Congrats on your purchase! Sounds like your are already enjoying it. Glad to see your are using it how it should be. They are pretty amazing for a stock vehicle with street tires and no aftermarket mods.

 

Hey everyone, first time poster here. I thought I'd jump on this potential buyer thread as I fit into this category as well.

We have two kids under the age of 4 and another on the way in about 6 months. I obviously need something bigger than my Lexus RX!
Here's what we need and I've scoured the market looking for it:

-a third row adults can use (kids will be in the second row)
-enough storage behind the 3rd row when it's up to hold a stroller or two
-Don't want a minivan and don't want to go as big as a Suburban, Expedition, Navigator, Yukon/Tahoe or QX/56-Armada.

I've looked at the MDX, Infiniti JX, Lexus GX, Dodge Durango and ruled them all out for one reason or another. That pretty much leaves me the Mercedes GL or the LR4. I've heard reliability issues reported at a rate of 10:1 for GL vs. the LR, with 2 friends that have turned their GL's back in under the lemon law.

I guess I'm taking a very long way of saying I'm 99% sold on the LR4. Love the ride, capability, design, the whole package. Here's the catch: I owned a 99 Disco and had the worst experience with it. It was in the shop so much, with such dramatically expensive repairs (that thank god were covered under warranty) that I sold it the day the warranty ran out.
All the research I've done on the LR4 and I'm honestly having a hard time finding widespread reliability issues with it. I can find plenty on the Disco but not much on the LR4. Despite that I'm still having a hard time shaking that "never again" feeling as the the next owner drove my Disco away 10 years ago...

So the questoin is, has Land Rover finally turned it around with the LR4? I know no car is perfect, my Lexus had it's own issues that had me driving dealer loaners 5 or 6 times over the last 4 years. But has Land Rover at least risen to the level of average reliability?

Thanks in advance for your feedback, sorry for the novel as my first post.

 

Posted earlier in the thread, we are still problem free and loving the truck. My only complaint is with the 19" rims because getting a proper all terrain tire is next to impossible. Just put a set of Cooper Zeon tires on her and in love once more. We have just shy of 50,000 miles.

We have a 2010 and not sure of updates, but we hate the Nav system. Works fine, but the routing is weird.

 

I have just over 9,000 miles on my 2012. Not a single problem and I love the vehicle. It has everything you want but I don't think you will be able to fit a "stroller or two" behind the third row unless you are talking about a small umbrella-type stroller. We have 3 kids and a dog and I rarely have the need for more space. For those times I have a roof top carrier I can use.

 

Thanks for the replies everyone. jwardlow, I actually brought my City Mini Double stroller (which folds relatively flat, but it's still pretty damn big) to the dealer for my test drive and sure enough, I was able to fit it behind the third row and close the tail gate with no issues. While there's not a ton of floor space behind the third row the thing I really like is that there's a lot of verticle space behind the third row that works for my needs.
I guess this is dealer loaner sell off season as three LR dealers within 45 minutes from me (I live in NJ, there's plenty of dealers around) are selling off their 2012 service loaners.
Any concerns about buying a previous loaner vehicle? The pro is that I can get a 2012 nicely equiped, with 7K or 8K miles on it for $47K-$49K. The only thing that makes me hesitant is that people infamously don't put premium fuel in their loaners before they bring them back as well as the "drive it like you stole it" mentality that people tend to have (including myself) with loaner/rental cars...

 

I have had good luck with buying dealer loaners. My LR4 was a loaner but had only 600 miles when I bought it. Check the vehicle out in the sunlight and make sure the paint looks good. I had the opportunity to buy a different loaner at a great price but it had been loaned out for testing to another automaker and had fine scratches in the clear coat all over the body. They must have taken it off road in the brush or woods. I would not worry about it being driven aggressively on the road. You will save some $$ and you can also feel pretty good that if there were any new car problems they have been sorted out by now.

 

The way I understand it, Land Rover is making nice vehicles now and making bank at it as well. Tata isn't pouring the money in. If anything, it's the other way around. Land Rover has turned out to be a cash cow for them.

I own an older Land Rover Discovery and although I have no experience with the LR3 and LR4, I can tell you that I seriously doubt LR would have survived had they not done a 180 from the earlier Discoveries. They have a certain value to enthusiasts, but to the general market it is hard to imagine a a vehicle with more failures in quality, reliability, and in meeting the original buyer's expectations. I drive mine every day and almost every day it gives me a reason to marvel and chuckle at the stupid things that go wrong. I come here for comfort and laughs. The British automotive industry was no doubt lubricated by hearty pints from the Solihull pubs. How they sobered up I have no idea, but at this point I wouldn't hesitate to send my wife off in a 2012. In my Discovery? No way. It would terrify her.

 

I am personally not a fan of Dealer Loaner vehicles, for the exact reasons you mentioned. If it was a dealer demo, there were likely fewer people driving it and likely would have been driven more consistently. For me though, it is just a personal decision to spend the extra money to buy something that has not been driven outside of 1 or 2 test drives. Two points to note: I was able to negotiate $5,000 off MSRP on a brand new LR4 back in 2010 when the vehicle just came out, so you should be able to do better on 6,000 mile service loaner (try for $10k). Second point - see if you can get them to throw in an extended warranty to 100k miles instead of the standard 4 yr 48k miles.

Ultimately, it is up to you and personal choice, just sharing my 2 cents. Either way, the LR4 is awesome and you'll love it for your family! Good Luck and welcome back to rovers!

 

Discounting is not nearly as aggressive now as it was in 2010. Used car prices have been very strong and discounting on new cars has declined in the U.S. for all brands. Your best bet is to negotiate with two dealers and let them both know you are shopping price with multiple dealers.

 

Thanks for the feedback guys. To your point jwardlow, pre-owned prices are relatively strong which is always a double edged sword. As a buyer I want it as low as I can get and once I'm an owner I'd like it to hold its value. Hypocritical, I know!
I'm interested in a specific black/almond 2012 loaner, nav, xenon, back up camera, 6.5k miles, $48k but not CPO'd (none of the service loaners in my area are certified due to the model year and mileage). Dealer is telling me they'll certify to 6 total years or 100k for $3,000. I'll be beating them up on price and will gladly put two or three dealers against each other for the best deal (especially as we head into the holidays and the end of the calendar/fiscal year).
Thanks for the replies, I'll keep you posted as I hopefully pull the trigger in the next few weeks.