Official Land Rover Is-it-really-a-piece-of-**** Poll

I've driven the RR Sport (non-SC) and it was great. Lengthy car rides are comfortable in the passenger side too. Great power, clean interior finish, and stunning looks. Haven't heard of any major problems...

 

I think it is unfair to heap together 3 generations of ownership...10 years ago, it was all Land Rover, 5 years ago it was a BMW land rover and 2 years ago it became Ford..Ford as much as I dislike, They have pumped some serious money into the division..Range rover at the top of the line and RR sport/disco/ Freeloader....I purchased my RR SC 1 year ago 20,000 on the clock and not one dissappointment. They put all into their flagship and it shows. This is a superior people mover, as the sale price decreases so does the consumer satisfaction level...so you get what you pay for....As far as I know it is the only monocoque unibody mounted on a triple level Sub frame...best of both worlds.I can only Vouch for the RRSC Best SUV on the planet...Most capable off road car Ever and quality level on mercedes or above.
I can say this, I think the Dealer network Sucks.If you can afford the top do it.If you live where it snows there is nothing better.


Neat feature too...it has air suspension with about 4 inches up and down, but should you get caught up on a rock the suspension drops anothe 2 inches to lift you off and drive out...Well Done...Yes I go Off Roading.

 

I agree completely about the aesthetics/performance. I started this thread because I love the looks, and I like idea of a nicer interior and ride for times when use my truck for going out socially. But their reputation is shaky so I wanted to hear what FChat'ers have experienced.

 

In the snow, which we get once a year here in Texas, the RR is unbeatable. Last year, we had a Texas Blizzard ( 2 inches of ice) and we took the RR to dinner. I could not get the truck to slide, it was on rails.
Two friends of mine bought SC RRs when I bought my RR. They have both had serious engine and transmission failures and are both trying to get out of them with the Lemon Law. One ( an ex-Texas Ranger) leased his and he can't get out of it.
Nice ride? We traded the RR in on a GL 450 and the Mercedes beats the RR hands down on comfort, interior,ride,acceleration and definitely reliability. The MB has not been back to the dealership yet and the RR had already had two CD players replaced and other electronic gremlins by now ( less than 2K miles). We have not had a Texas Blizzard but it will be interesting to see how the MB does in snow. I anticipate RR to go the way of Lotus once the rap stars get tired of them breaking down.

 

I bought two Range Rover Sports 10 months ago. 20000 miles on each and zero problems....

 

The sports are supposedly more reliable and i was interested in trading my RR in on a Sport, but the dealer was going to give me a LOT less than Blue Book and was not discounting the price on the Sport. Hell, the Range Rover Dealers don't even want them back- seriously. To make matters even worse, they would not even discount the price off of list on the Sports- even though the had a parking lot full of them. Never again....

 

My brother bought the sport supercharged when it first came out, has had no problems. I recently took it to vegas and was impressed.

I think many of the new range rovers are having problems due to Ford ownership???? I could be very wrong, and the first year of the new bodystyle is giving many problems I believe (2003).

On rangerovers.net forums I found a list that had what to what VIN's were to stay away from, but i think it's if your manufacturer date was before march 2003 too?

 

Spotted a white Super Charged Range Rover on 635 in Irving this morning on the west-bound side. Speed? 0, being loaded on a flat bed. I wish I could have grabbed my phone in time to get a picture. Attractive blonde next to it talking on the phone.

 

i owned a 95 defender 90 for several years and my brother now owns it. since buying it in 1999, it has been relatively trouble free.

based on that, we bought an 03 range rover when the new model came out for my wife.

within 3 months of buying it, the front differential lock up going down the highway at about 70 mph. my wife was in the car alone. it blew the front drive shaft out the back, taking out the electrical system, brakes (she stopped it by using the parking brake), exhaust and part of the fuel system. of course, land rover had never seen anything like this before. in the shop for over two months.

within 9 months, the steering column collapsed upon itself while driving. after nearly 1 month in the shop....

three months later, catastrophic brake failure, which caused my wife and several coworkers to to drive in the path of an 18-wheeler. luckily, he swerved at about 50 mph, i don't know how he did this, and missed them.

when we bought the 03, they had just come out and were in high demand. we bought a "slightly used" demo. because we were not the original owners, the lemon law didn't apply. i tried to trade it in on a new 04 model, but they wouldn't give me a break on price and offered $14k less than i owed on it. what added icing to the cake, is they told me they couldn't offer me more because of it's questionable history and repair orders.

i promptly invite dthem to kiss my a** and traded it towrds a bmw 760li schnitzer. i have yet to have any major problems with the bmw and unless i buy another defender 90, i won't be buying a land rover anytime soon.

 

i bought one of the first 2006 Range Rovers (different engine, different/thicker glass, quieter, many other upgrades) in july 05 and I couldn't be happier with my purchase. Although I don't drive it much (only have about 3000 miles - in storage about 1/2 the year when I am not on the east coast) it is truly a joy to drive. The other day I drove to NY and back, spent about 6 hours driving and I was very comfortable the whole time. Normally I get back and bum pains when I spend extended periods of time driving (benz seats dont agree with me).

In my 14 months or so of ownership, I am yet to have a single problem and I love the pseudo-community of Range/Land Rover owners. At least once a month I'll come out to the parking lot and find that another RR or two has parked near me/mine. I would definitely buy another RR, in fact, I can't see myself buying any other make of SUV in the near future (maybe a G55 at some point to compliment the RR)

Many of my friends have/had 2003-2005 RRs and they have had lots of problems, I think/hope they fixed the issues with the newest generation.

 

So, it sounds like if I bought an LR I'd be stuck at the dealer with a bunch of affluent attractive blondes in need of a manly shoulder to cry on.

All I need now is a manly shoulder.

 

Land Rover/Range Rovers are simply overpriced and overated.

Id rather buy a Dodge Ram than own a LR.

 

How is it that the RR Sport has the same engine as the HSE, but is 20k less in price?? They do look about the same size, is it the same chassis too?

 

No. One is built on a special BMW designed Al chassis, the other is a rehash of the LR3.

 

As most prob. know since I post this all the time, I like my Rover. Doesn't get much driving in anything other then winter but hey nature of the beast.

 

Yikes, I had no clue the sport was based on the ugly LR3. I knew it was too good to be true.

A year ago a buddy picked up an early 2005 Supercharged RR, prolly 90k. But since then I think other versions have usurped it already. Other than the side vents, grill, and bagding, I can't really tell the supercharged ones from the NA ones. I would have thought the BMW V8 would help reliability, but now I hear they ditched it for an old GM or rover design IIRC

 

Neither, it was dropped for a Jaguar-sourced (and designed) engine. This was not due to reliability/performance, rather simple cost. BMW was overcharging by a LARGE margin for every V8 they supplied. So much so that Ford could create a whole mustang for the cost of the V8.

 

Nothing wrong with that V8 Jag engine either, I've got 53k miles on mine without a single problem. Of course, the engine is IN a Jag.

 

Most of the Range Rover problems I have had and friends have had have been with the big RRs and not the sports. The most common failure has been the differential failure. Range Rover Forum members post 33% have had this failure. My local dealer told me that was conservative. What pisses me off is Range Rover is well aware of the problem and has not recalled them- just let their customers get stranded ( like my wife and son on the highway). There have been several reported accidents due to the failures and I am sure several lawsuits. This is just one of many common problems with RRs. I cannot count on both hands the amount of times mine was in the dealership within 1 year of ownership nor can I count on both hands the thousands of dollars I lost in 1 year of ownership. Anyone considering buying a RR is nuts- there are too many reliable SUVs on the market to pick one so horribly unreliable. If you do buy one, drive it yourself. Do not subject your wife our child to the possibility of being stranded- it will happen!

 

Agreed, go look at that hemi powered jeep. It looks great and should be loads more fun the the rover.

 

So maybe I spoke too soon. I just finished replacing the head gaskets and water pump on it, and the newer radiator is leaking now too, and the heater core appears to be clogged. So to recap, cooling system aside, it's been an excellent vehicle. But the cooling system can be big problems.

 

My parents have two Range Rovers, 98 and 02 and both have only had minor niggles.

But then again, we know people who's brand new Range Rovers didn't start the day after purchase. Maybe the car decides if it wants you?

 

When they make a car that will comfortably haul me, my wife, two Newfoundlands and all the items needed for a weekend getaway, cross creeks with decent ground clearance, tow a trailer and get me around in all types of weather, let me know. Until then, I'll be enjoying my SUVs.

 

The factor is, that many North American and Japanese SUV's can take neglect and abuse, and still not have to go to the dealership all the time.

I have never owned one, but a handful of people I know have, and I haven't heard great things, lots of problems, glitches, etc...

Stick with Lexus LX 470, or Escalade/Denali......the highest quality/reliability (proven by JD POWER, even MSN gave GM a 9 rating... and countless other organizations....)

 

Subaru Outback

well I dont know about the trailer part..depends how big a trailer. But the outback fills all the other criteria