General Comments:
I had a Mustang GT previously, so I obviously wasn't getting anywhere in the weather, nor could I haul anything.
I got the Land Rover wanting the best in off road capability, but somehow forgot to look at maintenance.
Oops.
Had a lot of problems early, and took it to the dealer where they proceeded to handcuff me to the waiting room table and violate me from the hindquarters in a most disrespectful manner, while extracting large sums of cash. How rude. I nearly got rid of it because I couldn't handle any more $1500 bills.
Then I found a local mechanic who had a good reputation with foreign cars. Automatically my bills were cut in half. I've been religious with all routine maintenance since I bought the vehicle.
What I've learned:
1. Don't ever, EVER, take this vehicle to the dealer. Find a reputable local mechanic. I drive 20 miles to the mechanic to get service because the dealer is twice as much.
2. Don't ever forget rule #1.
3. Stuff will break. This is no Honda. Expect strange things breaking and expect to pay for it. I expect to pay $1200-$1500/yr now in maintenance and repair bills. It's in my budget now.
4. It IS kick-ass off road. Took it to a buddy's hunting cabin about 5 miles off road and over a stream, and it was a blast! Also had about 50 inches of snow this winter and I was the only one on the block climbing over 30" snow banks and up the steep hills in my neighborhood. Booyah! Didn't even think twice about taking it to the mountains during a shutdown snowstorm for serious snowboarding, when everyone else was sipping hot chocolate at home.
Overall, I'm happy once I figured out how to hack it as a LR owner. I work from home and only put about 8500 miles/year on it. I was going to get rid of it in a few years, but figure I might as well just keep it until the engine blows up and then part it out.
25th Sep 2016, 02:26
What's an "Otto motor"?