I’m going to say it… the liberty looked WAY more fun to drive on that trail. A less capable vehicle creates a challenge. A challenge is fun.

I think we need more series like the cheap jeeps. Love it.

I owned a 2007 liberty for 14 years and put 227,000 miles on it. I was always shocked at where this small truck would fit off road and in the winter... Unstoppable.

My 2006 Jeep Liberty CRD diesel is my favorite vehicle to date. Lifted 2", Green Diesel Engineering power tune, 350 ft lbs of torque and gets 25-33 MPG. 140k and drives like a new vehicle. It would make this offroad test twice as fun as the gasser 🤙

I owned a first generation Liberty and loved it. It was great in the winter and had a really awesome turning circle. Never had any issues with it. I actually kind of miss it to be honest.

The KJ has way more in common with the XJ than most people realize. From size, to transfer case options, to rear axle (many had the Chrysler 8.25 and even posi traction from the factory), towing capability, similar stock ground clearance, and etc... it was Jeep's replacement for the XJ and retained several of its parts and features. Of course moving from the 4.0 to the 3.7 was a big bummer. The independent front suspension isn't as big a deal as many think it is unless you are a hard core rock crawler (which most people aren't). For basic overland off-roading, the KJ is pretty ideal.

I loved my 2003 KJ Limited. Traded it for my current 2015 KL Trailhawk. The Liberty was a much more reliable vehicle than the Cherokee has been, it was far less expensive to fix when it did need anything, and it was a substantially more capable offroader. Best winter vehicle I have ever driven. I regret trading it in pretty much every day.

I want a TFL-SoftRoad channel, in which they simply test the limits of capability of stock/unmodified Crossovers off-road (maybe an allowance for off-road/AT tires in stock tire size, since that is the extent to which a typical non-off-road driver changes their vehicle from stock) just to see how capable (or not) the typical daily drivers of the majority of Americans are. I think the results would be both amusing and educational. Subaru would definitely have their brand image riding on the outcome.

I had an 03 KJ Sport, purcased brand new. It came with factory tow hooks and skid plates for the gas tank and transfer case. IIRC, you had to get the Renegade package to get the front skid plate factory installed. I eventually purchased the front skid plate from the dealer and installed it, as well as an aftermarket transmission skid plate. I also put 31" tires on it at factory ride height. They only hit the inner fenders at full turn. The only real problem I had with them was the hit to fuel mileage (already not awesome with the V6 and automatic transmission). I had that Liberty for 13 years and sold it to buy a JKU. During the time I had the Liberty, I had to have a fan relay replaced 3x, replace the valve cover gaskets (common 3.7L V6 issue), and have the transmission cooler lines replaced. I didn't get the window regulator issue until just before i sold it. I still miss that thing.

Love these cheap/ budget series videos! Especially like this one. While most people with a proper budget to start a a hobby don't mind the money so much, too many people don't realize that you don't need to start on top of the mountain to have fun.

a budget liberty video series would be refreshing

It is so much more fun to see an older Jeep go through that course! The new Jeeps are so ridiculously expensive that many people can't or wo t they to afford them. BUT, older Jeeps like the Liberty are still good Jeeps! I prefer watching videos with older slightly built up Jeeps!

We LOVED our 2010 Liberty. Handled GREAT in snow and rain. Loved it.

The Liberty had a limited slip rear differential as an option (I believe included in the off-road package). My '05 Libby CRD has it, along with skid plates. With my 3" Frankenlift suspension, I run 245/75R 16 tires which is an about 30.5" tire on stock rims with no rubbing issues. One thing about the Libby compared to my old lifted XJ, the Libby has a shorter turning radius. Put skid plates on your Libby, and put a Detroit Locker in the rear axle and rerun this test. The one disadvantage of your Libby over mine is the gas engine. My CRD (diesel) has great torque right off idle. It will just purr at idle and climb like a tractor (the 2.8L CRD was designed originally as tractor engine).

A $250 lunchbox locker in the rear that you can install yourself would transform that liberty. I put an ‘Aussie locker’ in my KJ.

You need to piece together the lift on a KJ with Old Man Emu springs and Bilstein shocks, none of the kits actually lift it properly using spacers

Mine is a 2002 KJ and i'm loving it. My Wrangler boys nearly hate it, because i follow them mostly everywhere. 3.7 V6 limited with a LSD and 40mm/1.5" lift.

I purchased a new 2006 Jeep Liberty and spent additional $3000 on upgrades,. I drove it until 2008 when I took it in for an inspection at my local Jeep Dealership that had performed all the upgrades under factory warranty! The dealer had the Jeep for over a week and had found the problem! One section locacted in the middle under body where the uni-body is welded had split wide open. When being built it was missing several spot welds causing the body to split apart! This couldn't be repaired by Jeep standards so most of my money was refunded and applied to a new 2008 Jeep Wrangler. Jeep and the Dealership both felt bad as my Liberty still looked brand new. My Liberty had always ran like jeep. Jeep had thr liberty transported to their Tech center and was used as a tool for Jeep Techs to learn by. I still buy Jeeps and now own a new Jeep Gladiator Rubicon. Still miss the Liberty! Watching you guys take the Liberty thru the paces against the $65,000 made me feel Great but sad! John

Jeep XJ has entered the chat...

My wife owned a 2005 limited Liberal for 10 years. She replaced the water pump at 180,000 miles and the only other cost was fuel and normal maintenance items. She sold it to our niece with just over 200,000 miles on it. Our niece drove it five years and ended up with 289,000 miles on it before she upgraded to a newer one. Our niece did have to have the radiator and ignition replaced but the driveline remained strong. The only negative was the fuel mileage was not very good.

The fact that Liberty had over 200k miles says a lot for Jeep reliability that they seldom get credit for.

Those Libertys are like leaner Wranglers. They even do better on narrow trails. Lean and lovely cheap SemiWrangler.

This was a good video. You can see you guys are actually having fun challenging yourselves and the jeep. I learned very quickly the best off road vehicles are the ones you don’t mind taking a little damage.

Every Gen 1 Liberty owner I've talked to loves theirs. Reliable/dependable, good MPG, convenient/practical, and fun. Install an LSD. I was on a Jeep Jamboree with one in the group and it did very well.

Please please please keep the Liberty and go crazy with it on a budget. Locker… bigger lift… skid plates etc. I’ve got an ‘05 2.8 CRD (diesel) and it’s an absolute monster, but I’d love to see the off road possibilities !!

My daughter and son-in-law had a jeep just like that one & I'll have to admit hey are tough little Jeep's. Theirs had over 300,000 miles on it & he did not take care of it at all.

I love the size of those liberty’s. Similar size to my xterra. Just right.

Can’t wait to see more. You guys are the absolute best.

Loved my Liberty. Went through a lot of stuff: literal blizzards, floods, roads that had been shutdown… drove around the barricades. Didn’t make it through quarantine.

You should have put 215/85 on the Liberty. They are the perfect size. But a slightly larger bumpstop in the rear is an easy answer. The Liberty will have long term problems with a “budget boost” lift. But dang it, you’re going to have fun. Nice video and point well made young Mica.

I went from a Cherokee to a 2002 Liberty then a 2005 CRD Liberty. Loved both Liberty's and the Diesel was the best.

Love this series and the cheap Jeep series. But you forget to mention the KJ has a triangulated 4 link rear suspension which allows it to have very nice rear suspension travel and maintain traction more often (then other 4wds).

I had an 06 liberty for several years. It was reliable where it counted. And very good in slick winter driving.

Cheap Jeeps are fun. Finding one in the salt belt is difficult because the winter road treatments rust them away. We had a Patriot for a few years until the frame rusted beyond reasonable repair. My wife loved it.

I have had an 03 and 06 liberty they were the best Jeeps I have owned , live in Midwest you can’t find a nice one anymore, without rust

That first generation Liberty also has a 4-link rear end, and look at those cast front A arms. And the Liberty's 8.25 rear axle never gave me any trouble, more than I can say for Dana 44s I've owned!

Love the video! I have an '03 liberty, and I've been running a 3" lift for the past 6 years, I'm right in the middle of doing a solid axle swap on it to take things to the next level. I understand the wheelbase is nearly identical to the fabled "LJ"

We own one. But we went different route. My mom had spinal surgery and could not hop on the jeep. So... Two choices rid of jeep or my Mum. You guessed right. Neither. Found lowering perforrmance springs and new Shocks. Rear were softer. Tires 255 60 17. Now the " Jefa " hops on no strugle and on turns the Jeep corners like a Go cart. We love it. ❤

Loved the video. Liberty did better than expected.

I bought a 06 Liberty CRD new and loved it. It was hard to find not many dealers around me stocked them and I think they were really happy to have me take it off their floor plan. People were always shocked when I told them it was a diesel.

BINGO!! On the Liberty being more fun. You said it earlier in the video about the point of off roading. People do all kinds of mods... (Cheats) ... and then it's easy. The Liberty looks alot more fun... you have to think, pick a line and all the stuff that attracts us to wheeling. ... and ya! The Wrangler is a hundred times more expensive. .... Ya, Keep it. Put it through it's paces, just get rid of the coat hanger. Put something cool up there.

I wish they would bring the Liberty back. I had a 2011 Jeep Liberty with the sky cover. Loved it!

The Liberty has a 106" wheelbase, not 204" like Tommy stated.

props to the fun and cheap. Great show, ty for sharing ... hoping this catches on

I’ve got a bone stock KJ diesel and it’s so good off road already. It’s really good in soft sand, got tones of low end torque and could climb up Everest in low range😂 just watch the ball joints after a long trip. Took mine on a 6000km trip through Namibia with out an issue but when I got back the ball joints were done 😂

You guys keep doing great videos. I have a deep love for cheap Jeeps

Great video guys! That Liberty impressed and looked fun!!

The 07 liberty has really good traction control. You can also buy all the skid plates you need

Just lovely!!! I had 2015 limited KJ and for 5 years I had a lot of fun taking to KJ to it limits!!! Very capable rig comparing all segment and VS. others brands. 33's , 3 inch lift, custom front fender, 4.10's, rear powertrax locker and that's it, fun 100% !!!, mine was exactly same color, now I'm JKU folk (exact color, what a coincidence..) as family grow but I really missed those amazing trips, of course the driver has a lot to do...excelent video!!!

My friend did exactly this deal 3 years ago and he loves the Cheap Jeep. It is half the prized of a Wrangler. Kept thousands more in savings.

I own a Jeep Liberty since 2003 and I looooove it. It’s my daily car. Won’t sell it. Ever.

I put these RT01’s on my 4 Runner and just did China Wall. Super happy with those shoes. Loved seeing you guys wheel something unconventional! I use to wheel a TJ, but since wheeling my 4R, and having to really plan paths because of that…..I find my trips are just as fun as the TJ.

This is what offroading is all about IMO. Some of my best off road memories were in a lightly modified 20 year old Toyota 4x4.

I had a 2012 Latitude for 5 years until my Bronco arrived. Great daily driver and really nice options for a little Jeep. 4x4 switch was a trip, having had a 92 XJ beforehand - definitely helped make the leap to the GOAT mode dial, but both electronic transfer cases have been smooth. My brother has my Liberty now, veen reliable for him too.

I have an 03 kj with Manual Transmission and its a great off road vehicle.

5:12 Tires are the magic for any equation with cars. The right tires can make or break just about any build for any purpose.

Perfect experiment. You guys have some skills to be honest, it looks easy here in front of the screen but damn... Lots of fun with such incapable gear where driver's capabilities shine. Thanks very much guys, you rock the dare part.

Really Cool & Fun Video......Many Thanks

Mine is an 06 4x4 3.7L and i love it. The frame may bee cracked but he's Holding up well. I just don't wanna trash it because its my first, and everyone in the comments is saying they regret getting rid of theirs.

LOVE this channel.

finally !!! thanks guys!! love the KJ

You guys ROCK!!! And I don't mean skid plate/slider rock either. The comparisons you have done the past few months are the of the greatest entertainment value and a learnibg experience

I'm pretty sure the liberty can actually tow more than the wrangler as well. The liberty is rated at 5000 lbs and I believe the wrangler is under 4000 lbs. We use our liberty to tow a small off road camper at 3, 800 lbs no problem. We also had the engine rebuilt top and bottom for 5 grand. We should be keeping in style with home in tow for a total of 10 grand for the next 100,000 miles. Gas mileage is an issue though. We keep our trips short!

Best channel :)) Really interesting videos. Thanks!

I have a 06 with a 3.5 inch lift and full skid plates. I love it. 207k miles on it.

I had an 06 liberty renegade that I gave to my dad. It had full under body protection! It had around 210k on it and outside of waterpump and fuel pump, it never left me stranded while it was our primary vehicle for a year or so

Man I just got one from the auction for a client. I tried it and I was amazed on how good that liberty 3.6 was. I was stoked

wee need MORE OF THIS

Hopefully this makes the liberty go up in popularity

I loved them so much that I owned 3 of them during the early 2000s’ I bough the first one when it first came out in 2002 it was a limited sport, then my wife bought one in 2003 also a limited, and in 2006 a renegade with all the goodie’s! And I gotta tell you! To me they where a lot of fun to drive off road! Specially the renegade version! I had put at the time bf Goodrich ko tires on them and tires makes a big difference when off roading. Now we both own wranglers! But we do miss them Liberty’s. Great video guy’s!

Put Duralube on the engine oil with 10-30 if cold winters or 10-40 if not. Dont put thin fluids in old machinery. They have worn out parts that need thicker oils to fill those gaps in there.

Great video guys. Definitely would like to see this liberty built up a little more to make it more capable. A rear locker and some more suspension modifications and it would be twice as capable.

I had a 2004 Liberty Renegade with a 2.5 inch lift and 31 inch Falken Wildpeak AT3W’s with factory rear Trac-lok LSD and full skid plates and it was a ton of fun

got a used 2007 wrangler sahara unlimited for $15k 122k miles. In florida they are still going for $15-20k with over 100k miles. I love my jeep. The previous owner installed a 2 inch lift, aftermarket front and back bumpers, a smittybilt spare tire carrier and green halo headlights. Recently I spent 3k on a complete brake overhaul and new 35 inch toyo at3s. I cant wait to take it out mudding again in the Ocala forest. I am going to do what I can to keep it on the road because i love the look of it. The saharas are my favorite.

I agree ... I had an '04 Liberty with a manual transmission ... after that, I had plenty of other vehicles until I got my '15 JKU a coup[le of months ago, also with a manual transmission. Up until the JK, that Liberty was the most enjoyable vehicle I ever had. Don't know why they were so hated.

I bought an 03 liberty, gas and standard transmission. This was beford i knew the difference between ifs and straight axle. A 2.5" lift, front posi, rear lunch box later i still have it. Front driveline was swapped from cv style to traditional after breaking 2 and that helped alot. Its not a rock crawler by any means but on 31x10.5 r15 it goes just about anywhere i dont diff out and has out performed my buddies yj and tj a couple times. Their size is great, they have their issues but i dont need a trail badge to tell me they are capable. Very underatted.

Gotta love the Liberty. 08' KK

Great episode

This looks fun in the winter.

I have a friend who had a liberty renegade and he loved it

I had a first Gen Liberty, at that time Jeep did not have the Wrangler Unlimited with 4 Doors so the Liberty was the only option from Jeep if you needed 4 Doors.. I had the Renegade package with leather. The factory light bar was really cool. Wish I still had it.

Man. Those upper ball joints are MAXED! That said, that was pretty impressive!!

I daily drove mine 323,000. When I it dropped a valve seat. I loved messing with the haters and keeping up and in some cases beating people on the trails. I even had a few who got really mad that I got further than them, and when they got stuck I offered to pull them out. They couldn’t handle that for some reason and exploded into fits of rage. I always thought those individuals were pretty funny. Mine had a factory skid plate under the engine bay though. I really miss it. I put a newer aftermarket deck in it so I could be compliant with the hands free laws. Good little tank.

I used to have a diesel liberty. That thing was pretty awesome and had great low end torque

Not everyone hated liberty, I like them. I seriously considered one before finding my 2014 JK Rubicon. Couldn't find one with manual transmission and 4x4. Think because manual was a cheaper option and 4x4 was more expensive. I am a committed manual man. The 2014 Rubicon is the most expensive and nicest vehicle I've ever owned, makes it a bit more adrenaline in avoiding body damage, however, as I told my wife on Hurricane Creek Trail NC. I don't want body damage but I specifically bought this vehicle to take family on off road adventures, I will fixi it or modify if it brakes.

I love the cheap vehicle stuff. I would love to see a mitsubishi montero or isuzu trooper. Maybe even a late 90's pathfinder would be fun to watch. Keep up the older vehicle builds.

I have a Liberty as my daily driver. 258k miles all original power train. Did Ophir and Engineer passes for Jeep Badge of Honors and on street tires. Paid $2800 for it 3 years ago. Cheap fun !

I bought a KJ in Sept, 2001. Put ARB lockers and bumper on it, along with a 2.5” lift. Did Poison Spider, Hell’s Revenge, and Fins & Things with it. I owned it for 18 years, finally replacing it with a 2019 Rubicon.

This was my first car, ever. I loved it. Weirdly, I find it really good looking.

I wish you tested the Diesel version.

I love the Liberty, it really is a budget/entry for overlanding or light wheeling. I owned one years back and been thinking about buying another. I currently own a WK, WK2, JT, and a 04 Dodge 1500 4x4 of course. I am not sure if my wife will be accepting of another to the fleet, lol.

Cool series. Great merc and BMW.

I love my kj. Done good on trails I've tackled in it.

I towed a 2007 Jeep Liberty behind a motorhome for several years and had very few problems with it. When I sold it I'd gotten rid of the motorhome. It needed some suspension work by then, but other than that it was running fine.

I've had my 2005 on Fins & Things, Hells revenge, taking it up hermit pass in Westcliff, and over Medno pass several times and all the trails around Cañon City. You guys should test the Bank Loop Trail out there sometime. It's a fantastic testing ground. I love the look on the "Real Jeep" drivers faces as I pull up at 13,000+ feet in my soccer moms Jeep.

I own a 2003 liberty sport, its rwd but i loveee that thing, i repainted the whole car changed the color. Lifted it, its got about 230k miles and i replaced the engine cuz of multiple misfires, and also i beat it up pretty badly lol but since replacing the engine i been takin care of it, doing the usual maintenance and ever since then i havent had any problems with it, and i replaced the engine about 8 years ago sooo, its like everything, you take care of stuff and they will last you a lifetime

You guys have to try And find the 2.8 library I had one with a tune on it and it was a awesome rig

People hated on them because they replaced the Cherokee XJ . I’ve had many and have always said it is by far the most underrated Jeep . They’re fantastic .

About what I expected. Own three Libertys ( 05' KJ, 06' KJ, 12' KK ) they have been terrific Jeeps. Capable, comfortable and reliable ( 220K, 235K and 195K ). Have owned many Jeeps ( CJs, XJs, YJs, JKU ) my KJs have been just as good as the others. As the replacement for the XJ I sorta get the hate these little Jeeps got when introduced.

A rear locker and it would be unstoppable. And it does look like some form of traction control intervention.