Excited but Anxious New Owner
#11
05-02-2023, 08:39 PM
Pro Wrench
Another inconsequential study of one person... 2022 P400 SE which I took delivery of in July of '21. 30K miles on it and not a single glitch. I've modded a few things myself, like adding an aftermarket skip-plate, the OEM Expedition Front Protection bar and a few odds and ends from Powerful UK (by the way, an invaluable U-tube resource for this vehicle). Taken it on a few long mountainous, overlandy trips and slept many nights on its roof in my RTT. Been to the dealer once for its 21K mile service, although I do DIY oil changes every 10K myself. No software, electrical or mechanical problems whatsoever . Having said that, I did pay for a 100K/10 year extended warranty to protect me from the unknown. And since I drive 100 miles a day for work, I wear out my access cab Tacoma for these "junk miles", since I don't mind wearing that out.
The Defender being my dream car, to my wife's disdain, is my weekender, hauling my big dogs behind the cargo barrier and long trip adventure vehicle.
Enjoy!
The Defender being my dream car, to my wife's disdain, is my weekender, hauling my big dogs behind the cargo barrier and long trip adventure vehicle.
Enjoy!
#12
05-02-2023, 09:03 PM
I owned Land Cruisers before our current P400, so reliability was a big concern for me, so I can relate.
I think pretty much all new car drivetrains are very reliable across all manufacturers. So I’m not worried about being stranded in anything really.
It’s the electronics for ancillary things that fail.
With that, I think LRs deserve owners who are willing to put alittle time and energy into figuring out how to source how to fix things. That creates some savings b/c LR as a brand is expensive if you just wanna go to a dealer and say figure it out and fix. There’s a premium for that with this brand.
But just like ih8mud being a great Toyota community, LR has that also, so I take comfort in that. I really only buy cars that have communities like this.
As a new owner, just get all your software up to date & just drive. Enjoy the character these vehicles have.
Now that Landcruisers command premium prices of $15-20k more than I think they should, I’m okay gambling with the Defenders future potential repair bills. That’s a wide delta for me to spend the same money in the end, or not…
I’d rather have the LR. It’s got better personality.
Enjoy the new ride : )
I think pretty much all new car drivetrains are very reliable across all manufacturers. So I’m not worried about being stranded in anything really.
It’s the electronics for ancillary things that fail.
With that, I think LRs deserve owners who are willing to put alittle time and energy into figuring out how to source how to fix things. That creates some savings b/c LR as a brand is expensive if you just wanna go to a dealer and say figure it out and fix. There’s a premium for that with this brand.
But just like ih8mud being a great Toyota community, LR has that also, so I take comfort in that. I really only buy cars that have communities like this.
As a new owner, just get all your software up to date & just drive. Enjoy the character these vehicles have.
Now that Landcruisers command premium prices of $15-20k more than I think they should, I’m okay gambling with the Defenders future potential repair bills. That’s a wide delta for me to spend the same money in the end, or not…
I’d rather have the LR. It’s got better personality.
Enjoy the new ride : )
Last edited by NativeTexan; 05-24-2023 at 08:46 PM.
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#14
05-03-2023, 05:42 AM
My wife owned a 2011 LR4 HSE.....we drove it 90,000 miles before trading it in 2018. Zero issues. Had the routine service/oil change done every 15K miles and that was it. Loved the vehicle but just needed something bigger for hauling around teenage volleyball players to tournaments.
I just bought a 2023 Defender SE Hakuba Silver with khaki interior. It's slightly used with 3500 miles but feels like brand new. I bought it long distance from a Massachusetts Mercedes dealer and had it delivered to Michigan. The khaki interior has a slight greenish hue to it depending on how much light is in the car, but Ive grown to love the color over the week Ive owned the vehicle. I drove it 5 hours round trip this past weekend and it was very comfortable. Yes there is some wind noise from the fact youre basically driving a box down the freeway, but no whistling noises....I think that problem was fixed a couple of years ago. The engine is wonderful with tons of power. The only thing I've yet to get used to is the gear selector. Its different from anything else Ive owned because you just push a button to shift into park, but then you push another button to toggle between R and D. I've accidentally pushed the gear shift up thinking i was in park when I fact, its in reverse. Just going to take a few more hours of driving to get used to.
I bought this car because of the capability first and the fact that the interior is so easy to keep clean. (no carpet)....especially having an 85 lb German Shepherd. I bought it secondly for the looks.....it puts a smile on my face every time I get into it.
Enjoy your new ride and dont sweat the reliability issues.
I just bought a 2023 Defender SE Hakuba Silver with khaki interior. It's slightly used with 3500 miles but feels like brand new. I bought it long distance from a Massachusetts Mercedes dealer and had it delivered to Michigan. The khaki interior has a slight greenish hue to it depending on how much light is in the car, but Ive grown to love the color over the week Ive owned the vehicle. I drove it 5 hours round trip this past weekend and it was very comfortable. Yes there is some wind noise from the fact youre basically driving a box down the freeway, but no whistling noises....I think that problem was fixed a couple of years ago. The engine is wonderful with tons of power. The only thing I've yet to get used to is the gear selector. Its different from anything else Ive owned because you just push a button to shift into park, but then you push another button to toggle between R and D. I've accidentally pushed the gear shift up thinking i was in park when I fact, its in reverse. Just going to take a few more hours of driving to get used to.
I bought this car because of the capability first and the fact that the interior is so easy to keep clean. (no carpet)....especially having an 85 lb German Shepherd. I bought it secondly for the looks.....it puts a smile on my face every time I get into it.
Enjoy your new ride and dont sweat the reliability issues.
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drcoop (05-03-2023)
#15
05-03-2023, 06:17 AM
#16
05-03-2023, 06:32 AM
Recovery Vehicle
[QUOTE=DoctorofRocks;863697 Of course, I also owned a 2001 Audi Allroad so maybe my tolerance for issues is high....[/QUOTE]
Right with you...I loved our 2002 allroad and dumped so much money into it to keep it going. Did the same with an LR4 which only got expensive after 100K miles.
Our 2021 Defender has had zero issues over 37K miles, same for our 2023 with 8,000 miles over 2 months. As noted above, the build quality coming out of the new Slovakia factory appears to be excellent.
Right with you...I loved our 2002 allroad and dumped so much money into it to keep it going. Did the same with an LR4 which only got expensive after 100K miles.
Our 2021 Defender has had zero issues over 37K miles, same for our 2023 with 8,000 miles over 2 months. As noted above, the build quality coming out of the new Slovakia factory appears to be excellent.
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Chrisbob (09-19-2023)
#17
05-03-2023, 06:36 AM
Recovery Vehicle
#18
05-03-2023, 08:33 AM
Right up and until 2 months ago, I was in the same boat with everyone else on this thread. Few if any problems, all sorted with SW updates and normal maintenance. Unfortunately, my front diff went out which subsequently broke both front prop shafts. To be fair, they didn’t fail while I was making a morning run for groceries, I was hip deep in mud and stuck in a hole out on property we own. LR was fantastic and LR Denver was amazing - best dealership I’ve ever worked with. They sent a recovery vehicle, hauled off the defender for repairs, did all the work under warranty and gave back my baby good as new. LR Denver provided a loaner for the 6 weeks it took to source the parts - 6 weeks is a long lead time for those keeping score at home.
I have a 2020 110 SE. I’m confident it’s not a Toyota and to think it would have that kind of long term reliability is probably not warranted. I do love driving my defender (I have almost 60k miles on it) and will continue to do so. I have an extended warranty simply because I bought mine CPO. Will I keep it when the warranty is out? Yup. Why? Because I look forward to driving it every time I get behind the wheel. You’re taking a chance with LR, but if you’re looking for character and a vehicle you bond with, there really is nothing better. If you’re looking for best value 200k+ miles with few to no issues - it’s probably not the best vehicle choice. If you’re looking to do all repairs and maintenance yourself, it’s a computer on wheels. I think that time has largely passed for most vehicles.
I have a 2020 110 SE. I’m confident it’s not a Toyota and to think it would have that kind of long term reliability is probably not warranted. I do love driving my defender (I have almost 60k miles on it) and will continue to do so. I have an extended warranty simply because I bought mine CPO. Will I keep it when the warranty is out? Yup. Why? Because I look forward to driving it every time I get behind the wheel. You’re taking a chance with LR, but if you’re looking for character and a vehicle you bond with, there really is nothing better. If you’re looking for best value 200k+ miles with few to no issues - it’s probably not the best vehicle choice. If you’re looking to do all repairs and maintenance yourself, it’s a computer on wheels. I think that time has largely passed for most vehicles.
#20
05-03-2023, 09:05 AM
To the OP: As others have said (including wlindsey who I quoted above and who put it really well), the likelihood of your enjoying 200k trouble free miles is greater in a Toyota. The likelihood of your truly enjoying 200k miles is greater in your Defender. Take a deep breath, have a drink, relax and enjoy the ride
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