Commuting with my LR3 / Looking at alternatives

[toddjb122]

I've always used my LR3 for commuting, but I've always had a short commute of 10-15 minutes...

I recently changed jobs and have an awful commute of about 60-90 minutes each way which has given me a minimum of 2.5 hours of commuting a day. Some highway, mostly stop and go highway, and then normal city stop and go. It costs me $20/day in fuel plus the wear and tear on the vehicle. I have always had long life on my break pads and tires, but can just feel it all burning away with the constant stop and go! This is old news for many of you but it's new for me. Not a fan.

Soooo, I've been looking at cars. My 2005 has 160K on it and is running strong. I've been kind of holding out for the next revision of the LR4 to come out and honestly, I wish they'd make a sport version of it which has all the capabilities and solid construction, without all the flair. I believe they make versions like that in the UK but in the states all we have is an increasingly pimped out option set which for me takes away from the utilitarian aspect which is how I use it.

I'm going off on tangents here but was curious how other folks addressed this dilemmna?

I've done the math on getting a second car vs. just putting the mileage on to the LR3. It's kind of a tossup. Even if I get a very high MPG commuter and save a few thousand a year on gas it takes a while to justify the cost of the 2nd vehicle and additional insurance costs. So, if I buy a commuter it will really be because I don't want to beat up my LR3 commuting (so I can beat it up on the weekend doing fun stuff) on a commute that is also at high risk for a fender bender.

Commuter options - I've looked at the VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI, Prius and have glanced at the Chevy Volt (but haven't driven one yet). I'd buy used. I don't want one of the sub miniature commuters. I want to feel relatively safe in an accident and want a 5 door for hauling sports equipment.

New options - I could sell my LR3 and buy a diesel SUV such as X5, Jeep Grand Cherokee or VW Toureg. They'll all get me about 30mpg highway and I'd feel less guilty about the gas. If I did that, I don't mind the new car costs as much because I'd be upgrading the LR3 at some point anyway. (would buy these instead)

Problem is...I don't like 'em!

I love how solid all the doors, hood and tailgate of the LR are constructed. I love the tailgate! And what is increasingly hard to find in ANY vehicle is fold flat seating that is completely flat. My LR3 folds hard and flat. It's great for transporting stuff, good for the dog and at 6'2" I can lay down back there and take a comfortable nap or camp out for the night. I don't think the RR even does that?!

There are of course obvious 4x4 capabilities of the LR3, which I love. But I have come to accept that while I take the truck offroad often, I'm not going on hard trails. I'm headed to sand, snow and the occasionally muddy/rocky trail. Any of the SUVs I mentioned above could handle that.

Right now I'm leaning towards keeping the LR3 and buying the Jetta for commuting.

Ideally, I wish LR would bring the diesel engine to the US in the LR4. I'd buy that. Not in the Range Rover as I heard rumored. I'm sorry, but as much as I love the vehicles I can't afford an $85K starting price (and I'm sure the diesel would be more).

Thoughts?

 

[bbyer]

paid for is cheap

My view is a paid for older vehicle is cheap to own and drive. All it costs is fuel and maintenance. You have already absorbed the depreciation; you could take the collision insurance off it if you wanted to as well.

You can buy a Jetta or whatever else light Econobox is out there but then you will not have the safety that 3 tonnes and a box full of airbags offers.

It sounds like the driving you will be doing has more risk than any off road trail ever may have; as such, your 3 is probably the best charger for your twice daily joust. You hope for fender benders; in a 3, it probably will be. Write off is more common in an Econobox and the reference may be to the driver rather than the vehicle.

As for waiting for the new diesel LR4, say goodbye to your petrol V8 and embrace the new petrol V6, turbocharged this time I gather. Less is more and as to the diesel, I think not in the foreseeable future.

 

[toddjb122]

...You can buy a Jetta or whatever else light Econobox is out there but then you will not have the safety that 3 tonnes and a box full of airbags offers.

It sounds like the driving you will be doing has more risk than any off road trail ever may have; as such, your 3 is probably the best charger for your twice daily joust. ...

LOL
Well said.

 

[Houm_WA]

Todd, I understand your pain and thought process. I plan on keeping my LR3 forever. As such, I consider things like not "wasting miles" on an interstate. Luckily I live walking distance from work, but when I didn't, I considered a commuter.

One thing to note, we just bought an Infiniti Q50S. Very VERY fun, fast car. It replaced the G37 in Infiniti's lineup. I have to think that with that bodystyle put into obsolecense, 2010-13 G37s have to be getting cheaper in the used car market. Great drivetrain, you can get them RWD (like mine) or AWD if you prefer. Fuel economy is around 25 mixed use.

Only problem is that once you have a car that does 0-60 in <5.5 seconds, your LR3 will feel every bit as slow as it is!!!

 

[toddjb122]

Todd, I understand your pain and thought process. I plan on keeping my LR3 forever. As such, I consider things like not "wasting miles" on an interstate. Luckily I live walking distance from work, but when I didn't, I considered a commuter.

One thing to note, we just bought an Infiniti Q50S. Very VERY fun, fast car. It replaced the G37 in Infiniti's lineup. I have to think that with that bodystyle put into obsolecense, 2010-13 G37s have to be getting cheaper in the used car market. Great drivetrain, you can get them RWD (like mine) or AWD if you prefer. Fuel economy is around 25 mixed use.

Only problem is that once you have a car that does 0-60 in <5.5 seconds, your LR3 will feel every bit as slow as it is!!!

Thanks Houm...yeah, that's the piece I didn't convey well. The next generation LR4 keeps getting pushed out. *IF* I wait for that...yeah, I don't want to waste 20,000 miles a year commuting. That's wear and tear I'd rather spend driving to the beach or mountains.

So yeah, another option was that I do not plan on replacing the LR3 in the near future. Keep it. And put money into a fun commuter car instead of a sh*tbox.

 

[Biagetti]

You have some tough decisions ahead.
I'm a fan of Volkswagen as well. I will say this... if you are looking for a more solid feel, the last gen Jetta's to me felt more solid and better quality. We had a 2008 manual tran and traded it in for a 2011 auto as my wife was taking over. I don't hate our new Jetta, but dont love it like the 08. Like you said of the LR3, the 08 had the solid feel even when shutting doors.

Our Jettas are both gas but my brother-in-law had an 06? TDi Jetta he used commuting into DC and loved it.

If you were solely looking for good reliable transportation with good mileage and a diesel.. a used Jetta makes a lot of sense to me!

 

[umbertob]

I don't know about "wasting" an LR3 on the freeway, it is a supremely comfortable, quiet, safe, built-like-a-tank vehicle for everyday commuting and family hauling, and you get the commanding view of the road that is always a bonus in traffic. Occasionally (OK, very rarely here in So.Cal, lol) you feel like the smartest kid in the block riding a high clearance 4WD vehicle on a highway while everyone else is sunk into their cars:

Fording the Golden State Freeway - YouTube



Wear and tear... Meh. My former car was a 2006 RR Sport which I kept for 7+ years and 230K miles before trading it in for my 2013 LR4 (too many kids came since then... Needed the extra cargo and seating space.) Both were/are my DD. Of those +/- 30K per year, I figured at least 25K were not off-roading related. I performed oil changes and services like clockwork and took care of a few issues, went through an inordinate amount of brake pads and rotors, a few bushings too many, several sets of tires and 5 batteries. Overall, the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. I wouldn't "downsize" into a small commuter car if they gave me one for free, my Land Rover was/is my office on wheels and I like the space, comfort and safety it provides day in, day out.

The huge disadvantage of barreling down the road with a 3-ton beast on a daily basis: You must be able to afford the huge fuel bills, which could probably pay for the lease, insurance and wear and tear of a small econobox all on their own - at least in my case, I don't think too many people routinely average 30K miles per year like I do. Luckily, mine is a company car so gas is not on my dime. I see all those Priuses zipping around next to me and my guilt for driving a fuel hog disappears.

I was lucky to ****** the last great V8 powered LR4 last year (the V6 of the 2014 sounds good enough on paper and gets marginally better mileage, but there is nothing like a V8), and plan on keeping her for at least another 5 or 6, just like my Sport. I don't muck care for the looks of the new Sport and Range Rover, although I dig their lighter weight and much better mileage. I am hopeful that in 5-6 years Land Rover will have a lighter LR5 / Discovery that I will fall in love with. Regardless, I am not giving up the comfort, performance and safety of my LR4 to sit in a bathtub - that's how I feel now, when I am behind the wheel of the wifes' car - Mon-Fri. And I can sleep in it if I want to! I am spoiled. Nobody "does" on-road, off-road and true utility as well as a Land Rover in my opinion, particularly the LR3/4.

 

[toddjb122]

Thanks Umberto and Biagetti, well said on both counts. (and thanks Umb for finding this thread on the LR3 board since you're an LR4 guy!)

I do pay for the gas (it'd be nice to write that off! Can I? Hmmm...) and definitely enjoy driving it. With this new job, I'll be up at your 30K a year mark I suspect.

 

[Houm_WA]

Those are good points....I'd go LR3 over "econobox" but if you can get something fun to drive that's also easier on the wallet, that's another viable scenario.

Umberto, good to hear that your 4.4 V8 in the RRS lasted 230k miles.

 

[jwest]

You say 30,000 but your notes suggest about 100 miles per commute trip. Assuming you'll not commute 2 weeks of the 52 work weeks, I come up with 25,000 miles. Any more and the numbers below only get more in favor of 2nd commuter car.

Your idea of keeping and enjoying your lr3 for the long term sounds very practical to me along with the JSW tdi. You can get a used JSW even and if that commute continues for a few years, I think you'll like the math comparing fuel expenses to spending about $20-$25k on a used JSW. The JSW can actually pay for itself in the kind of mileage you are looking at over a few years.

You mentioned 60-90 minutes but the math details guy here would like to know the miles. I'm going to guess close to 100 round trip at trafic/slow speeds. Unless you are managing about 20 mpg, you are not spending only $20 per trip. Unless you are using a fuel that you shouldn't be?

Anyway, the JSW tdi can cut your fuel cost to 1/3. I'm going to say you'll spend no more than $7 per trip in the JSW but I think you are spending more than $20 per trip in the LR3. This is based on my own ownership since 2006 and 90,000 miles with a lot of recent stop n go/slow 85 mile round trip which sounds similar to your commute. 18 mpg is the best I've ever seen. You might be able to push 19 mpg on all seasons, stock vehicle weight, etc, but the stop n go would drive it down again.

So, $15 per day cheaper to 'drive' the JSW. 1 yr, 5 days/wk, with two weeks off = $3750 less per year. 6.6 years pays for a new JSW in full (aside from cost of insuring and registration for another vehicle). 5.3 years for a $20,000 purchase.

At some point just from running daily, your lr3 will need this or that expensive item. Running another vehicle for the high mileage BS driving will prolong the time for normal failure expenses.

Plus, I find there are some other very nice benefits to having more than one vehicle to choose from. You can take the smaller one to areas that are harder to park, or use it while the lr3 is getting serviced, etc. A lot of that stuff depends on how your life and such are though. Multiple people sharing cars, ease of parking, etc. can all influence the ideal situation.

I almost bought a JSW tdi mt6 but I travel long distances over several days and just wanted more features, comfort, etc.

Now, you could also do a little research and find that there were other TDI VW's that are pretty sweet, and much less $ than a newer JSW. I'd look into the previous generation tdi wagon and sedan. You can even double your mpg by going with a vw 4 cylinder gas engine. Something like a 2003 Jetta sedan could be had for $4000- $7000 depending on mileage, engine, etc. It would be awesome if you could "pay" for the car with a 2 year commute. Then you'll still have it and be rolling with owning it.

Good luck.