Land Rovers?

Man dont do it! i sold off a 1999 Disco and have not looked back! parts are really spendy gas mileage sucks i will never buy a Rover again
 
There are some basics truths mixed in with a lot of misinformation here.
I own two Discos, an '03 Disco II and a '97 Disco I, and started a company building offroad parts for Land Rovers.
I constantly deal with LR owners.

If you're the kind of owner who drops his your vehicle at the dealership for an oil change a LR is probably not for you.
If you are looking for a low maintenance, drive and forget, vehicle, then a LR is probably not for you.
If you want a smooth mini van ride for your soccer wife, a LR is probably not for you.
If you want a trouble free vehicle with good mileage to send your daughter away to college in, don't even think about it.

However

If you do your own work, don't mind little problems, and want a vehicle that will go anywhere you point it. Don't hesitate.
They are some of the easiest vehicles in the world to work on. They are truly designed to be fixed in the middle of the Sahara with a pliers and a screwdriver.
As an offroad vehicle they're superior.

Myths:
-Major mechanical problems common- LRs last. They are designed very well, and the major stuff works well. Earlier Discovery Is (pre 2000) would sometimes blow head gaskets at 80,000 miles. If that happened, you replaced it and you were good for 200,000.
There's a reason that 90% of all LRs ever built (since the 40s) are still on the road.

-Parts are expensive and hard to find- IF you buy from the dealership that is true, however, NO ONE should ever set foot in a LR dealership.
Most all parts are available in aftermarket form. Most are stocked at you local Carquest. There is also a huge network of used parts dealers for these. I personally know of four different guys who buy totaled LRs from insurance companies for parting out. Parts are plentiful and reasonable.

Land Rover has an image problem here in the US.
We think of them as this boutique brand of high end SUVs
In the rest of the world they're known as the vehicle that goes everywhere/does everything.

Land Rover does the big things well. As basic vehicles that will go everywhere, they're superior.
It's the little thing that throw them; switches go bad, AC is so-so, anti-lock brakes are a constant source of pain.
IOW, they don't do bells-and-whistles well.

When you buy an $80,000 Range Rover, you get pissed off when the sunroof switch goes out. Even more so when the LR stealership (not a misspell) charges you $120/hr to replace it.

Twice.

Because of this, I recommend buying the most basic model you can. The fewer things that can go wrong the better.
Yes, you will have to maintain it. Yes, you will have things go wrong.

Oh, and yes, it will leak oil.

If you can live with that, they're very cool trucks.
 
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I owned a lr disco 2 I loved it so If you want one buy one. But have another vehical to drive when the rover is in the shop. I drove mine about the first 50k and has little issues. lots of electrical gremlins and things like window motors failing and such. then my wife drove it about 20k in that time it required new motor, new trans, and was in the shop often for leaks and AC and charging system repair. My wife totaled the rover at about 72k in a very violent accident that she walked away from without a scratch.
 
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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yep they are crap... made poorly.. too many of my mountain buddys had them and they do their own work.. the went back to toyotas and jeeps (jeeps, now thats bad bc in reality they are not that much better in quality than the rovers imo)
 
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roxtar said:
There are some basics truths mixed in with a lot of misinformation here.
I own two Discos, an '03 Disco II and a '97 Disco I, and started a company building offroad parts for Land Rovers.
I constantly deal with LR owners.

If you're the kind of owner who drops his your vehicle at the dealership for an oil change a LR is probably not for you.
If you are looking for a low maintenance, drive and forget, vehicle, then a LR is probably not for you.
If you want a smooth mini van ride for your soccer wife, a LR is probably not for you.
If you want a trouble free vehicle with good mileage to send your daughter away to college in, don't even think about it.

However

If you do your own work, don't mind little problems, and want a vehicle that will go anywhere you point it. Don't hesitate.
They are some of the easiest vehicles in the world to work on. They are truly designed to be fixed in the middle of the Sahara with a pliers and a screwdriver.
As an offroad vehicle they're superior.

Myths:
-Major mechanical problems common- LRs last. They are designed very well, and the major stuff works well. Earlier Discovery Is (pre 2000) would sometimes blow head gaskets at 80,000 miles. If that happened, you replaced it and you were good for 200,000.
There's a reason that 90% of all LRs ever built (since the 40s) are still on the road.

-Parts are expensive and hard to find- IF you buy from the dealership that is true, however, NO ONE should ever set foot in a LR dealership.
Most all parts are available in aftermarket form. Most are stocked at you local Carquest. There is also a huge network of used parts dealers for these. I personally know of four different guys who buy totaled LRs from insurance companies for parting out. Parts are plentiful and reasonable.

Land Rover has an image problem here in the US.
We think of them as this boutique brand of high end SUVs
In the rest of the world they're known as the vehicle that goes everywhere/does everything.

Land Rover does the big things well. As basic vehicles that will go everywhere, they're superior.
It's the little thing that throw them; switches go bad, AC is so-so, anti-lock brakes are a constant source of pain.
IOW, they don't do bells-and-whistles well.

When you buy an $80,000 Range Rover, you get pissed off when the sunroof switch goes out. Even more so when the LR stealership (not a misspell) charges you $120/hr to replace it.

Twice.

Because of this, I recommend buying the most basic model you can. The fewer things that can go wrong the better.
Yes, you will have to maintain it. Yes, you will have things go wrong.

Oh, and yes, it will leak oil.

If you can live with that, they're very cool trucks.
Click to expand...

omg, just get a dang toyota! (older model not the new new new ones:D)
 
A friend of mine bought a used Land Rover Defender from 200x with 290.000 kilometers
. he is driving it since 3 years and it performs great. He drove it in scandinavia in winter, in hot summers on the mediterranean sea and he only had a minor problem with the electronic which was fixed for little money. He drives very recklessly and likes to go through forests and deep creeks, on the beach and in very rough terrain with huge holes in the ground. He is very happy with it and I am thrilled whenever I get the chance to drive it. It WILL go anywhere you want more than any other car I know (forget the new range rovers etc.) He recently pulled a medium sized digger out of the ditch with no problems at all. What I adore about this car are the large windows - it feels like sitting in a glass house - no comparison to any modern car I know. Also if you watch big expedition rallies/races in extreme conditions, 90% of the cars used are Land Rover Defenders.

Furthermore he has told me that his experience is that replacement parts are surprisingly cheap to get - I have to mention that he is from central Europe though!

Only things which you cannot expect are:

speed : over 140 km/h it´s too expensive
silence: over 120 km/h it gets pretty noisy!!

Best regards,

l.
 
Now, granted, my Discovery might be slightly different than others :D:

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I recommend buying the most basic model you can. The fewer things that can go wrong the better.
Yes, you will have to maintain it. Yes, you will have things go wrong.

Oh, and yes, it will leak oil.

If you can live with that, they're very cool trucks.
Click to expand...

As a 2003 Disco II owner, I am biased, and I thank Roxtar for his post. They are definitely a shadetree-mechanic-friendly vehicle; and they will require some attention. I have been reading on the rover forums since I bought the truck, and the info there really has taken the mysticism out of "it's foreign. there are no parts available, and if they are they will cost your first born." I find it more a pain to find parts reasonably for my wife's VW Jetta (if you want to talk POS cars, we can start a new thread on "The people's car.")

As for buying the base model, this is good advice. Much of what is known to be faulty in the NA Spec Disco series is attributable to the plush add-ons the American Luxury market has made "necessary" in a Rover. The Air suspension WILL FAIL - so avoid it. The Anti-roll stability modulator as well. I bought the base, or "S" model, and the only thing I (or my wife) wish I had was leather seats. Also, I am told that the last year of the Disco SeriesII in the US, 2004, is also the best, regarding reliability.

Regarding off-roading: I am a waterfowl hunter in Northeast PA. My Disco is asked to plow through upwards of 10" of snow, ice, and mud-laced puddles. It never hesitates to get me through. In my previous vehicle (a Ford pickup) I would never have made it through a lot of spots the Disco gets through; and being out there alone in sub-freezing weather digging out is not something I wish to do. I don't have to anymore, as long as I have this vehicle. I've even had to tow out Dodges and Chevy pickups when my buddies got stuck. This vehicle is great off-road.

Admittedly less-than-stellar:
fuel economy - it is a permanent 4wd truck with a V8. Although, while towing my boat, it shows no appreciable difference in fuel economy. No matter how you drive it, expect 13-14MPG on 91 octane.

power: *it really should have 1 more gear in the auto transmission. The 4.6 V8 puts out a shade over 300ft-lb of torque; plenty. Just get used to pulling down into 3rd when you need to convince the engine to get out of the 1.5k RPM dolldrums. This is an on-road, high-gear, passing other vehicles complaint; not an issue at all in lowrange/offroad driving.


Oh, and yes, it will leak oil.
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I was once told by another Rover owner: "if it's not leaking, get worried because it's got no more fluid left to leak." I thought this amusing.

The Rover is the kind of vehicle, that if you love it and its legend, you will maintain it and (sometimes) enjoy its quirks. My truck has 72K on the odometer, and I plan to own and drive my Disco II until I roll over 200K (and then build it up as a pure off-road machine, not just a daily driver :D)

just my 2c
 
I guess the best way to put it is like this:

Yamaha Venture vs Harley

The Venture, has a smooth no vibration ride, reliability, and maintenance free, leak free engine.(Does it even have a kick start?)
The Harley? well, it's a Harley.

Prefer the Venture? Buy the Toyota
Harley guy? You belong in a Rover :cool:
 
roxtar said:
I guess the best way to put it is like this:

Yamaha Venture vs Harley

The Venture, has a smooth no vibration ride, reliability, and maintenance free, leak free engine.(Does it even have a kick start?)
The Harley? well, it's a Harley.

Prefer the Venture? Buy the Toyota
Harley guy? You belong in a Rover :cool:
Click to expand...

toyota please :thumbup:

who wants this crap to go wrong on the trail??? who wants to wrench while on the trail?? no matter how much bling you put on the pig, its still a damn pig. sorry man, even after reading your AND CHEEKSER'S post it makes my decision on buying a tacoma so so so much better. :D

to Cheekser, i bet my taco can go everywhere your rover can go ;) (with out leaking oil, electrical issues, tranny issues, constant wrenching, 14 mpg, the list can go on)...

sorry i gotta raz on you guys.. i WAS a jeep guy once. never again (except maybe a wrangler bc the wife loves riding with the top down).. too much wrenching just to keep them going. hit or miss quality..
 
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You've asked for and gotten good advice on both sides of the question. The real question though, is if you've got a jones for a Land Rover, you aren't going to be happy with anything else. I wanted a high quality air rifle for a while, bought several crappy ones and wasn't happy. I ended up with a thousand dollars worth high quality (not high end, but good stuff) air guns that I now never shoot. But I had to have them.
 
Knifein said:
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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Based on my own experiences with them, those of friends/colleagues, as well as extensive research over the years, I would not recommend them.

If you were going to use it off-road, then I could see more of a justification in getting one.

Then again, sometimes there simply is no justification in having something we really love, other than that we love it. :D
 
We have an 2007 LR3. We went in knowing the possible reliability issues, but we ended up getting the extended warranty, so we're covered up to 100,000 miles or 2015.

I wouldn't recommend getting one without a warranty.

So far we haven't had any problems except for a rear door lock that wouldn't lock via the remote key and the rear hatch was stuck closed. Little things like that seem to be the biggest problems.

The up side is that the LR3 is totally awesome. Seriously. I've never driven a smoother driving car. At the same time, it doesn't float all over the place like most bigger SUV's. It feels very well planted. Off-road, it can do more stuff than I have the nerves to try. One of my friends takes his LR3 on crazy expeditions along crazy technical trails and the car handles it no problem. I've only done a few off-road trips, but I haven't come close to testing its limits.
 
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