroading and onroading but I hated the rear window I faced some issues with it's engine and replaced my KJ with 2000 chevrolet lumina wagon (same as holden commodore wagon) which is on sale now

I bought my 2007 Liberty used with 70k in 2014. Since, I've added Skyjacker 2.5 lift kit, larger BFG T/A K02 tires and some other extras like rock rails, steel roof rails, bull bar and trailer hitch. Had a ball joint failure early on (OFF ROAD OR NOT, GET NEW BALL JOINTS - DO IT NOW!) which forced me to replace a lot of front end suspension parts (HARD & EXPENSIVE LESSON - REPLACE BALL JOINTS!). Had to replace the alternator, and AC has given me a lot of issues over the years. But generally, my Liberty has gotten me back and forth to work, my family around town, and through some fairly demanding desert and mountain trail weekends. Is it a brand new Wrangler? No - but I've passed up more than one Wrangler sitting broken on the trail, and my Jeep has the one option I like most on any 4X4... it's payed for!

The Liberty Sport comes with 6 speed manual trans too ...2007 was last Liberty to offer the manual .

I like the look of a 1st gen Liberty! Which ones had the light pods on top? I've heard the lights aren't good but maybe they could be replaced with LEDs.

The first gen Liberty was not good. Had a 2007 with a manual transmission and the 3.7 engine was really under powered and had oiling problems. Traded it in 2015 and could barely get $1500 for it at about 130,000 miles.

Drove my 2002 off-road about every other weekend for a couple of years. Not mild off-road, but was usually the only non-TJ and only one running smaller than 33's back then. Can't figure out how to paste in pics here, but I have some great pics. It was 2001-2003, so no GoPro stuff.

Spot on review, pretty spartan interior but I like the body styling. I bought my son an 07 for a first vehicle, it's a been a pretty faithful little beater. They are a cheap and plentiful on the used market and fairly easy to work on. My biggest gripe would probably be gas milage, an SUV that small getting comparable mpg to my LR3 and worse than my F-150 is sad.

We have a 2006 Sport 2wd (same color as the one in the video) that I bought for my son when he went to college in 2013. It is still around ten years later and we all like its funky quirkiness, even though we have three other Jeeps in the household. It rides rough, is a bit noisy but is a wonderful nimble little grocery getter or vehicle to haul the dogs to the vet. It may be going on the block soon just to reduce our fleet but it will have a measure of regret when that day comes.

Had an 05 with the 3.7 and still have an 06 CRD. It’s an awesome little Jeep. Just over 270k on it now with only minor issues.

Are we all going to ignore that super clean blue comanche at 7:39 ? The comanche is my all time favourite jeep !

I get that you haven't been talking to my daughter. She hates my Liberty, which I've owned for 15 years, and wants me to get rid of it. The windows don't work, I've had to replace a fuel injector, it's a gas guzzler, and I've had to fix the A/C twice. But the engine and tranny still work fine, and most importantly, the 4WD works well in deep snowy conditions, something my old Ford Explorer failed after 50,000 miles. I bought this car because it looked chic and sporty, but I'm keeping it because I love it despite the minor cranky fixes I need to make while driving it as long as I can.

My neighbor had one of these for many years and same color. Was a beauty

I had an 04 Liberty Renegade. I loved that Jeep. Sadly it was totaled last winter. It was an amazing vehicle that got me everywhere I wanted to go here in interior Alaska. My Liberty went from the southern point of Homer all the way up to Prudhoe Bay, and even the infamous Stampede Trail. And yes, I did wheel it with the doors off.