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I don't understand how Jaguar/Land Rover is still even a thing. This is unrelated to the hack, but they consistently make the most unreliable vehicles you can
by hollywood_court 1y ago
I don't understand how Jaguar/Land Rover is still even a thing. This is unrelated to the hack, but they consistently make the most unreliable vehicles you can buy.
When I had my import repair shop, I made a fortune repairing Jags and LRs. My business partner named his lake house 'Discovery' because of all the money we made off of those things.
- globular-toast 1y agoIt's a brand. Similar to Apple. It's just the cost of being seen with that brand and people are OK with that for some reason.
- hollywood_court 1y agoYes, but Apple generally produces a quality product that doesn't spend ~60% of its life in a repair shop.
- skylurk 1y agoThat's a feature. It shows you have a lot of money, if you can just light it on fire at the JLR dealer.
- frantathefranta 1y agoUpper middle class Americans are weirdly obsessed about LR, especially the new Defender. Jaguar I'm not sure how it survives (if it even really does nowadays).
- hollywood_court 1y agoI'm definitely biased because I own Land Cruisers, but it's wild watching people throw many away on an inferior product like the Defender. I think I'd rather have a Wrangler than a Defender and that says a whole lot.
- frantathefranta 1y agoOur family has owned a '97 Defender 110 (originally bought for my parents' surveying business) for about 16 years now and I still don't understand how some people used to buy these for status. Not having owned a Land Cruiser (but am a happy owner of a Prius) or a Wrangler, I'd probably choose the Toyota over the Land Rover and leave the Jeep in the last place, though I do like the early generations.
- hollywood_court 1y agoI remember when I was a teen and saw "She's All That". The protagonist in the film drove a Defender. I fell in love with them and wanted one badly. Then I moved to the Caribbean a few months later and met people with them. It was nothing but horror stories. So I did what any sensible person would do and bought a Jeep Scrambler. That was dumb. Based on all of my anecdotes from being in the repair industry for years, the only vehicles I will ever own are Honda/Acura and Toyota/Lexus.
- arethuza 1y agoI've known a few people who were obsessed with Land Rovers - often severely dilapidated ex-forces ones. The horror stories almost seemed to be the point - a bonding experience almost...
- DyslexicAtheist 1y agothe new Defender got to be the worst Land Rover ever built. It has terrible off-road capability even compared to the other (non Defender models like the Range). JLR alienated their entire existing Defender drivers where hardly any of them would buy this new model. Granted, they also alienated their user base when the traditional TDI was replaced with the TD5 and then more alienation when they introduced the TD4. But the latest thing (L663) has nothing in common with any of the previous models. (probably due to pedestrian safety laws becoming more strict)
- rob 1y ago> the new Defender got to be the worst Land Rover ever built No it isn't. I own a 2022 D90 P300 with 18" wheels, coils, front jump seat, everything. It's been great for ~40,000 miles. I'm constantly on dirt and rocky roads here. It's never let me down. They're used by tons of people for offroading and modified heavily as well, with companies like Sarek, Lucky8, etc. The only people who hate on new Defenders are the ones that love the ~25 year old versions with 200,000 miles, tons of rust, a diesel engine that can barely make it to highway speeds, and spends more time in the garage every weekend than "exploring." But hey, they're cooler than us because they work on their cars and have a manual transmission.
- hollywood_court 1y agoLet's check back in a few years and see how many of those new Defenders ever make it to 100k miles.
- LtdJorge 1y agoThe problem I see, is that while the electronic assists and auto gearbox are great in general and win over the older generation everytime in comparisons, having a mild electrical problem or a malfunction in any electronic module would render it basically unusable. My father told me many stories about the old Land Rovers they had in the military service in Spain. One time, he successfully climbed a hill with two captains after snapping the back axle (the one coming from the transfer case), by locking the differential. These new machines rely too much on electronics without backup, I believe. Also, and this is fully my opinion, I would never take an automatix off-road.
- taeric 1y agoCar obsession appears to be highly regional. In the Pacific Northwest, it is amusing how many Subaru vehicles you will find. To the point that it is always odd to go back to Atlanta and see how few are there. It would be interesting to see this mapped out. For Land Rovers, specifically, I definitely recall seeing more when I lived in the south. Though, nowadays I think I notice Kia more. That is almost certainly just noticing more, though?
- antonymoose 1y agoWhat region are new Land Rovers popular in? In the southeast I mostly see young guys with an ancient units with 200k+ miles that they bought cheap and refuse the let them die. I rarely see new units on the road.
- taeric 1y agoI honestly don't know, so was surprised to see them listed as a popular choice anywhere and meant my comment just to ack that it is ridiculously regional.
- mikestew 1y agoThey’re all over Redmond, WA. Not nearly as common as Teslas (the “Redmond Camry”), but I guarantee I’ll see a late-model LR every time I drive somewhere. There’s probably at least one near my house every day at school drop-off/pickup time.
- troyvit 1y agoSame with Colorado. The joke is when you move here you are given a Subaru and Golden Retriever.
- taeric 1y agoI confess that combo would be a positive for me. :D Hands down the best dogs out there.
- LtdJorge 1y agoYou should visit Iceland, they're everywhere.
- frantathefranta 1y agoJaguars?
- LtdJorge 1y agoNew Defenders
- constantcrying 1y agoIt is not some independent company, it is owned by Tata Motors a part of the large Indian Tata Group. But apparently the company is even profitable, which came as a surprise to me.
- user_7832 1y agoSimilarly, Italian design house Pininfarina is owned by Mahindra (another Indian auto co that only sells SUVs). As an Indian auto enthusiast, I’m both happy, but wish more came out of it. (Insert meme of guy poking something with a stick and saying “Go on, do something”)
- aerostable_slug 1y agoMahindra sells lots of tractors. Somehow that both vibes with Lamborghini (who were a tractor company too) — and really doesn't.
- arethuza 1y agoI think the Lamborghini that makes tractors has always been a separate legal entity from the one that makes cars (now part of the VW Group) - both founded by the same chap though. https://www.lamborghini-tractors.com/en-eu/ https://www.lamborghini-tractors.com/en-eu/
- SanjayMehta 1y agoThe back story for Tata buying the group off Ford is interesting. Tata had approached Ford in 1998 proposing some kind of partnership for their first passenger hatchback. Apparently Ford officials were arrogant and dismissive so it became a personal matter for Ratan Tata, and when Ford was in trouble, he bought the brand off them. https://www.financialexpress.com/life/lifestyle-ford-vs-tata-motors-ratan-tatas-2-3-billion-revenge-how-a-disagreement-with-ford-in-1999-led-to-acquisition-of-jaguar-land-rover-3199787/ https://www.financialexpress.com/life/lifestyle-ford-vs-tata...
- Zigurd 1y agoHa ha, I had a Disco. It's the only vehicle I bought an extended warranty on. It's the only extended warranty I ever heard of that was worth buying. For starters: the fuel pump quit a couple blocks away from the dealership.
- hollywood_court 1y agoI live ~90 minutes from Atlanta. Used 'luxury' autos would start showing up on used car lots around Atlanta as soon as their manufacturer's warranty expired. I had scores of customers who would test drives these vehicles (Usually a LR, a Mini, a V8 Audi, or a V8 BMW) and bring them all the way to me for prepurchase inspections. I would tell them every single time "do not buy this vehicle." Then they would buy it and my employees and I would wager on how long it took the vehicle to be towed in for repairs. And the type of people who buy used luxury vehicles from lots in Atlanta are also the type of people that cannot afford any repairs. So I ended up with many abandoned LRs, Audis, Minis, and BMWs all over my lot. Then I had to jump through all of the hoops to get the titles and have them sold and towed away.
- ponector 1y agoHow mini is a luxury vehicle? They are relatively cheap
- georgefrowny 1y ago[dead]
- Aromasin 1y agoI believe this used to be a thing absolutely, but something seem to change ~2012 where they seemingly went from some of the least reliable luxury cars on the market to some of the most - but the hangover from 50 years of unreliability will plague them for years to come I'm sure. The tests and standards they need to pass to get out of the design and manufacturing departments are pretty staggering now (compared to the tire kick tests they used to), and general reports from mechanics in forums I frequent and people I meet at car meets is that a modernish JLR will keep on ticking provided they're serviced every year. Honestly, I've been eyeing up a 2015 Jaguar F-Type for a while now. It was a £85k car depending on trimming that you can pick up for £20k now with a V6 supercharged VS. An old-school style coupe, without all the modern ADAS beeping and handholding, that will just plod away if you look after it seems very appealing.
- hollywood_court 1y agoI wish you luck. I wouldn't buy the 2015 unless they've documented the timing service and give you a warranty. And don't park it outside. I'm not exaggerating when I say (I believe I've even shared this in a previous comments years ago) that every single Jaguar I've ever serviced has had wiring damage due to rodents. I believe it's something to do with the coating they use on their wiring and harnesses. But I never had a Jaguar in my shop that didn't suffer from some type of wiring damage as a result of rodents chewing on the wiring.
- thisislife2 1y agoIsn't this common? I have had rodents eat wires in my car 3 times in the last 5 year. (It's not a Jag or LR). My friends have complained about this happening with their vehicles too. Or has there been any new development of some kind of "rodent-resistant" wiring?
- barnas2 1y agoHonda makes an anti-rodent tape that's designed for wrapping wiring. It's loaded with capsaicin so any critter that bites down will quickly decide to stop. It's possible other manufacturers are exploring similar ideas.
- sonthonax 1y agoThey’re extremely temperamental vehicles because they’re not fit for purpose. The original Range Rover is an upmarket agricultural vehicle, and used the same platform from 1970 until the 2000s. When you actually use them as intended, for off road farm work you realise they’re better off road than they are on road.
- forinti 1y agoDoes any luxury brand ever make economic sense? It's all about status. If you want a reliable car, you buy a Toyota.
- hollywood_court 1y agoLexus. IMHO, Lexus is the smartest vehicle purchase (other than a Toyota) that you make. A Lexus LS and a Toyota Land Cruiser are the perfect pair of vehicles for someone to own. There will always be at least one of each in my garage. Of course that's only true if you get the V8 modals of each. I wouldn't touch the new LS or new Land Cruiser unless they were given to me for free.
- deepvibrations 1y agoHehe, things only an American would say! -> Reading this as a European with one small electric car, the idea that two V8 vehicles could be considered the perfect vehicle choice is quite out there!
- hollywood_court 1y agoThe Toyota/Lexus 4.7L and 5.7L engines are pretty much the two most reliable V8s ever put into production vehicles. The Chevrolet 6.0 is probably the only other V8 that would possibly come close to the reliability afforded by the Toyota/Lexus V8s.
- LtdJorge 1y agoYeah, but why do you need a 4+ liter engine in a family car?
- ponector 1y agoThat is the American way. For some reason they often need huge truck for single person to commute to the work. I had for a few years mini cooper 5d - amazing vehicle. Fun to drive, quite reliable. Of course, that mini will not be comfortable for "plus" size people. Maybe that is the main reason why trucks are so popular in the US.
- xbar 1y agoI see Tata/Jaguar and I just remember all the rust.
- geodel 1y agoRust is all about safety.
- brk 1y agoAnecdata I have a 2017 F-Type R. It's a daily driver and does not get babied. Has been essentially bulletproof, a couple of minor repairs, but nothing different than any other vehicle I have ever owned. I've thought about replacing it, but why.
- gerhardi 1y agoI used to drive for five years (2015-2020) a 2009 naturally aspirated petrol Jaguar XF and it had zero issues except a single vacuum hose leak during my 100 000 kilometers (from 120 000 to 220 000) or so. The original rear upper wishbone arms were replaced and no more than expected normal wear & tear brake part replacements were needed. I still sometimes think that I'd like to have one again because in my opinion it was a quite nice and comfortable ride and turned out to be very good value as a used vehicle! Maybe I had some kind of exception or are there dramatic differences between models and engines?
- mikestew 1y agoWe had a 2003 Jag S-Type, and it was as reliable as anything else we’ve had. Only had it for three years, bought used in 2006, and didn’t do anything to it. This was back in the days of Ford ownership, though, and it was really a Lincoln Something chassis with a Jag body and badges. Granted, that was a long time ago, but I imagine the underlying chassis has a lot to do with the reliability.
- mtillman 1y agoMy mechanic friends say the same. The Range Rover is the best looking suv imo and looks over shop time for those that can afford it. That said, no mechanical issues with my 2020 sport.
- MisterTea 1y agoMy coworker is a big classic Disco fan, has two, and he is constantly fucking with leaks, rust, and electricals. He does all his own work but man, seems like a never ending hobby.
- ChrisRR 1y agoBecause people buy them as a status symbol. Middle aged mum dropping her kids off at school definitely needs a range rover, otherwise what will the other mummies think?
- nradov 1y agoLand Rover is among the most unreliable but apparently they're still a little better than Volkswagen. https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2025-us-vehicle-dependability-study-vds https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2025-us-vehi...