Time for new wheels .. (my '87 le baron has got to go) Was looking at Freelanders and Discovery's I can get either for 4% over invoice so any owners here ? Was looking at a Nissian Frontier ,we ..as in wife, have a 2001 quest we are happy with, but the model i want costs as much as the freelander and i have always liked rovers.

I have a new Range Rover, great machine, goes places that the hummer won't.  Also much better on regular roads.

As to the freelander, couldn't tell you.

Long time multi-model owner here. Get one, you won't be sorry.

thats kind of funny after driving a hummer around in the military...
what places are these exactly?
no comparison if you ask me.

I've won tons of cash off of local Hummer owners. My Range Rover might not be able to climb at a 62 degree angle, but it won't get stuck in a pile of wet leaves either.

I ended up with an Acura MDX. after trying RR and others that could be towed Dolly style. The convincer was the service records at the Rover dealership. Their service department was loaded and the Rover was twice the price.(80K)

Basically around my property, I have a nice mix of land, and have ravines, streams, lakes and some good hills.  The rover will (with the ability of deflating the tires from the inside of the truck) handle any kind of terrain, the hummer bogs down quite a bit, I use the whinch a whole bunch.

i own a '97 land rover defender 90. it's the coolest 4x4! it's only rival is the hummer. of course the hummer is unbeatable in the desert, but i'd pit my defender up against a hummer anyday in the woods or jungle.

there was only a limited # of defenders made for the US (they stopped import in '97) i have # 502. if you can get a defender, i'd say go for it.

god i love that thing!!

Yeah maybe a compact parking space [:D] .....but seriously I'd love to hear more about how the Hummer isn't as capable offroad and how you need the winch all the time.  I'm actually deciding whether or not to drop the cash down for a Hummer.

I always thought that a turbo diesel, overdrive transmission, posi front and back and 37" Goodyear MT's were a killer combo....[}:D]

I looked at the Rover when I bought my ML.
Similar price, performance.

But the ML have higher safety rating..

QuickSilver, the wide track of the hummer actually hurts its offroad ability. Hummers were designed for carrying a decent amount of weight on shitty roads. If you want the ultimate offroad ability look elsewhere.
Besides they cost too much anyway and your are only paying to be able to say you own a hummer IMHO.

(we're talking mostly stock here)

yes the hummer does indeed have amazing capabilties. but it is true, & like i said in the post before yours, land rovers have certain advantages in tighter terain. likewise, a hummer's amazing 16" total ground clearance in a desert with rocks & more open terain clearly has the advantage.

and with water fording, a hummer can drive comforable in 2 feet, and probably 3-4ft in short distances. a defender, it's a litle less. basically land rovers have various other advantages the hummers don't, and visa versa.

a defender is a little more rare, and would definately be more unique to own. plus more practical. it can drive over well over 70mph, better pick up for negotiating traffic, less expensive, takes gas (more convenient). when the time came, i chose the defender over the hummer. i love both, but i'm waaay happy with my decission.

i wish i knew how to post pics, i'd love to show everyone my pride & joy land rover defender.

Just remember one thing, a Land Rover is a truck and everything else (Acura, Benz, BMW, Lexus, Porsche, Infiniti) is just a tall station wagon.

Surely you jest.    I've driven both, and I've driven HMMWVs for over 15 years, and I've never seen ANY 4 wheeled vehicle that is their off-road superior.  Period.  I've driven Mercedes, Toyota Landcruisers, you name it (even a UniMog) and nothing beats the HMMWV off-road.

Now, the HMMWV can hit over 90k, so that's a downside, ridiculous comments notwhistanding.

I'm happy with my F250 SD CC 4x4.  If I was thinking about getting something crazy like the Hummer I'd go with the Unimog instead.  You just don't see that many Unis out there.

But, to the original question.  The Discoverys are quite nice.  I'd rather have one of those than an Expedition or Suburban.  IMHO

Joe

[left]Look at the Discovery, then Buy It!!! But wait for the 2003 models, they have a 4.6 V-8 instead of the 4.0 in the current models.  I wish I would have bought one instead of my  Sequoia 4x4, which i've almost got stuck in WET GRASS!  When the 2003's come out, i'll definitely be going with checkbook in hand.[/left]

[left]If you plan on never taking it off the pavement, look elsewhere.  But if you need good offroad ability combined with good on road handling, you simply can't beat the Discovery.  Also, you might want to check out the Jeep Grand Cherokee to compare it to, since its the closest competition.[/left]

Well, when my wife told me she wanted a Land Rover I couldn't figure out why. And I was under the assumption they cost alot more than they do.

I have to tell you, I have been SERIOUSLY impressed with it. It's a luxury 4X4, but I also know it will go anywhere and that my wife is safe in it. I haven't had it in the mud, but I have had it in some pretty serious snow and ice. And it handled it like it was just another day (and I didn't even have to shift into four high).

And man can that thing handle. I've gone around corners much faster than I thought it was going (very easy to not realize how fast you are going in them), and it cornered almost like a sportscar.

I really can't say enough good things about it. The only downside is that having it worked on at the dealer can be a bit expensive. But you get complimentary maintnence until 45,000 miles even if bought used.

I say get a Land Rover. Believe me, if you do you'll come back and thank us for talking you into it [:)].

I will have to disagree with the Rover guys. The new electronics for the 4 wheel drive system have wrecked the ability of the vehicle off road. I belong to a 4 wheel drive club. 2 times a year the club holds a hands on driving clinic. During these clinics I have guided 100s of stock vehicles.

The rovers have a major problem backing down steep dirt roads where traction is a problem. The ABS/traction control will sense the front wheels breaking loose and let up. It then locks up the rear wheels. This causes the vehicle too turn side ways. The manual says to push the hill decent button and not use the brakes but this will allow the vehicle to roll too fast (10mph).

As for Defenders, They are very good if you get one with out Lucas electronics.

Hey thecleaner, where in MI are you ??  Come on over and we can put the Hummer vs. Defender debate to rest !!

Actually, I agree with you.  My 94 Hummer would beat the Defender in rough terrain, ditches, obstacles, anywhere ground clearance was a factor.  But on narrow trails, woods, on the road, and ability to drive past a gas/diesel station you would kick my butt...

QuikSilver, look for a used Hummer or mil surplus, you save a lot of money and don't pay extra for carpeting, fancy dash, etc...  email if you have questions.

I honestly don't know anything at all about the civilized soccer mom Land Rovers. I had a retired British Marine Corps Land Rover though. It was a 1980 88' with a gas four cylinder with a right hand drive. It survived the Montserrat volcanic eruption where the acid ash falls ate the paint but spared the aluminum body. Following that a few months later it was the only undamaged vehicle out of ten at Pointe Pirouette when hurricane Luis hit St. Maarten. I did lose my cloth top, so maybe not totally undamaged, but it was serviceable. The car next to it had wrapped its little made in Korea ass around my rear bumper. I put it in 4 low and tore it off so I could drive away. It served me for 3 years with only a fuel pump replacement. I wanted to bring it home but the Fedcoats wanted me to spend $5000 on a $1000 jeep to get it up to emissions standards. I thought about smuggling it through Mexico, but it just cost too much to ship. I would gladly have another 88 or a 109 but if you ask about them at the Land Rover dealership their eyes get glassy and they get confused. That little jeep survived Luis, Marylin, and some other hurricane whose name escapes me as well as the volcano. Who knows what it went though before that. I miss that jeep as badly as I miss my 1973 Plymouth Roadrunner. Sniff.

I agree with you to a point, but I wouldn't try telling that to my K2500 Suburban.

Still, for serious offroading, I'd rather build up an older Jeep. You can get better performance for a LOT less money. My goal is to find a decent CJ-8 Scrambler for a project. You also don't have to worry as much about explaining embarrassing offroad damage or pinstriping goofing when you meet all the other Range Rover owners at Starbuck's.

i was looking at the freelander aswell, it has an undeniable cool factor. what it doen't have is enough cargo space, so i'm oppting for the x-terra instead. now for the hard part ....green or black

[ni]

I daily drive a 1974 Series 3 88. Not much speed but a lot of fun.