Jeep Liberty and the mud?

[2cm]

Hey, I am looking for a new car... Right now i drive a 2000 honda civic, and i kind of want something a little bigger and can take on some light to heavy mud, but also I want it to handle good in the city and be my daily driver. I will most likely get some decent mud tires, and maybe a few inches of a lift...

How well does this car stack up in the mud and offroad?

and how good of a car is it? will i be at the shop with this one often or not?

I would love something that will be as reliable as my civic, but i understand 4x4 takes on more of a beating and it just might have to go to the shop every so often, but i dont want it in there often at all!

I was thinking about the Renegade 4x4 with the 6 speed manual trans, how hard is it to come by one of these things used?

Thanks, and any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
2cm

[mx52nv]

better off with a 96-99 cherokee, the Liberty is a disgrace to the Cherokee and will never be as good. sure it rides great on pavement, but I have pulled a few out on the trail where a Cherokee drove right through.

[AlohaBra]

I am with the last guy...the 97-2001 Cherokee is a worthy off roader,
however the last one made was in 2001. I just bought an 01 with 50,000 miles on it for $12,000 in Calif.. Also, looked at the new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with the 4.0L engine, same length as the Cherokee, but twice the money. Different auto transmission though.

I think I would go with the UnLimited.

[wilwith1l]

rusty's off road in the middle of nowhere alabama is building a liberty for the mud, they are straight axling it and long arming, but thats beside the point. It shows that they can handle mud.
[url=http://www.rustysoffroad.com/article_projectliberty.html]

[JViking]

Originally Posted by AlohaBra

I am with the last guy...the 97-2001 Cherokee is a worthy off roader,
however the last one made was in 2001. I just bought an 01 with 50,000 miles on it for $12,000 in Calif.. Also, looked at the new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with the 4.0L engine, same length as the Cherokee, but twice the money. Different auto transmission though.

For the curious, here in Norway the Liberty is called Cherokee, probably the rest of europe as well.

[Ray H]

I own a 96 XJ and can testify that they are reliable and capable. That being said, mud is not good for any vehicle. If you just want a couple inches of lift and run moderate size tires (31"), theres nothing wrong with a Liberty. There are several companies making small, inexpensive lifts for them that will allow room to run 31" tires and the aftermarket is gaining speed for them. If you want to go bigger, you should go for the Cherokee. The sky is the limit for lifts just depending on what size tire you want and how much $$$ you want to spend. the Libertys are prooving to be on par with everything else as far as reliability.
Again, nothing wrong with the Cherokee, I wouldnt part with mine for anything, but the Liberty isnt the devil vehicle its sometimes made out to be, it just has limits off road.