2008 Jeep Liberty looking good!

The 2008 Jeep Liberty is looking just as good as its predecessors. The Jeep Liberty is all-new for 2008. It is slightly bigger and has a smoother ride, but it maintains the ruggedness of the previous version. The Liberty continues to be one of the most popular Jeeps and SUVs.

The 2008 Liberty is quite capable off road, one of the best in its class. For the model year 2008 the Jeep Liberty comes with an Automatic transmission and V6 engine, with an average fuel economy of 22, which is not bad for an SUV. New car buyers can expect to see a MSRP of $22,700.00 which includes a basic 3 yr. / 36,000 mile warranty program from Jeep.

If you like the Liberty, Jeep has not let you down with the new model.

The year with my Jeep

Looking back over the year Jeepwise, I was very happy with my 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo (pictured on the right) and 2002 Jeep Liberty Sport (pictured below on the left). My wife mostly drove the Liberty until this winter. We keep the Liberty in our one-car garage. My Cherokee sits out in the cold weather of Eastern Nebraska. So when we want to go some place and there is ice on the windows of my Cherokee, we take the Liberty. I like driving them both. Each has its advantages.

My Cherokee is approaching 100,000 miles. That's not a big deal these days, especially for Jeeps which can get very high mileage. But it still seems like a big deal to me.

The first car I remember my Dad driving, a 1949 Dodge, blew the engine with just 42,000 miles on it. Of course it probably didn't help that we were stuck in mud on a country road and Dad was rocking it back and forth try to get unstuck. But I remember him talking about how when a car had 50,000 miles on it, it was shot. Done for. Should have gotten rid of it long ago. That was back in the days when the 12 mile trip to town was a big deal. We only did that once or so a month. So it took a long time to put on a lot of miles in those days. Yes, I'm that old that I'm now talking about the good old days!

So you'll have to forgive me for lamenting the fact that my Cherokee is approaching 100,000 miles. I plan to keep it for a long time yet, so I better get used to it. Most of the cars I have had have gone well over 100,000, so I should be used to it by now. I guess I just like my Jeep and I don't want it to get old.

The only problem I had this past year was a heater problem back in March. That was a frustrating experience. Now I'm having another unusual problem, again with the heater. The blower won't stay blowing where it is supposed to. If I have it blowing at the floor level, any time I accelerate or go up a slight hill, the blower cycles through the dashboard vent and up to the defroster. On the other side of the hill, or when I decelerate, it will finally cycle back to the floor. It is not that big a deal except when it is really cold. Then my feet get cold while driving and I get this blast of hot air in my face while it cycles through the dashboard vents. I guess I'll have to go back to the repair shop eventually. Anyone out there had that same problem? I don't think it is related, but my cruise control doesn't keep a steady pace. That started about the same time as the heater problem. Going up a long hill, it will slow down about 10 miles per hour if I don't step on the gas. It didn't do that until the past six months or so.

Other than that, I still really like my Jeeps. I'm hooked. I'm afraid I will be a Jeep man forever.

My Jeep is my assistant

Assistants are great! When I first got my Jeeps, I didn't even notice the Passenger Assist Handles. It was not something I was used to, although in the Stratus I used to have, it would have helped to have them to grab on to for climbing up out of the car. The Stratus sat pretty low. Then I started using the Assist handles in my Liberty and Cherokee. They are located in a handy spot, just about head height on the front door post. Since then, I've noticed I automatically use them when getting in and out. I'm not saying I'm getting old, but they sure work good. Just in case you are wondering, I'm practicing using them before I get old so I'm used to them when I do get old.

I love those mirrors

As I was carrying the meat into our house today, I went through our garage. Afterwards, my wife pointed out that the smart thing to do would have been to back her Jeep Liberty out of the garage so there would have been more room. But I was too lazy for that. Besides, I had already backed my Jeep Grand Cherokee into the driveway right behind her Liberty. To change it now would have meant admitting I was wrong, which I don't like to do. So I carried huge boxes of meat through the garage next to her Liberty. There isn't a lot of room there, and when I got to the mirrors, I had a little problem. I couldn't turn sideways because of the large box of meat. If only those mirrors weren't there sticking out in my way. Oh wait! They are fold away mirrors. I just folded the mirror back and had just enough room to get through. I love those fold away mirrors. It kept me from having to admit I made a mistake.

Fold away Mirrors on Jeep Liberty and Grand Cherokee

Both of my Jeeps, the Grand Cherokee and the Liberty (oops, my wife just looked at this and said the Liberty is hers) have a feature I've not had on any previous vehicle - fold away side mirrors. These mirrors fold out of the way either backwards or forwards.

Car dealers like the feature because they can fold them back making more room to walk between vehicles on their crowded car lots. But it is a good feature not just for car dealers. If you have ever seen a car driving down the road with the side mirror dangling by the wires you can see the advantage. My jeep mirrors will fold away if they get hit, rather than break off leaving an unsightly mess.

Fold away mirrors of course cannot be folded back while driving. However, if the unforseen happens, they can save a costly repair. You never know when a sturdy mailbox might jump out at you. Or a parked car could suddenly swerve over to sideswipe you. Not to mention crazy drivers who just get to close, or a drunk in the parking lot stumbling into the mirror. I applaud fold away mirrors!

Jeep Liberty Dash

While this blog is about features I like about my Jeeps, this particular post is about a feature that I don't like as well. That is the dash on my Jeep Liberty, or to be more honest, the lack of a dash. There is a covering to hide the wires and ugly stuff underneath, but it has no usable space. I'm sure the primary purpose of a dash is not for storing things, but there is no place in a Jeep Liberty to store anything temporarily. The console has a CD storage area and a dual drink holder. But if the CD storage area is full, there is no place to put a pair of sun glasses, for example. Of course, there is the glove compartment. Or one could use a holder on the visor, although I do not like things on my visor. But when I take my sunglasses off while going in the store for a little while, I would rather just place them somewhere convenient, like on the dash. I have tried putting them on the passenger seat, but got a pair smashed when someone sat on them.

In a Jeep Liberty, to get the wheel base short enough for the body style, the dash had to go. That's alright. I still like the Liberty. But give me a dash, any dash, just some dash to use. I promise I'll use it wisely and carefully.

You Wouldn't Understand

Being the owner of two Jeeps, it is hard to explain. These are my first SUVs after driving sporty cars most of my life with a few family cars thrown in while our son was growing up. So why do I feel so at home in a Jeep?

It is hard to explain. Driving in my Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, I like the sense of being "up there" where I can see what's going on around me instead of looking out and seeing pick-up headlights staring me in the face. It is more comfortable being able to see the truck driver rather than counting the lug nuts on the truck tires because they are at eye-level. I like the much improved traction of the on-demand 4-wheel drive system on snow-packed roads and parking lots. I like the added sense of security of the 4 wheel anti-lock disc brake system on my Grand Cherokee. I felt much more at ease when my wife was commuting 35 miles each way to work last winter in her Jeep Liberty.

While the gas mileage isn't quite as good as the cars I used to drive, the feel and functionality of the Jeeps more than make up for the 4-5 mpg I lost. I like the feel, the looks, the handling. I like it all.

I believe it is really true as the bumper sticker states:
"It's a Jeep thing. You wouldn't understand."

My Jeep Mistake

Back in my younger years, I never imagined driving a Jeep. I was into the classic cars. My 56 Ford Fairlane hardtop with glass packs and fender skirts got me through my High School days very well. Jeeps were for flying over sand dunes. There were no sand dunes anywhere around my central Nebraska farm community, so hence, no need for a jeep.

The “need” began to change a couple of years ago. The ads showing Jeep Liberties climbing the mountains began to appeal to me. Yes, I still live in Nebraska, and no, there are no mountains here. But there are snow storms, and most winters I had at least a few difficult run-ins with snow drifts in my road-hugging sporty cars. The 4-wheel drive capability of the Jeep Liberty had a lot of appeal. One day I broke down and took a very convincing test-drive in a 2002 Jeep Liberty. I immediately liked the responsive steering, the feel of really being in control of the vehicle, the feel of power from the V-6 engine, and the possibility of being able to haul something larger than a bag of groceries. The sun roof and excellent stereo system were just icing on the cake. So that day I became the proud owner of a Jeep Liberty.

Then I made a big mistake. I let my wife try it out. One time, one tiny little drive, and she wanted my Jeep Liberty. So exactly one week later, we were back at the same dealer looking at more Jeeps. This time I test drove a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. There were features I liked even better than on the Liberty – a little more comfortable ride, greater hauling capacity, electric seats, an information center to tell me the temperature, average gas mileage, if I left a door open, etc. I am a statistical person, so this is all fun information to know. So that day I became the proud owner of another Jeep. And I like them both. I hardly ever get to drive the Liberty, but when I do, I remember why I liked it so much the first time I drove it. I remain the proud owner of two Jeeps.