Turns Out You Really Can Have Fun In A $2,000 Jeep Liberty

Fred Williams' annual "Cheap Truck Challenge" is ostensibly designed to show us how to have the most fun off-road for the least amount of money. But it tends to devolve into a demolition derby pretty quickly. Oh, I'm not complaining!

This year we've got a $2,000 Jeep Liberty against a $1,600 K5 Chevy Blazer, which is a way cooler truck but pretty much any measure but Fred's two-wheel antics make a pretty decent case for the crappy little micro-Jeep.

The Jeep basically just has bigger tires, a welded rear differential, roll cage and substantial weight reductions "to make up for the knocking engine."

I love it. Can you imagine if you brought your poorly-running truck to a mechanic and they just hacked out a bunch of the interior to compensate for the power loss?

The Blazer gets big tires too, and new hubs. And nitrous? That's probably enough to balance out the cranky carburetor which apparently cuts out on uphills.

So who wins? Well, nobody really. Or everybody. Definitely you, for getting to enjoy this calamity without spending any money. I'm sure there are some legitimate tips to building an inexpensive toy truck in there somewhere, but, I don't know. Don't use a cutting torch unless mom says it's okay.