These Cars Have FATAL Flaws You NEED To Know About: Buy or Bust Ep.2 

Here's how you fix the Sky Slider...remove said Sky Slider, then buy a hard shell RTT and attach it in place of the Sky Slider and boom...a dedicated overlander. Renegade package is a bonus. I find our '08 KK to be very uncomfortable...the trans tunnel intrudes so far into the footwell that you sit slightly crooked in it for your feet to line up to the pedals. To its credit, 180k miles so far and its still running great.

The skyslider wasn't the only other major flaw: the transfer case being electronic shift can toss solenoids to the tune of $1000 to fix. the previous KJ had a mechanically operated transfer case, which didn't have that problem.

I've never heard anyone call a MINI reliable.

Used Ranger Rovers, Maseratis, and even Bentleys are scary propositions. They are often bought buy people who have no idea what they are getting into. They merely want an impressive-looking car, not knowing that in the first few months you will spend more on maintenance and repairs than you did to initially buy the car.

Would it be possible to put the original MSRP as configured in future videos? It might be interesting to get an idea of the depreciation.

I have 271,000 miles on my 2011 Liberty Still a dependable daily driver

Loving this series and the factoids with each car/vehicle.

2:55 as first gen liberty kj crd owner and fan, liberty were NOT body on frame, Tommy!

Jeep now puts the “sky slider” top int the wranglers as a $4000 option. Pretty cool roof option. Also they call it the “Sky one touch power top” now.

I drove my 2011 Liberty across country from NY to LA I miss that thing. Love this video concept Tommy great job!

That top is actually pretty cool. But I would never expect one to be reliable

Currently drive a Liberty with just under 100k miles it’s got intake, ported TB, exhaust, hypertech tune. Been good reliable and gets 18-19 mpg mixed driving I saw 25.5 once hand calculated going 60-65 on a 400 mile road trip. Before mods it was 14-16mpg. Sounds good and not as slow as it was.

Love the series guys! This and the junk yard thing. You two work great together!!

Very interesting and knowledgeable about cars. Thanks for educating some of us like me!

Usually with so many codes it can be low voltage issues that a new battery can help alleviate some of the excess codes

I’ve gotta lifted 2011 liberty with steel front and rear ATH bumpers plus exterior spare tire carrier/swing away set up, and I pulled it to Moab behind my motorhome and did the entire hells revenge trail, minus the gate due to a lack of a sufficient spotter. But had my entire family inside and I had zero problems tackling that trail. I took my old rubicon down that trail a couple years ago so I had set a high bar already, but i was incredibly impressed with how well the liberty did. I’ve even got some of it on my RU-vid channel. Im still in Aw over it’s capability, honestly

My wife has a 2012 Liberty Jet Ed Limited bought new and now has 92k+ on it. She absolutly loves it and will not trade it in and has been very reliable with only brakes and battery replaced. The Liberty is also a unibody not bof. We also have a 21 Gladiator High Altitude, 90 Grand Wagoneer (like new and owned 23 yrs), and a 23 Grand Cherokee L Summit Reserve High Altitude and yet the wife only drives what she loves, her Liberty. Sometimes the Gladiator but mostly her Liberty. We do love all our Jeeps and have had great luck and driving pleasure with all in all 4 seasons on and off road.🎉🇺🇲🎉

Love the video. As someone who spent many years in Aviation and the car biz in Denver, I really liked going back to the Auction to watch. I was close on every pick you showed. Nothing has changed with Rover, they're still Sale-Proof. Regarding CVT Trans, you couldn't give me one. We had them early on in the Honda World and I hated them then. I spent time pedaling Rovers too! Ha.......... we couldn't wait for them to clear the sidewalk on delivery day.

Good video topic! Hope to see this again. Like the back stories of the vehicles!

Very interesting video. My only experience with the Mini was the 8 months some friends of mine.had the misfortune owning one. A flat tire was a 3,000 adventure. The joy of run flat tires in a very remote area. luckily things stopped moving just as the got cell service. Two nights in a motel, plus the cost of the tire plus the cost of shipping the wheel to the dealer added up in a hurry.

My first thought about the Range Rover was also to swap the engine into something but then I came to my senses, parts for those thing would be an unknown expense.

Tommy...you didn't even mention the Liberty KK's notorious heater core. $1500 to replace in my 2012 last winter (at 70,000 miles) and $1350 was labor (have to rip the entire dash apart to access the core).

@13:30... My Supercharged S JCW convertible is an R52. If you can find a first gen S with the pretty rare JCW package, it makes 207HP. The JCW package is rare because back then, it was a dealer installed option and cost over $5k with installation. $5k for an option on a $25k car was a lot, so not many people bought it. Oh, I bought it a year ago with 92k miles for $5k. The bargains are found in the private market.

We were looking for a second Liberty last spring and found a 2011 for a reasonable price. When we arrived for a test drive, we found the dealership had conveniently left out the whole sliding roof aspect, and had managed to not show it in any of the photos. Having no desire for a sliding top of any kind we left and continued our search. About a week later, we found a 2012 Liberty Arctic edition in excellent shape. So, now we have a Liberty Jet and my Arctic and we love them.

In the range rovers, I believe there was a 2 way infotainment screen. The driver could see Nav, and other car rated things but the passenger could see a DVD from their side.

The liberty is actually unibody like an old Cherokee. I’ve also never seen a second gen liberty with a manual.

I like what the two are doing. Those three were 👎👎👎for me. I seen a Maroon Tahoe that sparked my interest plus TT. Keep’m coming

I had a kk cherokee new back in 2009 and it went everywhere on street tyres,I did 130,000kms in 1 year! No issues,super reliable and ended up putting 265/75r16 tyres on it and never got stuck

very cool series guys! Nice job

Wow, I love that sliding fabric roof! I only ever remember seeing Webasto-style roofs on weird old Euro cars, had no idea it was available on a fairly modern Jeep.

Love this series, thank you!

I have an r50 mini with the Cvt. I am at 198k miles. Still works but it’s starting to feel rough. I drive it to work every day but I’m waiting for the transmission to give out soon. Also the headlight bulbs burn out all the time since they are on the hood like that.

Very interesting video, tks guys!

Great videos I love this type of information

Fun series! Looking forward to more.

Like the video tommy but what about the 3.7 oil starvation issues in the libertah

I remember shopping for one of these (used). I wouldn't have touched a sky rider model, although I remember not being able to find one either.

My 2003 Honda Pilot has a aftermarket sunroof from Wabasto was done in 2003 and looks and works great I love it

The earliest Minis lacked a reverse lockout. A few owners made expensive mistakes.

I had an 04 Liberty Renegade, trailrated and with all the off-road kit. It got me through 3 South Dakota winters where when snow comes, it comes down in truckloads. It was an under appreciated and very capable off-roader. I never an issue with it, and it never let me down. No weird top like this thing however.

Making some progress on car audio there Tommy, thanks for mentioning Infinity. Original Kappa speakers from the early 2000's were incredible, and follow-on Kappa Perfect speakers couldn't replicate the same accuracy across the spectrum - mainly 300 ish Hz to 1 KHz. Obviously this OEM Jeep Infinity system is orders of magnitude less palatable than the old stuff but still better than Bose or "Mach" from the same era of cars.

My husband had the liberty with the skyslider and he would never open it because he was afraid it would break. The transmission started slipping at 70k so he traded it for a new Tacoma. I still have the Tacoma 11 years later with 250k miles on it running perfect.

When the L322 Vogue showed up and you asked "What's wrong with this one?" I said: EVERYTHING! And I was right XD Because I own a 2010 Vogue 3.6 diesel and whilst mine is in pretty good shape because I maintain it, I just know what they're like

Love this content, very interesting.

The square liberty's were known for transmissions going out. We knew a few people in town who owned them. One was sent to auction with 70,000 miles on it after it ate the gears.

I've had two Liberty's and I have a Ram with the same 3.7. They are super reliable if you change the oil sometimes and always use HOAT antifreeze. If you put green antifreeze in them, you should drive it to the junkyard.

Mom had an 07 nitro and I remember running that Liberty in far cry 2, so I’m a sucker for them.

Wow! Good job picking POS's. It was a close run, but you had them in correct order from 3 to #1 with the biggest POS being the Land Rover. Good job!

I've only rented a Liberty, and that was the 1st gen Liberty when it came out in 2002. I went down to Houston to see my girlfriend at the time, who was invited to a wedding and she invited me to come down so we could officially meet each other. We met online in November 1999, and we finally managed to meet in February 2002. I rented a Pontiac Grand Am and since I was a Travel Agent at the time, the rental agency upgraded me to the Liberty for the same price. It was my first time even becoming aware of the vehicle so I took the offer. It was actually the first generation that had the foot room issue, since it narrowed down on the front end, the foot space was at best 16 inches so your feet didn't have much acreage to move around in. The 2nd generation had much better foot room in comparison, but it is still a bit cramped down there. I did note a gas mileage average of 18 mpg while using it, but figgured since it only had 9000 miles, it might not have been completely broken in yet and mileage might go up a bit...then after further research online, I discovered that was what they got. Pretty sad in comparison. It was a brand new engine both in mileage and as a newly manufactured product, and that was the best they could do. Driving it was fairly comfortable, except for my girlfriend. I came from North Dakota where it was 20 degrees outside in February, and Houston TX was at 70 degrees. That was a 50 degree change for me. My girlfriend was from Atlanta where it was also around 70 degrees in February. Needless to say, I was a bit uncomfortable and ran the A/C for my comfort, which I can report worked excellently. However, my girlfriend had to bundle up in every jacket we had in the vehicle because I kept it too cold for her. Incidentially, I moved to Atlanta the next spring in 03 and we got married in November 03 and are happily still together. We did move back to North Dakota in Sept 06 and moved her 2 sisters up here in Feb 2017. I bought a 97 Chevy C2500 to move to Georgia with, and that was our family vehicle until we moved back up to ND. It stayed at her mom's place for a couple of years, then I went down there for a few days to get the truck running again and brought it back to ND. Currently I'm looking for a replacement 5.7l engine for it, one of the head gaskets failed and it's leaking antifreeze into the crank case. In my later years, I became an Auto Care Technician at Walmart so I got to start servicing these vehicles. Needless to say, my impression of the Liberty didn't get a whole better. Accessing the oil filter was a chore to say the least. Not the worst I've ever tried to do, but definitely they could have done a much better job of filter placement. The rest of the underbody servicing was pretty much as any other 4X4 standard configured pickup/suv would have been so not that much of an issue, though I still question the use of rubber plugs instead of actual threaded check plugs in the front and rear differentials. Overall, I do have to say I liked the Liberty I rented that trip, it was an experience and a memory of our first time together that neither of us will forget, and I'd love to find one someplace, even if it's a 2nd gen, just not with the retractable top the one here has.

Worked at a Porche/Audi/Landrover dealership, the "back lot" collected cars they would not put out on a used lot. Came within a hairs width of buying 80s Mercedes and Jeeps. Deal for employees, only one per year at cost, and do not get caught flipping it or you were fired.

I saw one of these in a movie and it said Cherokee on the side. I had no idea the Liberty had any such package. Also I’ve been wanting a little R50 Mini for road trips since my Mini SE isn’t so great for them and my truck gets 14 MPG.

I love that top when it's new, and leaking and possibility of broken down were the only major reason I didn't bought one. But I definitely won't pay 10k for that liberty.

It's nice to finally see someone else who likes the Liberty! I think the KK in particular looks great inside and out and the 4x4 system already makes it a far better off road vehicle than the vast majority of the small SUV/crossover competition. They're seriously underrated, in my opinion.

My sister has a 2003 Jeep Liberty (She bought it new) that doesn't have 88000 on it. It has proved to be super reliable. I since rebuilt 2 2006 Libertys from wrecks from the July Eastern Kentucky Floods and after thorough cleanings, look and drive like new. I dropped a 3.7 Jeep engine (Also from the flood wrecks) into a 2004 Ford Ranger 4x4. Working good so far.

Finally a video that informs the consumer. Instead of just promoting the auto industry.

One of my buddies in high school had a liberty like that that literally got totaled from that roof mechanism breaking

Hey Tommy, @ 2:54, you mentioned that the Liberty is a "body on frame". I am pretty sure that both the KJ and KK version were unibody (like the Cherokee it replaced in the early 2000s).

ANY 4.0L powered Nissan truck, check the coolant reservoir for trans fluid. When I worked at a Nissan dealer, when we got trade ins like that, they went straight to the auction. Very common issue.

I love how the thing to the look out for in the liberty is that. They all don’t have that. But you know what they all do have garbage engines and trannys. The ones up here in the salt belt end up rotting in front of the rear lower control arm. Then the whole control arm rips off the body. 😂😂😂

Love this series!

I like this channel! I learned so much from it. Especially regarding dual clutch transmission. If in fact it was a getrag. This the same issue with the ford fiesta and focus dct. The hesitation you felt is a good thing as it lowers friction and heat that causes fluid and clutch surface failure. As for the land rover no more than 10k. If patient, it's worth restoring due to performance and status. I see alot of these in Dearborn Mi. Cheers

why are these series so gratifying to watch?

We had a completely upgraded and spec'd out 2006 Cooper S, with auto - wife's car. That thing was so much fun! The supercharger whine was also really cool to hear.

All CVT's do not fail. My Fusion has 180K miles and feels like new.

CVTs are great for hybrids, my C-Max is up to 300k miles.

Yes!! I just bought a 2008 sky slider kk for 1000. 108,000 miles

I didnt know about that type of roof on the jeep. 😎👍👍

The liberty’s have problems braking lower ball joints there’s a recall for them my cousin had one brake while going 70 and it almost killed him, they leak water into the lower ball joint and would seize up and twist off

I'll look into a wholesale license. Thanks for answering.

I'm still seeing a lot of Liberties on the road in our somewhat rural area but not a single one that I've seen to date has had a "convertible" roof of any kind. To be honest, until I saw this video, I did not know such an option, if that was what it was, had ever existed. 4X4 Liberties don't last long on used car lots in this area as they get snapped up by folks wanting a smallish, hard top, four door 4X4 for use as hunting/fishing/and beater vehicles that they can drive on the highway but not have to worry about scratching the paint or dents for that matter, resulting from driving through the briars and brambles.

My husband's daughter has a 2011 Jeep Liberty without the roof slider still running. I was offered a Jeep Liberty at a used auto dealer that bought from auctions but I went for a 2012 Nissan ProX 4 which my hubby loves.

1st gen was a Chrysler 4cyl 2nd gen (07 and up) was a Peugeot motor. I owned a 2nd gen manual transmission non turbo it was still pretty unreliable but I dodged the transmission and turbo grenades haha.

This was fun! Thanks.

11:27 The headlights go up with the hood. That’s something I like about these first gen Minis. This isn’t legal anymore so it makes these vehicles unique.

Had a friend with that roof in her Jeep. It jammed open multiple times and once it tore off while she was on the freeway (it was closed at the time). After spending nearly 3 months in the repair shop, the dealer eventually bought it back from her.

1. The KK Liberty only came with the 6 speed manual option for 2008 in the US. 2. The Jeep Liberty was NEVER a body on frame vehicle. It has always been a unibody.

I really like this series keep it up

My daughter inlaw had a Mini 2003 Cooper it had a manual gearbox 40,000 miles on it at the time. Paid big for it. The gearbox gave awful problems and it was manual. They are supposed to be a small BMW, they are definitely not. Car had to be scrapped after owning it for two years.

Well, at least we're not running a vac store anymore! How's that sauce going? Cool as hell to see ya on here man ! Was watching and I had to hit evin and be like dude is that Brendan???

Loved this format

8250 for a liberty is way to much. I never experienced a liberty that was good

Could that damage around the slider trim be from wind buffeting when you ride with the top open and windows down? I think that's what went wrong with a lot of GM headliners in the 80s right?

The smaller Cherokee/ Liberty has always been unibody.

I am surprised that the comment section isn't filled with Range Rover owners claiming theirs have gone 250k miles without even a light bulb failure and that they just need a occasional oil change and windshield washer fluid top up to be more reliable/durable than a Lexus.

I owned a first generation Liberty (2005 I think) and I loved it. I wasn't a fan of the 2nd generation though.

@20:50... All of those lost communication codes are from a dead battery. I'd bet at least 90% of those code won't come back if the battery is replaced and the codes are cleared.

I really like these videos guys.

2:50 Those fault codes could all be related to a low battery. Land rovers are notorious for throwing out imaginary faults when the battery is low.

Some details Tommy got wrong: 2011 Liberty was not available with a manual transmission and is not body on frame.

I had a 1st gen Liberty KJ and I will say that they aren't slow. If you start from a stop and load the torque converter they have quite a bit of pep

Clearly wholesalers haven't gotten the memo that no-sales at auctions are reaching new highs.

3:24 I did not know that these Liberties are so bad ass.

The Range Rover looks like the air suspension lifted itself up after the acceleration run. 🤣

On the prefacelift R50 mini coopers the 5spd is junk as well. Post face-lift is better and 6spd conversion better still.

I almost bought one of these back in the day Just for the roof. Glad I passed. Never knew it was an issue.

my best friend bought one of these with a working sky slider a few years ago. even after I warned her about the sky slider issue she still bought it. sure enough after about a week of ownership it broke in a partially open position. can't be moved. and she now has it duct taped down and it still leaks. Stay far away from these sky sliders.

I have an 08' KK sport w/155k,I drive about 80 miles round trip a day mostly all highway n get around 20mpg. Bad heater core placement but a good runner. Not a skyrider...could use a little more interior room tho.

I have never seen one of those Jeep Libertys before, I thought it was a Commander from the headlights

The sky slider was not a fatal flaw in the Jeep Liberty. Very few came optioned with those. If those sky sliders were lubricated frequently it would alleviate some of the issues. I have a 12 Arctic with a sunroof. Unexpectedly reliable.

I took my drivers test in a manual mini I was originally going to take the test in my moms buick but the headlight went out on the drive to the test place they said I had 2 hours to get another car to take the test so my dad called his friend and he let me use his beater mini at this time I had never driven a manual on the road my only experience being old tractors. I got the 15 min lesion how the work the clutch and I ended up acing that test