I am looking into an 05 liberty CRD, 120k miles. looks pretty good. seems to rattle when first taking off but not from the engine. and the average mileage on the console is 18.5, thought that is a little low. what other things should i look out for?

 

Since it is a VM engine they have a tendency to leak between the tranny and engine.
The seal is cheap, but the work is awful.

Check the tranny/engine for oil spots!

The mileage really depends on your right foot and on the tire size. The liberty is known to get 24 up to 26mpg. What tire size/profile is mounted?

 

I get around 21 in town and 27 on a trip. If it is at 120k make sure it has had the 100k service which includes the timing belt, and possibly the tensioners and water pump. My doesn't tell me the mileage but I have heard those electronic readouts tend to fib a little. Also make sure the Jeep is warming up all the way. The thermostat fails open on these libertys which don't allow them to reach the proper operating temperature which kills the fuel mileage. The temperature needle should be almost straight up or 1 to 2 ticks to the left. If its closer to a quarter then it probably needs a thermostat which is about 150 to 200 dollars. Hope ive helped