Range Rover - opinions?

[unclebilly]

The unstoppable part is why we got this vehicle. We didn't have a proper access road into our farm at first so I needed something that would not get stuck in snow drifts or spring run off when I would travel for work. Now she loves it and won't let me get her something newer.

[beepbeep]

Run away screaming

[Brian in VA]

None of the alternatives have any soul.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I'm not sure that soul to me is falling apart, shoddy workmanship, and non-existent engineering. Because that was my primary takeaway from owning a Discovery 1 for a while. I felt my FJ80 had a ton of character in addition to being utterly reliable. It was an overbuilt tank, much like an older Porsche I just always got the vibe that it was designed by people who were working to a standard, not a price point.

[JavaBrewer]

Sorry Matt but you're way off base. FJ80, it's a taco truck inside with nothing to stimulate senses other than outstanding performance and reliability But like I said, a run of the mill taco.

Disco I was a farm tool. Disco II a refined farm tool. Both oozed character and offered a ride that nothing in that segment could touch. Reliability was mostly bad but ours were mostly good. Oil drips are par for the course. Spend $2 on a piece of cardboard and problem solved. Discos drink premium fuel by the boat load. I don't miss our Disco (had a '97, '99, and '03) for a second but my wife still oogles the LR4s that she blows past on the highway in her Infiniti (no soul) G37. YMMV

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by Brian in VA

None of the alternatives have any soul.

Pu-lease. What kind of auto-wanking speak is that? You need something to get you through mud and the goddamn snow drifts. Not every moment of life requires Vivaldi. My F-150 XL serves me just fine when there is salt on the ground. Oh, but what will the neighbors think?!

[calimedeiros]

I had one great car trouble free for 5 years
these things take a lot of research to maintain them etc
head gaskets etc take out their ****ty coolant and put prestone
must buy a ultra gage to keep eye on engine temp
replace their oem drive shaft asap
if you do certain things it will look after you

[berettafan]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

Not just no, F no. We're talking 'let's get a wooden boat!' levels of bad juju.

that is too funny! once in a great while I search wooden boats online....then I come back to my senses.

[berettafan]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

The unstoppable part is why we got this vehicle. We didn't have a proper access road into our farm at first so I needed something that would not get stuck in snow drifts or spring run off when I would travel for work. Now she loves it and won't let me get her something newer.

grand Cherokee. nice size, comfortable, legit off road capability.

[Rot 911]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

Not every moment of life requires Vivaldi.

Maybe the best sentence ever written on this board.

As for me, I've been quite happy with the two 4Runners I have owned.

[Deschodt]

It's hard to go against the reliability reviews. But I'll just mention in passing that we've had a Disco 2, a 2005 LR3, a 2007 LR3, and now a 2011 RRS in the past 12 yrs - all used and sometimes outside extended warranty. Never once had a breakdown. Never had anything requiring an urgent trip to the dealer either.

The only thing repaired out of necessity that might have been expensive if not for the emissions warranty was one catalytic converter... And we paid for new keys once (stupid self recharging FOB dies, what's wrong with a 2032 battery every 3 years?)

Ironically the latest (2011) is the one we've taken back once because of the fancy media system no longer working and needing a reboot/upgrade and a key not syncing. The headliners tend to fall off on the older LR3s, too, watch for that, and the self recharging FOB is $$$... Never had any other issue. Zip ! I guess based on that record I should buy an IMS bearing Porsche !

I will always remember the mud/river trips we took, organized by the LR dealer, those effing cars are *amazing* off road and I don't even like trucks. Also several times driving through very flooded city roads in central FL when everyone else was stuck swimming, and the LR3 proudly not giving a crap and plugging along with the kids giggling at our bow wake. Those cars are fan-tas-tic, I'd have one for the zombie apocalypse.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by JavaBrewer

Sorry Matt but you're way off base. FJ80, it's a taco truck inside with nothing to stimulate senses other than outstanding performance and reliability But like I said, a run of the mill taco.

Disco I was a farm tool. Disco II a refined farm tool. Both oozed character and offered a ride that nothing in that segment could touch. Reliability was mostly bad but ours were mostly good. Oil drips are par for the course. Spend $2 on a piece of cardboard and problem solved. Discos drink premium fuel by the boat load. I don't miss our Disco (had a '97, '99, and '03) for a second but my wife still oogles the LR4s that she blows past on the highway in her Infiniti (no soul) G37. YMMV

To each his own, I thought my FJ80 had a huge amount of character. It's everything an old 4x4 should be - rugged, capable, reliable, and slow. Built like a tank, and about as fast. What sort of car is designed with two alternator belts for the sake of redundant reliability? At over 20 years old and 200k, the records since new showed an alternator as the only major mechanical repair. I did the fan clutch and water pump during my ownership. I'm fairly certain it had an easy 400k in it.

[berettafan]

indeed FJ80's are royalty in off road circles. that is those who truly want to use their vehicles off road and not just as mall crawlers.

[patz]

[KNS]

^^ People bought Pontiac Aztecs too.

[Brian in VA]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

Pu-lease. What kind of auto-wanking speak is that? You need something to get you through mud and the goddamn snow drifts. Not every moment of life requires Vivaldi. My F-150 XL serves me just fine when there is salt on the ground. Oh, but what will the neighbors think?!

Hahaha good one! Yep, kidding with that line but no green font on the ole iPhone, but we'd have missed this if I did.

OP I've got an aging LR3 that currently has a blocked sunroof drain, a new wobble in the steering, and the parking sensors just died. It's had a handful of issues but nothing major (so far) but compared to my wife's Honda, it is pretty sad. Still fun in heavy snow.

I really like the F-150s. When it's time for something newer, if I don't get something small I'm going to think hard about one of those. Or maybe that new Alfa

[Paul K]

Originally Posted by Brian in VA

None of the alternatives have any soul.

This. I don't know what it is that Range Rovers have but no other vehiclews have, but it's definitely there whilst being seriously lacking in just about everything else. I'm not sure if it's soul or not, but when I had Range Rovers & folks asked to check them out (mostly because they are uber-rare here) they's sit in the drivers seat & be astounded at how it felt.

There are good ones out there, but as I mentioned, they are most likely built from '08 on.

[unclebilly]

Originally Posted by berettafan

grand Cherokee. nice size, comfortable, legit off road capability.

Yah, no thanks...

I was given a Cherokee last year by a friend as a farm beater. He was the original owner and it literally had 2" of service records... I regifted it to a friend with kids in their early teens as a farm beater for them.

[wildthing]

I don't know. I used to like the Wrangler. Maybe it was MacGyver. He gave it soul. Hehe.

[unclebilly]

Originally Posted by JavaBrewer

Sorry Matt but you're way off base. FJ80, it's a taco truck inside with nothing to stimulate senses other than outstanding performance and reliability But like I said, a run of the mill taco.

Disco I was a farm tool. Disco II a refined farm tool. Both oozed character and offered a ride that nothing in that segment could touch. Reliability was mostly bad but ours were mostly good. Oil drips are par for the course. Spend $2 on a piece of cardboard and problem solved. Discos drink premium fuel by the boat load. I don't miss our Disco (had a '97, '99, and '03) for a second but my wife still oogles the LR4s that she blows past on the highway in her Infiniti (no soul) G37. YMMV

You sir, need to do some more research.

There is nothing in common between a Tacoma (Taco) and an 80 series Landcruiser (Lexus LX450). The 80 series came out in 1990 and has a lot of commonality with the old 70 series wagons. These were all engineered and built in Japan. There are A LOT more Toyota Landcruisers working in A LOT more rugged places than Land Rovers and Jeeps put together. In the Australian Outback, Sub Saharan Africa, South East Asia, South America, it is Land Cruisers that people trust their lives to.

The Tacoma, at least the early ones, were great trucks despite being designed and built in the US. The FJ cruiser and 4Runner are based on this chassis.

The North American Landcruisers and Lexus LX's built after 1997 are based on the Tundra / Sequoia chassis and are designed for the shopping mall rather than off road use (I own a 2011 TRD Tundra).