Why I ditched my LR Discovery for a 4Runner

[Thai]

Image isnt anything, if i was germany i wouldnt use use mercedes vehicles cause there german i would use the best vehicle for the job, military goes top of the line, image has nothing to do with it, thats just common sense. and i told you spain and netherlands and smaller countries associated with the uk use them.

Actually, according to a Navy Seal guy, my G-wagen beat out the Hummer in the army testing, but the Hummer won because it is American-made AND cheaper to buy. So, no, the military does NOT always use "top of the line" stuff. You want to talk about what the US army uses to oil their guns? Ain't top of the line stuff!

 

[Thai]

Now, why don't you step back away from being a fanboy of LR and look at the big picture...if LR is so darn reliable, then why is it DEAD LAST in quality and reliability??? Dead last is an optimistic term...see the picture i posted on page 5...it is not even close, not even in the ballpark of everyone else! LR makes Hummer look like Lexus! It is not even funny, but damn sad if you ask me!

You can say this or that, but facts are facts. LR has horrible reliability and durability. Guess why LR as a company has been sold so many times?! Why is LR the ongoing joke for reliability? Here are some:

Not many people know that the manufacturer
of Land Rovers attempted to market a computer.
Why did they stop?
The could not find a way to get it to leak oil!
------------------------
A Land Rover doesn't leak oil, it marks it's territory.
------------------------
Did you hear about the man whose Land Rover didn't leak oil?
The factory took it back and worked on it until it did.
------------------------
Did you hear the one about the guy that peeked into a Land Rover and asked the owner
"How can you tell one switch from another at night, as they all look the same ?"
"He replied, it does not matter which one you use, nothing happens !"

 

[GMZ]

Actually, according to a Navy Seal guy, my G-wagen beat out the Hummer in the army testing, but the Hummer won because it is American-made AND cheaper to buy. So, no, the military does NOT always use "top of the line" stuff. You want to talk about what the US army uses to oil their guns? Ain't top of the line stuff!

You are right about the military. CLP is ok stuff, but there is better out there. When I was in Africa we had pick ups from Iceland with heated seats and no A/C!

There is also an Act IIRC that certain things for the military must be made in the US.

 

[JohnsD90]

Now, why don't you step back away from being a fanboy of LR and look at the big picture...if LR is so darn reliable, then why is it DEAD LAST in quality and reliability??? Dead last is an optimistic term...see the picture i posted on page 5...it is not even close, not even in the ballpark of everyone else! LR makes Hummer look like Lexus! It is not even funny, but damn sad if you ask me!

You can say this or that, but facts are facts. LR has horrible reliability and durability. Guess why LR as a company has been sold so many times?! Why is LR the ongoing joke for reliability? Here are some:

Not many people know that the manufacturer
of Land Rovers attempted to market a computer.
Why did they stop?
The could not find a way to get it to leak oil!
------------------------
A Land Rover doesn't leak oil, it marks it's territory.
------------------------
Did you hear about the man whose Land Rover didn't leak oil?
The factory took it back and worked on it until it did.
------------------------
Did you hear the one about the guy that peeked into a Land Rover and asked the owner
"How can you tell one switch from another at night, as they all look the same ?"
"He replied, it does not matter which one you use, nothing happens !"

Well land rover market many other items other than vehicles, like phones, bikes and other stuff. Yeah those are good jokes and defender owners know they leak but you get in a '65 series 2a and put a little oil in the motor and it will start right up those are so damn reliable its not even funny, so make the leaking jokes cause they do but theyre reliablitly on there utility vehicles like the defenders and series they dont ever stop working.

 

[Thai]

Well land rover market many other items other than vehicles, like phones, bikes and other stuff. Yeah those are good jokes and defender owners know they leak but you get in a '65 series 2a and put a little oil in the motor and it will start right up those are so damn reliable its not even funny, so make the leaking jokes cause they do but theyre reliablitly on there utility vehicles like the defenders and series they dont ever stop working.

You're really a fanboy, ya know! :ybrick: Are you related to this guy: "There is no problem with the Land Rover. There never has been a quality problem with the Land Rover. The American infidel is no match for us!"

 

[Thai]

Just for emphasis...LR is neither dependable over the long haul NOR reliable when you first buy it! Please examine these two graphs:

 

[GatorGreg]

Are you guys still going at it? :vader:

 

[nquaint]

Image isnt anything, if i was germany i wouldnt use use mercedes vehicles cause there german i would use the best vehicle for the job, military goes top of the line, image has nothing to do with it, thats just common sense. and i told you spain and netherlands and smaller countries associated with the uk use them.

they actually go with the LOWest bidder, its all about saving money.

 

[JohnsD90]

they actually go with the LOWest bidder, its all about saving money.

everyone does

 

[JohnsD90]

im done with this cause you wont ever think there reliable, go back to ur knock off mix of a 110 and a range rover.

 

[Thai]

everyone does

Then, why are you arguing with me over this??!! I thought that you said that the armed forces use "top of the line" stuff??

i would use the best vehicle for the job, military goes top of the line, image has nothing to do with it, thats just common sense.

How quickly you change your tune! Common sense...or lack of in your case?? "Bagdad Bob" is a fine name for you!

 

[Thai]

im done with this cause you wont ever think there reliable, go back to ur knock off mix of a 110 and a range rover.

hahaha...if the mix includes a much stronger frame, much stronger axles, and the best 4wd system on the planet, then yeah, then i agree 110% with you!

 

[Mtn.Rush]

I will throw my 2 cents into the ring here. I had a Disco as a rental after the wife's car got caught in a flood. I will tell you as stated here already I LOVED driving that truck, everything about it...LR badge, being high up and driving through almost anything. BUT: steering radius was beyond horrible, thing sucked gas like nobodies buisness, not the swiftest when stomping on the gas and the check engine light was a glowing reminder everytime I started it. Fast foward to 2006 and I purchased a Range Rover Sport HSE, again another LR product so there was good and bad.
First the good: amazing on the beach (after ditching the conti sport contact tires and putting on Pirelli scorpion ATR) Very quick and super nimble and a BLAST to drive..matter of fact the most fun I have ever had in an SUV. I just loved driving it everywhere. If the weather was bad I would make it a point to take it out and find the deepest puddle or snow drift to drive trough. And of course owning a "range rover"
Now the not so good: Needed to replace the front bushings 2x, the steering rack once, moon roof leaked (the drains kept clogging and the glass came crooked from the factory). Check engine light goes on and stays on until you shut her down and re-cycle the engine, memory seats and memory position mirror (after taken out of reverse NEVER worked correctly & in the shop 4 + times for it and NEVER fixed), Transmission re-flash 2x, replaced sterring wheel and homelink buttons on the re-view mirror (fast wear and tear), "reduced engine performance" on infocenter and would basicly shutdown (fixed on re-cycle of engine), radio display would periodicly go out and stay out then would just work again, bluetooth (phone pairing) was worthless as was ANY voice commands you tried to give it, front headlight bounce when you go over bumps and squeeky brakes from the first 5 or 6 month I had it untill I traded it in to Toyota. I am sure there were 1 or 2 more that I cant remember but you get the idea.
I am not bashing LR....but for a $60,000 plus vehicle this is a tad out of control. But i have to say that I WOULD absolulty get another one because it was that much fun to drive.....when the LR gremlins werent acting up.

 

[JohnsD90]

I will throw my 2 cents into the ring here. I had a Disco as a rental after the wife's car got caught in a flood. I will tell you as stated here already I LOVED driving that truck, everything about it...LR badge, being high up and driving through almost anything. BUT: steering radius was beyond horrible, thing sucked gas like nobodies buisness, not the swiftest when stomping on the gas and the check engine light was a glowing reminder everytime I started it. Fast foward to 2006 and I purchased a Range Rover Sport HSE, again another LR product so there was good and bad.
First the good: amazing on the beach (after ditching the conti sport contact tires and putting on Pirelli scorpion ATR) Very quick and super nimble and a BLAST to drive..matter of fact the most fun I have ever had in an SUV. I just loved driving it everywhere. If the weather was bad I would make it a point to take it out and find the deepest puddle or snow drift to drive trough. And of course owning a "range rover"
Now the not so good: Needed to replace the front bushings 2x, the steering rack once, moon roof leaked (the drains kept clogging and the glass came crooked from the factory). Check engine light goes on and stays on until you shut her down and re-cycle the engine, memory seats and memory position mirror (after taken out of reverse NEVER worked correctly & in the shop 4 + times for it and NEVER fixed), Transmission re-flash 2x, replaced sterring wheel and homelink buttons on the re-view mirror (fast wear and tear), "reduced engine performance" on infocenter and would basicly shutdown (fixed on re-cycle of engine), radio display would periodicly go out and stay out then would just work again, bluetooth (phone pairing) was worthless as was ANY voice commands you tried to give it, front headlight bounce when you go over bumps and squeeky brakes from the first 5 or 6 month I had it untill I traded it in to Toyota. I am sure there were 1 or 2 more that I cant remember but you get the idea.
I am not bashing LR....but for a $60,000 plus vehicle this is a tad out of control. But i have to say that I WOULD absolulty get another one because it was that much fun to drive.....when the LR gremlins werent acting up.

You'd be surprised how long you can run with the engine check light on, mines about 20k miles or so and going, i think land rover just has it come on at a set point because they know that most of their dumba$$ owners will bring them in for service.

 

[ToyTech99]

You'd be surprised how long you can run with the engine check light on, mines about 20k miles or so and going, i think land rover just has it come on at a set point because they know that most of their dumba$$ owners will bring them in for service.

I can assure you that a check engine light means that something has a fault, almost always some type of sensor. I'm not sure if you were kidding or not, but keep in mind that the engine management systems are very complex these days. If a sensor is faulty and causes the check engine light to illuminate, the vehicle can usually compensate for the faulty sensor by using input from one or more other sensors, and keeping the driveability of the vehicle perfect or at least near enough to perfect that the driver wouldn't even realize anything is wrong at all. That doesn't mean that you should ignore the check engine light. You should still have the fault diagnosed and corrected as soon as possible. Most states will fail you instantly for an illuminated check engine light during an annual inspection.

BTW, a little-known secret that more people should know--- If your check engine light is flashing, you shouldn't drive your vehicle at all. A flashing check engine light means that there's a malfunction that can cause damage to the vehicle. Probably the most common cause of a flashing check engine light is a bad misfire that causes unburned fuel to pass into the exhaust system and will eventually destroy the catalytic converter.

 

[absolute yota]

That is an excellent write up, and expresses how I think I'm going to feel after finally letting her go and getting into a new truck.

Oh yeah, and the financial hit I'm taking, is mind boggling.

The dealer near me here in CT offered me 14000 in trade for my 05 sport with 100k . I bought it three years ago with 65k for 16000. Not a bad hit at all. In fact the dealer already wants my 2010 tundra in trade (lease for lease ,even steven) so they can sell it as a used truck, I guess they get lots of $ for used yotas . You should have heard the insanely low trade in value of our 06 wrangler unlimited. Still owe 14000 on it and they only offered $8ooo WTF , anybody want a rolling bathtub ? Its got a removeable shower curtain top !

 

[CookieRoe]

We get it.............their nice but junk

I think we can all agree that despite being very nice to drive, having a ton of "cachet", being very capable and luxurious, LRs (and RRs) are a complete money drain to maintain. In my book, that is junk. I don't care how nice it is. I have friends as well who have them (and they have the pockets to play) and say the same thing.

 

[tdz123]

I love the looks of land rovers, the electronics and the air suspension. But I wouldn't ever want to own a rover out of warranty and I wouldn't want to take the depreciation hit that a rover with a warranty takes.

Hopefully, one day land rover will be sold to a company that will start making them into good cars.

Toyotas give you no problems. They don't have the sexy appearance tho, imho.

 

[Screecha]

I think we can all agree that despite being very nice to drive, having a ton of "cachet", being very capable and luxurious, LRs (and RRs) are a complete money drain to maintain. In my book, that is junk. I don't care how nice it is. I have friends as well who have them (and they have the pockets to play) and say the same thing.

I completely agree. My wife has a 2003 LR Discovery SE7 which is luxurious and a capable 4x4 however the cost to maintain is off the charts. We are going to trade her "baby" in because we are about to have our first child and we need something reliable. We are sick of all the issues and the last thing I want is for her to be stuck somewhere with a child because the truck is having some sort of issue. 4Runner will be ordered/purchased in May !

 

[VTOL_Yoda]

I am a former LR Disco Owner for the model years '00 and '04. On the '00 I lifted, installed bigger tires, upgraded the drivetrain, installed roof rack, a ton of lights, a Warn 12K winch, armor front and rear and down the sides. Drove that thing every where and even made long distance trips for off-roading in places in Utah, Georgia, Vermont, etc. Ironically, it was the engine that failed with a slipped liner which resulted in much oil consumption. LR replaced the engine, T-case, and radiator through various warranty issues. On the '04 I kept it completely stock and around the 60K range, it started eating oil as well. Knowing what was coming, I departed with that vehicle as well.

Regardless of the shortcomings, I had a lot of fun and met a lot of great people through LR Events.

Going forward, I want to run an experiment to see how many miles I can go with my new 4R TE.