My hobby is owning older Land Rover models. Anything over 3 years or 40,000 miles is a maintenance pit. I've spent tens of thousands keeping my current 01 Discovery running, but I pull a double horse trailer with it, and it never breaks down (it just leaks fluids when it's ready to die).

It's at 170,000 miles -- way past its service life, but the thing is a tow monster.

I also own an older British import model that costs me at least $6000 a year in maintenance and replacement parts.

Avoid used British cars like the plague, even if they were assembled by an American ownership. They're crap.

Fun to drive, hell to maintain.

I bought my last BMW for $4K cash and it lasted me 6 years with no engine or transmission problems. I had to replace the thermostat twice and driver-side window mechanism. It finally bit the dust when I hit a huge pothole and took out a curb. Broke the rack & pinion, I think. Insurance still gave me $3K. I'm just bored with beamers. Too many guys sporting a 325Ci acting like douches.

I looked at Lexus for a while, but even the GS430 reminds me of a woman's car unless you put a kit on it. I would jump all over one if I could find one with work already done for a decent price.

I've owned Ford and Toyota, so it's not that I'm so concerned with impressions. I actually just like the older style of the '98 XJ and think it's crazy how much money they put into these cars, never making a profit (yes, based on low sales numbers) but really they made some decent looking cars. Fuck buying a car just to go around talking about it. That's ridiculous, but I get that some guys do. I just want to take advantage of $60,000 of depreciation. It is really so bad that if I drive 10 miles to work everyday that it's gonna blow out on me at 80K miles?

So, this car is a horrible deal if I could get it for $5K

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/...5223&Log=0

When did the LS430 Lexus stop being so boxy? Get that last boxy year -- it's a dream to drive, faster than you'd expect, and still luxurious.

^^
Checking them out now on Autotrader. Only 6 LS's under $10,000 in all of Charlotte and Atlanta. Most are 2000 models with high miles and nothing newer than '01. A 2001 LS430 with 315,000 miles still goes for $9K.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/...2861&Log=0

I talked to a friend that owns a few dealerships and he says that people on the east coast aren't upgrading their luxury cars. They are hanging onto Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes that are 5-10 years old, meaning that the supply is so low that everyone wants retail. I've seen it myself looking for a replacement for 6 months. I'm about to say fuck it.

Jaguar isn't looking so bad for half price. Crazy nice styling for a '98.

   

I picked up a 2002 LS430 with 48,000 miles for $12k or so in Chicago off Craigslist 2 years ago. Flipped it for $15k about 6-8 months later, but put $5k into it and put around 20,000 miles on it, so I consider it a win.

Check Craigslist for sure (private sellers). If you can find a good local Toyota mechanic, they can maintain it well. The LS430 isn't too hard to self-maintain, but there's lot of electronics that CAN go wrong with years -- the air conditioned leather seat option is awesome, but always failed on me with time.

Will check out Craigslist. thanks

I'm going to sell my moms Mercedes C-230 sport in a month or so it's an 06. She doesn't like it because her old lady friends complain it's too low and possibly got squashed in an no-impact squash type imaginary accident like fell off the top of a building but didn't get damaged just lowered.

If anyone wants it. It's super clean.

On another note I drove a Chevy Volt on Sunday. It's basically an Iphone with a motor and wheels.

I like those V8 jags. Watch out for the timing chain update and change out all the plastic to rubber hoses/ fittings/ waterpump and you should be ok. The seats are heaven.

Check this guy out.

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/2956414295.html

"Will trade for a pair of jet skis Or suv"

Hmm...where can I get a shitty SUV or a pair of jet skis??

How much mech? color/miles?

[attachment=6042]
It's just like this 30k miles or so. I put new Eagle GTs on it a couple months ago.

Quote: (04-30-2012 01:09 PM)ABDada Wrote:  

I've spent tens of thousands keeping my current 01 Discovery running, but I pull a double horse trailer with it, and it never breaks down.

Does not compute....


If you're towing a horse trailer get something that is designed to do that and will last.

Like a pickup from any of the Big 3.

170K is nothing for an American truck.

If you need an SUV a Tahoe or Sub (or Avalanche for a tweener) will work fine.

My first SUV was a Discovery (1994) and it was a camper's dream -- optional pop-up tend that sits on top (off the cold, wet ground), full engine snorkel as a factory option, etc. My first Disco1 regularly drove through shallow rivers in Wisconsin to get to islands and other territory that normally would only go via boat.

Because they kept most of the models from 1989 to 2003 pretty consistent, most of the hop-up parts I've bought just bolt on to newer models I replaced the olders ones with. Also, I am really handy with the truck's maintenance -- they regularly need head gasket replacements, I've done my own brakes, oil changes, and even some other engine repairs.

When my friends Big 3 trucks have issues, they're usually dead on the road. My Disco2 that I drive now had no power steering, a pretty rough coolant leak and some other issues that all sprung up when I was driving down from Minnesota. The truck never died, it just had issues.

Plus, the Disco2 SE7 model has 2 jump seats in the trunk, so I can carry either 3 friends and gear or 6 friends. I have yet to see a Big 3 SUV that does everything my Disco trucks have done, at the price I've paid, and the consistency.

Rock sliding? No problem.

Driving through a 3' deep river? No problem.

Towing a double horse trailer? No problem.

Driving even when there's obvious dysfunction? No problem.

Bolt-on upgrades that carry from model year to model year? No problem.

Extremely easy shade tree maintenance? No problem.

Yes, it's an expensive beast to maintain, but it works, it works for me, and I love the dual sunroofs, the higher rear seating arrangement, and the overall bullet proof aspect of it.

My next truck will likely be a Nissan Titan, but they hold value well, so I won't spring for it until the Disco2 is dead and buried.

14 years of owning these trucks, I've found my hobby, but my next truck will likely be something different just for kicks. I'm sure I'll be back to the Disco line again, though.

If I ever have kids, they're getting Discos as their first rides. I swear by them in accidents and in bad weather.

Nice car mech, too nice for my budget I'm sure, unfortunately.

'Preciate the advice on the timing chain update and so forth. I brought it up to the girl at the dealership by phone, but she claims not to know one way or the other. Checking the Carfax now; maybe it will show up. If not, I just take it to a local mechanic before buying, I assume? Any other advice?

@ABDada

I'm a big fan of Range Rover and looked at Discovery as well but the 12-13 mpg isn't realistic for city driving. For farmwork in the country, much easier to take. I still like 'em and they're cheap to buy so some of the cost is offset. Seems like you've really enjoyed your Discovery and had a good hobby out of it, so no big deal.

I have a mechanic in the burbs who checks out all of my vehicle purchases for $100, takes him 2-4 hours depending on the make and model. If a dealer doesn't let me take it to him, I pass on the entire dealership forever, and warn my friends. Most are fine with it.

My truck gets 9mpg if I'm driving like an idiot, but upwards of 15mpg if I'm slow and steady. It's still shitty as hell for a daily driver, my fuel bills are outrageous. I'm going to pick up a Fiat 500L for a work car and just leave it at the shop to drive around when I don't need to carry more than myself and some supplies. I bet fuel savings alone will pay for the tiny car.

Quote: (04-30-2012 02:31 PM)IVth_Element Wrote:  

Nice car mech, too nice for my budget I'm sure, unfortunately.

'Preciate the advice on the timing chain update and so forth. I brought it up to the girl at the dealership by phone, but she claims not to know one way or the other. Checking the Carfax now; maybe it will show up. If not, I just take it to a local mechanic before buying, I assume? Any other advice?

You asked a girl about a chain upgrade? lol. Google it and the info will be there. I think that benz is worth about 12k

Quote: (04-30-2012 02:37 PM)ABDada Wrote:  

I have a mechanic in the burbs who checks out all of my vehicle purchases for $100, takes him 2-4 hours depending on the make and model. If a dealer doesn't let me take it to him, I pass on the entire dealership forever, and warn my friends. Most are fine with it.

My truck gets 9mpg if I'm driving like an idiot, but upwards of 15mpg if I'm slow and steady. It's still shitty as hell for a daily driver, my fuel bills are outrageous. I'm going to pick up a Fiat 500L for a work car and just leave it at the shop to drive around when I don't need to carry more than myself and some supplies. I bet fuel savings alone will pay for the tiny car.

Four hours?? It takes 10 minutes.

Quote: (04-30-2012 02:39 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  

Four hours?? It takes 10 minutes.

He's a tear-apart kind of guy, and because I buy luxury vehicles at the end of their warranty or beyond, I know he's saved me thousands on buying vehicles with hidden problems I would never have seen. The reports he gives me are pure gold, and I trust him completely as he also maintains a few of my customer's higher end vehicles, so I know he knows the problems with many upper end cars he's worked on during the warranty periods.

The more expensive a car retails for, the more that CAN go wrong. In the Disco examples above, some of the optional features are awesome when they work, but very costly if they break or are about to. ACE (electronic suspension), transmission and emissions systems, hell even power window motors that are prone to failure that have symptoms that a good mechanic is aware of.

My last Disco2 purchase attempt had a U-joint that was "cleaned up" by the dealer, and my mechanic told me it was short of failure. A few months later, a guy on the forums bought one from that dealer and the U-joint failed, taking out $10,000 worth of emissions and underbody parts as the drive shaft banged against everything on failure.

A great mechanic is worth 5x his rate in headaches saved.

Quote: (04-30-2012 02:38 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  

Quote: (04-30-2012 02:31 PM)IVth_Element Wrote:  

Nice car mech, too nice for my budget I'm sure, unfortunately.

'Preciate the advice on the timing chain update and so forth. I brought it up to the girl at the dealership by phone, but she claims not to know one way or the other. Checking the Carfax now; maybe it will show up. If not, I just take it to a local mechanic before buying, I assume? Any other advice?

You asked a girl about a chain upgrade? lol. Google it and the info will be there.

Yeah, I started laughing at myself halfway through asking her but she's the one selling it so I thought I'd ask. I will check out all the major issues/update/complaints online and use them as bargaining chips. As for a mechanic check, you say 10 minutes is enough. I always had mechanic friends that would check them for me. I will be hours away from anyone looking at this one. What's covered in the 10 min check?

Quote: (04-30-2012 02:46 PM)IVth_Element Wrote:  

Quote: (04-30-2012 02:38 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  

Quote: (04-30-2012 02:31 PM)IVth_Element Wrote:  

Nice car mech, too nice for my budget I'm sure, unfortunately.

'Preciate the advice on the timing chain update and so forth. I brought it up to the girl at the dealership by phone, but she claims not to know one way or the other. Checking the Carfax now; maybe it will show up. If not, I just take it to a local mechanic before buying, I assume? Any other advice?

You asked a girl about a chain upgrade? lol. Google it and the info will be there.

Yeah, I started laughing at myself halfway through asking her but she's the one selling it so I thought I'd ask. I will check out all the major issues/update/complaints online and use them as bargaining chips. As for a mechanic check, you say 10 minutes is enough. What do I ask for when I take it somewhere before buying?

Bring it to someone who knows them and ask how much it will cost to make it "Right" because you want to buy it. Leaks, repaints etc. Always turn the key on and make sure all the lights come on then go out. ABS, Airbag, Engine etc. Guys like to pull the bulbs.
Who has the car and why are they selling it? Records? Pics? Post them here. Engine and underside also.

Quote: (04-30-2012 02:51 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  

Bring it to someone who knows them and ask how much it will cost to make it "Right" because you want to buy it. Leaks, repaints etc. Always turn the key on and make sure all the lights come on then go out. ABS, Airbag, Engine etc. Guys like to pull the bulbs.
Who has the car and why are they selling it? Records? Pics? Post them here. Engine and underside also.

I always thought a good side income for a guy with mechanical knowledge would be to post on Craigslist that you'd help people look at cars. $50, 1 hour maximum of work, easy to schedule off hours or weekends.

As for the ten minutes, I can drive any car and tell whats wrong with it in two miles, look for leaks and any prior damage. I've been at this for almost 30 years
I do it for free anyway. Good PR

Everyone has their personal choices, but for purely financial reasons (the insane upkeep) I wouldn't even consider a LR. A friend had one of the small LR's from a few years back and found out real quick why it was so cheap to buy used. After sinking a few grand into it for relatively minor shit it still had plenty wrong with it. Ended up dumping it to get out from under it.

I'll stick with my Chevy trucks, especially since I don't plan on fording rivers anytime soon. They'll do everything else on your list at a fraction of the maintenance cost or mechanical headaches.

Basically, instead of spending 10's of thousands in repairs one can instead spend that money on a much newer, more reliable, vehicle is how I look at it.

Go drive one of these before you buy..A3 2.0 turbo. Impressive. Very.
[attachment=6045]

Quote: (04-30-2012 03:00 PM)Hotwheels Wrote:  

Basically, instead of spending 10's of thousands in repairs one can instead spend that money on a much newer, more reliable, vehicle is how I look at it.

I warn my friends constantly to never buy LR. Ever.

The only reason I buy them is I love the ride and I have tons of knowledge about them, so I can manage 95% of maintenance and even serious repairs just shade tree mechanic style. I recently replaced my head gasket ($1800 at an average mechanic) myself in a garage over a weekend. It was fun as hell and I did a bunch of other minor work (replaced hoses, etc). Total cost was somewhere under $300, plus 12+ hours of work.

I call owning LR a hobby for a reason. It's a passion, not something that is a wise investment. My older model LR is even worse: when it runs, it catches everyone's eye and I get tons of compliments on it. When it runs.