My prior car was costing too much to fix and was in the shop so much that it was time to buy another. We were looking for a nice used car in the same size range as the Ford Taurus I had. Purely on a lark, I test drove a 2002 Liberty, fully expecting to hate it (since I despise driving my hubby's '99 Explorer). Much to my surprise, it was love at first drive. I loved that I didn't really feel like I was driving a "truck."

We eventually found that it was (a) easier to get financed for a new vehicle and (b) only about $4,000 more (after trade-in, rebates and incentives) for the 2005 Liberty than the 2002 we were looking at. Granted, I only got the Sport model without all the bells and whistles I would love to have, but *with* all the bells and whistles I would not be able to live without (AC, automatic transmission, and a CD player;)

I've had it just over a week, it has almost 700 miles on it, and I'm loving it!! For some reason, I feel "safer" driving the Liberty than I did driving my hubby's Explorer. He said it might be because while the Explorer is longer than the Liberty, they appear to have almost the same wheelbase, so the center of gravity is in a different place.

The Interior:
As I said, the Liberty doesn't drive like a truck, at least not in my opinion, and I don't feel like I'm sitting in a truck. The interior seems a lot more roomy than I thought it would and, while I just got the Sport model with the cloth interior, I find it very stylish. One of the things that bugs me about hubby's Explorer is that I keep whacking my right elbow on the CD console thingy when I'm turning the wheel. In the Jeep, that console is further back, so I have plenty of elbow room, which was a necessity for me after driving the wide Taurus for five years.

I see complaints about the size of the glove box. It is pretty small; however, I LOVE the slot for the owner's manual. I thought it was very ingenious. As someone who used to keep her glove box stuffed full of junk, I like that it's too small to abuse.

I actually like that the window switches are in the center console. It seemed sort of weird at first and I still have to remind myself. I will sit there locking and unlocking the door before I remember that the switch is on the console. Why I like it is that I have a Boxer who loves to slobber on the windows. She would constantly hit the switch in my Taurus and in hubby's Explorer and roll the window all the way down. Harder for her to do with the switches in the middle, especially if I forget to lock the windows when she gets in the car.

The seats are more comfortable than I thought they would be. My back was constantly aching after getting out of my Taurus - I've actually noticed an improvement in the way my back feels after I drive the Liberty. I do wish there was a way of raising or lowering the seats, though. But then, maybe there is in the higher models?

I've had several people ride in the back seat and everyone says it's comfortable. I'm constantly asking my stepson. So far no complaints. I'm sure they could use a little more knee room, but that's true of a lot of cars. They tell me the seats are nice and firm and not uncomfortable.

While the back seats don't fold completely flat, they serve the purpose, especially for someone like me who probably won't be hauling much. They also are very easy to fold down...I can do it with one hand. Love the little loops on the back of the rear seats to hold grocery bags. My dog LOVES riding in the back! There's a neat little small cargo net area above the rear right wheel well where I can stash some poopy bags, a spare water dish, a couple of doggie toys, and some bungee cords.

OH! And another plus...the rear windows roll down ALL THE WAY! I don't think I've ever been in a vehicle where the rear passenger windows don't stop four or five inches from the bottom (a child safety feature, I think? If so, an annoying one!).

I like that the Liberty could haul a trailer if I wanted it to and/or has the ability to pull someone out of the mud or something if need be. I doubt it will ever be put to use, but it's nice to know it could be.

The Exterior:
I love the way the rear door opens, but I can see how someone living in a city may not since it opens to the side rather than upwards. I love how the rear window opens when you open the door.

Love the "Jeep look" of the grille. I wasn't very crazy about the grey plastic fenders at first, but I can see how they might be better than the molded fenders (less likely to get dented by shopping carts or whatever!!), so they've grown on me.

I love the color of my Jeep (Atlantic Blue Pearl), although they don’t have many colors to choose from. I’m not all that crazy about brighter colors (neon yellow, etc.), but it would be nice to see more color choices.

As I said, I didn't get a top-of-the-line model. I got a Sport (which is the least optioned) model, but it's got AC, a CD player, an automatic transmission, 3.7 liter V6, and electric remote side mirrors. The side mirrors are HUGE too!

The Ride:
One of the things I hate about driving my husband's Explorer is that it doesn’t have enough OOMPH when I'm getting on the highway from an on-ramp. [My husband loves his Explorer, by the way!] I commute from Southeastern Massachusetts to Providence, Rhode Island (about 15 miles), and when I put my foot on the gas to get on the highway, I want to know that the car’s going to respond (my Taurus did!). The Liberty does just that! Now, I won’t profess to be an expert when it comes to engines, and I don’t really know what the difference is between a 3.0 liter V6 and a 3.7 liter V6, but I don’t feel like I’ve given up any power as far as the engine goes, switching from a car (that was the 3.0L V6) to an SUV/"truck" (the 3.7L V6 Liberty). The Liberty zips right along, which is exactly what I’m used to doing;)

The gas mileage isn't very good, but I didn't expect it to be. It is after all an SUV. (It would figure, though, that gas prices skyrocketed three days after I bought it!)

The Liberty seems to brake smoother than my Taurus did, but then my Taurus was a '98 and I'd had it since 2000. The Liberty had 17 miles on it when I got it. Everything's nice and tight right now. I'll be sure to update this section after I've had it for awhile longer.

I was surprised at how tight the Liberty turns. I'm not one of those people who parks my new car 8 miles from the mall entrance...at an angle...taking up three spots...and I find that I can zip the Liberty right into even "tight" spots.

I don't have much opportunity for parallel parking, but should mention that backing up has been an adjustment - partly because the blind spots are in different places than they were in my Taurus and partly because of the dark tinted rear windows. The tinted windows aren't too bad during the day, but take some getting used to when backing up at night.

My husband says he feels better knowing that when Winter comes I’ll have 4WD if I need it, and I’ll admit that I feel the same, especially after missing time from work last year because we were snowed in. We took it to a local state park so he could show me how the 4WD works - it was simple, straightforward, and easy to use. I had visions of standing in mud or snow messing with the wheels (I guess that's how things USED to be), but it's really just a matter of pulling a stick. Even a dummy like me can figure it out:)

The only thing I can “complain” about is that there aren’t enough places to put things (i.e., change, etc.). But there again, less for me to abuse! As I said before, I like that the CD console is back further on the Liberty than it is on the Explorer; however, its being back further also makes it a hassle if you want to change CD’s while you’re driving because it’s awkward to get at the CD’s.

There is a buffeting sound when you have the rear windows down and not the front windows. I've also seen other people mention that in reviews. I don't really have a problem with it because I'm an AC girl in the summer and in the spring and fall, if I have the windows down, I usually have them all down, so it's not really an issue.

One other item of note, if you turn your headlights off after you’ve removed the ignition key, the lights stay on for eight minutes, which I think is a HUGE amount of time! I learned that from reading the manual, so I’m trying to get myself in the habit of turning the lights off before taking the key out.

The remote being on the key itself is kinda cool. Extra keys are around $130, though, as they have to be programmed by a dealer. You can, however, have a spare key made (at a hardware store or wherever) that will just open the doors, which is a relief. Thankfully, my new Jeep came with two keys.

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UPDATES:

9/11/05: The car now has about 950 miles on it. One thing I wish it had was a button inside the car, or at least a button on the rear door, that would pop the rear window. I find myself looking for that. This "con" bites the dust, thanks to a tip someone left in my Comments! See the 1/18/06 update below!!!I always found it convenient that if I had to get something out of (or put something into) the trunk of my car and didn't have my keys handy, I could open the door and push a button to pop the trunk. With the Liberty, I have to have my key to open the rear window. Also, with my husband's Explorer there is a handle to open the window. On the Liberty, without the key the only way to open the rear window is to open the rear door itself, which is sort of a pain if you really only wanted to open the window and toss something in the back. Obviously if the car's locked, you need your key anyway, but if it's sitting unlocked in your driveway and you want to get into the back, it's a pain. However, this would not be a deterrent for me when buying:) I'm still in love with it!

My 6-year-old niece said to me the other night when I took her out to eat: "Auntie, did you buy your car because it looks old-fashioned?" Haha, from the mouths of babes! The "old" Jeep styling of the grille IS something I liked about it!

9/15/05: Another plus I should mention is the turning. I was surprised at what a tight turn I get with my Liberty. No comparison with my hubby's Explorer. In that, I felt like I was driving a bus when it came to tight corners; in my Liberty, it's an absolute breeze! Parking is also very simple. I was nervous parking the Explorer, but I'm able to pull the Liberty into some tight spots, and backing in is no problem once I got used to the dark windows and the fact that the blind spots are in different spots than in my Taurus.

A con that really isn't a con...I have the standard issue cloth seats, grey, and a white Boxer. White Boxer fur and the cloth seats DO NOT MIX!! And the hairs are very tough to vacuum up with our shop vac (we had to go to a car wash and use a high-powered vac). Word to the Wise: If you have a dog and he/she will be riding on the seats, get/make some seat covers!!

11/9/05: I'm three months and 3,000 miles in and still loving my Liberty! I definitely still think it needs some more "cubbies," although I've gotten used to that and it gets me to keep my Jeep clean:) I'm dying for some snow, but the mild weather so far is frustrating! I will post an update once I've had an opportunity to try out the 4WD in the snow!

1/18/06: I know it's redundant, but I'm still loving my Liberty. Thanks to a tip in my comments, I now know that you CAN open the rear window without the remote key. You just pull gently on the rear door handle and the window will flip up (obviously, it has to be unlocked...which in my case is usually accomplished by knocking on the rear window and someone inside pokes the unlock button on the door). VERY convenient!! I now wonder if there are any other little hidden tricks (like the slot over the glove box for the manual) somewhere in my Libby!!! Unfortunately, still no snow:( I'm going to quit the updates at this point until I get to put the 4WD to some use, UNLESS something drastic happens.

1/20/07: Ok, so it's been just about a year since my last update. Told ya I wouldn't write until I got to try the 4WD out. Incredibly, I STILL haven't gotten to really use it:( I think I got to put it in 4WD for about 3 minutes last winter, to get me up a hill when there was some sleet on the road. You'd think that living in NEW ENGLAND, we'd at least have SOME snow...hell, they are having snow in TEXAS!!!! I cannot believe I bought a Jeep in August 2005 and we haven't had enough snow since then for me to use 4WD!!!! Whoever heard of 60 degree weather in Massachusetts in December and January?! It's insane!!

Anyway, I am STILL in love with my Libby. My only complaint at this point is that the cloth seats pick up too much grime...but then I guess that's true in any car with cloth seats. I will update again if I ever DO get to try out the damn 4WD!!
Amount Paid (US$): 19,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2005
Model and Options: Limited, Automatic, 3.7 V6