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Land Rover owner tempted by the dark side ;)

Paulmc

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Apr 14, 2021
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Hi guys, as the title says I’m a Land Rover owner with just two LRs currently to my name. A Range Rover classic for restoration & a Range Rover L322 Autobiography as my daily driver. I’ve owned a number of Range Rovers & a couple of Discovery’s over the years & not got any horror stories or major issues to tell you of. Partly I think due to the fact that I looked after them with proper maintenance.

My kids moved down to Devon last month from Worcestershire with their mum which is a 200 miles journey for me &
I want something bulletproof that I won’t have to worry about breaking down on me. Even though I’ve never had any major issues with any Land Rovers or Range Rovers I've owned, the thought of putting big miles on my current Range Rover doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence. It’s got 146k on it but I just don’t trust it to do over 200k.

Now you know why I’m here & it’s because I kept hearing about this Landcruiser reliability & I needed to get one to do the mileage. I bought a 2002 D4D Auto in VX trim, 205,000 miles on the clock & FSH. I actually got it cheap as the previous owner sold it with a faulty gearbox, I was quite prepared to have the box reconditioned but its showing no signs of trouble at present. I will keep on driving it local before any long journeys to see if the fault appears, which I assume it will at some point.

I must admit, it is starting to grow on me as at first I was a little disappointed with the ride quality but it does have a certain character to it. I've already started making it my own so I guess I'm keeping it for the foreseeable future.
 
Welcome along. You'll find that we're more than tolerant of those who have crossed the Rubicon and seen the light. It takes some longer that others, but you're here now. At 200k it might be time for some new suspension. I had a D4D VX and it was superb to ride in. OEM springs are a bit on the spindly side so perhaps it's time for an upgrade. Toyotas are bomb proof, yes, in relative terms. But they are not faultless. We'd acknowledge that. They are highly tolerant of owner abuse. Lack of servicing and maintenance etc just doesn't show up as much as it does with some other makes. The other vehicles that you mention that have given trouble free service is good news, but interestingly ones that don'w give trouble are the ones that make news because sadly poor reliability does seem to plague certain ones. We've always said, if LR had got it 100% right, then the Landcruiser would never have been the success that it is.

Great to have you along, we do have many members here who identify with being Trans-Oval.
 
Welcome...
Keep the engine oil changed frequently and of good quality and you should be fine... bit like a Landy they respond to love and attention but generally Landcruiser's are very good and tolerant .... keep on top of any rust on the chassis and you will find that Roughtrax are a good source of aftermarket quality parts ... always worth checking because genuine parts are often not silly money.....
Enjoy your new found spare time ... ;-)
 
205,000 is nothing for these vehicles.... good luck with it. Love the original RR and the original Defender though.
 
Hey guys, thanks for the warm welcome. You all said it pretty much spot on.

I do look after my cars so this LC should do me ok, the chassis is in great condition as I know these can suffer from corrosion so I checked that. I will be giving it some treatment to keep it that way. Regular servicing will also be done, probably more that needed but will be good for the engine.

As for the suspension being maybe a little tired as mentioned by Chris, that was also my thoughts as I feel the ride should be better than it is although I have been spoilt by air suspension this last 5 years so I did wonder if I was just being critical. Anyhow as I'm now going down the route of an overland build I will be upgrading it anyway. Maybe I should do a new post on that in the appropriate section.

Thanks
 
If there's anything we love more than pictures, it's pictures in a build thread!
 
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If there's anything we love more than pictures, it's pictures in a build thread!
Well then I guess I will have to start one, starting with it being standard the day I picked it up. Where is the correct place to do a build thread here? I love the comment about being Trans-Oval btw :)
 
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Paul I have owned many and various Land Rover products for over 40 years, I still have a factory built early V8 Ninety and a 53 80in and. a 58 109in. I have never had any real problems with Land Rovers, the best being a Discovery 3 which I had for 8 years.
I’m late coming to Land Cruisers but always wondered what they were really like so I dipped my toe in and bought a one family owned 1997 Colorado which was in excellent condition. It only has 120,000 miles and will mainly be used as a road car with some occasional towing. So, my first impressions are that comparing it to a Discovery of the same period the LC wins hands down, the build quality being far better IMO. The interior plastics seem pretty cheap but long lasting. The 3 litre diesel is a great engine and while some appear to be prone to cracking heads I think with proper maintenance hopefully that issue will be avoided. So to sum up from a long time Land Rover owner I wish I had got in to LC’s earlier and bought what I have now when they were pretty new. I will always have my Land Rovers but the LC is my daily drive now.
 
Wow that's even longer than me into Land Rovers, for me its just over 15 yrs. Like you I will remain a LR fan but this LC 95 has got my attention & the thing is I feel confident that it will serve me for the purpose I need it for with less headaches. I've now gotten myself interested a journey in overloading & I can't think of any other vehicle that is more suited than a Toyota Land cruiser. I briefly toyed with using my L322 but thoughts of air suspension issues on a trail, was enough to make me think again. We shall see where Land cruiser journey takes me & in time I might be able to agree with the many thousands of owners about the reliability & build quality of Toyota :)
 
Hiya Paul and welcome. I'm another that has had various 4x4 brands over the last 30 years, mostly LR Defenders, but various other stuff. Currently run an 80 series (my wife's) and a 3.0 Hilux. Out of the box the 'Yotas are definitely better put together, but once you get a few years on, I think a lot comes down to the maintenance - unfortunately Landcruisers have a reputation for being tough, which some owners seem to think means you don't need to service them. For us, the 80 Series is a great truck, but its not been any better for reliability than a Defender of a similar age in all honesty, largely down to previous owners' lack of attention from what I can tell. Early days on the Hilux, as its relatively new (2015). That said, keep on top of the maintenance and you'll be a happy bunny.
 
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