LandRvr Convert
New member
As you'll notice my "screen name" is Land Rover Convert, so I thought on my very first post on this site I'll vent a little about everything I disliked about my LR Discovery, and LOVE about my Toyo 4 Runner.
A little background first. My first "real" car, (that girls actually wouldn't mind being seen in with me on a date) was a Black 1993 Jeep Wrangler that I bought right after grauating from UGA. It was a fine car. I bought it new in 1992 and drove it for 9 years and put 125K trouble-free miles on it. Despite what Consumer Reports (CR) said about predicted reliability, I had very little trouble with it. I sold it because driving a manual transmission was getting old really quick especially in Atlanta rush hour traffic. The soft top made the ride really loud too. I wanted a nicer (quieter) car with an automatic.
So I bought a beautiful (black again) Land Rover Discovery in 2001. It was a 2000 year model and had 18,000 miles on it. I got a good deal on it and it had the remainder of the factory 4 yr/45k bumber to bumper warranty on it, so I felt good about that. At the time of my purchase, CR did not have any ratings on the Rovers apparently because they did not have enough info on them to make accurate reports.
Well, I pampered my Disco to say the least. I rarely took it off road (where, I must say it is VERY capable) washed, waxed, detailed it often, never missed an oil change or service, and I did all but cover it up with a blanket at night in the garage and tuck it in!
The problems with the Disco started almost immediately. Nothing really major at this point, but alot of stupid things. Stupid for a new SUV that sells for north of $40K. I had to keep a running list in the center console and jot each problem down as it occured so that when I went into the dealer for an oil change, I could remember EVERYTHING that wasn't working at that point.
It was things like a broken motor that raises and lowers the driver's window, the wiper wash jets on the hood would often just dribble a pool of solution on the hood, and only sporadically jet the water onto the windshield as they should. ABS light on, check engine light on, etc. Although these things were all covered by the warranty, I just didn't have time to keep scheduling and driving to service appointments, and arranging for rental cars!! Geeeeeeze!
Major things that I can remember (all occured during the 5 yrs. I drove the Rover) are as follows.
Replaced the ignition cylinder where you put the key in to start it.
The key kept getting stuck in the ignition. Sometimes it took me nearly 10 min. to get it out. $700 repair.
Leaky head gasket and valve job was a $2000 repair.
I often had to replace the brakepads AND rotors which was like $1000 on all 4 wheels. As stated before, I pampered this car and rarely took it off road. I replaced pads AND rotors many times.
Many problems with the remote and doors not unlocking, sunroof not opening.
If memory seves me correctly, I think the longest I ever drove it with no problems was abot 6 or 8 consecutive months at one point. There was ALWAYS something.
IMO, Land Rover gould GIVE AWAY thier cars for free, and make all thier profits on repairs alone!
In addition to my repair bills, the Disco had a voracious appetite for it's required preimium unleaded fuel. Mileage was a terrible 15mpg on the highway, and I never even checked for the city mileage. I didn't want to know! 11 or 12........ maybe. The acceleration was pathetic for a V8.
The CD 6 disc changer was under the front passenger seat which was impossible to change while driving and no single cd slot in the head unit to load and unload on the fly.
It's not just me. Nearly EVERYONE I've met and spoken to regarding LR has had almost the same experience. Whether with a Disco or Range Rover.
I could go on and on, but I won't. I'm not trying to bash LR, it was just my experience and my humble opinion. I will say this about LR. Sales and service were red carpet all the way. The other thing is the LR styling, not so much on the LR3, but the Range Rover is simply one of the most beautiful cars on the road today IMO.
Good news is I purchased a white 2006 Limited V6 4WD back in June of last year and I have been really impressed to say the least. I like the interior layout better than LR. The backseat has far more room. I think the cupholders in the 4Runner are my only complaint and I can live with that! I can tell it's just built so well.
The V6 in the Runner has about 60 more horses than the V8 in the Rover, and FAR MORE acceleration, AND doesn't require premium fuel. Go figure.
Toyota's reputation is legendary, and I am proud to now own one.
I guess the only downside is it will be a LONG time before I need buy a new car again!
A little background first. My first "real" car, (that girls actually wouldn't mind being seen in with me on a date) was a Black 1993 Jeep Wrangler that I bought right after grauating from UGA. It was a fine car. I bought it new in 1992 and drove it for 9 years and put 125K trouble-free miles on it. Despite what Consumer Reports (CR) said about predicted reliability, I had very little trouble with it. I sold it because driving a manual transmission was getting old really quick especially in Atlanta rush hour traffic. The soft top made the ride really loud too. I wanted a nicer (quieter) car with an automatic.
So I bought a beautiful (black again) Land Rover Discovery in 2001. It was a 2000 year model and had 18,000 miles on it. I got a good deal on it and it had the remainder of the factory 4 yr/45k bumber to bumper warranty on it, so I felt good about that. At the time of my purchase, CR did not have any ratings on the Rovers apparently because they did not have enough info on them to make accurate reports.
Well, I pampered my Disco to say the least. I rarely took it off road (where, I must say it is VERY capable) washed, waxed, detailed it often, never missed an oil change or service, and I did all but cover it up with a blanket at night in the garage and tuck it in!
The problems with the Disco started almost immediately. Nothing really major at this point, but alot of stupid things. Stupid for a new SUV that sells for north of $40K. I had to keep a running list in the center console and jot each problem down as it occured so that when I went into the dealer for an oil change, I could remember EVERYTHING that wasn't working at that point.
It was things like a broken motor that raises and lowers the driver's window, the wiper wash jets on the hood would often just dribble a pool of solution on the hood, and only sporadically jet the water onto the windshield as they should. ABS light on, check engine light on, etc. Although these things were all covered by the warranty, I just didn't have time to keep scheduling and driving to service appointments, and arranging for rental cars!! Geeeeeeze!
Major things that I can remember (all occured during the 5 yrs. I drove the Rover) are as follows.
Replaced the ignition cylinder where you put the key in to start it.
The key kept getting stuck in the ignition. Sometimes it took me nearly 10 min. to get it out. $700 repair.
Leaky head gasket and valve job was a $2000 repair.
I often had to replace the brakepads AND rotors which was like $1000 on all 4 wheels. As stated before, I pampered this car and rarely took it off road. I replaced pads AND rotors many times.
Many problems with the remote and doors not unlocking, sunroof not opening.
If memory seves me correctly, I think the longest I ever drove it with no problems was abot 6 or 8 consecutive months at one point. There was ALWAYS something.
IMO, Land Rover gould GIVE AWAY thier cars for free, and make all thier profits on repairs alone!
In addition to my repair bills, the Disco had a voracious appetite for it's required preimium unleaded fuel. Mileage was a terrible 15mpg on the highway, and I never even checked for the city mileage. I didn't want to know! 11 or 12........ maybe. The acceleration was pathetic for a V8.
The CD 6 disc changer was under the front passenger seat which was impossible to change while driving and no single cd slot in the head unit to load and unload on the fly.
It's not just me. Nearly EVERYONE I've met and spoken to regarding LR has had almost the same experience. Whether with a Disco or Range Rover.
I could go on and on, but I won't. I'm not trying to bash LR, it was just my experience and my humble opinion. I will say this about LR. Sales and service were red carpet all the way. The other thing is the LR styling, not so much on the LR3, but the Range Rover is simply one of the most beautiful cars on the road today IMO.
Good news is I purchased a white 2006 Limited V6 4WD back in June of last year and I have been really impressed to say the least. I like the interior layout better than LR. The backseat has far more room. I think the cupholders in the 4Runner are my only complaint and I can live with that! I can tell it's just built so well.
The V6 in the Runner has about 60 more horses than the V8 in the Rover, and FAR MORE acceleration, AND doesn't require premium fuel. Go figure.
Toyota's reputation is legendary, and I am proud to now own one.
I guess the only downside is it will be a LONG time before I need buy a new car again!
