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Range Rovers.


Barry Cade

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Guest Lord Sward

Fuel pumps are accessed on the Disco through a hatch in the boot floor.  I've fitted an Valeo pump, OE, just not in a LR box.

 

I've got a very good specialist over in Tyneside.  I left them a blank cheque last July to service it.  Â£3,000 later....they are £50+VAT per hour.

 

The Ssangyongs are the very close to the price of Shogun by the time you get the kit on them. 

 

I don't expect any car to be faultless, but I do maintain them 100% perfect, over and above requirements.  I'm a fanny, so some reciprocating love from my car would be nice.

 

BTW, my first Disco was a V8.

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Guest Lord Sward

Clutch, DMF, major service, calipers, carriers, rear pads & discs, all 4 dampers, full service, all oils, hub bearings, a steel coolant pipe, etc.  It was then off to Nene Overland for chassis repairs and Waxolying (£1k).  Prior to that it had the screen out for the roof to be painted and to fix a water ingress issue.  And its had all new suspension bushes.  Close to £5k spent last year and its failed on us twice this year.

 

The worst breakdown we had was when we were towing the caravan home from Glasgow and the air-con compressor seized solid.  That was scary shit.  In a really bad place where the hard shoulder was tiny as the motorway appeared to be cut into Granite.  We managed to stop in an old VOSA inspection area southbound. 

 

Electric wise the cable to the start motor washed out (really) in the Lakes one weekend caravanning. Then the power cable to the air-springs snapped whilst at a set of traffic lights sending the arse end repeatedly skywards.

 

Do you want me to go on?

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Guest Lord Sward

This is why I'm thinking old fashioned, unrefined Shogun.  Sure, its got a DPF, but no AdBlue.  Theres nothing modern about it.  I'll get the underside Shultzed, I'll stick a fuel additive in every month and get the oil changed every 6k miles.  Its surely got to last 10 trouble free years?

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Guest Lord Sward

You've just confirmed dozens of other stories I hear from owners. Why do you do it to yourselves? Are they that good that they are worth it,going back to my original post?

 

My specialist is like a social club.  People gather to swop stories and tales of woe around the surprisingly good coffee machine.

 

Evoques are currently the PIA car.

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I got the D3 for a decent sum from my ex (mother of our daughter).  She'd owned it from 5 years old.  I knew what work had been done in that time, that it hadn't crashed and that it has never had towing electrics fitted, so unlikely to have done any towing - certainly none in "our" ownership.  I don't do many miles as I keep it for "best" and drive other shite most of the time.  As long as it doesn't lunch the engine, I think I'm still winning, even given the other big bills.  I do like it for hassle free long trips.  It is smooth and quiet and rides nicely and it has a decent factory stereo - it is also very handy for other family members - eg my sister took a my nieces and their pals to a comicon thing using the 7 seats.  I've ridden in the rear set of seats and even for a big bloke like me they aren't uncomfortable.  All in all, they are a nice thing.

 

They have a lot of nice touches too - I have never had a car with better factory lights and unlike my Jag they didn't disintegrate.

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You've just confirmed dozens of other stories I hear from owners. Why do you do it to yourselves? Are they that good that they are worth it,going back to my original post?

When you get a good one then there's not much that can touch them

Shame that service and maintenance histories don't guarantee trouble free motoring as there's always something else to trip you up

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A Range Rover or Discovery is the only big 4x4 I have any desire to own. I think I'd limit myself to a relatively cheap L332 with the BMW v8 or the one with the 530d engine in it to try to offset financial ruin.

I just couldn't stomach multi thousand pound bills especially on a car that still conks out!

 

One of the guys at work had a Discovery Sport from nearly new. Just outside it's warranty it started to randomly conking out and LR couldn't get to the bottom of it. He's a busy guy who does a lot of motorway driving in the south of England and there's only so many cancelled meetings and visits to the hard shouder on the M25 he could tae. He chopped it in for a Cayenne Diesel and he's never had any bother with that.

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Everyone with even a little interest in these cars should own one once. How long you keep the relationship going depends entirely on how deep your pockets are and much patience youu have :)

 

 

Shallow and very very little. I'd give it a month.

 

I forgot to ad Big Citroens to my scared to own list too.

 

I've done the Big Cit thing on several occasions, also Big Volvo and Big Merc.

 

Got very close to buying Junkman's P38 4.6HSE (that was subsequently roffled) but bottled it because 15mpg and electrical discontinuities.  Should have been braver.

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What are Jeeps like? I know someone who has a Cherokee with 3.7 petrol engine and apparently it is very good off road and he likes it, but it isn't too roomy inside. This  Cherokee must compare well to other new 4x4s as price goes, :

 

http://www.tjvickers.co.uk/used-car-details/used-jeep-cherokee-32-trailhawk-4x4-5dr-suv-white-automatic-petrol-id_3626080915.aspx?Reload=true#spec

 

No picture as it appears to have just come into stock, but the front aspect is more Judge Dredd than Farmer Giles :)

 

I assume that a Grand Cherokee might compare better in this company without too much of a price premium over the smaller model.

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I had a tour round Solihull just as they closed down Defender production. I asked why their products werent built for the longevity they had when I first went round the place in the 60's. The guide said that customers only want cars to last 10 years!

Later he asked if I'd swap the series one I'd driven there in for one of their new 4x4s. I've owned a Range Rover and, more recently, a Disco; I appreciate their virtues but wouldn't have either again. Good luck to LandRover, but if I was looking for a replacement that had a chance of working for 60 years I'd try a Dacia.

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I had a tour round Solihull just as they closed down Defender production. I asked why their products werent built for the longevity they had when I first went round the place in the 60's. The guide said that Land Rover only want their customers cars to last 10 years!

EFA,HTH

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You've just confirmed dozens of other stories I hear from owners. Why do you do it to yourselves? Are they that good that they are worth it,going back to my original post?

 

I would compare them to the iPhone, many other phones can do exactly the same and some can definitely do much much better but don't wear the same badge so get dismissed.

 

And on that note I've had landys before and would have them again but then I'm a gluten for punishment.

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I drove a new Discovery the other day , it was lovely , the owner of the 18 month old Range Rover who was using it as a courtesy car because his Rangie was having a sensor in the gearbox repaired, would rather not have had it for the last 2 weeks, mind.

Another customer had a pair matching his and hers black Range Rovers every 3 years and had ordered a Velar before he'd even seen one, sadly parking his Twin Squirrel in Snowdonia means Solihul have lost those loyal customers.

But it seems that's the only way people stop buying them , till death do us part.

 

As I'm not rich and as much as I love driving them, when, 4 years ago I had £10k to buy a car for MrsN instead of a Disco3 or L322 , I bought a Freelander2 HSE with all the toys. So far so good( if we don't mention the 2 clutches and 1 DPF, well it did once tow a camping trailer)

She loves it and even though I keep talking about a Lexus RX or a Cayenne, it won't surprise anyone if some sort of LR product replaces it.

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If you don't need the off road ablity the I can't see how they are any better than a Lexus RX, mines 12 years old but it gives off a sense of quality even now, same supple ride that glides over bumps, quiet and refined. The hybrids are fook in rapid but a V6 pez and standard autobox will last you years.

 

We have had it 4 years now, apart from service items all its needed were new front calipers, which were reasonable, why would you buy a newish LR/Jag product when they have such a shit reputation.

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What are Jeeps like? I know someone who has a Cherokee with 3.7 petrol engine and apparently it is very good off road and he likes it, but it isn't too roomy inside. This Cherokee must compare well to other new 4x4s as price goes, :

 

http://www.tjvickers.co.uk/used-car-details/used-jeep-cherokee-32-trailhawk-4x4-5dr-suv-white-automatic-petrol-id_3626080915.aspx?Reload=true#spec

 

No picture as it appears to have just come into stock, but the front aspect is more Judge Dredd than Farmer Giles :)

 

I assume that a Grand Cherokee might compare better in this company without too much of a price premium over the smaller model.

Family is having a Grand Cherokee V8 converted to gas at the minute. Seems a lovely thing but it's an older one.

Towing there was some issues and OMG horror stories about towbars puncturing the fuel tanks followed by a recall and a lot of hassle trying to get the American bars approved for use over here.

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Reliability is on par with an old allegro, build quality is on par with an old allegro, price wise you could buy a few houses with the cost of a new Range Rover back when Allegro's were being built. So can someone enlighten me on how these expensive moderns are supposed to be so advanced of the tat we all love from the 70s?

 

Answer.

 

They're not.

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Interesting! Was it a 70 series?

 

It was the current version https://www.toyota.co.uk/new-cars/land-cruiser/index.json.  It was left hand drive though, white, with blacked out rear windows. It was being driven by a squaddie in uniform but the occupant of the passenger set was big, burly and in a tight fighting suit - had the look of a night club bouncer.

 

I had a discussion recently about what would replace the Defender for the MOD, the 70 series Land Cruiser was a popular choice (as was the Lada Niva!).

 

Edit - seen another one today - from the front. It had a winch and plenty of neatly wrapped rope, looked very practical. This one had a different reg (but still MOD format) to the other one but was also white and left hand drive.

Edited by martc
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Guest Hooli

What are Jeeps like? I know someone who has a Cherokee with 3.7 petrol engine and apparently it is very good off road and he likes it, but it isn't too roomy inside. This  Cherokee must compare well to other new 4x4s as price goes, :

 

http://www.tjvickers.co.uk/used-car-details/used-jeep-cherokee-32-trailhawk-4x4-5dr-suv-white-automatic-petrol-id_3626080915.aspx?Reload=true#spec

 

No picture as it appears to have just come into stock, but the front aspect is more Judge Dredd than Farmer Giles :)

 

I assume that a Grand Cherokee might compare better in this company without too much of a price premium over the smaller model.

 

I borrowed a 2.5 cherokee for a year once, then gave it back to my dad.

 

very basic, unrefined, not that big, very very slow, 23mpg average (17 when towing).

 

dull, gay but seemed to be lasting forever

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sadly parking his Twin Squirrel in Snowdonia means Solihul have lost those loyal customers.

But it seems that's the only way people stop buying them , till death do us part.

 

I have read this about 6 times now and an still no further forward.

What does it all mean?

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The fuel pump went on the Friday night of the bank holiday weekend towing the caravan on the A1.  Cue an AA lift home.  So you can imagine the scene on my road, big recovery truck and flashing lights. Then police helpfully stop to assist with traffic management.  More flashing lights.  The neighbours think this is most amusing and the second time its happened.  You can imagine the piss being ripped from me tonight as I hooked-up.

 

Interestingly, I've never changed either the Disco's front brake pads or discs.

The fuel pump went on my Defender Td5 on Thursday night. I managed to limp to work with it on Friday morning at speeds between 40 - 50 mph but I was bricking it for every mile. A good quality replacement (VDO) was £245 which has skinted me out for the month and it was a bastard to change because I had to drop the fuel tank to get it out (no boot floor access like the Discovery).

You can't buy a Land Rover and just expect to drive it. If you want one you've either got to be a mechanic or rich. 

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