Thread: My Last Land Rover

G`day all,

I over the last 7 years I have owned 4 different Land Rover, 3 110s including my current 2002 TD5 110 and my Wifes current 2004 V8 Disco. I never would have though I would consider throwing in the towl and going accross to the opposition, but the time has come now that I know when we replace our current vehicles they will not be replaced by another LR product. We own our current vehicles and are not in a hurry to replace them, our Disco has been very good with very little going wrong, admititdly it has only 62 000km`s on the clock and has seen very few miles offroad, up until now everything has been covered by warrenty but now the warrenty has expired. The only real problem we have had with it has been the TC/ABS under warrenty the ABS modulator valve and SLAB ECU were replaced. But by and large our Disco is by far the best vehicle we have owned and hopefully it will stay that way for quite a few years to come. The main reason I would`nt replace my Wifes vehicle with another Disco is depreciation, the Disco`s plumet in value compared to similar vehicles such as Prados which hold their value extremly well.

My previous 110s a 1988 V8 and a 1990 200 TDI 110 were OK apart from a few gearbox changes etc, but given the age of them etc I was`nt to worried about a few things going wrong here and there.

My current 110 a 2002 TD5 which had 40 000km`s on it when I purchased it 2 1/2 years ago now has 99k so by and large it is quite a new vehicle with less than 100ks on the clock. Compared to my earlier 110s it is a dream to drive, had been quite reliable and I was more than happy with it, but as of late my opinion is changing, it was first off due to the unusual situation of the price of diesel here in Dubai, which is still cheaper than what everyone else is paying in the real world, but is now 2.5 time the price of petrol and as of 1 month ago before the oil price started to come down was 3 times the price of petrol, so running our V8 Disco was and is quite a bit cheaper than running my TD5. So faced with the prospect of being able to run a bigger more powerful engined vehicle like a 4.5lt or V8 TLC or 4.8lt Nissan Patrol at less cost than running a TD5 110 I have started thiking about what I would replace my 110 with if anything happend to it. It also does not take a rocket scientist to look at the reliability of the other manufacturers compared to LR either, the TLCs are the pick of the buch when it comes to comfort but they are no where near as bullet proof as the Nissan Patrol which is a bit rougher in the body and cabin, very good off road, has twin fuel tanks, the 4.8lt engine is the most powerful thing on the market and can seat 4 or 5 in comfort which my 110 cannot. With a suspension lift a set of 285/75s or 305 tyres, factory rear diff lock they are very very good in the sand coupled with 160lts of fuel on board. My 110 for what it is, is just as good in the sand, I have to drive it very hard to get the best out of it, the TD5 has has a mild ECU remap, it has front and rear lockers and it spends a lot of its time on the limilter in 3rd low as I find this is the best climbing gear in the dunes, I would like to run a set of 285/75 tyres but an scarred of what will break next if I do so. One of my friends has 220ks on his 98 patrol and has not replaced one broken drive line component which is pretty impressive for the abuse he gives this thing. My 110 on the other hand has 99ks on it and from memory this is what I have replaced so far

-clutch slave and master cylinders
-2 pin front diff, due to carrier and pin wear leading to failure
-twisted rear tail shaft
-2 rear axles
-3 exhaust manifold studs snapped
-EGR valve lower pipe snapped off almost causing engine fire
-baddly leaking transfer box to main box seal, transfer box needs to come out to fix it(next project)
-fuel pump

These are just the major things I can think of, there is probably something else I have missed, there have also been all the more minor things as well which have not been listed, brokem platic bits etc etc.

I really hate to think of what my list will be up to if I still own the thing when it gets to 200ks on it.

I still love driving my 110 and hate the thought of driving a Patrol but my head is starting to over rule my heart and if my 110 is written off in an accident or in the desert saddly I wont be buying another one, they are fantastic fun to drive and very capable but I am really getting sick or spending time underneath it after a trip to the desert and handing over my hard earned cash paying for new parts. But for the time being I know my tool box wont be made redundant for a some time to come, and our local LR stealer spare parts dept can keep smiling every time I come through the front door.

I feel like a LR casanova.

Not only do I love my RR's (2 Classics), i get to love all my customers ones, too.



Hmmm, what a life!

Like Pat says, you'd want to take a long hard look at some of the other brands repair costs etc before condemming LR's 'issues'. I admit there are a few annoying idiosynchrasies, but that adds character to this timeless marque I think!

JC