BAZMAN, are you aware that the 2005 Touareg, with 48 problems per 100 vehicles, was second only to the Lincoln Navigator and Nissan Quest (tied at 49 problems per 100 vehicles) in terms of lowest reliability by Consumer Reports?
Don't get me wrong, LR is not a manufacturer known for it's bulletproof reliability. But I would be careful about making a purchasing decision (pro or con) by trolling 'enthusiast' sites for any given vehicle. Statistically speaking, you're going to find a much higher concentration of people complaining about issues or looking for repair advice on sites such as this. On the other hand, you're also far more likely to find people willing to overlook fundamental issues just because they are so 'in love' with their vehicle. Anecdotal evidence and empirical evidence are two vastly different things.
Here's some empirical evidence I gathered that might interest you:
Number of recalls per manufacturer for all models, 1990-2007
Honda - 510
Toyota - 391
Nissan - 354
Land Rover - 120
Mind you, these are US numbers, but I'm sure I could get UK ones as well. Most of the issues we hear about are not 'engineering' issues - they are fit and finish problems. A piece of trim popping off goes into the Consumer Reports database as a 'problem'. Fit and finish problems don't get recalls from the USDOT or NHTSA. From the numbers above, you could extrapolate that when it comes to engineering fundamentals, LR is ahead of the competition. Toyota just recalled a million cars worldwide because of a flaw that could cause a total loss of steering control. Honda has recalled 562,000 cars because of a flaw that is causing the engines to cut out or fail to start altogether.
By the way, the manufacturers with the fewest recalls?
Daihatsu - 2
Mini - 6
Peugeot - 8
Lanborghini - 9
I'm not trying to change your mind - just wanted to give you a different perspective when you're researching your next vehicle.
Don't get me wrong, LR is not a manufacturer known for it's bulletproof reliability. But I would be careful about making a purchasing decision (pro or con) by trolling 'enthusiast' sites for any given vehicle. Statistically speaking, you're going to find a much higher concentration of people complaining about issues or looking for repair advice on sites such as this. On the other hand, you're also far more likely to find people willing to overlook fundamental issues just because they are so 'in love' with their vehicle. Anecdotal evidence and empirical evidence are two vastly different things.
Here's some empirical evidence I gathered that might interest you:
Number of recalls per manufacturer for all models, 1990-2007
Honda - 510
Toyota - 391
Nissan - 354
Land Rover - 120
Mind you, these are US numbers, but I'm sure I could get UK ones as well. Most of the issues we hear about are not 'engineering' issues - they are fit and finish problems. A piece of trim popping off goes into the Consumer Reports database as a 'problem'. Fit and finish problems don't get recalls from the USDOT or NHTSA. From the numbers above, you could extrapolate that when it comes to engineering fundamentals, LR is ahead of the competition. Toyota just recalled a million cars worldwide because of a flaw that could cause a total loss of steering control. Honda has recalled 562,000 cars because of a flaw that is causing the engines to cut out or fail to start altogether.
By the way, the manufacturers with the fewest recalls?
Daihatsu - 2
Mini - 6
Peugeot - 8
Lanborghini - 9
I'm not trying to change your mind - just wanted to give you a different perspective when you're researching your next vehicle.