Lightwater wrote:

MartynB wrote:

If it was me I’d trade the Superb and chip the 5 grand in , Lots of newer cars that would do the job , Disco Sport , Tiguan , Kodiak, Octavia Scout , All Road , Forester , Outback , X60 , Jeep , all could be har with the Superb’s bells and whistles .
M

There is not one car in your list that you see in the Australian outback, including the Jeep, there are more Land Rovers (combined models but LR start off from low numbers mainly due to price down under) than any of these. Can't recall seeing a single Jeep of any model in 2 months in the outback! I saw a handful of full fat Range Rovers towing dual axle caravans on more remote roads than I would be prepaired to go on.

With all respect , this is not the Australian Outback. the UK is stuffed with all wheel drive vehicles , millions of them from Dusters to Range Rovers every single one is capable up to a point . We are a salesman’s dream , more SUV vehicles than you can shake a stick at .I’ve had 4x4s for 35 years , and every one of them from the SJ413 to the two we have now will do their primary job , which is to to get into town when it snows and partake in hobbies that sometimes mean getting the tyres mucky, . The most “off-road “ capable were the Defenders , but a bigger piece of to travel a 100 miles in you’d never find. Believe it or not “ off roading “ for its own sake isn’t a big thing over here . So for the purpose of getting out of a village to go to work every single car on that list will do it, and we haven’t even got to the Audi Q and Beemer X series . Yes if the world wants to sell it , they know we will buy it her  2009 GS Auto Zermatt Silver - Sold June 21 after 10 years of ownership

2016 Subaru Outback SE 2.0 diesel SE Premium Lineartronic Sold 2024 after 8 years and 80k miles . Best Car I ever owned !

2023 Toyota Hilux invincible X 2.8 Auto .

Thanks for the all the comments! Really useful.

To cover off some of the questions...

PXing my Superb isn't an option - I do a lot of motorway miles with a lot of kit (thinking driving to Italy with kayaks and mountain bikes, as well as regular trips up north and general work driving). So I need something big, comfortable and economical. Also, I really like the car, and wouldn't want to get rid of it , especially as it is fairly new.

In terms of am I a new / old car person. I have always had moderately new cars. However, I am quite technical and enjoy tinkering, so have always fancied a project car... but its not sensible to do that with the sub 7yr old cars I have had. My experience of maintaining vehicles has been largely with friends VW T4/5 vans and a friend's old 80s era Land Rover, which was always pretty reliable, but we did lots of upgrades, like snorkels etc.

Would I just leave it for months at a time? No. I would always drive any car I had every few weeks at least, to keep it ticking over.


The comments on here about £5k being scrap value and essentially not worth it are interesting. Most of my friend T4/5s have been bought for around that, at over a 100k miles. Short of one replacement gear box, they have all kept chugging for years without any significant mechanical failures.

Can I read into these comments that Land Rovers (in general) are less reliable than VW Transporters, and therefore buying a >100k car is not sensible... or is it a general reticence to have an older car?


I would prefer not to have a Defender, because as mentioned, I would probably take this car on some longer trips (e.g. Scotland)... and my friend's one was not fun on a long journey... especially when you had to pull over to the service station to put on your waterproofs because it started raining .


I am fairly convinced that a 4k Forester at 120k miles would keep going for a long time (a few friends have them and have all been bomber). Are we saying that a D3 / FL2 is unlikely to enjoy a similar dotage?!

Thanks again!

It is a good topic!

Obviously the originator has thought of some very reasonable questions. But at the end of the day you either have depreciation on a new car of higher maintenance costs on an old car. But you are probably better off with maintenance over depreciation, unless one is old! No escape from costs of owning a car. The least number of cars you own the better!

If you factor in substantial maintenance costs from the start then you can enjoy the car for the purpose you purchased it for in the first place. You could otherwise spend bucket loads on money on wife!

If you factor in a maintenance free car you are in for a very rude shock at the very least. Cheaper to have a wife or otherwise!

In the boating fraternity there is a saying: Ocean sailing is akin to tearing up $100 notes under a cold shower in winter. Any car whether depreciation or long term maintenance is akin to tearing up $50 notes under a cold shower in autumn!

Cheapest option is a Bosch 12 volt angle grinder with 4ah battery, I keep one in the car boot, best compact tool on the market. Then you have the option of access to any bike, security etc you need to sort out! Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

chrisps wrote:

Can I read into these comments that Land Rovers (in general) are less reliable than VW Transporters, and therefore buying a >100k car is not sensible... or is it a general reticence to have an older car?

Quote:

I am fairly convinced that a 4k Forester at 120k miles would keep going for a long time (a few friends have them and have all been bomber). Are we saying that a D3 / FL2 is unlikely to enjoy a similar dotage?!

I’ve owned FL2’s and D4’s and the FL2 has one huge advantage for off road work and that’s size and weight - or lack of it in the case of the FL2!

Part with the Skoda and get a decent used FL2, the first one I had did absolutely everything that I needed when I parted with my last V70 in 2011 (and I was well used to leading the car with people, dog and lots of stuff and driving lots and lots of miles!)

Yes and interesting thread.

At year 4 my FL2 cost over £500 to put right and its pampered. Thats a big percentage of a 5K car for anyone on a budget so I don't push (no pun intended) older ones as a sole use car. As its not for sole use go find a lower miles one if you can and enjoy it but you will get a number of £500 bills along the way.

Anything that has hit 9 to 10 years low miles or not needs to come with a receipt showing the cam belt has been changed. FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

Sorry all... but I come back to my previous that IMO a D2 would suit is needs perfectly, especially as he is happy to play with spanners himself.

Yes rust is an issue (D1 gets body rot, D2 gets chassis rot (at least I think that's how it was ) but if you can find one with a decent body and chassis the rest is just nut n bolts.

The D2 will go anywhere, carry shed loads of kit, and be comfortable cruising...... the only downside is the 95L tank costs a fortune to fill over here although I did used to get 600miles to a tank in mine commuting 120 miles a day.

See someone mentioned Tiguan earlier, well my 16 plate went back as it was one of the most uncomfortable drives from here to Scotland I have had and was dreading the return journey. Next trip up back into Freelander 2 and what a pleasure even taking the scenic route (forestry road) around loch was something that could/would not be tried in the VW. If it wasn't so bad it'd be funny.

🐑
Freelander 2 HSE auto 2014 ( Florrie ) ..... Try again.
Freelander 2 GS 2012...... Gone.

>100k mile land rovers are not an issue if they have been looked after & there is proper evidence of that. My first Freelander, a Td4, had clocked up 192,000 & was still going strong when it was written off by an idiot in a taxi driving into the side of it. I had it from new & the garage that maintained it reckoned it would easily have seen 250k. It was replaced by another Td4 which we have just sold at 173,000 & again going strong but SWMBO wanted a newer car so we have bought a FL2 & very pleased with it.

What I would not do is advise spending £5k on a D3 - as people have said on here already, that is scrap value for those cars & they are generally being sold because the likelihood of them having a seriously expensive fault/breakdown is high & they are not economical to repair at that sort of price point. Hence why the advice is to avoid.

I sold my D2 with 115k miles, full history & 2 owners a little over 2 years ago for £4k so with a £5k budget & a bit of looking around you should be able to find a good one. They are great to drive, have a big boot, capable of towing 3.5t if you ever need to & are very capable off road. Only reason I sold mine was because I wanted a D4 & could afford it as I'd just paid my mortgage off

My advice, the FL2 is a great car & if you only need something that can cope with a few cm of snow or a bit of flood water once or twice a year then go for it. If you want something that will cope a bit better off road then get a D2. Both will happily travel from one end of the country to the other in comfort & warmth, unlike a Defender...

chrisps wrote:

I'd prefer a manual - is this a bad idea for any reason (off roading?)

D2 TD5 auto is a great car on and off road. The important thing is to find one with a good chassis and bulkhead - just about everything is DIY replaceable. If only I knew where my old one is - I fully waxoyled the chassis and underside. Jules

Ive still got mine, a 2004 manual with 164k miles had a few issues with cylinder head leaking diesel internally and then a head gasket failure a short time later. It's lack of dependability for every day use is what made me buy the Fl2 in the first place however once I have the Disco back together I have no doubt it will make an excellent buy for someone. I'm still in two minds what to do with it. Landrover - turning owners into mechanics since 1948

2014 Orkney grey Freelander SD4 GS.
2004 Zambezi silver Discovery 2 Td5 (Gone)
1963 Surf blue Morris Mini Minor Super de Luxe (my little toy)

I am currently doing 1,000 miles a week in my 117,000 mile 2007 HSE. I never get into my FL2 wondering if it will make the journey, I sit on the motorway at 70 ideally with cruise on and the miles just go by. Have I had any issues since owning it, yes of course, gearbox, diff and wheel bearing. Gearbox was done under warranty, diff by Austen at Bell Engineering and wheel bearing by a local independent LR garage.

Gearbox was the only time the car ever let me down but it hasn't caused me to worry every time I start the car up, I feel confident it will do what I want/expect it to do. I've had other cars over the years that have also let me down and I ended up getting rid of as I lost confidence in them.

Would I change it for something else, yes I'd have the Discovery Sport (not everyone's cup of tea I know) but it would offer me better economy and lower VED but I can't afford it so I am happy to keep the FL2 for a few more years yet.

surprisingly the economy of the DS is not that different (if at all) than a FL2 and the VED is only marginally lower.

Hi Rog,

I would be looking at a pre 2017 model which states a VED of £140.00 per years whereas my 2007 TD4 is £305.00 per year at current rates. Also MPG is quoted at 53 so realistically would be closer to 40 - 45, these kind of figures are what would make it attractive for me.

I understand the latest model suffers from yet another change to VED that penalises all the efforts manufacturers make to bring emissions down.