i want to buy a land cruiser...

[addjunkie]

I dunno much about Ssanyong (there's been a dealer 15m away for the brand for many, many years - but not a dealer you heard good things about).
I understand that the older Musso and Rexton models used older (better?) generation Mercedes engines & boxes etc - while reviews suggest they are rugged.
You see quite a few of them around here on the roads with the farming folk.

They use their own engines now.

 

[sako243]

I reckon like most big brand marques, the Germans are trading heavily on their past reputation, while the quality of their offerings over the last decade+ isn't up to much.
Guessing the French breakdowns weren't the runabouts, but the bigger models?
Sadly my faith in the quality & reliability in any make/model has diminished hugely over the years.

True on all points.

Had a friend recently who swapped from a Toyota GT86 to a BMW, second hand but reasonably new (might even have been from a dealer). It spent more time in the dealership trying to rectify an oil leak than with him. After about 4 months of the dealer and some specialists not being able to cure / find the leak he gave up and shifted it on. Gone to a VW Golf now which has so far been trouble free.

He said it was ironic that his car was leaving more oil outside his house than my Land Rovers had ever done .

I guess I'm based towards LR, they're one of the few vehicles that do everything I need them to so I've always had them. Consequently I know them well so what issues to arise are normally easily fixed. Okay I've snapped a couple of cranks but neither cost me more than £400 to fix and the last one engine was out and new built one installed inside 6h with tea breaks on my own.

He says as there's a Toyota V8 waiting to go into the Defender...

 

[GRW]

They use their own engines now.

Any good though?

 

[indy4x]

Just give in, buy a Discovery and be happy

I know I take the mick out of LR but the Disco 3 was by far the best vehicle I've owned, just really good at everything

But, LC Amazon did trump it for towing, not by much tho

 

[GRW]

I know I take the mick out of LR but the Disco 3 was by far the best vehicle I've owned, just really good at everything

But, LC Amazon did trump it for towing, not by much tho

Work had 2 older (60 & 63 plate) Isuzu pickups. The older Rodeo not quite as much grunt but rugged as, and the 2.5 twin-turbo D-Max extremely strong - pulled loads like a demented dentist.
(The D-Max expired eventually, but tbf I think that was more it being run into the ground with little or no mtce rather than the fault of the vehicle).
The older, less complex Rodeo would perhaps be my preferred if I was buying though.

 

[Smallfry]

No joke - but on the road I'm sure the Landrover badge is far and away the badge I've seen on vehicles that are broken-down at the roadside.
The breakdown/recovery business must love Land Rover!
(I note its not the "workhorse" Landies, but the upmarket boutique "aspirational" models like the Disco & Range Rover that seem to need their hazard light switch a lot. As usual it seems its also not the older "boxy" ones, but the ones the owners paid tidy sums to own).
I can honestly say I'd consider a Ssanyong in preference (at least if it broke down it'd have cost a lot less in the first place).

I think you will find that VW is the common vehicle to be seen broken down at the roadside. Insider info from the RAC !

 

[James1979]

I see more RAC vans at the roadside than anything else

 

[GRW]

I think you will find that VW is the common vehicle to be seen broken down at the roadside. Insider info from the RAC !

Interesting! (& a sad indictment of how the big Co's are trading on past reputation).
In my last gig - Caterpillar were guilty of this also. I saw some of their Chinesium kit that I'd not want to sell ir own tbh

 

[GRW]

I see more RAC vans at the roadside than anything else

My neighbour is an RAC guy, so one of their vans is parked opposite my house every night.
(I'm not a member though, so fat lot of good it'll do me)

 

[James1979]

My neighbour is an RAC guy, so one of their vans is parked opposite my house every night.
(I'm not a member though, so fat lot of good it'll do me)

You can buy temporary membership with beer

 

[bigegg]

All jesting aside, I have my heart set on a landcruiser.

I'm Lexus through+through: I would absolutely *love* a GX460/470 but the cost of importing one is beyond me.

Next best thing is the Toyota version: veg-oil burning diseasel engine makes it better still.

If I debadge it, and add a lexus grille, it will maintain my reputation.

 

[GRW]

All jesting aside, I have my heart set on a landcruiser.

I'm Lexus through+through: I would absolutely *love* a GX460/470 but the cost of importing one is beyond me.

Next best thing is the Toyota version: veg-oil burning diseasel engine makes it better still.

If I debadge it, and add a lexus grille, it will maintain my reputation.

View attachment 399834

I'd like a bulletproof battle tank of a Landcruiser myself - I just love properly robust, reliable kit - the reliability counters the higher run costs IMO.
Truth is though, it'd be massive overkill and OTT for my needs.

 

[dobbslc]

He says as there's a Toyota V8 waiting to go into the Defender

Like!

 

[sako243]

Like!

Well it's Toyota technically but has a Lexus badge on it.

 

[GRW]

Well it's Toyota technically but has a Lexus badge on it.

Is a Defender steering and brakes up to cooing with a Lexus V8 amount of shunt! (Older Landies I've driven would be scary with that kind of prod - but I've no real experience with newer Defenders).
They did a Police variant of my LDV Convoy with the old Rover 3.5L lump in - I can't imagine how a van with such vague "thataway-ish" steering box & archaic boingy bits dealt with that motor and the Plod heavy boot!

 

[premmington]

I think you will find that VW is the common vehicle to be seen broken down at the roadside. Insider info from the RAC !

Only because there is a greater volume of them sold in the UK

It is just a numbers thing - more of one type of vehicle - the more that breakdown

 

[MCKDAVID]

I dunno much about Ssanyong (there's been a dealer 15m away for the brand for many, many years - but not a dealer you heard good things about).
I understand that the older Musso and Rexton models used older (better?) generation Mercedes engines & boxes etc - while reviews suggest they are rugged.
You see quite a few of them around here on the roads with the farming folk.

Had a run out in one of them a year or so back, seemed to go well enough, didn't drive it, but from the passenger seat, it was well confortable. Rode well over the bumps, and seemed quiet enough for an old merc diesel, the guy said he paid peanuts for it, as every one was after the "bigger names".

 

[premmington]

I wanted some Ssanyong parts a few months ago - there are more Ssanyong dealers about than you think.

There were helpfull as well - took money over phone and posted the obscure parts I wanted within 48hrs (phone call to delivery at the door)

 

[OJCar]

Is a Defender steering and brakes up to cooing with a Lexus V8 amount of shunt! (Older Landies I've driven would be scary with that kind of prod - but I've no real experience with newer Defenders).
They did a Police variant of my LDV Convoy with the old Rover 3.5L lump in - I can't imagine how a van with such vague "thataway-ish" steering box & archaic boingy bits dealt with that motor and the Plod heavy boot!

The second Medic 1 was one of the V8 LDV
It used to get the back out drifting on some shouts (allegedly).
Leyland Sherpa V8 F470 FNS,Scottish Ambulance Service-ERI 'Medic 1', A&E Dept. old Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, circa 1990 by Alan McConnell, on Flickr

 

[sako243]

Is a Defender steering and brakes up to cooing with a Lexus V8 amount of shunt! (Older Landies I've driven would be scary with that kind of prod - but I've no real experience with newer Defenders).
They did a Police variant of my LDV Convoy with the old Rover 3.5L lump in - I can't imagine how a van with such vague "thataway-ish" steering box & archaic boingy bits dealt with that motor and the Plod heavy boot!

If the steering is kept in good condition I've actually found the Defender to have some of the best feed-back of any vehicle of a similar ilk. They're just a bit prone to gather lots of wear quickly once one component starts to wear slightly. Brakes wise it's still the same weight you're trying to stop, albeit you might go a bit faster in between the corners but then the limit's really going to be the fact that it's a tall 4x4 not a sports car.

I'd only be slightly more than doubling the horsepower so it's not a stupid increase


Engine is actually some 30kg lighter than a 300Tdi so I'm reducing weight despite the engine being almost double the size physically. There are plenty of upgrade options for brakes on a Defender anyway and it's not going to be a race truck or anything like that. Just a bit more oomph for overtaking slow coaches whilst towing up in Scotland is the main reason (oh and the noise).