What's my First Love going to be? Land Cruiser or Land Rover?

[killahaas@gmail.com]

i am 18 years old, my first vehicle i ever owned was a 1999 land rover discovery I SD i loved it. keep in mine i have had a job since i was 14 so i have time to save for the truck purchase/repairs. the Disco was an awesome truck, it was easy for a beginner to wrench on, there was tons of off road aftermarket parts. it was a little pricey to work on, but you'll learn than if you buy any non-american vehicle. I than decided i wanted a land rover 90. so i saved saved saved and bought one. that was a mistake. i bought a 1984 all original land rover 90 with a 2.5 NA diesel in it. i didn't have to many problems with it but i was always scared to go on an long trips, because its not like you break down and go to the closest auto parts store and pick up the part. it was also a big jump going from leather heated seats,power windows, power steering, to NONE of those things, not even a radio. if i could afford a second vehicle i would have keep the 90. also if it is your only vehicle, you better hope you Girlfriend will understand that love for the defender i know mine was! i recently sold my 90 and put a down payment on a brand new 2012 tacoma double cab.
my advice to you is to get a toyota, they are reliable,have a great aftermarket support, and are a lot easier to find nice ones. I personally am land rover lover through and through and i know when i get older i will buy another(im thinking series resto project in a year or two )
but toyota's are great trucks!

[AeroSynch]

I hope this can help, because I was in a similar situation, though I am currently 19. By the way, I live in Florida too!

I have always liked Land Rovers, and more importantly, I've wanted a 2004 Discovery for the longest time. I posted threads here asking questions to the owners of what they thought for someone young like me to own a Land Rover. All the answers came back basically the same; don't do it until you can assure yourself that you have enough money to do preventive maintenance and buy the truck cash. If not, you will be stuck with a monthly payment on something that is breaking down because you can't afford to do maintenance that the previous owner most likely did not do and neglected it.

I know you are between a Land Cruiser and a Land Rover, but maybe another option is plausible. I ended up getting a 1999 Jeep Cherokee Limited right when I started college thanks to financial aid refunds. Let me tell you, for being a full time student and working part time at a UPS Store, I love owning this truck because everything that is parts and upgrades are super cheap. The whole truck can be basically rebuilt with local store parts!

Now, just because it is cheap to own does not mean it is cheap everywhere else. It has a inline 6 4.0 engine that is bulletproof, and the drivetrain is great also. I just replaced my thermostat, water pump, radiator hoses, bought coolant, and a new radiator for all under $200.

To me, it is great because I am on a college budget and can still off road and build how I want my Jeep to be. I still like Land Rovers and really want a Discovery, but I think back to if I had one, I most likely would not be able to get it to the level I have my Jeep now.

Of course, you can bet once I turn 25, insurance gets cheap, and I have a good job and education, I will be buying a 2004 Land Rover Discovery!

BTW, this was my Jeep stock when I bought it, one owner, $3000:




And now with a 3.5" lift, 35s, 17" wheels, snorkel, bumper, etc:

[jknobler]

Well the thing about the girlfriend is.... I don't have one anymore. It's what ever though. I'd love to have a D-90 one day, and I have plenty of time to get to it too.

I was actually thinking about the Jeep Cherokee's, in the body style you have, but I just can't find that many for sale. I'd like to to be 4x4, that's required, but also a stick. Automatic is of course always an option, so long as it has 4x4. I know the Jeeps are good vehicles and are easy to maintain. Hell, that might be the best option, only because of how cheap they are. I mean I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to have a cool Land Cruiser { http://showroom.auction123.com/rolli...7V0158038.html }, but they're really bad on fuel. If I'm really lucky and I do get a car as a 17th birthday present (which is unlikely, but possible) there's nothing that say I can't work to buy another car for myself.... regardless if it's a Jeep or a Land Cruiser. Thank you for bringing that up about the Cherokee by the way. That's also the body style I like too! Sweet ride!

[AeroSynch]

Thanks man. You can find Cherokees in stick and 4x4 but they are way harder to find than just auto and 4x4. If you do consider them, 1998-1999 are the best years.

You can get a relatively cheap one that is stick:

http://miami.craigslist.org/brw/cto/2904379348.html

Or one in better condition but it is auto:

http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/cto/2829230292.html


It's all in how you search.

[NothingClever]

jknobler, I'm not going to give you advice on which vehicle to purchase. I'm simply going to congratulate you for having good grammar and punctuation. That means you possess diligence, attention to detail and are probably smarter than the average 17 year old who only knows texting grammar and punctuation.

In the end you will have done your homework about the vehicle purchase, there'll be some emotion involved in the decision-making process which is inevitable, you'll find that your final choice comes with advantages and disdvantages as does everybody else's and you'll likely learn that satisfaction with your choice comes in knowing what YOU are happiest 'living with'. For example, 'I can live with the disadvantage of increased maintenance because the camaraderie of the Rover community is more important to me.' Or perhaps conversely, 'I can live with the costly gas mileage and frumpiness of an older 4Runner because I know I can travel every weekend without the worry of an expensive breakdown which will cost time and money'.

Good luck and don't forget to do good homework on all your post-high school options. The world is truly your oyster at this point in your life.

[jknobler]

I actually found a really clean looking 4x4 Cherokee, it's an automatic, and it has a little of 71k miles. It's priced right around $3000.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...d=300678353198

Thank you by the way NothingClever. I'm not always the best speller, even with the help that Firefox and word processors give, but I pay attention to detail with grammar and punctuation. This is because it makes a difference, and I know that, unlike most of my peers, proper English is to be used outside of English class.

I figured that there will be emotion involved, because this will, most likely, be a vehicle purchased by me for me, with my own money. It really is down between a Land Cruiser and a Jeep Cherokee. I like the reliability and size of the Land Cruiser, but it's not practical as an everyday driver. Where as the jeep gets (relatively) good gas millage, but isn't as big. They booth look like easy cars to work on and upgrade, so even if I don't get the Cruiser I want, I'll be able to add to it very easily. I have a descent set of tool, and my neighbor has a set that would make most peoples' rolling tool chest look like nothing, so I have access. I guess it all comes down to if my father "surprises me with a vehicle," something like an old tC, or something small, 4 cylinder, (regrettably) front wheel drive, and very frugal on fuel. If that happens I'll buy the Land Cruiser, if it doesn't I'll buy myself the Jeep, and pay for everything (gas, insurance, the car) and only if something goes really wrong (transmission, engine, something big along those lines) will I ask for money. I can change my own oil, I can learn break fluid and all that jazz. So there's factors, and depending upon how they fall, that will dictate which vehicle I will purchase.

List of vehicles I'm looking at:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...d=300678353198

http://showroom.auction123.com/rolli...7V0158038.html

http://www.carsforsale.com/used_cars...r_143965038_7#

[NothingClever]

I haven't read all of the posts here so forgive me if this has already been mentioned.

Don't pass up the opportunity to research the background of your vehicle by using Carfax. Although the service is $40 something for 5 reports, if you have well-defined selection criteria, you can punch in the VIN of the vehicles that make it onto your 'short list' and get to know the vehicle really well before ever making a phone call. It's important to be well-armed with the right questions to ask before engaging a seller so that you don't "rush to failure" because of excitement/enthusiasm over having found the vehicle you've been hunting.

This happened to me with a 1st Generation Toyota Tacoma I bought without asking for undercarriage photos. The body and engine were flawless from the 30 some photos on the webpage, it had exceptionally low mileage, it was a single owner vehicle offered by a major Toyota dealership in Chicago and the price was exceptionally good. When I asked over the phone about the rust on the undercarriage, they assured me it had no rust. I booked a ticket and flew out to find the vehicle was as perfect as advertised in every way excpet for the frame was, in fact, rusty. It wasn't rusty for Illinois but it was rustier than what I would have accepted if it had been on the local lot in the dry Rocky Mountains. No harm, no foul - I had the frame inspected twice and re-painted so the truck is back to 100% but I learned a valuable lesson. Dig past the glossy photos, ask the right questions even though things seem perfect and get more photos.

I'm currently using Carfax for another vehicle purchase and life is much easier. I have well defined search criteria to help me make choices between gas or diesel and which generation of truck to chase and which to avoid.

I have a couple of things I look for when I look at Carfax reports.

1) A few long term owners are better than a series of short-term owners. I can afford to limit the number of total owners to 2.
2) Never owned / operated in a rust-belt or a state that uses salt on the roads in the winter. Check the US/State DOT for what they put on the roads.
3) No accidents.
4) No open recalls involving safety or engine reliability.
5) Periodic servicing at a dealership so that I can call and ask the service manager about the vehicle.

Some of these might put a vehicle out of reach for you because a well-cared for vehicle with minimal owners will be more expensive but I wanted to give you some examples to help you develop your own list of search/selection criteria.

Hope this helps.

Best of luck with your research and decision!

[NothingClever]

List of vehicles I'm looking at:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...d=300678353198

http://showroom.auction123.com/rolli...7V0158038.html

http://www.carsforsale.com/used_cars...r_143965038_7#

All good looking vehicles with attractive mileage....dig deeper and make sure you can afford the gas because they're thirsty breeds.

[jknobler]

I plan to only buy within an area that I can travel to in under 8 hours by car. This makes it so I can see the car, with out too much expenditure, and physically see this. This is of course after I do research with Carfax. I plan to also bring a friend that's a mechanic to take a look at the vehicle. I think Carfax is also a good investment if I plan to be buying a used car.

[PETER PETRAKIEV]

....... The Defender puts a smile on my face every time ........

Hello,
.... remember these words, whatever you buy, there is much truth in them.
Select him to it is reserved/viewed truck, to can then to him do make any such see it in your dreams.
Not to hate with repairs from the beginning.

Success and good luck.I hope to grasp the meaning.