MY SIL has decided that she wants to buy a Landrover truck.
I am a frequent reader of websites like edmunds.com, and I also pay attntion to Consumer Reports.
CR consistently rates LR as very bad in quality-and there are many owner’s tales of woe on edmunds as well.
From what I read, not only are these vehicles prone to break down, repairs cost a fortune.
I was particularly interested to read about their “Freelander” model-apparently, the Chinese-built engine had a build in defect (loos cylinder liner sleeves), which would break loose and drop into the block-which then would cause toatl engine failure-sometimes at 30,000 miles (or less).
So, are these vehicles worth it? They look nice and are technically advanced-but are they trucks that will leave you starnded?
Would you take personal anecdotes on the SDMB more seriously than Consumer Reports?
At first I thought you were trying to keep your SIL from buying a Rand Rover, which I’m sure would make for a horrible vehicle.
So print out the reports and give them to her. I had personal experience with Land Rovers in Africa, and wouldn’t buy one myself, but why would that convince anybody? They come with things already pre-broken for you, and the electrical systems are for shit. If she’s going to spend a bunch of money, and needs something that will take a beating, get a Toyota Land Cruiser instead of a yuppie wagon.
The best way to dissuade someone from buying a Land Rover is to let them buy a Land Rover.
Lets assume that she does buy the Land Rover and it turn out to be a huge financial black hole, a pure rolling nightmare. What is that to you? If she buys one then you’ll both learn something. Either you’ll both learn that ownership surveys should be heeded or you’ll both learn that a good one sneaks out of the factory once in a while. It’s her money, her car, her inconvenience if she breaks down and her life if she breaks down on the railroad tracks with an oncoming train headed straight for her.
On a family relationship level the choice is even easier. Would you rather be right or happy? When giving advice, you can’t often be both.
The best British car is worse than the worst British food.
They’re not cheap, can she afford it, or is it going to be a frivolity?
I don’t necessarily think that Edmunds and CR are the be-all for reviews, but I haven’t ever heard a good thing about their cars.
Land Rover or Range Rover?
If the former, serious work vehicle or SUV?
A serious Land Rover will go anywhere and put up with a lot of abuse, but is a work vehicle, not something for everyday use. I wouldn’t recommend one as a SUV.
Good point. Six-wheeled Land Rovers are the vehicle of choice on African safaris. For smaller groups, they almost exclusively drive Land Cruisers.
Tell her to get a proper (Series 3) Land Rover, the ones with bench seats and a canvas tilt. Not the wusses’s apology for a Land Rover that they sell these days.