Toyota customer with some questions...

[tsratliff]

hello all,
i currently dont have a LR but have been researching them pretty extensively for a couple months now. ive always been a loyal toyota customer and for some odd reason LR intrigues me despite everything negative ive heard about them. i dont mean this post to offend anyone. im simply looking for more information because im strongly considering a LR when i get rid of my 4runner.

despite all my research though, there is still one thing i can figure out about LR enthusiasts. i think its pretty clear why people are loyal to toyota, but LR seems to have just as much of a following if not more. i read a stat that 75% of all LR produced are still on the road... incredible. so here comes my question... why? why are people so fanatic about LR and so many other poeple HATE them and think they are total pieces of crap? i dont get it? what makes a LR owner so loyal to this company? there are forums all over the place and i figured you guys could shed some light. thanks for you time.

Tom

 

[joey]

Welcome to the forum Tom... let me start by saying that I can't imagine not owning my LR. It is like part of the family. I will say that owning a LR or almost any European vehicle requires that you to want a vehicle that has a sole, not a lifeless vehicle that just drives.

Kind of like any review of sports cars... American and Japanese cars drive great, but don't have any life to them... European cars have a sole and you feel the road and the environment around you.

As far a people hating LR, most of these people just want a vehicle that drives from point A to point B without any effort or joy in the drive.

I am not knocking any vehicle, I like to drive them all, and have owned or driven just about every make and model out there. I am an enthusiast about driving. My LR is by far my favorite, or course I have made upgrades to personalize it to my tastes, but hey doesn't everyone do that to a vehicle to make it there own.

 

[tsratliff]

Joey,
i find it interesting that you use the word "soul." i was talking to one of my buddies the other day and he said the same thing about driving a LR. i never really understood what that meant until i actually drove one. i went to carmax and drove an 04 RR and the thing had so many issues with it that it was unreal. tons of the electronic systems were disfunctional and paint was chipping from the steering wheel. given this isnt probably what most are like, this was just what they had... but despite the problems i still loved being in that driver seat. i cant quite explain it.

im also the type of person who loves to just drive and enjoys automotives. i used to think i really enjoyed toyotas. ive had 3 4runners now and since i started looking at LR indepth, i realized how "boring" my suv is... when it was only compared to domestics or other toyotas, it was great but when i compared it to a european car, i could tell the distinct difference.

it must just be a matter of what you want out of your vehicle then... ive even heard LR techs talk bad about the car and tell me about how terrible the quality is... but i guess that comes back to what you want in it... people who buy 1 LR, trade it, and never come back, i guess they are the people who just want to use the car as a "tool" not anything more... am i hitting home or is my rationale making sense?

 

[joey]

Makes sense to me... but remember I have had my Disco for almost 5 years now... and can't imagine not driving it.

 

[fosterchild420]

i can tell you from my little experience with LR that you must not mind tinkering with a car to own it. I have an 07 FJ Cruiser that i get in and turn the key. Then I have a 99 Disco II that every other time i drive it the abs light will come on, check engine light comes on, or something. I was told just after we bought it by a guy that has worked on them for years: "this is a great vehicle for you if you don't worry about the small things." I had no idea how true it was. I went from driving jeeps (work on them weekly) to this toyota (maintence only).

Over all i totally agree with Joey, LR's have a soul. I have an old BMW that is like that too. I keep fixing it because it is a member of the family.