[ObiHann]

Hey all,

I was originally hopping to be buying a 2000 Grand Cherokee Limited but that ended up being more trouble than it was worth, so I have been looking elsewhere. I am between a 2004 Ford Escape and a 2002 Jeep Liberty (Limited I believe). My big issue is the Escape has better gas mileage ($20cad filled over 1/4 a tank!) and more room. It felt bigger inside, I felt less cramped, and there was more storage space. But, it is not a Jeep. The Liberty is pretty close to fully loaded, with leather, power everything, roof rails, rock rails, power everything, heated seats, and even one of those external temp things. I need to see if it has fog lights, abs, and possible a trailer hitch (not a deal breaker), as well as a few other things I am hoping for. The thing I like about the liberty is the 4 wheel drive. The Escape has a auto 4 wheel drive and then a always on, the jeep has much more options. What do you guys think?

[jsc7002]

Id say get the KJ Ive had no problems with mine what-so-ever, and if it has rock rails, if they arent aftermarket its prolly a Renegade, does it have any extra light on the bumper or the light bar?

[ufatbastehd]

Its a Jeep forum we pick the Jeep!!!

FYI My gas mileage in the Liberty is 20 highway on a good day.
I'm thinking of selling mine a 02 limited with tow packaqe and 26,000 miles.
Come and get it

[jeepdaddy65]

I was just in the same situation as you. I ended up with an 05 Liberty Renegade/Rocky Mountain. They were both 05's, but the Escape was priced higher, it did seem to have more room and space for cargo. It drove like a car and didn't seem as rugged as the Jeep. Also I like the Jeeps 4 wheel drive system better, I have the select-trac and have more 4x4 options than just pushing a button. Also looking up the jeeps reliability ratings on various web sites, these things seem pretty trouble free. I feel I can go about anywhere off road with confidence and still drive my kids to their games in comfort. Also the Jeep with a trailer tow package can tow up to 5000lbs. I guess it depends what you need a vehicle for, for me the Jeep takes care of everything, Hope this helps, post what you decide. Good luck.

[jsc7002]

and I dont know about the escape but the KJ is extremely safe

look at these pics of a rolled KJ:










a wife and 2 kids were in there and they all walked away with no injuries! they were going about 75mph and rolled 3 times I believe

[ObiHann]

I haven't signed the check yet but I made my decision. Im getting the Liberty. It is a limited, so the rock rails must be after market, either way, there there. I also took a look underneath and saw what looked like 2 skid plates in the front area. It had fog lights, cd changer, abs brakes, and all that jazz. It doesn't have a tow package, but thats not a problem. I don't ever plan to tow anything with a hitch, so I only wanted it for a bike mount, and I'm told I can get a hitch installed for very cheap. I will put some pictures up later. My only complaint is just how ockward it is to switch the 4-wheel drive's (but it had the quadra-drive I think). Sweet!

[ufatbastehd]

congrats!

[ObiHann]

So where should I start for my first mod? Any suggestions for cheap and easy?

[jsc7002]

Congrats! so what made you choose the KJ?
1st lift OME (Old Man Emu) coils Heavy Duty and Rancho shocks and struts make for a 2.5" lift and an amazing ride, skid plates are always nice too can you post a pic of the rock rails I just wanna see if they are stock or not, and as for you quadradrive no if you have a full time 4wd then it is the select-trac if not it is the command-trac which Im told is 15% stronger

[jsc7002]

oh sorry cheap and easy, the lift is fairly easy but I spent about $650 total for it but it is well worth it for the ride, and as a heads up if you ever do decide to lift it OME is the best for KJ Rustys has a 2.5" coil lift but the coils arent too good, and if you want a cheap lift either daystar 2.5" or 1.5" or revtek is pretty good but they are just spacer lifts not full suspension lifts

check out www.lostkjs.com lots of good KJ information there and its all about the KJ!

[ObiHann]

Well the a 2-2.5" lift is deffinitly in my shopping list, a friend tells me they are super easy to install, so we will see what happens. I am actually shooting for a light bar before anything else, that or a bull bar. Of course, it all depends on cash. The rock rails have the jeep/mopar logo on them so I am assuming they are not after market, just installed by a dealer onto a ltd. It also has 2 skid plates on the front. As far as the 4x4 goes it has 2 wheel drive, 4 wheel drive part time, 4 wheel drive full time, and 4 wheel drive low.

Let me tell you guys, I am in love with Jeep now. A buddy took me to a small trail last night, nothing serious, some rocks mud mudles, a bit of avoidance and stuff. Really just basic trails and learning how to handle it with no road, and it was a blast! I have a little srape in my front skid plate where I hit a jagged rock. It was in the middle of a puddle probably 6 or 7" deep and 15' long, and tried to steer around it but who knows what happened. Either way I take that as a badge of honor lol. I will post some more pics soon!

[jsc7002]

ya that is the select-trac, I would like a light bar too but they are expensive, around $360 new or $300 used if your lucky, and I wouldnt excatly call the 2.5" lift super easy its not really hard but it takes some time, what kind of bull bar are you looking at? are you going to get the other 2 skids? if so check out www.jparts.com they usually have the best price for mopar ones at least

[ObiHann]

I know the lightbar isn't a cheap addition, probably not easy either, but it high on my list. I was told that a lift of about 2.5" is just new shocks and springs, so its a afternoons work, and no serious modification, does that sound right? This is the bull bar I am looking for

What do you mean the other 2 skid plates? What is the difference between the selec trac and the quadra drive?

[jsc7002]

ya the light bar isnt easy to install, you have to drill somewhere around 16 holes in the roof and install some nutserts they do look good though, yes that is all the lift consists of but the front you have to compress the coils and I did it by hand and it took me a while, for me and my dad to do my lift it took about 12hrs it was the first time for both of us, there is a total of 4 skid plates for the KJ-engine, t-case, trans and gas, quadra-trac is on the GC the KJ only has select-trac which is 4full time, 4 hi, n, 4lo and then there is the command-trac which is 4hi, n, 4lo

[jsc7002]

t-case
http://jparts.com/product_info.php?products_id=235&osCsid=5655e7cff0 12c2f082258a886b88a808

trans
http://jparts.com/product_info.php?products_id=1472&osCsid=5655e7cff 012c2f082258a886b88a808

gas
http://jparts.com/product_info.php?products_id=186&osCsid=5655e7cff0 12c2f082258a886b88a808

front engine
http://jparts.com/product_info.php?products_id=185&osCsid=5655e7cff0 12c2f082258a886b88a808

which being on '02 it should come with the front engine skid, the other skid must be an add on