question to all LR owners

I'm looking for an expedition rig to go on 1 week to 1 month outings. I see so many members on here with toyotas and wonder why you guys build up LR's instead? I love the history of LR, the camel trophy, seeing them blazing trails in the amazon jungle or on the open plains of africa while watching nature shows, even as a young boy my old man couldnt keep me away from the LR displays at the auto show. But with the direction the company is heading and all the negative reliability and expense issues I keep hearing, why do you guys choose LR's?

I'm a tall guy, 6 foot 3 and have a 70lbs K-9 I will be taking on my expeditions. Honestly I'm not looking to conquer moab or the rockies but rather I will be moving to eastern kentucky which is ripe with thick forests and tight challenging trails. I'm looking to sleep in the back possibley or doing the roof top tent thing. I love the visability in LR's, full 360, they're the perfect vehicle design, but I can't get over the reliabilty issues and possbile expenses once they break down. So let me hear your thoughts, I would appreciate it.

Thanks for your time,
-SaMingTRD

There is just a feeling of tradition and heritage that comes with driving a pre-2004 Land Rover. Finding the balance between reliability and capability is an art with Land Rovers, a riddle that may never be solved.

Are you talking about buying a new truck?

If reliability is an issue, look somewhere else. Modern Land Rovers are many things, but reliable isn't one of them. If your trips are weekend jaunts in fairly populated places, fine, but if you're planning on wandering far afield these aren't the truck for you. Some are better than others, but all have problems.

For reliability and room to sleep in the back, it's hard to beat a Tacoma. Not very romantic, but it'll get you there and back.

jim

sinuhexavier said:

There is just a feeling of tradition and heritage that comes with driving a pre-coil sprung Land Rover.

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Fixed if for ya! :costumed-smiley-007

Ahh, oppinions.

SaMingTRD said:

but I can't get over the reliabilty issues and possbile expenses once they break down. So let me hear your thoughts, I would appreciate it.

Thanks for your time,
-SaMingTRD

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I would recommend you stick with your Toyota, if not you are in for a world of sorrow... it's just something you have to mentally prepare for and in a sense come to love.It's like a relationship... good with the bad... sickness and health, blah, blah, blah. Louis

sinuhexavier said:

There is just a feeling of tradition and heritage that comes with driving a pre-2004 Land Rover. Finding the balance between reliability and capability is an art with Land Rovers, a riddle that may never be solved.

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That pretty much summarizes the experience. I tell people that I get a smile on my face just driving to the convenient store to grab a gallon of milk. I'm fanatical with preventative maintenance, but to me that is part of being prepared. I've had incredible reliability when out in the wilderness, but that is due to staying on top of any issue. What model LR are you looking into?

Andrew Walcker said:

What model LR are you looking into?

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Great question!

looking at Disco's series I or II. Nothing new, something I can mod heavily (not suspension or tires). Basic models like the S or SD. I really like fourbyland's set up so far.

-SaMingTRD

Mercedesrover said:

For reliability and room to sleep in the back, it's hard to beat a Tacoma. Not very romantic, but it'll get you there and back.

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+1

It's really not about justification. Almost everyone on this board has a strong opinion to a particular marque, and a thousand reasons why they're right. Don't bother starting with reasons, it's a waste of time. Instead, write Land Rover and Toyota on seperate index cards, put them on opposite sides of a room, then leave the room and come back in. after about a minute, figure out which side of the room you feel more comfortable in and go with it.

For me, I would rather be dowsed in petrol and lit on fire, while covered in ants and hit with sticks on the bumm with a case of raging hemorrhoids, then own a toyota. I have my reasons too.

overlander said:

For me, I would rather be dowsed in petrol and lit on fire, while covered in ants and hit with sticks on the bumm with a case of raging hemorrhoids, then own a toyota. I have my reasons too.

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HAHA, sounds like something from Youtube! I love something about all of the brands, so you just have to go with what makes you happy and remember that if and when repairs are involved.

SaMingTRD said:

I really like fourbyland's set up so far. -SaMingTRD.

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Why thank you!

Before I bought my first Land Rover I looked at Toyota 4Runners and Land Cruisers. While I thought they were great trucks, they just weren't for me. I did a lot of research and was prepared for the experience before I made my first Land Rover purchase and have never regretted it once.

Don't go into it with visions of Asian car reliability. Do your research on what the cost of parts is, where to get parts at a good price, labor (if you're not a DiY'er), etc, etc.

For me it's really an emotional thing, not a rational thing, and I'd guess it's the same for most of us here.

I have an emotional attachment to my cars. Rather, I should say I NEED an emotional attachment to my cars or I get bored of them really quick.

None of my household appliances have ever broken, they always do the job without fuss. But I don't get excited about them. I don't think about them, I just use them. It's the same with Toyotas for me. Sure, they get the job done, but that's about it.

Now, I guess Land Cruisers have some history as well, but still not to the same extent as LR, and I can't find any around here. And certainly getting parts for them would be WORSE than finding parts for my LR.

Now, as far as reliability is concerned, I dunno. I'm an automotive engineer, and I've seen the details behind many of these things. In particular the surveys. Put those out of your mind as JD Powers is junk. I've had my Disco for just over a month now. I've got a water leak, and the horn and cruise control stopped working. Annoying, you bet. But it didn't leave me stranded.

And I think that's an important point that needs to be asked of those on this board. Has anybody ever really been stranded because of quality niggles? I don't actually see that much at all.

I think at the root of it, LR's are very ruggedly engineered. They are not engineered down to a cost like like American cars tend to be. The engine, transmissions, axles, suspension, etc are all good quality and very durable if you're leaving the trucks stockish. The problems they tend to have are coming from the fancy doodads added, and also because of poor build quality. But those don't tend to be the things that leave you stranded.

That's my view, but I'm new at this. I'm sure my truck will blow up tomorrow. :elkgrin:

R_Lefebvre said:

For me it's really an emotional thing, not a rational thing, and I'd guess it's the same for most of us here.

I have an emotional attachment to my cars. Rather, I should say I NEED an emotional attachment to my cars or I get bored of them really quick.

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x2 I had an Acura once. Great car, reliable, and bland. It was everything you'd expect from a Honda and I hated it. I sold it after owning it for almost a year. That was the only car I ever owned that didn't somehow stir my soul and it will likely be the last.

If you're the right kind of person the Land Rover should provide you with a full range of emotions.