As I have posted before, several folks that I know have had them and couldn't get rid of them fast enough once the warranty expired. Some didn't even wait that long. One rancher told me that his actually spent more time at the dealership during the year that he owned it than it did on the ranch. Another rancher gave his to his daughter whose husband was in grad school at MIT, after their Jeep Cherokee was stolen. The kids gave it back after about six months, having averaged a little over $1,500 per month in repairs and maintenance. I wouldn't have one on a bet...
Ben
Some days it takes most of the day for me to do practically nothing...
If you can believe in English engineering it should only be a small leap of faith to believe in drunken English union workers putting it together. Not pretentious at all, let us know how you like it.
Be Polite , Be Professional , but have a plan to kill everybody you meet -General James Mattis United States Marine Corps
Make me a douche not withstanding current douchness? I want one. The wife says it is pretentious. Tell me the good or bad. Are they as reliable as I have been told or is that a thing of the past?
As you can imagine, they are very popular over here..
Are you looking to buy new or second hand? Do you want it as a daily drive or as weekend play thing for hunting or off-roading?
As an off-roader, they are probably still the best in their class with the LandCruiser being their only serious competition.
Perceived wisdom over here is that "stock", they are more agile off road than the Land Cruiser but the Toyota is more reliable..
And like all Land Rovers, that lack reliability is thier major let down..they are not "terrible" but certainly far from "Toyota reliable". This is compounded these days by their reliance of electronics and computerization..The same can be said for the Discovery and the new Freelanders also..
If you can get an older Range Rover, they make a great project vehicle for off-roading and hunting ect and you see many old ones used like that over here..
That said, I can't believe parts would be cheap in the US, nor easily available so I would think something like a Jeep would make a far better starting point for such a project in the US..
We can't reasonably get the good LandCruiser; the one's with a diesel. For the cost of a Rover or LandCruiser you could buy a Dodge truck and a jeep, and still have enough left over for a nice hunt. Priorities I guess, what you want/want to show for your money.
Be Polite , Be Professional , but have a plan to kill everybody you meet -General James Mattis United States Marine Corps
The versions of the Range Rover and Land Rovers sold over here are NOT the same as what you folks get. As another poster said, if you can find a pre-65 model, go for it. Otherwise, plan on spending more time UNDER it than in it. Or paying someone to be UNDER it.
Ed
"Not in an open forum, where truth has less value than opinions, where all opinions are equally welcome regardless of their origins, rationale, inanity, or truth, where opinions are neither of equal value nor decisive." Ken Howell
Tata Buys Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford Positive vibes surround the Indian automaker�s deal to buy the British brands.
March 2008 BY ALISA PRIDDLE
Tata Motors is now in the luxury car and truck business�finally�with a signed agreement to buy the Ford Motor Company�s Jaguar and Land Rover brands for $2.3 billion. The deal is expected to close by the end of the second quarter after some final leaps through legal hoops.
The Indian carmaker that made headlines for introducing the $2500 Tata Nano in January will add to its portfolio a lineup of rugged luxury Land Rover SUVs and sleek Jags that can run as high as $100,000.
Ford said today that it has entered into a �definitive agreement� to sell the British brands that were once part of its much-touted Premier Automotive Group, which included Lincoln and Aston Martin when it formed in 1999 and subsequently dropped Lincoln but added Volvo, to the Indian industrial group. Only Volvo remains under Ford stewardship.
Workers are assuaged with the promise Ford will contribute about $600 million to Jaguar and Land Rover pension plans.
In talks leading up to the sale, Ford sought�and says it found�a buyer committed to preserving the brands and keeping much of the workforce (white- and blue-collar) intact.
�We have enormous respect for the two brands and will endeavor to preserve and build on their heritage and competitiveness, keeping their identities intact,� confirms Tata chairman Ratan Tata, in a statement.
Ford Still Major Supplier
As expected, the deal calls for Ford to continue to supply Jaguar and Land Rover with technologies, powertrains, stampings, components, engineering, continued research and development, and other support services for differing periods of time. For the first year, financing will still be provided through the Ford Motor Credit Company.
Many top-level Jag and Land Rover execs seem to favor the sale. The official statement from Geoff Polites, who will continue as CEO of Jaguar and Land Rover, says, �Our team has been consulted extensively on the deal content and feels confident that it provides for the business needs of both our brands going forward.�
Phil Popham, Land Rover managing director, told Car and Driver in an interview at the New York auto show that the brand benefited from being part of Ford, which helped it to launch its highest-quality products to date, generating a positive momentum that will carry forward. He notes the current product plan was developed as part of the Ford family, which necessitates Ford continuing as the main supplier. But the sale to Tata opens up possibilities of working with others in the future.
Popham says Tata approved of the existing business plan, and the feeling is the Indian owner is buying the brand to invest. If Tata Motors follows the model of Tata Steel, which in January 2007 bought Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus in a $12 billion deal and turned a money loser into a money maker, then the car brands can take heart. �They�re a conglomerate investing for the long-term,� Popham says. Optimism Prevails
Asked about morale in general at Land Rover, Popham says, �People have never been more excited or confident about Land Rover as now. They feel it truly is a global brand.� He notes sales are up 18 percent over those of a year ago, and some of the brand�s biggest markets, such as Russia and China, are areas where Land Rovers were not even sold a few years ago.
Jaguar designer Ian Callum also told us recently he looks forward to a new owner that approves of the product plan, will provide a large degree of autonomy, and has cash to invest and a desire to impress. Ford's announcement of the agreement comes after months of negotiations and delays chalked up to final haggling over price and concerns over rising borrowing costs due to a global credit crunch. Some analysts have expressed surprise at the high price, in part reflective of the supply agreement with Ford for the immediate future.
Ford bought Jaguar in 1989 and picked up Land Rover from BMW in 2000. Aston Martin was sold by Ford a year ago for $925 million.
Ford is left with its core brands: Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, and Volvo, although many forecast the eventual demise of Mercury. Ward�s AutoForecasts shows the brand dying out by 2012 following an analysis of the automaker�s production and product investment plans. Ford officials continue to insist Mercury has a future, despite evidence to the contrary.
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." - John Adams
On Saturday I was talking to the owner of a repair shop that services Range Rover, Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes vehicles (they started servicing Range Rovers when BMW owned Range Rover several years ago). He had nothing but bad things to say about Range Rovers. "Pretentious" would seem to be the best (?only?) reason to have one.
Have to wonder if the message that owning a Range Rover sends is that you have enough money to have another vehicle to drive on a daily basis, enough spare money to be making frequent repairs to the Range Rover, and enough spare time that you don't mind dealing with having it in the shop all the time.
Yes, Range Rovers have a distinctive and cool look to them, but they would have to be considered as something like a weekend vehicle that the owner doesn't mind spending a lot of money and time on dealing with their problems.
Edit to add: I know someone who had a Range Rover for several years, and he loved it despite the problems. However, it sat in his garage for several years because he had to save up the money to fix it, so for much of the time he owned it, he didn't get to enjoy driving it.
Last edited by Ramblin_Razorback; 03/11/13. Reason: last paragraph
Audi and Range Rover are in the same club, expensive, unreliable, and expensive to repair. As long as you trade them in before they hit 80, you will probably be ok :P
"Life is tough, even tougher if your stupid" John Wayne
Pete, Otherwise, plan on spending more time UNDER it than in it. Or paying someone to be UNDER it. Ed
I dunno, that sounds awfully like the ones we get also!
I have said it before, but the main problem with LandRover is that they are not build by Toyota!
After they were sold, both BMW and Ford failed to get to grips with their problems, and now the parent company is in India, that doesn't exactly fill me with confidence either..
As much as I'd like a classic old Range Rover or Defender, I prefer to spend my spare time and money shooting and hunting, not turning wrenches..
They really went down hill after the Indian's bought them...
I tend to disagree, Range Rover (like all Land Rovers) have had reliability issues since their inception..Like I said in my last post, neither BMW nor Ford could get them straightened out although in fairness, they are better than they were in the 1980's..
I DID get your PM. My plans are still the same, so I will see you Thursday evening!
Ed
"Not in an open forum, where truth has less value than opinions, where all opinions are equally welcome regardless of their origins, rationale, inanity, or truth, where opinions are neither of equal value nor decisive." Ken Howell
![[Linked Image]](http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/rr288/Bwnci/welsh-flag-large-anim.gif)
