High Mountain SUV

I live in Vail. I have had good fortune with Range Rover. It does/has it all. Maybe overkill, but you can consider a somewhat older one to get to the price point you're at. Definitely get snows, though. You'll need them.

There are a few dealerships in Silverthorne (GM, Ford, etc.). You might look at their inventory. Obviously convenient for service.

Jeep is a VERY common vehicle in the mountains. Also, Subaru. Either would also work for you if you're staying in the vicinity, I'd think, but if you're doing longer drives (Denver, Airport, Aspen, Steamboat, etc.), you may find they're not as well-equipped to fit the mission as you might like.

CW

 

Ford Explorer Sport. 3.5 Twin turbo, great looks, LOADED, and cheap to service and fix!

 

How about a Toyota Land Cruiser or 4Runner Limited. Bullet proof reliability and can get through whatever the weather can throw at you. I live in the foothills above Denver at 7,600 feet and Toyota 4x4s are everywhere in the foothills for a reason. I have had my FJ for 6 years and 130,000 miles, never stuck and never had anything go wrong on it. Resale on Toyota 4x4s is very strong in Colorado. I used to drive Audis, but the Toyota reliability has been extremely eye opening.

 

I would second that. Having owned a Toyota Sequoia, 4Runner, Landcruiser, plus my daughter's have a Highlander and a Lexus RX300, i would agree with them being bullet proof. It is the winter driver and it does get beat up from the mag chloride and gravel. My 4Runner is the limited version with full time 4WD. Great traction plus it has enough luxuries like heated seats etc. Not great if you want something with alot of character and luxury but it sure is reliable.

 

Yup. I have a 4th gen 4Runner now and it's great. 204k miles and I wouldn't hesitate to drive it across the country, not sure if I'd do that in a Rover with a quarter of those miles. My replacement will either be a 100 or 200 series Land Cruiser.

 

I have homes in Breck and Telluride and keep Jeeps at both places (Commander in Breck - too bad they stopped making them and a Cherokee in Telluride). Use both on and off road. Breck Jeep is serviced at Vista Jeep of Silverthorne which is very convenient.

 

Rover had issues. Between Ford and BMW's ownership, though, I think they've been pretty well sorted. And, since Tata's ownership, I've seen no drop off in the product or quality control. That said, their prices have gone into the stratosphere. Big S/C Autobiography is up in the $170K neighborhood, now. Obviously, that's brand new, but still. That seems rather high, to me.

Although, it might be worth it if they brought in the Holland & Holland edition...

Newer style: https://www.hollandandholland.com/range-rover/

Older style: http://www.v12-gt.com/var/v12gt/storage/images/galerie/galeries-photos/galeries-gt/range-rover/range-rover-holland-holland-by-overfinch-amenagement-du-coffre-armes/41194-1-fre-FR/Range-Rover-Holland-Holland-by-Overfinch-amenagement-du-coffre-armes_zoom.jpg

I shoot clays, so this is straight up my alley!

CW

 

pick up the latest V8 engined LR4 you can find and enjoy. One of the best vehicles ever made.

 

My Boss has a SC'd Rover with 50k miles and the engine just grenaded last month. Land Rover wanted $32k for a new engine.

 

+1,

The idea of being stranded in subzero temperatures waiting for a tow has kept me away from Land Rovers, coupled with giving my friends rides to the dealership for repairs. They may be great for good weather and going to dinner, but for actually going off road or needing to count on the truck getting me to and from my destination, I will take a Toyota. For the record, I have never seen a late model Range Rover off road in Colorado.

 

Huge rover fan but the only one I'd buy and rely on would be an lr4 with the v8. Beyond that Toyota SUVS are the way to go. The new grand cherokee are nice but have reliability issues and I've never found a jeep dealer that was pleasant to deal with, though that was all on the east coast where most dealers suck. I'd also look at a VW Tiguan. Like those trucks quite a bit but not sure about reliability

 

We live in the mountains (7,400 feet) full time, we have two winter cars an Audi Q5 and a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Both cars are great in the snow and good off-road, with no issues just regular maintenance. I used to have a Range Rover, now I hate to even be behind one on the road in case parts start to fall off or it breaks down. I did have to pull one out of the ditch this winter with the Audi, some dumb a$$ YC member driving to fast down the road.

 

I am a Jeep kind of guy so Grand Cherokee! I had a Cherokee "Trail Hawk" but hated the front wheel drive bias (traded it in in less than a year). Our Grand Cherokees have been fantastic over the years. I personally DD a Unlimited Rubicon. Most people can't take that though. It's a 2014 and I have put 105k on it. I love it!

 

We can all point to something.

As I said, in my experience, I've had no issues with mine. I have also never heard of a Rover motor grenad-ing. The basic engine block/configuration has been around a LONG time. Can it happen? Yes. I suppose anything mechanical can fail.

I do feel a Rover can be more maintenance intensive, and if anything were to go wrong, it will be pricier. There are Rover dealers in Glenwood and on the Front Range, as well as a number of independents that are closer who can do the basic servicing. They come with some downsides, but the upside is that it'll do the duty and cleans up well.

But, OP should go with whatever suits them the best.

CW

P.S. Had Jeeps. Had Fords. Have Audis.

 

I live at about 7000 feet toward the Palmer Divide along the Front Range. I've always had Jeeps and found them to be extremely dependable and, in my opinion, almost bullet proof. All of my previous Jeeps (5 so far) made it to 300,000 miles before I donated them to friends or charity. My wife and I just purchased 2 new Grand Cherokees a few months ago. My 3 car garage has my Vette and Ferraris so the Grand Cherokees live outside in the elements. If money wasn't an issue I'd probably spring for the Rover. But again seeing the bird droppings on the Rover, along with the tree sap would be painful.

 

Our house is at 8800 ft outside of Vail and our Volvo XC90 on nonstudded Blizzaks gets the job done. I've had it out here for 8 years and have only changed the oil.

If I want to go on trails, I'll pull out the Rubicon.