I am the unfortunate owner of a 2003 Saab 93, which was a brand new model for Saab and when GM took over. I knew going into is Saab was a quirky company and the cars had some gremlins but were reliable over all. Well with the new model that changed and the car turned into a pile of junk (not just mine; it is a common problem with this model year Saab). After monthly trips to the dealer and multiple repairs in and out of warranty I swore I would never buy another non-mainstream European car. Parts were expensive, finding qualifies repair people was difficult, and with all of the electronics I could not do much work myself beyond oil changes and brakes.
Now I am ready to say goodbye to my POS Saab and find myself gravitating towards a Land Rover LR2 a non-mainstream European car. Am I getting into the same situation I am trying to get out of no parts or they are difficult to find, dealer only repairs, and constant little problems? (This is an open question to everyone not just LR2 people).
Thank you all for your help.

 

personally i wouldnt buy an LR2. if you are look for reliability the Defender is the most reliable followed by the Range Rover Sport. I'm guessing you are in the US if you are then a Defender is not an option and the Range Rover is $30k more than the LR2...
SO i would say do your research before buying anything this forum is a good tool to start on LR research..

 

The Freelander sucks.
Basically it is a BMW, they are all wheel drive and they blow head gaskets and the center coupler is known to go bad if you dont stay ontop of the maintenance with it.
Not sure if you are looking at new or used, but I would consider something else, like a RAV4.

 

WOW... glad I found you guys... sounds like I would be moving from one problem to another. The other car I was considering was a 4 door Jeep Wrangler... looks like that is the direction I am going to head. I will still poke around a little, but this is enough to scar me away.

 

The Wrangler and the LR2 (Freelander) are 2 different animals.
The closest Rover to that heep would be a Discovery.
The LR2 is compared to the RAV4, CRV and the Escape.

 

lr2 is nearly bulletproof. no air suspension and very very little problems. plus the parts are from a volvo and some ford parts thrown in.

Go for the LR2. Yes its a complicated vehicle but any car 2008 on will be. You need the right person to work on it.

 

Buy it man. Don't let one person veiw cloud your mind. Personally I think the Defender is overated. Wheeled with them and all. I owned 3 rovers 98 disco, 99 range hse, and a 04 freelander for the wife. Freelander been the most reliable one. Don't leak and always start. May be we luck out. Plenty around with high milage. Just get a extended warranty lol....good luck