Best Land Rover?

[1990C4S]

Is there such a thing?

I am doing a lot of winter commuting this year, snow belt area, my 996 is not the right car.

I've always liked the Land Rover look, the size, and the interior.

Are there any decent Land Rovers? My gut feel is no....and spending $60k on a 4x4 with a warranty doesn't interest me.

[RKDinOKC]

They are like boats. The best one is the one you just sold.

Had an older Cayenne S fpr 3 years. Only $10K, drove like new and had very few problems. Waterpump and exhaust leak was it.

Have traded up to a Turbo cause I couldn't help myself. About twice as much to put one year older in the same condition. Not sure how it is going to handle slick roads. Puts down so much power so quickly.

[recycled sixtie]

My son in law bought a used one about two years ago. He had it transported from the Toronto are. I think it is about five years old. Not sure which model but it is not small.
He really likes it and it has been reliable for him.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by RKDinOKC

The best one is the one you just sold.

"I swear the God", as my east European ex-MIL used to say. This comment is righteous.

Get a 95 Defender 90 to fiddle with and a 2004 Corolla to commute.

[scottmandue]

I had a friend with a stock Toyota Landcruise that was practically indestructible.
Same could be said of certain years of the Jeep Cherokee.

Not what you asked, sorry.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Land Cruiser is the answer.

But if Land Rover is the question, simple is better. Defender, Series, Disco 1 are dirt simple trucks. Disco 2 starts a downwards spiral, just google "3 amigos".....

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Defender, Series, Disco 1 are dirt simple trucks.

They are like farm equipment.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

They are like farm equipment.

Exactly! And they can be fixed with duct tape, bailing wire, and JB Weld.

[CarreraDan]

What a loaded question. What do you really want out of your winter beater? What kind of owner are you? Do you have to have a perfect car with nothing wrong with it--do little issues gnaw at you at night when it comes to your vehicles?

I have owned 2 Discovery 2's, had a 2000 for a year and now have had an 03 for one year. I love the Discovery 2, it has soul and personality. It can take you places you would never dream of trying to drive yet cruises down the highway in complete comfort. Land Rover was a good 8 years ahead of the competition when it comes to traction control. The key is you must buy a well loved example and not a Craigslist whore. My 2003 was very well loved and the underside looks new as it was always garage kept. My 2000 was the opposite and it had the rust to prove it. Over the last year I have rebuilt the 03 into a weekend warrior that will easily run moderate trails yet can still be driven to work during the week. The plan is to take it out west and explore the rockies and Moab in the next few years. I have built it with reliability first and it has been a fun project. Yes, I did put a new engine in it as the original 4.6 was dead but the price was right.

You will hear about slipped cylinder liners, bad oil pumps, multiple mis fires, 3 amigo's, etc. Most of these issues are easily found with a good inspection before buying. A code reader will tell you a lot if you look in the stored codes. The 3 Amigo's can be a pain but it has been beat to death on the rover forums and if you buy the right code reader the underlying issues are not that bad to fix. I enjoy working on cars, I loved my 88 Carrera and enjoy tinkering in the garage. I have lots of tools and other cars to drive if the Rover acts up. I daily drive it most days to work (Cayman is a garage queen) and it has always gotten me home. With good tires they kick ass in the snow. The bad thing is fuel economy as I get 12-13 and yes you should run 93 octane.

I have dumped a lot of money into my Discovery, I know I could have bought a nicer Toyota or much newer Jeep but I love the Rover and would do it again in a heartbeat. The other Rover guys are a blast to wheel with and very helpful with advise. There is a very large underground of DIY Land Rover repair. Here is my 2003, next is rock sliders and diff guards, then front bumper and winch.

Forgot to add, I would buy a non SAI (secondary air injection) truck if I did it over, it adds a level of PIA to work around but was standard by 2003 in the US. The 4.6 is much stronger than the 4.0 so it is a trade off.

[Scott Douglas]

My son and his wife just got her a LR a few months ago. Not sure of the model but it has Sport in the name and supercharged V-6 under the hood, if I recall. It moves pretty good when you put your foot into it. He did complain tonight on the phone that the brake pads dust something fierce, but that's been his only complaint so far, far as I know.

[Scott R]

This is my 11' 5.0L Super I have this for going back and forth to Denver and Eagle and Vail. It pulls like a train; confident on the worst storms and massively comfy to drive. Nice little extras like heated steering wheel and de-icing windshields are always nice.




Oh, and so far only oil changes.

edit: It's a Range Rover Sport

[Nickshu]

No Land Rover thread would be complete without posting this video (again):

[nynor]

disco 1, here. we've had it since 2000.

[impactbumper]

I like looking at pics of Defenders. The new Discovery commercial is arguably the gayest commercial of all times.


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[Jeff Higgins]

Simple, reliable, virtually indestructible - everything Land Rover owners pine for, at a fraction of the cost of ownership - my '93 Land Cruiser. Factory diff locks front and rear and a transfer lock in the middle make it unstoppable off road. Leather, air, cruise control, sun roof make it a joy to drive on the street. I don't understand why anyone would settle for a Rover when Cruisers like this are out there in large numbers.

[unclebilly]

Agree with Jeff and others.

My wife's 97 Lexus LX450 is bullet proof. It has front and rear lockers and a centre diff lock. I added the TRD supercharger and the factory winch from a JDM truck.

Last fall we took it wheeling up some quad trails to a plane crash site in the Canadian Rockies. The jeep guys we were with aired down their tires and ran in 4 low. To make a point, I did not air down and drove up in AWD. On the way down the steep and slippery trail, I used 4 low and locked the diffs.

I have used it to pull larger trucks out of the snow several times. It is amazing off road and has good road manners. The draw back? It is 20 years old.

[1990C4S]

Okay. That idea is dead. Volvo SUV, or maybe the Lexus version of the Land Cruiser.

I enjoy fixing and maintaining cars. To a point. Looks like Land Rover is way past my point.

[recycled sixtie]

I really like our 2011 Lexus RX350 suv bought in 2015 with extended warranty. Never been off road but love the smoothness, reliability. Put 15k miles on it and now has 50k miles on it.

[Yorkie]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Simple, reliable, virtually indestructible - everything Land Rover owners pine for, at a fraction of the cost of ownership - my '93 Land Cruiser. Factory diff locks front and rear and a transfer lock in the middle make it unstoppable off road. Leather, air, cruise control, sun roof make it a joy to drive on the street. I don't understand why anyone would settle for a Rover when Cruisers like this are out there in large numbers.

It's one of those "if you have to ask you would not understand" things. It totally makes sense to avoid a Land Rover and buy Japanese but there is something abiut persisting with recalcitrant machinery that possesses soul. I swear my 1990 RR was assembled by murderers and drunks but I loved it until I could bear the pain no more. A first gen Disco is on my horizon.

[carmad]

Get Lexus GX470, relatively cheap, quite a few companies offering after-market equipment. Gen 4 4Runner/FJ frame and suspension. Get rid of airbags, I converted to springs all round with 3 inch lift, takes me anywhere I have wanted to go, and reliable.