Hi, i'm new to this forum. This looked like the biggest and best LR forum, so i'm hoping this is the place to post! If you have suggestions for other places could you please reply or message me?
I'm looking into purchasing my first automobile. I've gone through 4 motorbikes through the years, but this will be my first four-wheeled vehicle. I know first-hand how important it is to 'know your stuff' and that there are so many different peculiarities and such that are hard to find until you take it home! I was interested in the Tacoma's, but it seems they are difficult to find with the options (4wd!!!) I would like at a reasonable price. And the luxuries seem kind of limited for the price. Either resale value is just ridiculous or people are just looney. Besides that, they never really seemed like 'my kind of vehicle' - which is a little out of the ordinary - unless they had been modded to all hell. Now on the other hand, these 04' Discoveries just call to me... The V-8, 4wd, out-of-the-box offroad worthiness, dual moonroofs, large rear storage, leather, luxury. It is like the Lexus LX 470 that I can actually afford, but with much better looks!
I need a vehicle that will be able to take me to remote trailheads or deep into the desert. As a geologist, we usually use 4x4 Ford Expeditions, but I think this would make the perfect expedition vehicle for personal use!
These vehicles are pretty worthy as-is, right? People always lift their trucks and do all sorts of stuff, but we've always managed to get through pretty rough stuff just in stock Jeeps, Expeditions, F250s. I wouldn't be doing any sort of rock crawling, just rough roads. I'd prefer not to have to do any significant mods, maybe a small roof rack or headlight guards. Those sorts of mods are just for people looking to get 'just a little more' out of it, right?
What should I look for in a vehicle? As far as maintenance goes? I heard something about an expensive 60,000 mile maintenance. Alot of the vehicles i've been looking at are right around this mileage. It seems they are around $10k-$13k in California, but i'm worried they might go up if gas prices keep falling. At the absolute most i'd like to spend $15k out the door after taxes, warranties, etc. Obviously less would be better. I am not in any rush whatsover, so I think I should be able to find a good deal? What would you look for (what would your checklist be) and what would you pay?
About warranties... Dealer prices seem to be pretty reasonable compared to private parties, which is a first to me. Does it make sense to get it from some random dealer as opposed to the actual owner who can tell me about how it was cared for? Should I try to get it from a Land Rover dealer? Should I try to get extended warranties from the dealer? I think ideally this would be a great idea but i'm clueless on how this works. Are these even available and how much should I expect to pay?
What sort of repairs and such would be good to see on a used vehicle? Any upgrades that should have been done? Something about greasable suspension?
Also, is it worth it to get an HSE? There are plenty of SE's. I have an external navigation system/GPS, though built-in could be nice. What about the self-leveling suspension and rear-obstacle-detection system?
I'd like to hear any sort of opinions or information. I'd like to make sure this is the right direction as far as an expedition vehicle goes, and then what to look for when I actually purchase that specific vehicle. Thanks much!
I'm looking into purchasing my first automobile. I've gone through 4 motorbikes through the years, but this will be my first four-wheeled vehicle. I know first-hand how important it is to 'know your stuff' and that there are so many different peculiarities and such that are hard to find until you take it home! I was interested in the Tacoma's, but it seems they are difficult to find with the options (4wd!!!) I would like at a reasonable price. And the luxuries seem kind of limited for the price. Either resale value is just ridiculous or people are just looney. Besides that, they never really seemed like 'my kind of vehicle' - which is a little out of the ordinary - unless they had been modded to all hell. Now on the other hand, these 04' Discoveries just call to me... The V-8, 4wd, out-of-the-box offroad worthiness, dual moonroofs, large rear storage, leather, luxury. It is like the Lexus LX 470 that I can actually afford, but with much better looks!
I need a vehicle that will be able to take me to remote trailheads or deep into the desert. As a geologist, we usually use 4x4 Ford Expeditions, but I think this would make the perfect expedition vehicle for personal use!
These vehicles are pretty worthy as-is, right? People always lift their trucks and do all sorts of stuff, but we've always managed to get through pretty rough stuff just in stock Jeeps, Expeditions, F250s. I wouldn't be doing any sort of rock crawling, just rough roads. I'd prefer not to have to do any significant mods, maybe a small roof rack or headlight guards. Those sorts of mods are just for people looking to get 'just a little more' out of it, right?
What should I look for in a vehicle? As far as maintenance goes? I heard something about an expensive 60,000 mile maintenance. Alot of the vehicles i've been looking at are right around this mileage. It seems they are around $10k-$13k in California, but i'm worried they might go up if gas prices keep falling. At the absolute most i'd like to spend $15k out the door after taxes, warranties, etc. Obviously less would be better. I am not in any rush whatsover, so I think I should be able to find a good deal? What would you look for (what would your checklist be) and what would you pay?
About warranties... Dealer prices seem to be pretty reasonable compared to private parties, which is a first to me. Does it make sense to get it from some random dealer as opposed to the actual owner who can tell me about how it was cared for? Should I try to get it from a Land Rover dealer? Should I try to get extended warranties from the dealer? I think ideally this would be a great idea but i'm clueless on how this works. Are these even available and how much should I expect to pay?
What sort of repairs and such would be good to see on a used vehicle? Any upgrades that should have been done? Something about greasable suspension?
Also, is it worth it to get an HSE? There are plenty of SE's. I have an external navigation system/GPS, though built-in could be nice. What about the self-leveling suspension and rear-obstacle-detection system?
I'd like to hear any sort of opinions or information. I'd like to make sure this is the right direction as far as an expedition vehicle goes, and then what to look for when I actually purchase that specific vehicle. Thanks much!
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