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X5 vs. ML vs. HSE (2003-2006) - Page 2

post #16 of 28
11/11/11 at 10:24am
Had an 06 LR3, traded it in for a 08 LR3. The 06 had a slew of problems, the 08 was better and I really liked that car. The local delearship by me was such a turnoff of that I traded it in with a year left on the lease and got a new MB GL450. Love the MB, the service and the dealership. There have been a few posts about these cars in the past, maybe knock on edmorels door for some advice on the Range Rovers.nest.gif
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post #17 of 28
11/14/11 at 11:17am
Are Range Rovers really that horrible in general? I once had the BMW 540i with the same 4.4 engine that a few years of the RR had and the BMW was bulletproof and awesome, but the little snippets I've read about RR's have been nightmare stories, one guy I know told me he wished his RR would get stolen and destroyed because the repairs he needed were more than the car was worth. They almost sound like they're as expensive to own as a Bentley frown.gif It's a shame because I really love the way Range Rovers look, and I want to get a boxy wagon for when I take the dog places, go to the beach, go get big stuff, etc.

Right now I could get a RR of that vintage, or I could get a MB G500L for the same price, and it's looking I will probably get a G500 instead of the RR, something tells me it's probably the better car.... I do know I don't want an X5 or an ML...
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post #18 of 28
11/14/11 at 12:12pm
It is probably worth the research to see if you could find what years BMW owened and produced the RR's, I recall it not being that long. I like the G Wagon, those things are tanks and currently priced above the GL's. I think the problem with all these cars is that the technology is to advanced for the car and is quite costly to fix. That is problem I encountered with my LR3. The car would decide to lower itself on the highway and go into crawl mode, not fun. G Wagon is my vote, not that anyone really asked or cared.
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post #19 of 28
11/14/11 at 12:22pm
That's exactly why I am leaning towards the G wagen, it just seems to tough - it has no real modern technology so to speak of, besides military grade 1960's hard bits ( the locking diffs, etc) - no air suspension or any of that Range Rover luxury stuff.
I believe the BMW powered RR's are 2002-2004 or 2005? It's just so hard to believe that the RR could be so crappy, because the 4.4 V8 engine is really quite brilliant in the BMW's, and the RR's from those years do seem really BMW'ish, even the sat nav is the widescreen part from the old 5/7 series.
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post #20 of 28
11/14/11 at 12:35pm
I have a 2004 Porsche Cayenne S. I test drove every SUV at the time and settled on it because of its feel on the road and power. I love it except for the reliability issues. However, any of the cars you mention will cost you a lot to maintain. They all eat tires, drink gas and have very expensive routine maintenance. When things go wrong, and they will, they will cost a lot. Since the warranty ran out on my car I have had to replace the rear radiator, drive shaft, starter, battery, Rear door pistons, CD player and a few other things. I need new tires all around every 10K miles.

If you want reliable get a Toyota. If you want a fun car to drive, get a Cayenne. The years you mention of the LR, RR, MB and X5 drive like trucks and feel top heavy in curves. I don't like how they drive at all. But, they each seem to have a popular fan base.

I just drove the newish VW Tiguan. It doesn't have a lot of power but the driving experience is excellent and the interior reminds me of my Cayenne. I would take it over a Toyota any day of the week.
Edited by pocketsquareguy - 11/14/11 at 10:42pm
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post #21 of 28
11/14/11 at 12:37pm
The G wagon looks cool but drives like a cement truck. Just try driving one.
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post #22 of 28
11/14/11 at 2:14pm
Thread Starter 
I was eyeing the Cayenne's. With respect to the G wagon. where do you live? I would take one over any of those i mentioned, however, they're about double the price in canada (Vancouver) of the other vehicles discussed, for the same model years mentioned.
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post #23 of 28
11/14/11 at 3:25pm
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. When I drove the G Wagon they were about on par with a RR in price. (2004)

I suppose if they came in camo and had a machine gun turret I might have considered one smile.gif
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post #24 of 28
11/14/11 at 5:16pm
Thread Starter 
the nice thing about them (the g's) over the ranges etc. is their lack of electronic rubbish. I am looking for something comfy, roomy, and (at least somewhat) reliable, that isn't ugly as sin. and can go offroad/ski hills etc if needs be. hmm. g wagon. proxy? biggrin.gif
Edited by hrb - 11/14/11 at 8:49pm
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post #25 of 28
11/14/11 at 5:22pm
I wouldn't call a g wagon comfy. I would hate to ride in the back seat (more like a bench) for more than a short ride But, if you want something more like a heavy duty truck you might like it. They do look cool.
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post #26 of 28
11/14/11 at 10:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hrb View Post

I was eyeing the Cayenne's. With respect to the G wagon. where do you live? I would take one over any of those i mentioned, however, they're about double the price in canada (Vancouver) of the other vehicles discussed, for the same model years mentioned.

I live in Japan - an '03 G500 with the revised interior is about the same as an 03-04 RR HSE (not the Vogue) about $30K or a little more since the exchange rate is crazy- X5's and ML's are definitely half that. Cayennes S's and Turbos are about the same as the G and RR HSE, maybe a little more expensive because they are newer. I wouldn't want a Cayenne though.
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post #27 of 28
11/15/11 at 2:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pocketsquareguy View Post

I just drove the newish VW Tiguan. It doesn't have a lot of power but the driving experience is excellent and the interior reminds me of my Cayenne. I would take it over a Toyota any day of the week.


The Tiguan is based on a golf, so I wouldn't compare it to a SUV, it's more like a golf on stilts.
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post #28 of 28
11/15/11 at 9:29am
I have an '04 RR HSE and really have had very few complaints with reliability. I purchased it new and figured I would only keep it for the term of the warranty but given that I had so few issues I just hung onto it. Also helps that the body style really hasn't changed over the years. I understand that the model is due for a major re-design launching next year as a 2013 model, but who knows. I figure its in the shop maybe 2-3 times a year. Once for the mandatory service and once for little things....last time it was the cupholder getting jammed shut and the license plate bulb needing replacement. The only major repair I've had was this past year when the front left air suspension went out. IIRC it cost around $1,200 to fix. Presumably the right side will fail at some time as well. Overall I couldn't be more pleased with reliability....and I was as apprehensive as anybody about the reputation for reliability.

I occasionally think about replacing it but I don't really care for any of the alternatives out there right now. The possible exception would be the Cayenne Turbo. When it was introduced I thought it was horrendous looking but somehow with fairly minor tweaks they've managed to make it quite attractive.
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