decisions,decisions...help

[Darkhorse]

hello everyone..I am new here and I want to buy a 4x4 for on road and off road driving...I want to feel comfortable wearing a business suite and driving it as well as driving it in the bush..
I have looked hard around and narrowed it down to basically 3 vehicles
Toyota Lancruiser 100 VX
Landrover Discovery III
Jeep Cherokee
I think the X5 , Merc GL and the Audi Q7 are really more of a fancy (but) good on roadester with a small off road capability...
So what advice do you guys give me...Would appreciate some help from you experienced hands....

Many Thanks

 

[Ting]

This is LC site, and you are going to get biased opinion. Ask the same questions in LandRover, and Heep forums.


Of course, LC all the way...

 

[Darkhorse]

Yes I know it is an LC site ..I dont mind the biased opinions...as long as they are soundly based...I am really looking for you guys who have tons of experienec on the LC to help me out
Looking on the Toyota site , it was really interesting to go through the history of the LC....facinating...

 

[hoser]

Personally, I'd eliminate both the LR and Cherokee on reliability issues and build quality. By process of elimination, there's only one choice... Land Cruiser.

I am intrigued by the new Mercedes GL's. There's a lot going for it including the availability of a diesel engine in the US, C&R locking differentials, transfer case, 7 speed transmission, and 7500lb tow capacity. It has 8 years of technology on the LC and luxurious features that show it. But yes, with F&R independent suspension and unibody construction, the GL is not in the same category as the LC. The LC fits in right between the G-wagon and the GL.

 

[Darkhorse]

Well you are right about the reliability issues of the LR..I know quite a bit about it...so I have already discounted that..... Its a relatively new car (the D3 is only 2 years old and is a total re-design from the D2)..and there are alot of issues...the main thing is that unfortunately...LR has not been able to get their QA right...the parts break down quite alot so you get a lot of electrical,software probs..the compressors keep failing.They claim the vehicle has gone through 2 million miles of extensive testing,but this does not show in the final product.I dont think the management have the right attitiude to QA. If I was a QA manager running their plant, I would insist from my suppliers a failure rate of not more then 1-3% max. I guess it must be much higher then that...I wonder what Toyota accepts as component failure rates. I think they are very stringent. The Japanese manufacturing methods demand that (JIT).
I know nothing about the JEEP...I am really puzzeled, because the JEEP goes back to WWII....so I dont understand why there are reliability issues...Well so does the old Landrover, was used in WWII..but if you introduce new technology and your manufacturing practices are not up to scratch...it just shows...

It has 8 years of technology on the LC and luxurious features that show it. But yes, with F&R independent suspension and unibody construction, the GL is not in the same category as the LC. T

what do you mean by that..it has 8 years of technology ahead of the LC?

 

[calamaridog]

Jeep doesn't sell many vehicles overseas or have the parts and repair network overseas they have here in the US. I wouldn't even consider a Jeep if I was you.

 

[DirtyHarry]

what do you mean by that..it has 8 years of technology ahead of the LC?

The 100 series Land Cruiser was introduced in 97 as a 98 model. There will be a new Land Cruiser in the US for '08. The GL was recently redesigned and thus benefits from newer technology that the current 100 series Land Cruiser.

 

[1loudLX]

Jeep doesn't sell many vehicles overseas or have the parts and repair network overseas they have here in the US. I wouldn't even consider a Jeep if I was you.

I wouldnt even consider a jeep if i lived in the US...lol! Terrible quality lately.

 

[e9999]

I think it's fair to say that people who do serious research about this usually conclude that the LC is the one that has somehow managed to be both a superlative road vehicle (although not a very sporty one) as well as a seriously capable offroad vehicle (not just fire roads, much more than that), and also be probably the most reliable and high quality-made SUV out there. Main downsides: size, mpg, and cost.

 

[Darkhorse]

The Merc GL may be more advanced tech wise...but will it really do some of the serious stuff that the LC does as an off road...?

 

[fzjchase]

I wouldnt even consider a jeep if i lived in the US...lol! Terrible quality lately.

When did they ever have good quality?

 

[Darkhorse]

Wow...serious..I am amazed..they look quite serious cars..I guess you cant tell from the looks..also the specs are very high, V8, V10..is the RAM SRT10 also a JEEP?

 

[fzjchase]

is the RAM SRT10 also a JEEP?

Same company.

 

[Abe Nitro]

I have owned two Jeep Cherokees and now own a 100 Series Land Cruiser. The bottom line in the difference is refinement, quality, and cost.

Cherokees (XJ platform) are relatively in-expensive and there is a huge amount of aftermarket parts available to customize your vehicle to your needs. They have excellent suspension articulation and are very very reliable in my experience. I bought two used ones with about 80k miles each and drove them to the 150k mile mark with no major issues. My biggest repair was a radiator and replacing the oem exhaust manifold that is prone to cracking. I have driven these vehicles on difficult rock crawling trails in California and their capability is excellent.

A 100 series LC is quieter, more comfortable, and has many more features. It also get poorer fuel economy and has less aftermarket options available.

For long road trips, overall comfort, features and luxury the LC is the way to go. For pure utilitarian use, where rock crawling and navigation through very tight trails are a priority, a Jeep is may take a little less energy and stress to manage.

 

[Darkhorse]

I

For long road trips, overall comfort, features and luxury the LC is the way to go. For pure utilitarian use, where rock crawling and navigation through very tight trails are a priority, a Jeep is may take a little less energy and stress to manage.

If that was the case, then I would definetly go for the new X5 or a GL...I dont want the LC just for long road tripts, I want a serious off road vehicle with on road capability...The X5 will be mashed up in the rocks, the GL will fare a bit better but what a waste...

 

[spressomon]

If for whatever reason the LC was thrown out of the mix...based upon a couple friends that have purchased them for family grocery getters...I would opt for the new Yukon/Tahoe if trying to keep the purchase to $40k or less. GM (I can not even believe I am saying this actually!) apparently has done a better job with overall design on this new rig. Although fit and overall finish still suffer...but then again it's about $15-$20K less too than a new LC.

 

[spressomon]

Darkhorse...after re-reading your first post on this thread I saw your wish to have a rig to be able to "drive in the bush". Can you expound on that please? What type of on-trail/off-road use are you thinking for your rig?

 

[Darkhorse]

thanks man for reading my post...and I really appreciate all you guys who have put in the effort to reply...I live in South Africa (well a brit who got stranded there )
So I encounter all kinds of terrain, deserts,bush, and all sorts, even jugles in west africa....I am actually planning a 10k km trip next year 07/08, london, cape town...which will go through all kind of stuff like deserts, off beaten track...everything you can imagine....and most of all important...reliability, because the nearest dealer could be 1000-2000 km away...that is why i thought of the LC...the LR D3 is just too unreliable if it packs up in the middle of nowhere...its very hi tec...air springs etc etc...I want a very reliable workhorse that i can rely on and its not gona break and leave me stranded in the desert...well in some cases that maybe a life break..like Thiery Sabine who got lost in the desert of libya in '77 and when he managed to get back to france, decided to teach everyone about his experience and started the PARIS-DAKAR RALLY...

 

[e9999]

there is no doubt that you can turn the 100 into a superb offroad machine, it will just take a bit of work and $$. The potential is there. You can see this here very easily. And stock it will beat the pants off of all the other ones you mentioned I think.

 

[hoser]

Darkhorse, you should seriously consider the Land Cruiser 105 (aka 100 series with the rigid front axle).