Land Rovers?

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Knifein

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I'm not exactly sure where to post this so I'll just post it here. Mods feel free to move this if it is in the wrong place.

So, I've been wanting to buy a new SUV and I've acquired enough money for a Land Rover Discovery I've been wanting for years. The Discovery is no doubt my favorite SUV and one of my top 5 favorite vehicles of all time. I'm so compelled to buy one right now but the issue of their reliability is the only thing impeding me to do so. From what I've read Land Rovers have a very close relationship with auto repair shops. If I buy it, it will be used for an everyday vehicle and off roading on the weekends.

Has anyone ever had experience with Rovers? Would you recommend or not recommend them?
 
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I know two guys who owned one. Neither enjoyed the experience after the newness wore off. They said they would never consider one in the future. YMMV.
 
They are plagued by major engine and electrical issues. the Discovery is good looking though and is a fun drive

I would not take a chance on any LR except an the old Defender 90 or 110...and I would buy it only at a bargain price knowing I would have to put serious money into it.
 
bandaidman said:
They are plagued by major engine and electrical issues. the Discovery is good looking though and is a fun drive

I would not take a chance on any LR except an the old Defender 90 or 110...and I would buy it only at a bargain price knowing I would have to put serious money into it.
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I guess I'd be better off with an older model Toyota Land Cruiser.
 
I had two Discoveries which had major problems: engine oil leaks and finally total hydraulic ( suspension) failure. Also underpowered. Buyer beware.
 
A good friend of mine bought a Discovery. He is very much an Anglophile, and was in heaven over the purchase (he brought it over to my house the next day to show me the plaque that says that the Queen drives this, or something like that).

In no time at all, he came to hate the car. It needed repairs all the time. The parts had to come from England, and there were always delays in shipments. Also, he claimed that Rover uses idiosyncratic specs in all their parts. What that means is that unlike a US or Japanese car--or any other make--they don't use standard sizes for anything. Thus, you can't use any aftermarket parts unless they are licensed. Thinl lug nuts and oil filters; these things are all in standardized sizes. If he was right, you can't change anything, get even basic service, without paying premium prices

One time he and I were at a military show in England with a lot of tricked out Rovers. One guy had hand made a missle replica to put by his auto (i.e. to make it look more martial). The guy had a small decal made up for it, very official looking, that read, "Warning: Made From Used Land Rover Parts". My buddy was on the floor laughing, and that's when the stories started pouring out.

They were a ton of fun to drive, he said, esp. off-road; nothing goes like those babies through mud. But a total pain to own.

Also, he let me take it out to drive, on the freeway. I found the acceleration terrible, a lot like the Honda Civic with 100,000 miles I had. I could feel the power in the car, but the gearing was for hard climbs, not regular 55 mph plus. In all fairness, this was a few years ago, so the newer models may have improved.
 
Knifein said:
Does anyone know if the Range Rovers are made better than the Discovery's?
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After my second Discovery I got a Range Rover Sport which was excellent. I don't know about the big Land Rover, The Sport is a different chassis and the big Kahuna is supposed to have higher quality control. The Sport was great but I only had it four years. I loved it.
 
Knifein said:
I guess I'd be better off with an older model Toyota Land Cruiser.
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Definitely, Those are tanks! We've had ours for 18years and its still going strong. My uncle had an LR for off road and out of town trips, after awhile he traded it for a Land Cruiser like ours.
 
Jusy fyi: one time when I was in London a few years ago, I watched a local tv show comparing how different vehicles made it through mud. The pitch was to show off the Brits Rovers of course. The show featured thick, heavy, sticky mud; horrible stuff, and deep. It defeated Jeeps, everything else. The Rover made it through, of course.

So did one other car: the Toyota Land Cruiser. And, if I recall, Consumer Reports gives it an A for reliability.
 
I had a Discovery II for about 4 years and even though it had the leak issues that they are famous for, I still loved it. My only issue with it was for long road trips my wife cound it very uncomfortable....I was fine but a road trip with a cranky co-pilot sucks..
Anywho...I still miss that truck..
If you do decide to get oe make sure you join the forum muddyoval.com. Great bunch of people !!:thumbup:
 
only know one person who owned a land rover (discovery iirc) and it was turned in under the lemon law.
 
I see a lot of right hand drive Toyota Land Cruisers imported from Japan -- going rate in Canada is around $20,000 for a vehicle which has likely never been driven off road. I owned three North American (left hand drive) Land Cruisers (until the price hit $60,000+ a decade ago or so), used them hard and were some of my favorite vehicles.
 
Alberta Ed said:
I see a lot of right hand drive Toyota Land Cruisers imported from Japan -- going rate in Canada is around $20,000 for a vehicle which has likely never been driven off road. I owned three North American (left hand drive) Land Cruisers (until the price hit $60,000+ a decade ago or so), used them hard and were some of my favorite vehicles.
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he is not asking about the toyota, but the land rover brand.
 
MORIMOTOM said:
he is not asking about the toyota, but the land rover brand.
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Knifein said:
I guess I'd be better off with an older model Toyota Land Cruiser.
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Current quality control is reported to be better in Land Rover's today but, with a change in ownership and a bad economy I'm not sure I would want to gamble on that purchase with my hard earned money.

As noted in the posts above, an older Defender or a Toyota Land Cruiser might be better options if you want/need real off-road performance in a daily driver. For similar or less money, the polish and plushness of a Japanese brand "soft" SUV might be a better choice. I like my Toyota Tundra a lot so, a Sequoia would get a good look from myself. Also, the Infinity and Lexus SUV's are worth a look.

Have you considered a Ford Raptor? They are a lot cheaper and come tricked out from the factory for desert racing "pre-runs". You could enjoy the benefits of the blue oval ownership/dealership experience and have something that is unique and truly off-road capable, though not really a mud monster.
 
from what I've heard from land rover owners round here (and there are plenty of 'em) they can be excellent 4x4s, if you put some time and effort into sorting it out first.

so, if you are looking for a heavy use off roader, they work, and work better than most of the competition, once you've got it up and running.
for a general use, mainly road based SUV, you can probably get something as good, if not better, without the aggro of the tinkering needed to get it working.

I would consider one myself over most of the competition simply due to the very easy availabity of parts and knowledgeable mechanics round my way, since I'm in the british countryside, where it seems all the farms and simmilar places have atleast one linked to them, and plenty of other "country folk" have one, if only to pull the horse box.
 
I had a Range Rover, my dad has a Discovery. Don't do it!

You know that Range Rover invented the rear window defroster...It was originally used to keep your hands warm while you were pushing it!
 
Get a Hummer 1.
 
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