WHAT KIND OF FRAME ON A 2003 JEEP LIBERTY 2WD?

5143 Views 4 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Don_P, Aug 3, 2012

Don_P

Discussion Starter · Jul 30, 2012

I am looking at buying (Private sale) a 2003 Jeep Liberty Limited 2WD with 61,000 miles on it. It has been in an accident. The owner said the right fender and bumper was replaced or repaired in 2008. His daughter drove it to and from college; long distance commute.

According to 'Auto Check' it lists the damage as moderate. There have been 2 owners of this vehicle.

Is this a Frame car or a Uni-Body frame? I am worried about alignment problems. Is there any concern that this car will never be properly aligned because of the accident?

What other items should I be concerned with when looking at the vehicle? I have only viewed a few pictures. I will take a hard look tomorrow so any input will be greatly appreciated.

Don

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TWX

· #2 · Jul 30, 2012

It's unibody.

I suggest paying a body shop to check the vehicle over. It's worth spending a C-note to verify. They should be able to get it up on the rack and to measure to see if it's straight. Body shops can do a lot to fix a car, depending on how good the techs are and how much money is willing to be spent on it. Sometimes the work is really shoddy though, as was the case on a crashed Stratus that I bought and parted out. It had been crashed previously and they just cut off the damage and welded some fresh metal on, but didn't even complete the welds- it looked like they tacked it to align it and never got back to finishing the welds!

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valiant67

· #3 · Jul 30, 2012

I would closely inspect the tires. If it's been several thousand miles since the accident in 2008 and the tires look good (even wear and not brand new) you can decide if it's worthwhile before even spending any money checking it out.

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BlackSheep01

· #4 · Jul 31, 2012

Second checking the tires. Additionally, drive it -- find a level spot, pull up where you have 1,000 feet or so, point it straight and let go the steering wheel. Slow down, speed up, try turns (forward and in reverse) both directions.
Listen for funky noises or rubbing sounds or "thunks" coming back up in the steering column.

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Don_P

Discussion Starter · #5 · Aug 3, 2012

Thanks for everyone's input. The vehicle rode steady. The tire wear looked just about even as a layman can determine. I took the Liberty to a local Jeep dealer for a check-up. They wrote up about $1600 worth of repair work. The owner, the father selling his daughter's car, did not like the repair report even though they used that Dealership for periodic maintenance and repairs. Because of his irate reaction over the report, I decided not to buy the vehicle from him.

Thanks again...Don

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